Side by Side Comparison of: ProForm vs Stamina

Decent basic rower. This doesn't have a lot of bells and whistles but I wasn't looking for one that did. It does have a cycle through the normal measurements. Number of rows, distance, calories etc.. This is a nice size machine and feels durable. I have been using it for months and it's still going strong. The seat is relatively comfortable and I get a great workout. The unit tips up and locks in an upright position for space saving until your next use. Key product features include:Integrated dual action strength training• Oversized pivoting pedals with adjustable nylon foot straps• Space saver design

this was a little challenging to set up, but maybe it was me. It is comfortable and has nice resistance. I do wish the shoe buckle action would be a little smoother, but overall for the money and nice little rower.

This was a gift for my son- He put it together within an hour and has been using it ever since-loves it!

Been looking for a rower for a long time. This one came up on a lightening deal for cheaper than any I had seen used on Craigslist. It's not a top of the line, but works fine for the occasional user. Directions were clear making it truly easy to assemble.

Works great as a rower. Good resistance and the bungie cord looks like it can hold up fine on the long run.

Bought it 2 weeks ago. Very satisfied with the smooth feeling and minimal noise. Not at all difficult to assemble. No parts were missing for me.

The Stamina Air Rowing machine I purchased is a well-engineered and manufactured product. It is designed for heavy-duty service, yet is easy to move and store. The assembly instructions were very well illustrated and quite helpful. This is a fine piece of equipment that responds to the efforts of the user, plus the fan concept actually cools you as you row. Well designed, executed, and user friendly, this product is well worth the investment.

I have long standing neck and shoulder issues from a herniated disc and a long history of related problems. I bought this model to work slowly on strengthening my hamstrings and core. It did not disappoint. Easy to use and I like that you are in a posture that forces you to use arms and legs evenly. It has aided in my recovery. Highly recommend for the price. I also recommend you buy the install service offered by Amazon. My technician was super!

Like many other people, I struggle finding the right amount of time to get in an effective workout. I have used the Concept 2 machine before at my local gym and I liked the workout that I got while using it. Since my new place of employment has a small workout room I will be cancelling my gym membership. As I said before, I liked the full-body workout that the concept 2 provided me and so I had to find a similar and affordable machine. I purchased this machine and have not regretted it since.PROS:Easy to set up. It took me about 30 minutes or so, I was taking my time.User friendly.Low impact.Great for any age.Plenty of space for leg extension. I'm 5'8.Convenient set up for easy storage in a closet.Effective.CONS:The fan can be a little loud. I have a stereo on in the room so this doesn't really bother me like it might for others.The digital interface is basic. I have no problem with that though because I just watch the time and speed. No bells & whistles for $300.No setting for resistance. Like I said, no bells and whistles for $300. I'm fine with that.I have been using the machine for the past week and I am satisfied with the effective workouts that I am able to get. I get a good full-body (legs, core, arms, back) workout. Will it build muscle for you? No not so much really. Will it aid in TONING UP those muscles that you haven't used for a while? Yes definitely :) You can expect to lose weight and increase cardiovascular development. The machine will keep an estimate of calories burned, but the reading doesn't appear to be too accurate. I have a chest strap and heart monitor Polar USA Unisex FT7F Red/Orange Watch that I use and it is very accurate. Your workout results will depend on your intensity and output.As with any new exercise or piece of equipment form and technique is important. Just browse YouTube for some videos on form and technique then check out some vids on actual workouts. This is a great machine, and for the price, to integrate into your workout routine. If you plan on making this machine your primary workout then you are off to a great start.

I bought this back in 2013 for my wife as a starter rowing machine. I didn't want to spend a thousand dollars on a Concept 2 if she wasn't going to use it. We never invested in that Concept 2 because this one does exactly what we need it to do two years later. My wife uses this frequently, she used it every day for around 6 months and it is perfect. A few weeks ago it broke.. turned it out it just needed a $15 replacement part, which we ordered from the manufacturer...two day shipping, new spring, and two bolts later and it runs like new. My wife absolutely loves this and has already said if it breaks, she will just buy another one. Definitely worth the money.

