Elite ATS Air Rower - Smart Workout App, No Subscription Required - Upgraded Foldable Rowing Machine - LCD Monitor

First, the good; It a arrived on time in a package with slight damage by the shipper. Despite the slight shipper damage, the product inside was in perfect condition. a tribute to the packaging. Assembly was easy, it took me about 30 relaxed minutes. Kudos to the manufacturer for including tools that would be perfectly adequate to assemble the rower. Now throw these away and grab some decent 13mm and 15mm sockets, a metric allen wrench set, and a phillips screwdriver. The flimsy wrench they include will get your rower together, but they might not tighten the nuts tight enough without rounding the corners. Once it is together properly, it is by far the best rower you can buy for $323.19. I've tried lots and this is the one. It's stable, the action is predictable, its durable, it has a chain instead of a flimsy strap. In short, it's almost a Concept 2 for 1/3 the price. Having said that, if you want a Concept 2, spend $1000+ and buy one.Now to address some criticism I've seen; If it squeaks or rattles, see the paragraph above about using decent tools to assemble it. The display on the computer has decent sized numbers. It shows 3 lines at once which display 1. strokes per minute 2. distance 3. total time of each workout. Then 2 seconds later it switches to 1. stroke count 2. speed 3.kCal burned. The little icons to the left of the numbers and the words to the right are too small for me to see while I'm rowing. You just have to remember what the numbers are for when you're looking at the numbers, and it should be pretty easy to figure out. The displays for speed, distance, and kCal can't possibly be right. Don't panic. They're not perfect on ANY rower! Think about speed (and distance travelled in a given time) of a scull in the water. It's not just about how hard and fast you pull the oars. It's your entire technique including, the weather, water temperature, wind, the way you hold your blades in the water, your recovery, the way you move your weight in the boat, and a thousand other variables. The only displays you really need are strokes per minute and time of workout. The distance travelled (and kCal) are nice to look at after your workout is done to compare it against previous workouts, but you shouldn't be paying them any attention during the workout. And at the end it doesn't matter if they're "right", it just matters that it measures consistently each time. Just like it doesn't matter if your measuring tape is inches or centimeters, it just matters that you use the same units each time. The speed does vary widely while you're rowing which makes it fairly useless. Again, don't panic, it doesn't matter. Just look at the distance travelled at the end of your workout and compare that to previous workouts. Some people have criticised this ergometer for not having variable resistance. It doesn't matter, the resistance is about the same as the medium setting on a Concept 2. Any variability you need in resistance is increased by your increasing effort.Before I bought it, I wished the description would have listed the length of the machine in the folded position. It's 58 inches (about 147.3 cm), in case you're wondering. It takes about a minute to fold it up. In the video it looks like it just takes seconds, thats not true. You have to unscrew a long bolt by hand, fold the machine head, put a pin in place to hold it, then screw the long bolt in again. I have a small room and it fit's fine in the place where I used to keep a bicycle on a trainer.The 5 star rating is for a $323 ergometer. Don't think that makes it the equal of a $1000+ Concept 2 ergometer. IT IS NOT. If you want the best, or if you're using it for a commercial purpose, spend the $1000+ and buy the Concept 2. This is a 5 star HOME ergometer.I bought it because I built a sliding seat rowboat (see clcboats.com and build your own) and I wanted to keep in shape at home in the off season. I'm 6'3", 215 lbs, 52 years old and fairly fit, with a resting heart rate about 60. I've done some sort of workout almost daily for over 30 years but haven't been nuts about it (i.e. competitive) since I was in my 30's. It's an excellent piece of equipment for me, I've taken my bicycle off it's trainer and am using the floor space in the spare room for this. I use it for 30-60 minute workouts keeping my heart rate in the 130-140 range. If that sounds anything like you, and the workout you're looking for, then I highly recommend this rowing machine (aka ergometer).

I did A LOT of research on home-use rowers prior to "settling" on the Stamina. I really wanted a Concept 2 (C2) (Gold Standard in my opinion), but not in my budget! If you can’t afford a C2, definitely buy this one-don’t go any cheaper! I read all the reviews about this rower on Amazon. My husband rowed in college and children now in competitive varsity rowing everyday. Husband purchased this rower (This model is actually the 35-1405 ATS) as a 50th birthday gift, to get in me in shape(I‘ve been begging for a rowing machine since I'm overweight and have knee and back problems). Purchasing and receiving, we had no issues. Assembly okay, (recommend two people and using your own tools to save your hands if they lack strength). I did need husband's help, tightening it properly is VERY important, based on some issues in others buyers' reviews! Reading the instructions step by step very important-there are some “through-bolts” that need to be moved around during assembly process, and if not done, it could cause trouble with rower functioning properly. Stamina never claims to be a Concept 2! This is a beginners' rower, not for professional rowing. Flywheel hits you with a blast of cool air with each row-you may or may not like this. PROS: Affordable. Slightly more compact than a C2. Can shrink overall length about 1 1/2 feet less when folded, but it does not stand vertical for a closet storage, only horizontal. Adequately sturdy, mostly metal, it is a solid machine. The flywheel is made out of sturdy plastic and is enveloped by a metal cage. Max weight of person using is up to about 250 lbs. Machine lightweight enough to roll around (has front rollers) for storage. It has good leg and arm resistance during a smooth seat glide back and forth. The pulley is made from a bicycle chain, sturdy. Although the display is NOT the one pictured, it is actually BETTER-you can actually see the correct one in the video. CONS: No variable resistance adjustment. No heart monitor. The following 2 cons I believe are because machine is foldable; Display is positioned too low, very hard to read during exercise. I have to stop rowing to read. Pull bar retracts to a low position too, making your extended arms having to go down on the draw, just above display. Recommend watching YouTube video, for proper form. In summary; overall 4.5 out of 5 stars, not for pro athletes-not a Concept 2, but great for home exercise equipment and great for getting in shape! Easy on the wallet, buys you time to save up and get in shape for the gold standard!