Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

My wife and I decided we wanted some sort of in-home exercise equipment, and we had a few criteria. 1) Low Impact. Yeah, we're getting too old for running and kicking things. This also meant no treadmill. 2) Full Body. We wanted some cardio and full body workout all-in-one so not just weights or a cycle. 3) Fits in a small home. We have little room for equipment, so something we could stick in a corner when company comes was required. A friend said rowers were great workouts and I saw this one. First off, it is long -- you need 9 feet linear to use it when set up. But you can split it in half and store the parts upright in a much smaller footprint, so it worked for us for 3). For 1) and 2) it also fits the bill perfectly. No impact, but can be an intense workout. I was full-body sore after only a few 5 minute intro sessions, which is what I wanted. We leave it set up in a guest room, but can store it easily in the corner when there's visitors (it's like 2'x3' or so footprint stored. This means I have instant access for a quick workout first thing in the morning -- even an intense 10 minutes before morning shower is worth it. Face it -- I knew I wouldn't go to the gym. I don't have time for that, and I don't want people looking at me. It's hard to say I don't have time for 15 minutes with no travel time to the gym and changing and showering and all that. I wasn't sure -- I mean, I don't row for real in a boat. And don't ever plan to do so. But as for exercise, this is a workout. OK, it's boring. But that's why we have streaming music. I find it meditative -- once you ease into a rhythm, you can just meditate on the motion, focusing on the bar in front of you and zone out into the music while 10 minutes and 100 calories glides by. To me, that's the best. Any solid workout, from spin to personal training, to jogging, burns around 100 calories / 10 mins. What's great about the ergometer is that the monitor right there in front of you tells you what your burn rate and expended calories is so far, in terms of energy required to spin that flywheel. So if you go a slow pace, you might only burn a baseline 300 calories/hour as your learn and warm up, but then you work up into the 800 cals/hour range for some burst intervals and you can hit 200 calories in 20 mins. I love this feedback right there. I guess the monitor also hooks up to some 3rd party software I have yet to try. So you can do online competitions, virtual scenery, personalized programs and upload to your friends if you're in need of accountability reinforcement, etc. I'm going to look into this at some point, but for now I just sit down, do the first pull and the monitor turns, starts the clock and tells me how much I have burned and what my current pace is. That's just great. And since it's a giant flywheel, it can generate electricity to run the monitor without using much of the batteries. Nice! My wife also can use it, even though she's half my size. Just sit down and go. She might have to move the footstraps, but that's 30 seconds and easy. She can pick her own pace. With 2 people using it, the cost is much better than a gym membership. Overall I am quite happy with this rower. I am new to rowing, but with a few videos they offer online and doing the training they suggest, I managed to get a reasonable repeatable stroke after maybe 5 minutes of practice. They also have a video of common mistakes, which was great to watch once you get comfortable and move harder and faster, since that's when the bad habits creep in. If you start slow and focus on form for the warmup, then go hard, then focus on form when you're tired in a cooldown (much harder to have good form when you're tired!) you can make sure to avoid bad habits and let yourself get all the benefits when you get into a really strong, hard pace. Burning 400 calories in 30 minutes in my target now -- after a week I can do 200 in 20 minutes. The nice thing about a consistent workout is when you are sore from the last workout, the best remedy isn't rest or Advil, it's to jump on and do a gentle workout just to warm things up without going nuts. That's one thing I love about having this setup all the time at home -- I can jump on for 5 mins for a quick little warmup whenever I feel like it, in between the hard 30 minutes sessions where I am more serious. OK I wrote a lot. But for $1000 I wanted to be sure it was worth it, and wanted to help those of you looking to maintain fitness as you enter middle-age, have kids and can't go to the gym, and can't handle anything not low impact. And can work in a cramped lifestyle, both in time and space. As for this product in particular -- I am happy with the construction. It's super solid. Easy to put together (even came with the screwdriver needed). Easy to store when needed. Easy to just sit and go. Clear constant feedback on calorie burn. Comfortable to sit on, and smooth operation. Chain is great quality and works smoothly. Handle is comfortable and easy to hold for extended time. Seat slider action is smooth and comfortable enough to not be noticeable even after 30 mins. Foot pedals are excellent -- easily adjustable for multiple users to quickly get on and go, with pull straps for easy in and out securing. Model D is "lower" for people who doesn't have mobility issues. Model E is a higher seat for less squatting to get on and off, so consider the Model E if you're older or with joint issues for getting down low and back up. Model D is perfect for us, no issues at all. I think the Model D is the only one with adjustable screen position, as well, which is better for my wife and I to adjust. I picked up some chain oil, but it only needs it after many hours of use, so no concerns there. Now it only needs Virtual Reality.