 This is an excellent rower, especially at this price point. It is second only to the Concept2, which is much more expensive and has a far larger footprint. I am a 5'4" woman and I work out regularly (heavy lifting and cardio). The Stamina Air Rower definitely gets my heart rate elevated and provides a very good leg workout so long as you row using the proper technique (otherwise you'll mostly get an arm workout). Assembly was very simple, but I do suggest having a 2nd person to help tighten the pedals.My cousin (5'8" male, incredibly fit) and I both use this rower daily. It fits perfectly in my tiny (10' x 10') home gym, along with my weight bench, assorted Olympic weights, other small equipment, and TV stand. It is loud, but all air rowers are loud. My home gym is in the basement. When using the rower, people upstairs hear what sounds like gentle snoring in a different room. I can use this rower early in the morning without waking my spouse.The resistance is excellent. There is no damper to control the air flow but as with all air rowers, you can increase the resistance by rowing harder. (The reviews that complain about the inability to "change" resistance settings do not understand the way air rowers work. When you row an actual boat on water, you can't change the resistance setting on the water, either. You get a better workout by rowing harder/faster.) I highly recommend this rower for a home gym.I've uploaded a video so that others can get an idea of the noise level and range of the rowing strap. Obviously I don't recommend rowing in jeans. ;)

I have knee problems and can't run. My new rower provides me the opportunity to get my heart pumping without the use of my legs. I get on it a few times each day. A great way to keep my heart in top shape for a mid 60's guy.

I like it except my feet (size 9) dont fit too well. Hubby says its a bit flimsy and it doesn't have enough resistance for him. He is 6" regular strength and in his 50's. So maybe great for men and woman with big feet who are not looking for too much of a challenge.

Spend the money on a better model

decent rowing machine for a good price. It does not have really any of the bells and whistles of the cooler higher end ones, but it also doesn't come with the big price tag.The assembly of the unit was pretty strait forward and easy following the instructions. This is my first time owning a rower and after 20 minutes on it I was exhausted. The machine preforms well and is not really noisy at all.I am happy with this machine and do not regret purchasing it.

machine performs as I expected --the instructions for putting it together are pathetic --might as well not even have them --but once we got it together works very smoothly --using as a resistance trainer also works well. In folded position does not take up a lot of room

I know there are a lot of negative reviews of this rower but I didn't have any problems with the packaging or with the rower itself. However, be aware that there are many pieces to put together and you have to be very careful with alignment. This is basically a giant bungee cord and if it's not aligned properly it probably will uncoil. I'm very careful when using it to make sure that I keep the cord centered. This rower only has a 3 month warranty and because of the negative reviews I bought the extended warranty. I have a ProForm treadmill as well. The ProForm products are a good value but you're not going to get the top of the line in exercise equipment with the ProForms - you get what you pay for. If you're not rough with the ProForms they will last but they are not what you'd find in a gym. For me however they are good enough and a good value. I rated this 4 stars because I do get a good workout with it and so far (only after one month) it's working great.

Would work for light purposes. Myself weighing 135# pushing off, made the front of the rower lift. Not sturdy enough for my purposes.

I use my rower often and it is still working great. Compact and was easy to assemble. Simple design, no frills. I had to take off the stopper near the base, as I was constantly bumping into it with my natural stride, but it is smooth with it gone. The rolling motion of the seat and the pulling motion aren't as smooth as at first, but tolerable still. For the price, a very good find and I am getting my money's worth. A great workout that I find very relaxing.

This is a great machine for the price. I wish you could change the resistance but it works for an at home gym.

NEGATIVES:-seat is pretty small if you have a big butt, I had to modify and put a plank and cushioning on top for it not to hurt me-seat stoppers on bottom have limited range but that can easily be fixed by removing the rubber stoppers-plastic parts feel flimsy and easily breakable but the rest of the parts are very good quality-very loud, you won't really be able to hear your TV etc. unless you put headphones on-resistance didn't feel too strong in the beginning but as my muscles have gotten sore it actually isn't bad-you lose a lot of resistance toward the end of the pull and the recovery but maybe because I'm used to the weighted gym machinesPOSITIVES:-for those worried about the strap being cheap or breaking don't worry ;) it's woven and almost as strong as a dog leash-everything except for the plastic parts feel solid and nice from the handlebar to the steel frame-I come close to the 250IB limit on this and it's so solid I'm sure it can handle way more-rubber grips on bottom have good traction and stay firm to my wooden floor-at first I didn't think this machine was working out much but after a few days my shoulders, back, abs, legs, arms were all very sore, if you get a good rhythm and go over 10min your heart will race pretty fast, I'm very happy with this purchase especially for the price

