Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

We purchased the SF-RW5801 rower two weeks ago after a great deal of research to decide upon which machine was right for us. I'll make this review as comprehensive as possible and address why we chose this brand/model (I will provide updates in the future as well). First, a little history about why we were shopping for a rower in the first place. After recently being diagnosed with a form of dysautonomia (postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome - POTS), I needed to begin physical therapy, and supine cardio exercises are required as part of that plan such as recumbent biking, swimming, and rowing. Rowing is the preferred exercise because research shows that rowers have the largest and strongest heart muscles due to the total body effort, so that's the form I chose. That said, with mounting medical bills from this health issue, we needed to choose a machine that was more reasonably priced than the other equipment that we already own (commercial quality LifeFitness), but we also wanted to make sure that the quality was sufficient for the frequency I will be using the machine. We researched a variety of options within this price range, and also compared our selections to gym-quality machines such as the Concept II and NordicTrack. My physical therapy, if it goes well, should progress from supine to upright exercise within about 5 months. Having been a long distance runner for the past 20 years, we had already planned to upgrade to the NordicTrack x32i incline treadmill later this year, so we knew that was the priority for our budget...once we get me on my feet again! That meant that we would stick to the $300-ish range for our rower. Two weeks in with exercising on this machine, and I can wholeheartedly say that I am IMPRESSED! This rower might be budget-friendly, but the quality is surprisingly good for this price range. I'll break down my review into three ares: 1) What I Love, 2) What Could Be Better, and 3) Why We Chose This Machine Over Others in This Range. **WHAT I LOVE** 1. Easy Assembly: The machine arrived in one large box weighing about 70-ish pounds. My husband was able to carry it inside and upstairs to our home gym by himself with no problem. Upon unboxing, the bulk of the machine is already assembled. The only thing that needs to be done is to attach the seat to the rail, the feet to the bottom of the machine, and screw on the footrests...then the rail/seat assembly attaches to the machine. All of the components and tools are included in the box (yay!), and they are vacuum sealed unto a piece of cardboard and numbered to match each assembly step that's detailed in the instructions. Really, they could not make this any easier! For example, everything you need for step one is vacuum sealed together with the number "1" clearly printed right on the cardboard. The instructions are clearly written and there are detailed drawings of each step. Honestly, I think a small child could figure this out! It took us about 15 minutes to put the whole thing together--so easy! 2. Padded Seat: I've been using rowers at the gym for many years, and the thing that often stinks is that they have hard seats. This one is lightly padded, and it makes such a difference for a long workout. The quality of the vinyl is great too, and stitching of the seams is tight. 3. Tablet Holder: Talk about a smart upgrade! This is one of the reasons we chose this machine over other options. If you have a membership to a workout app like iFit (which you can now use with ANY brand of machine), you can follow the workout on your tablet, and that's a great feature. (Note, you cannot connect this machine to iFit so that the instructor controls the resistance, etc...but you can follow along with the workout on your own.) 4. Excellent Resistance: We decided on a magnetic resistance machine because they're so much quieter, and that proved to be a good decision. This machine is whisper quiet! I noticed some reviews complaining that the resistance between the 16 levels wasn't noticeable, and I don't understand that. I train on intervals: warm up on level 2, then increase to level 6 when I get going, and drop to level 4 during my "recovery" intervals. Level 6 is challenging, and I'm not horribly out of shape by any means. I doubt I will ever be able to complain that it's not hard enough with 10 more levels to build toward. Rowing is an exercise that's all about endurance with proper form. If you're on level 16 and yanking the handle, can you do it? Of course. But can you maintain proper form and stroke rate throughout a workout? Doubtful unless you are very fit. Thus, I have to dismiss any of those negative reviews as being folks who most likely don't understand the mechanics of rowing. 