Side by Side Comparison of: Stamina vs Concept2

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).

Great Air Rower. Does the job well, quality parts and infinite resistance depending on your speed of rowing. Just make sure you tighten all screws before using. Seat came apart due to lose screws after 3 days of use, I fell down and got hurt.

This unit is very well built... so far is holding up excellent..... The best part is it works... Try 20 minutes you get a good workout.. the resistance thing on other machines is not needed... see if you can row 25 rows a minute for 20 minutes.. Your heart will be beating.Great machine. Dave

My wife and I just love this rowing machine. Not only does it give you a great overall exercise, it also cools you off as you do the exercise. It is well built and engineered to withstand many hours of rowing. It is for the most part fairly quiet. However, the breezes through your hair is such a wonderful experience. We just love this machine and recommend it to everyone. We plan to use this machine for years. It is one the most enjoyable exercise machines ever. Great job Stamina for making such an outstanding product.

I did a LOT of research before I bought this rower. So many reviews, to paraphrase, said 'this is no Concept D for sure'. Well, of course it isn't. It's a third the price and not gym quality. However, if you're looking for a rower for personal home use, you cannot go wrong with this model. I've had it for several months now and I love it. The resistance is very responsive - no lag. The whooshing breeze of air that conveniently blows on you is the loudest noise. My machine has seen heavy use with no squeaks or squeals. This includes my tween son who "beasts out" on it rowing as hard and fast as possible for 20 minutes a day. I'm more of a strong and steady wins the race person. I park in it front of Netflix, turn on the captions, and row for an entire 50 minute episode.I almost dropped 1k on a Concept because of all the negative reviews I read about almost every home use rower. I think the Crossfit community might have something to do with it. Crossfit gyms mostly use Concept and I think people wanting to build out their garage gyms are expecting that quality across the board. Don't get discouraged by those reviews. The reviews are accurate - this is no Concept - but the reviews don't paint the entire picture.

I took delivery of this almost two weeks ago and wanted to delay writing a review until I had time to use it for a bit. This is very much like a Concept II Model A rowing machine, which is a good thing.When I took delivery I put it together myself. Due to the weight of the parts I would recommend two people. It only took about an hour to put it together nonetheless.I used to work in aerospace manufacturing so went over it thoroughly to check the manufacturing and quality of parts and am pretty impressed. It's a very sturdy piece of kit! The seat rollers are adjustable as are the footrests and the electronics show stroke rate, calories burned, time rowing, etc. I also purchased a heart rate monitor to check my time in zone. The seat is also well made; when I read that the seat was padded I expected something shoddy for the price but it's a soft plastic/hard rubber material that's just the right stiffness for long rowing workouts. I can unlock the fan to fold it over and it fits nicely in a long closet for storage. It's only rated for 250 lbs but I think they are being conservative, much sturdier than what one might think. I intend to update the review going forward but so far is deserving of five stars. Perhaps the previous negative reviews were for an outdated model.I'm updating the review as I said I would. It's now April 3rd and it's still going strong, definitely a good investment if you can't afford a Concept II which is of course the gold standard for rowing machines.Updated review Jan 1 2015 and it's still going strong, no problems. For the price I would buy again.

A great product. It works very well. It was not hard to put together. Use it 6 days a week and my wife uses it 4. I used to run but gave it up once I hit 72. So now I am using the Concept 2 and it works very well. It is worth the price. I had one years ago and it broke down. This one is far superior. Hope it last till I die.

Holy crap! Rowing is a great low impact workout. I had know idea. I started rowing because my knees were getting really sore when running.I had a cheapo precor model before this. I got a workout, but my range of motion was very limited. After doing a TON of research on this I felt that the concept2 model D was the way to go. It's expensive but this thing is built to last. I am by no means an expert rower but I do use this 3 times a week for HIIT and sometimes for that long and low intensity workout. Super easy to put together and it just works.I only wish it had an ac adapter instead of batteries for the display. But that's just me