I had the product for 8 weeks. It was easy to put together, worked well. Yes, there is some noise, but nothing that was too loud. Then 8 weeks later, I went to pull on the handle bar, and the rope just kept coming. Something with the retraction device had gone wrong. I emailed the company on a Saturday, got a reply on a Monday, got a replacement by Friday. I am hoping the defected retraction device is some sort of a fluke, I have it now for almost a week and it's working great. If anything, the company is really responsive and very good with customer service. I would suggest registering your product for the warranty. It's good for 1 year with the factory warranty.

Basically happy with this. I bought it because we have absolutely no room in the house for exercise equipment...and at least we can step over this when it is out. I need to exercise a lot to help keep my blood pressure down, and in our cold/wet/snowy/rainy climate...and add in that I get home late from work and hate gyms...that's tough to do. Once this was set up, I turned up the volume on a silly or fast action tv show, and off I went. I used youtube to figure out how to use it. Cons: I do wish I could increase the resistance now that I've become stronger and have more tolerance. The other downside; it does tend to slide on our wood floor, and even on our rugs that are on top of the wood floor. We've planted a rug nonslip rubber thing under the back legs which seems to help a bit; reluctant to spend money on the mat that some sites suggest, as we're not sure that it won't slip, too.

I like this rower with a couple of exceptions. The onboard computer gives speed readings in MPH instead of Strokes per Minute. I can only imagine that estimating MPH on a rowing is a complete SWAG considering that there is no way for the machine to evaluate form to determine how fast you might be going through the water. I try to follow workouts that require a SPM intensity, but have to guess. I have looked to upgrade the computer, but can't find an upgrade available.I also don't like that it does not have adjustable resistance, but I knew that going in.I am still happy that I bought this rower. its competitor for me was the Concept 2, so for $600 savings, I really have to stop trying to compare the two. It was easy to assemble and comes with the tools and hardware required to do so.

Assembly was fairly straightforward.Machine is not entirely stable when using/rowing; it wobbles a little during the "power stroke" of the rowing, to the extent that I have had to place a staying hands down on the floor.Intensity settings are about average; you need to set it above a 4 to its maximum (8) to really feel the effort/exercise.I am likely returning it for it's sub-par functionality and instability.

Works well. Has adequate resistance. Does not take up too much space. Good buy for your money.Cons: calorie counter not so accurate. Go online and to get estimated calorie burned.

I bought this during a lightning deal for $240 shipped. For THAT price, it's a good product. It works using a resistance band that is winding around something internal. It's definitely not as good as other, higher-end row machines, but the price is $600-800 less than the better machines.Assembly took approximately 30-45 minutes. Directions were adequate and the tools provided were sufficient.The "regular" price for this is something like $600 or $700. It is definitely NOT worth that much and no one should spend that much for this unit. If you can get it for $200-$300, it's a good buy.

The rower works but I expected it to be smoother than it actually is. I also have problems keeping my feet in the footrests regardless of how I adjust them.

Opening the box and looking inside it appeared to be delivered in a thousand parts but assembly was not as daunting as first appeared. Assembled in an hour and fifteen minutes taking time to change music and get real tools. It took nearly that long to unpack and unwrap the parts. Assembly instructions say that it come with all tools required and is true until the final step of inserting batteries which requires a fine philips screw driver. Instructions came with an addendum with instructions that while rail is vertical to put pin in rail and not frame, they would have done better to improve design or mfr process because original instructions were fine an ill placed hole is the problem, hole was not fully exposed with rail in vertical position. I ended up using a screw driver instead of the pin. Instructions state that the battery compartment is on the back of he console but it actually dangles from the wires connected to the console into the housing. But for the price I guess I got what I paid for. I have other ProForm equipment and expected it to be light duty. I use my equipment simply to have a little activity during the day after desk work all day. If you are looking for equipment for body building or serious aerobic activity ProForm equipment might not be for you but my ProForm stationary bike and treadmill have served me well for years. My biggest complaint as typical with ProForm is the resistance is fairly light. Trying this rower for the first time I thought this is pretty good, a nice starting resistance and then found the dial was set to highest resistance. Due to the bungy design for resistance I do not expect this piece of equipment to be useful for the years that my other equipment have been but so far good enough.