5. Aesthetic and Quality: Truly, I care far more about function over form, but I have to say that this machine is quite good looking. It fits in perfectly with our LifeFitness equipment, and it looks very professional. But more than looks, it FEELS high quality too. Is it like a $3,000 machine? Well, no...but it also doesn't cost $3,000. I hate to even qualify my statements by saying "for the price range, it's great" because that doesn't give enough credit where it's due. Instead, I would say that I'm surprised this machine is ONLY $250 because the quality feels like it should be at least double that. **WHAT COULD BE BETTER** After my 5th point above, let me explain where this machine could be improved. However, remember, this is a $250 machine, so anything I'm listing here should be taken with a grain of salt since I wouldn't necessarily expect these things at this price point. But if anything on this list is a must-have for you, you should know what you're getting (or not getting, as the case may be). 1. Display Monitor: The digital monitor will display the elapsed time, stroke count of your current workout, calories burned, and total stroke count. You can leave it on one of these, or have it scan through them all. The biggest deficit here is that there is nothing to track distance. Since distance is a product of strokes and resistance, there's really no way to know...you'll just have to guess based on your own calculations and perceived rate of exertion. This is, by far, my biggest wish for this machine. I would get rid of the calories altogether and replace it with distance since calories are a total shot in the dark anyway. There's nowhere to put in your age, height, weight, so the calories calculation is basically junk. Distance would be SO helpful for anyone actually looking to train on this machine! Also, some reviewers have complained about the quality of the monitor, which is just a digital display of numbers, but c'mon...you can't really expect an interactive touchscreen at this price point. It's fine. Some folks have weird expectations. 2. Handle/Strap: Tons of reviews mentioned that the strap fell off the handle and was sucked back into the engine. So far, I can't imagine this actually happening, but theoretically, I can see how it could. The handle is just a metal bar. The strap is slipped over it, and then two foam pieces bracket either side of the strap as hand grips. For the strap to come off, the foam grip would have to come off first. So, this is possible...but the foam grips are REALLY securely attached, so it's not like they would suddenly slide off somehow. I can't even pull/twist them off with effort (I tried), so unless the reviewers had damaged their hand grip and continued trying to use the machine without fixing them, I don't understand how this occurs. However, what could make the machine better would simply be that the strap was actually secured to the handle with a rivet or something. It would be so simple that I can't understand why the company doesn't just make the fix. 3. Height: The rail sits quite low to the ground, unlike other machines I've used over the years. During use, it's not a problem...you're rowing, it doesn't really matter how far away the ground is below you. But, after a hard 40 minutes are over and you need to stand up from the machine, whew. Getting up from such a low position can be a little tougher on spent muscles. I would also say this might be tough for anyone with arthritis or similar mobility issues. 4. Cup Holder: It's awesome that this machine has a place to put your water bottle, however, I can't reach it once my feet are strapped in during use. I end up just putting my water bottle on the floor next to me instead. However, I'm only 5'4", so maybe a bigger person with long arms wouldn't have a problem. It's a good place to stash your phone or something though. 5. Warranty: Although it was not noted in the listing, the Sunny website states that there is a 3 year warranty on the structural frame, and 180 days on "other parts and components". Those 180 days are pretty light, but again...this is a $250 rower, so.... **WHY WE CHOSE THIS MACHINE OVER OTHERS IN THE PRICE RANGE** 1. Reviews: The reviews for the Sunny Health & Fitness brand machines are overwhelmingly positive. That goes for their whole line of products, not just this rower. Those reviews were often quite detailed and that made me feel more confident that they were authentic. So many brands get people to do fake reviews just to boost their ratings, but it doesn't appear to be the case here. 2. Tablet Holder: Seems silly, but it makes such a huge difference. The fact that you could use this machine with iFit on your tablet is pretty much amazing! That made this machine stand out from others in this price range. 3. Warranty: I know I listed warranty in the "things that could be better" section, but it also factored into our buying decision. The fact that the company offered a warranty at all mattered to me. We did purchase 2 years of additional coverage for only $25 as well, but at this price point, I don't know if that was terribly necessary. 4. Customer Service: The company seems to follow up very quickly and then work to resolve any issues. Those who mentioned in their reviews that their monitors or other parts were damage upon receipt (presumably due to shipping trauma) usually noted that the company promptly replaced the parts, or in some cases, the entire machine. Those kinds of ethics are hard to find these days.