I vacillated about this large purchase for quite some time. I did a LOT of internet research. Finally, the price dropped a bit to $900.00 so I decided to chance it.VERY Easy to assemble. Took less than 15 minutes to unpack and screw in about 8 screws...that's it.Everything is very solidly built.Easy to move, disassemble (detach a portion) and store away if you want to.Nice movement and motion (although due to recent foot surgery I can't really USE it yet). VERY QUIET - which was a BIG concern of mine as I want to have it in the living room and row while I watch the news, etc.Various rowing levels. You can adjust the tension of the fly wheel but it does seem a bit easy even on it's highest tension setting.The electronics seem to work well without any glitches. You can also use a heart monitor. (Frankly for the price they should throw a simple one in - Nordic Track does with their Cross Country Ski machine).A nice addition to other pieces of equipment you may own or to use indoors during cold winter months. I hike, ride horses and use an elliptical so this is a nice compliment to my overall workout program.Seat is comfortable and on nylon rollers. The foot straps could use some improvement and be a bit wider. The foot pedals seem a bit cheap but will work.Overall I think it's one of the best on the market in it's price range.

Have owned this unit before. It is a wonderful form of exercise, works all the muscles, highly recommended by the trainers at my fitness center, more effective than just treadmill walking. It's a bit long, but we fit it into our exercise room because we need the benefits it provides. The price is good, I paid much more for the one I owned before. I owned my last one for 10 years without any problems. It's easy to assemble, delivered when promised--we love it, and use it 30 minutes every day!

I'm a former marathon runner who now has severe arthritic pain in both knees. Even walking long distances hurts. I transitioned to an elliptical machine, which was better, but still leaves me with some pain as there is still some weight bearing. I'd stopped exercising for the last few years, and have watched my weight balloon and my health start to decline. I'm so out of shape that housework and even climbing a flight of stair leaves me out of breath. I'm about 5'10" and a depressing 280 pounds of flab. So I'm basically starting from zero. I've talked to my doctor and orthopedist - both of which suggested swimming as an aerobic activity which won't stress my knees. No pool close to me so not an option. I found this machine by accident and was convinced by all the stellar reviews to try this. So here are my first impressions.
Amazon had this delivered in two days via UPS. Came in a strong secure box, well packed with large pieces of Styrofoam.
UPS brought this via handtruck to my back door. Since the total package weighs about 70 pounds there was no way I was going to be able to get this into my house (My roommate is disabled, so I have no one to help me.). I opened the box outside and planned to bring the pieces into the house. There are just two main pieces - the Flywheel and the seat frame. I brought them in and had this machine together in literally less than 10 minutes. There are just 8 screws to put this machine together. (They even included a screwdriver - no hunting for the right size!) The two main sections are joined at the middle with a hook design and then a locking mechanism. The seat frame just "drops" into flywheel section and you lock it down. No tools needed for this. Easy to take the two pieces apart for vertical storage. As someone who has put together a lot of IKEA and Sauder furniture, I was astounded at how easy this was. Brilliantly designed. Even the batteries were installed in the console. The only thing I needed was to set the date and time.
USAGE: So 10 minutes after opening the box, I'm ready to row. I have had some experience with rowing machines in gyms in the past, so I'm familiar with the stroke and form. I take my first few strokes. The machine is set on middle level as default. My first thought is, "this is too easy. I'm not going to get a workout from this." I keep going and after two minutes, I can feel my heart start to pump and I'm getting a little winded. Kept going at a slow pace for 10 minutes. THIS IS A MIRACLE. I found a machine that is comfortable and gets my heart going and is not hurting my knees. One of the muscle groups this works is the quads, so I'm hoping that will strengthen my knees over time (hoping to delay surgery for as long as possible). I'm slowly working myself up - started at 10 minutes for a few days, then 15, now I'm up to 30, and feel absolutely wonderful. One side effect is that I'm a lot more flexible than I was. A low impact rowing for 5 minutes is a great way for stretching out the major muscles. I would sometimes wake up hunched over with back pain from so much sedentary work. Just five minutes on the machine warms up my muscles and straightens me up until I have time for a full workout. I'm grateful that I found this machine. Will update my progress in a few weeks - hopefully a few pounds lighter and fitter.
For those thinking that this machine is too expensive, please, please reconsider cheap machines. You get what you pay for. I saw a "deal of the day" for a cheap rowing machine this morning and started to kick myself for not waiting - "I could have saved hundreds of dollars." Then I read the reviews. Junk, garbage. Fell apart right away. I would have bought a $300 machine and then come back to this one in the end. It's true that you usually get what you pay for. I've purchased cheap machines for my mother, and they usually arrive damaged because the manufacturers cut corners on the packing. Not the case here. I'm looking forward to a long, fruitful relationship with this machine. Cheers!

