Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

I love this machine but I'm outgrowing it pretty quick. As a complete beginner to the whole rowing thing it took all of two minutes to figure out how to do it. I have a bad hip and movement of the machine has really helped a lot and vastly improved my over-all body flexibility as well as nearly eliminating my back pain. 20-30 minutes in the morning gets me moving all day. I'm 6'1"/290 and this rowing machine is solidly built, holding me well. The only caveats I have are: 1. It can be hard on the knees at first but keep powering through it. 2. I'm pretty darn strong. The resistance on 12 is nowhere close to what I need and even after 30 minutes, I only had an 82 bpm heart rate. That's okay as it keeps my joints moving. 3. I double-stacked a 2x4 under each end, attached them to the floor stabilizers and raised it up 3". This helps tremendously if you have bad knees. 4. It's boring as heck! Be sure to put this in front of the TV or do something else to keep your mind occupied. Other than that, for the price this is a great device for a complete beginner. I'm now running up the stairs at work. Edit: I've since moved on from this device. Frankly, I'm just too strong for it and the single resistance 'shock' would get hot. I sold it and bought a Bowflex, well, the Weider version.