So it's loud, and it doesn't feel solid. And for over $300 you'd expect better but I suppose chinesium steel is so common one shouldn't expect better.That said, it's pretty durable. I have this strapped down to the front of my enclosed flatbed trailer (I'm a trucker) and it gets a lot of abuse. But it works every time I need it to.Make sure you oil the chain, I use 3:1 oil to lube it, works well.My biggest complaints would be the foot secure to systems. Incredibly flimsy and feel like they would break under great strain, but my main complaint is the display. It's beyond useless.

I'll give it 4 stars because it's not a Concept2, but damn, for 1/3 of the price it is well worth the money! It's sturdy, setup was simple and it gives a good workout. Recommended.

Easy to put together but the chain came off and I had to figure out how to get at it to put it back! Once the chain as put back on, it workd=ks great and my wife loves it!

Having used the nice rowers at Orange Theory and deciding that I love rowing for all its benefits. I researched thoroughly and decided to by this machine. I think if you are more of a hardcore serious workout buff then this isn't the machine for you. But if you are looking for a way to exercise to keep fit and get the heart rate up a bit then this is a great machine. Assembly took about an hour and was easy. The one thing I don't like about it is that its quite noisy from the fan blade and the seat is a little hard, but otherwise for the money its great. If you want more from a rower you have to pay for it.

I give this rower 4-stars. It's really the little things that keep it from a 5-star rower. I am an avid home crossfitter, so i got this because the Concept 2 is $900! This is an attractively priced rower and the quality is pretty good.I docked it one star for these minor but noticeable issues:1) the digital readout is hard to read and is always flashing between display options. It's a nuisance.2) the digital readout only displays miles, meters should be an option or the only option.3) the feet pedals slide off their holders when you're rowing.Again, those are all minor details. I am not sure it's worth an extra $600 to upgrade to the C2 just for those features.Also there's no damper like the C2, but I knew that when I purchased it. Not a deal breaker for me.Overall, I am enjoying it thoroughly. But maybe stamina has a fix for the foot holders, that's super annoying.

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!

I recently had a stress fracture in my foot (from excessive hiking) and during recovery used the same rower at the gym and discovered I really liked it. I bought one for home use as I am going back to work and don't have time to get to the gym anymore. Very easy assembly. I would have given 5 stars but it arrived short a screw. Need 8 got 7. I e-mailed the company and recieved a fix until they can send me the missing screw. Used it this AM and it was great!

wind based resistance generates quiet some noises. you have to use headphones unless you tune up music a lot.

The Concept2 has smooth operation and great features. I especially like the Bluetooth and the ErgData app so I can record my sessions, log them on my phone, and sync them to Concept2.

this is my first rower. I looked around at many, some cheaper, some more expensive. I didn't want pieceacrap but didn't want to go broke. I am generally lazy about working out and did not want to see other people. This came in two days in one big box. Two pieces in the box with two brackets and 4 screws to put together. piece of cake, even comes with the star screwdriver you need. pop the two big pieces together. it is light and not cumbersome to move around. I am glad I bought this one instead of a larger one piece. it is a good steady workout based on my motivation to stroke. the only thing that I do not like is that it doesn't seem to work my legs the way I expected. the first 20-30% of the stroke (which is all leg) doesn't engage the fan at all so you are just using the legs to slide back. not useless but not a stressor either. That MIGHT have something to do with my height (65") but it shouldn't. That might be the way real rowing feels but I don't really care how real rowing feels. I live in the desert. I want a leg workout too. my arms, back, shoulders, and midsection do most of the work. before buying I had a real concern about the noise it would make. it makes some noise but it is not loud at all. it more whispers than whines. I have to volume up the tv a little but not much. wear gloves. I am happy with the purchase and not disappointed in the exercise but I wish the leg stroke was more engaging.post-post: ok so after I analyzed my form I realized that I am torso dependent and I was just not using my legs to "spin the wheel" the way I was with my arm and torso stroke. My bad, I just have to focus on a "kick" and it is much more challenging.

wish it had greater resistance

Very easy to assemble. Does not take up too much space. The seat glides very smoothly.

Loved the rower when I first got it but now I'm having a few issues. The display won't count distance and speed anymore and one of the rollers on the seat has a hole in it - making rowing a little bit uncomfortable. Anyone else have these issues.

Fair price for a rower and easy to assemble

I just rowed my first workout on this rower earlier today. After around three years of using a C2 at my gym, I kind of went out on a limb on this machine. I was hesitant because there are so many reviews on either side, but I hope this will give some people a little clarity on this rower. I'm here to say: it's ok.• The handle is a little narrow but didn't really cause me discomfort.• The seat is made of a molded rubber that is very firm. I was concerned when I first pulled it out of the box, but after rowing on it for a half hour, it caused me no discomfort.• Even at a full sprint, the chain remained firmly on the flywheel, with the chain guides doing their job nicely. I think I actually noticed the chain slapping less on the recovery than I have experienced on some C2 machines.• The flywheel does make noise, which is to be expected of an air rower. This machine is louder than a C2, but not so loud I'd call it excessive.• The seat does shake back and forth on its bearings a little, even after some adjustment, but I didn't notice the rocking during my workout.• Foot straps held my feet in place very well (I've had the straps on C2's come loose after prolonged rowing).• The flywheel resistance cannot be changed with a damper, but it hardly matters. The point of the air rower is that it is infinitely variable. The harder you row, the more resistance it provides. As I said above, I have a fair amount of experience rowing on a C2, and I was able to work myself up to a full sprint on this machine while still feeling that the flywheel was offering good resistance.• All said, this machine is definitely not as well made as a C2. It feels sturdy, but there is a noticeable vibration from the flywheel as you get it up to speed.I would recommend this rower, but only to someone who had experience on a higher quality rower and understood how their stroke should feel after viewing a force curve, as well as the intensity necessary to row specific 500 split times because -- and this is the big thing -- the monitor is absolute. garbage.It reads out in imperial, not metric (which makes no sense to rowers), the speed is in miles per hour (again, nonsense) and the speed updates instantaneously, so fast the screen can barely keep up. It will go from 23 mph in the middle of your drive back down to 8 mph instantaneously as you finish and recover, and as a result you never know how fast you are really going. And the monitor scans back and forth so frequently that you can barely even use the thing as a timer (I haven't yet figured out how to turn the scan off). So I would really only recommend rowers who are familiar enough with what they are doing that they don't really need a monitor anyways.TL;DR - It's a serviceable air rower and it costs $600 less than a C2. It provides all the resistance you could ever need, but the monitor is totally useless.

The tower is sturdy and functions well but is VERY LOUD. My nephew was using it and he had his music at max volume.

I knew I wasn't getting a top of the line rower, but it's an overall good rower for the price. You can't change the resistance but it gets the job done. The one thing that was annoying was the bolts they gave you to secure the pedals would not screw in all the way because of some cardboard lining in it. Ended having to use my own bolts so the pedals weren't so loose. Also, it's in miles and I also feel as if the miles it's telling you your doing isn't true. But it's whatever, decent for the price.

Not the greatest rower but ok for the price

Works great but the shipping banged it up a little bit. Box was ripped and bent in several areas.

works great just pricey when there are cheaper options for the same

The machine is excellent and structurally solid. However l am evaluating its overall benefit to my fitness life. I am giving it a three out of five. Its great for hiit or high intensity interval training. Great cardio! Not good for long periods daily. My hips and elbows hurt, plus l have lower back pain. I believe part of it could be due to repetitive stress. Look up rowers hip or rowing injuries.I stick to 15 minutes or less daily to avoid pain in joints.I have to mix up my exercises. Please dont assume you can depend on this as your sole form of exercise.I still recommend this highly but wanted to inject a dose of reality too.

I got into rowing machines after trying out the Infiniti R200 which my parents bought earlier this year (sold in the US under the Lifecore brand name). It was an amazing machine with both air and electromagnetic resistance that made exercise fun and doable for someone like me who's had a hostile history with exercise. When I returned to the US, I didn't want to let go of the fitness that I'd finally begun to earn, so I looked for a comparable machine. My instincts told me that I should just buy something as similar to what my parents had as possible (the Lifecore R100), but the smarty pants in me figured I'd read all the reviews and make an informed decision. So, given the overwhelming weight of positive reviews, I bought a Concept 2 D. Big mistake!1) The purely mechanical design implies a very limited level of resistance control and a total absence of programmability. Depending solely on air resistance means that the force of the pull is solely determined by the speed of the pull which in turn makes the fan blades race faster against the air in the chamber. This crude control mechanism effectively means that you can't get both the pace and the resistance you want. You can only get one of those. If you want your muscles to feel the strain of the pull, you have to pull faster and faster. The machine forces the pace. Electromagnets give you far superior control and let you determine precisely the force of the pull you like. The Concept 2 doesn't allow me to reach a steady state and constantly makes me go out of breath before I get anywhere. I like to program about 10 minutes at a low resistance level to get my blood pumping and then gradually push it up over 15 minutes and then hold at the highest resistance level for about 20 minutes. This gives me both a strength and a cardio workout at my own natural pace without driving me to the edge of breathless every ten minutes. Simply can't replicate it in a concept 2.2) It's significantly noisier than an electromagnetic setup like the R100/R200. I have to either watch TV with subtitles or go deaf trying to outdo the noise coming from the machine. The belt drive system on electromagnetic plus air resistance machines ( as opposed to the chain on the Concept 2) are also much smoother and give you a very consistent feel.3) The display and workout options in the concept 2 are much more primitive than a R100/R200. The inability to program a sequence of resistances and a timeframe/ hear-rate based workout the way you can in a R100/R200 is more of a loss than I could possibly have realized till I tried to work without it. To use the spiral dampener on the Concept 2 (which is just a physical barrier controlling the air in the fan chamber), you have to get up and break your workout.4) The ergonomics on the Concept 2 is worse. It's hard to describe why, but it makes my back ache.5) On the plus side for a Concept 2, it's probably more robust. There's nothing to go wrong. It's just a flywheel in a drum with a chain attached to it. Why that should cost $1000 is beyond me. No complex electronics to fail and all the parts are well made. It should easily outlast the warranty under residential use. The R100/R200 is a bit more delicate and you have to be careful while you move it or dismantle it. Some parts may get worn and come up for replacement.6) The Concept 2 has a great transferable warranty and robust demand in the pre-owned market leading to a better resale value than most other machines.On the whole, what I want to say is this. The Concept 2 is good for those who are used to it, but it wasn't right for me and may not be right for everyone. I feel that it's market power in the US is a bit like Windows in its heyday. Everybody is using it, everybody is calling it the gold standard, everybody is giving it rave reviews, and you feel overwhelmed by the aura of infallibility and think it's the best that money can buy. It's not! Look around, try other machines; you may find better and you'll thank me for it.

High quality and works well (good mechanics)... but price is really, really high... I think excessive profit... but what can you do... they do indeed have the best design. My only complaint with the design is the hardness (lack of padding) on the seat. We put a pillow on the seat to add cushion.

Good machine ergonomically. But for a grand, I would want 1) electronic resistance (the air resistance does not offer enough resistance) so your required to do more reps 2) a rail mechanism that was topped with stainless steel (the plastic rollers are scaring the shiny steel track after only a couple uses...with proper lubrication) 3) a monitoring system that plugs into the wall...2 D batteries? How 1980!

This is very loud (you can not hear a TV while using it unless you wear headphones), it does not have adjustable tension, does not fold up, and the display isn't very good. I bought a SF-RW5515 by Sunny for $140 less and it solved all of those problems. It may not be perfect, but it sure is better than this one!

Sorry Stamina!Let me start with the Pro'ssteel construction16.5 to 19 inches from floor to top of seatmore than enough resistance, air resistancerubber floor protectors so there is no movement on smooth surfacechain driveangled chrome seat railsturdy foot platesNow the Con'sPoor construction: the support frame needs to be maneuvered in order that the locking knob fit into tube welded to rail and then forced thru meaning the holes are not aligned or the metal tubing is offChipped or peeling chrome platingNoisy, very noisy chain & fan Wire cage damage or defectiveClips & screws loose or strippedPull pin (which keeps the device from flopping outward when moving is loose & could cause potential problemsMeter is very basicMeter is difficult to readI cannot accept poor workmanship in anything I buy. If the quality is inferior and does not perform as expected it is sub par.I must say, however, that Customer service is quick to respond. Kudos thereI would not recommend this rower. I really couldn't tell if the resistance was air or just a tight fan wheel because it seemed to slow quickly. The meter is imperial, that's no big thing but it keeps scanning every 4 seconds & there was no way to keep it reading time. The meter position isn't adequate for viewing. While rowing it's below the chain and handlebar making it harder to read. The black numbers on a grey screen doesn't help either.From my personal experience I cannot recommend this rower.

Not what you would expect from a $350 product ($323 at the time plus shipping). I knew going in that the Stamina Air Rower wasn't going to be comparable to something like the Concept2, but this is just embarrassing even compared to the 80's pneumatic rower it replaced.Arrived looking used, build quality is awful, critical stress points are secured by 2cm screws, chain action is extremely loud, there's barely any resistance (it's non adjustable), and the entire thing rattles like a demon when used. To hammer the point home, Stamina trusts their own product so little that there is only a 90 day warranty on parts other than the support beam.Would highly suggest that those of you considering a rower either downgrade to a pneumatic / hydraulic until you can afford something better, or consider a different mode of exercise entirely. This rower is not worth your time, your money, or your health.I have to wonder at the legitimacy of these 4 and 5 star reviews, this product can only accurately be described as a ripoff.

This rower is fine for someone looking to casually row. However, it feels much cheaper than other rowers I've used at gyms. It hadn't occurred to me how much cheaper this rower would feel compared to a quality one. If you are tall and pull hard, the chain feels like it might break. This rower is also VERY loud compared to other, higher quality rowers. I'd recommend this rower to anyone new to rowing, but recommend a higher quality one to anyone taller than 5'4 who is looking for a major workout, ready to pull hard!

I'm dissappointed in this rower. The pedals are cheap plastic that don't stay in place. I'm using duct tape to hold them. The chain rollers are plastic and don't line up which means they will have to be replaced. When you row and fan unit flexes; the whole front fan assembly with the metal cage flexes. The position of the seat to the rower is not level, you have to pull towards your chin. There are no adjustments to change the angle of the position of the angles. I've used a rower at our gym for years and this doesn't quite measure up.. I guess you get what you pay for.

Received it with a missing part that I had to call and get replaced, and it has almost no resistance compared to other rowing machines I have used. Not worth the money.

Looks really nice, but came without instruction manual or parts bag....

I ordered the black model. I received the grey model. Wrong color. Returning the product is a hassle. Otherwise, the equipment is function as expected. Would give higher rating if I received the product I ordered.

NOTE: The 2-star rating is for Amazon Prime's unreliable delivery despite charging a premium of $45 over the MSRP of $900 I could have paid directly to Concept2 or other retail vendors like Rogue Fitness. I gave them a 2nd star because they did get it to me within a standard shipping window after blowing the original guaranteed delivery date. The Concept 2 D rower itself rocks.I've had it with Amazon Prime's now-routine failure to timely deliver items ordered from Amazon direct in violation of "guaranteed" delivery windows, despite charging premiums on the items in addition to the express delivery charges. I specifically searched and found multiple online sources including the OEM offering this machine for $900, but decided to pay the $45 premium to Amazon Prime because they guaranteed next-day delivery. It was important to my personal schedule and training schedule at the time. Not only was the delivery date completely missed, no update was provided confirming late delivery and rescheduling. I checked repeatedly on the scheduled day, and the tracking continued to show delivery by 8 p.m. on the scheduled day. I wasted time prepping to receive the rower, and deferred another workout anticipating I'd get it in on the new machine. By 10 p.m. I gave up. It was obvious no one was updating the delivery tracking. It was too late to get the workout in. I got delivery 2-days late, following a scheduled long distance run the prior day and a full body gym workout the same day and was obviously out of sync in terms of using the machine on the day of delivery--may as well not have come until the next day. That's about a 5% premium on purchase price plus express delivery charges completely unjustified. In the last several months I've had items lost, destroyed, and delayed. I've received multiple refunds, but of course the key point is that I didn't have the items when I was "guaranteed" to receive them. Amazon Prime is no longer at the top of my list of resources because they aren't reliable. I've noted, in a couple of interactions, Amazon Prime appears to be using local ground delivery services who don't seem to have gate codes as the major carriers do for gated subdivisions and who are not professional. After being called while out at dinner by a local carrier because they couldn't get into our subdivision and telling them we were not running home from dinner to let them in, they apparently just decided to "lose" the items--we never received them and I had to contact Amazon for the refund. If paying a premium, we shouldn't be dependent on fly-by-night vendors. Enough.As for the Concept 2 D rower, this is my second C2 and they are built to withstand a nuclear strike. My last one lasted 8-years and was still in perfect operating condition when I ditched it (only because it didn't break down and we literally could not get it up the narrow stairwell in a new townhome). This is THE standard for rowing equipment. This is the same machine used in Lifetime Platinum facilities. The new rowers are significantly lighter (only 65 lbs.), and readily broken down for easy storage. Despite being seriously fatigued, muscle sore and plain tired, I was able to carry the box with rower inside upstairs to the room to be uncrated by myself, very easily. The damping control is clearly marked 1-10, and will adjust to simulate drag for a super-sleek sculling boat or a row boat. The PM5 monitor/CPU module provides ALL the real time metrics and stores them, provides for pacing, has multiple pre-loaded workouts and allows for custom workouts, and provides games to keep it interesting. You can use it with a USB storage device to upload your data for analysis to third party apps or a spreadsheet. The PM5 syncs to Bluetooth Smart and ANT+ heart monitor devices, and is compatible with Wahoo TCKER X monitors, for example. C2 does provide an online log capability, and its own applications for additional capabilities. Numbers of third-party applications are available, notably Row Pro, which provides 3D virtual coaching for form, 3D pacing, and both 3D virtual and online racing against multiple parties internationally. More rowing and training support apps are compatible with the C2 PM5 module than other rowers because C2 commands maximum market share and for good reason. The C2D is light and storable, making it practical to set up in the media room and row using a large monitor for the virtual rowing applications to train and race, and then breaking it down and storing it when done daily. The C2 website provides an incredible array of useful reference materials, including among the best videos and instructions on proper rowing technique out there.I row for a total body + cardio cross-training workout to take some stress off my joints in between running and gym days. I can pull training plans from Row Pro which load directly to the app and track progress, in combination with my A, B and C run event training plans. In my case, the Row Pro app will track progress specific to rowing including workups to indoor virtual race events, and I load the workouts from my Wahoo and/or Garmin applications directly to Training Peaks to track my total training load. If you want to train and participate in indoor rowing competitions, this is the rig. I strongly recommend the machine, and strongly recommend you purchase through a channel other than Amazon Prime because there is no reason to pay the higher price.

I satisfied with replaced machine but need to talk about disappoint when I got the first machine. The box was damaged and Styrofoam in the box was also totally damaged like snow. I can not believe how this machine was delivered to my home.But anyway, I wanna use it if there is no problem in machine, but parts were not linked together. See attached picture. Linker assembled in wrong way. I spend time to find solution and spend time again to send it back with totally broken Styrofoam.Only after got new replaced product, I came to know how the box should be and it is very easy to setup, it was good.Thanks for fast replacements but please check again before shipping and think about customer's expectation who spend $1,000 in Amazon.Thanks.

I was excited to finally have purchased a Concept2 but it arrived with several cosmetic damages. I'm disappointed especially how expensive this machine is. Will possible go through the time consuming process of return/replacing it since it did not come brand new. :(

Let's talk about the condition of the product when it arrived. The box was clearly damaged. I opened it up and it looked like a gremlin had transformed the Styrofoam into millions of tiny white snowflakes that were stuck to everything, and now floating around my home. Think glitter bomb, but Styrofoam. 5 minutes to setup. a full hour vacuuming the rower and my house in the aftermath.OK, so this thing got beat up somewhere, but surprisingly, nothing is broken. A few bad scuffs and scrapes but nothing structural. I get the rower out of the box and both brand emblems are literally just falling off the rower. Thankfully, the "Concept 2" stickers aren't a critical component for me, but c'mon man; I just paid $1,000 for this thing.I get it assembled, and 98% removed of Styrofoam snow flakes (you'll never get them all, muah ha ha). I sit down and pull up the monitor and BAM! Three of my keys are broken. With some massaging I get them to sort of look right, and they function (with difficulty).So now I'm left debating whether I should even bother contacting the vendor or just remain salty and disgruntled.Great product I'm sure, just not convinced this is the best place to buy it through obviously.

Had to replace the first one ordered due to damage, the second also would not work properly.

This was a big disappointment.The cage the fan is housed in was bent. The fan itself inside the cage was also out of alignment and banged on the cage. The chain did not behave at all smoothly.Very noisy and clunky.I probably got a lemon. But enough to never purchase anything from stamina again.

It is a good looking rower but that's it. There is no resistance, I feel like I am not getting a workout. I have tried to give it a chance 4x a week for 30 min for tbe past 2 months but I do not feel anything. No cardio whatsoever. Ive been on rowers before and had a better workout. My not so fit partner tried and operated it with a breeze. One advice for people looking to buy this product is don't waste your time. I would give it no stars but I have to give it a 1

Feels cheap

One thing you should keep in mind....this unit is not for commercial use. There were two scary warning postcards in the box-> WARNING THIS EQUIPMENT IS FOR HOME USE ONLY. DO NOT USE FOR COMMERCIAL OR INSTITUTIONAL USE. FAILURE TO FOLLOW THIS WARNING COULD RESULT IN SERIOUS INJURY OR DEATH. Does this mean using this thing aggressively, i.e., several times a day by multiple family members is going to be dangerous? Maybe wearing a helmet is in order. Time will tell. It takes about an hour to assemble. You should also make sure you have some Loctite thread locker. If you don't use thread locker on the bolts and screws, they will quickly work loose. Also, make sure you have a metric socket wrench set. Trying to use the included tools will not allow you to get things tight enough and will take much longer. My unit had several loose fasteners. Check the adjustment bolts/nuts on the seat for tightness. Also, check the seat stops on either end to make sure they are tight after final assembly.Update: My wife has been giving this machine usage of about 20 minutes a day for a month now. This machine seems to be holding up to her usage, but many of the factory installed screws have started falling out. If this manufacturer simply used some thread locker like LOCTITE Blue, I wouldn't be having this problem. All of the seat screws are coming loose. One fell out. I am glad one actually fell out because it served as an alert that the seat was going to eventually come off. Looks like I am going to have to remove the seat sled from the machine to fix this....and also looks like I will need to disassemble the roller assembly on the seat to get to these screws. I am also going to check all of the other factory installed screws, nuts, and bolts thread locking all of them. I am downgrading this to one star due to poor assembly at the factory, the danger of the seat coming loose, and failure to use fasteners that stay fastened. For a few cents worth of Loctite thread locker they could have saved me the misery of having to basically reassemble it twice. If you buy one of these rowers, order some LocTite Blue thread locker from Amazon and apply it to every fastener that does not have a nylon locking insert (locknut).

If I could, I would give it 0 Stars. I took the time to put it all together. The first time I pull the it, the chain falls off of the gears. I took time to put it back on and the chain returns so slow. It took at least 5 second for the chain to get pulled back in. Do not buy this. I looked at the good reviews and thought it would be ok. I am packing it up and returning it.

bait and switch

Won't even give stars what a scam

Well this review is about the built quality of this product, first of all the shipment was delayed one day, today it arrived I was very happy until I almost finished assembling it, well there were to bolts missing on the back of the rail, so I couldn't use it, I attached a couple of pictures.I really want this rower, so I request a replacement, let's see how the replacement comes.

Rower Digital Monitor decides when it wants to work since I bought it... Love the rower itself but need a replacement monitor for 5 stars.

I am so upset. I seriously believe I was sent a USED machine. The sliding portion has visible scratches and smudges all over it... I looked on the white roller underneath the seat and it was FILTHY. This is not a brand new machine. I am a single mother and veteran!! I have been saving my money up for over 6 months so I could afford to buy this machine! Concept2 should be ashamed of themselves. I thought they were a reputable company.

the rower was incomplete and I had to return it.