The ProForm rower is not built well. It looks a bit cheaply made. Not a fan of the quality at all. The sit is pretty small also, Im a 6ft 2in guy and its like barely fitting on the seat.

It feels inexpensive, which it is but I expected it to be of better quality and a more realistic feel. The first batteries I put in the distance/ time display casing fell out and down into the machine where I can't get to them. The fan casing wasn't assembled correctly when it arrived. I had to force it back together at the top l. Other than that assembly was easy. I wanted to return it but my husband threw the packaging away and I didn't get to try the machine for more than 10 minutes until the night before the return deadline.

Rower itself is good, easy to put together it but the electronic timer and speed reader is already broken in less than a month.

Works the upper body and back area than lower body

Strong, sturdy, and easy to assemble. I weight 240 lbs. so I'm taking to it's limit. The seat maybe could have been a little bigger and sometimes I feel like I'm going to slip off. It is doing what I hoped giving me an alternative to having a treadmill which I don't have room for.

This is an easy to assemble and sturdy machine. It is easy to fold up and move around. My biggest critiques are the two pins used to fold the machine can be very hard to snap into place when you are folding it out to use. The other problem is that this machine is primarily an arm workout. The air resistance is mostly driven by your pull. Your legs and back get a minimum work out. The rower is also slightly inclined making it less comfortable then the rowers with a straight bar. The display also has limited information and not as much as you would see on a more expensive machine. Bottom line is good for home use if you don't have gym membership. Otherwise I would go with a more expensive row machine or use a gym.

This rower would have received more stars from me, but the first day I unboxed it and tried it out, for less than 5 minutes. (Mind you, I weigh 160 lbs., surely not exceeding any limits for a machine like this) When I got off of it I realized the seam on the seat had ripped open, leaving a hole with inner foam exposed, a couple inches long in the side of the seat.It took forever to get the contact info for the manufacturer, but I did, and called. The girl was terribly rude and totally unapologetic. After much prodding she agreed to "look into it" and said she'd get back to me within a day or two. It's been over a month now and I never received and email or phone call. I made sure she had my contact info, so that wasn't an issue. Honestly, with the way she was treating me, I really didn't expect to hear back from her.It's a decent machine. But if you care about who you're giving your $$ to, or about customer service, I would NOT recommend this brand.

Poor quality product, in less than 6 months of very light and occasional use the bungee rope (cord) is worn out and needs to be replaced. Proform only gives you 3 month warranty for labor and parts at least this is my case upon registering the product. I could try to change the bungee rope and it cost between 200-300 dollars to buy the part. The product does the job it is supposed to do but the quality and the warranty are very poor. I don't think that I could recommend this product due to the above reasons.

Wish it was a tighter row - its January 2016 and its broken -

I returned this rower because it was not a smooth rowing machine and was relatively one size fits all, and did not fit my size.

Easy to assemble however, the quality is not what I expected. The tip of the screw driver that was provided broke off in one of the screws thus I was unable to complete the screw insertion. Rower torques as you row causing the front feet to raise off the ground. I am only 5'6 165lbs and feel very large on this unit. the resistance level is from 1-8, and my wife who never works out felt that 8 was not challenging and was worried that I would quickly bore of this unit. Being a fitness instructor I work out daily and was hoping that I could mix up my strength training with some rowing. I will give it a week to see if it gets to stay.

My husband who is very mechanical put the rower together in about 20 minutes. It made an awful grinding noise when pulled on the handle.. My husband had to take the whole thing apart and open the only part that did come assembled. this entails removing a handful of very hard to get to screws and disconnecting the electronics. Once open we could see that the wheel inside was barely attached and misaligned. The wheel had holes randomly drilled in it and had been hammered on..We ended up having to set the wheel slightly out from the magnets in order to keep it from touching the roughness of the damaged wheel. Its all back together now and seems to work ok and is smooth and quiet. Im not sure we have the full use of the tension due to having to leave a bit more of a gap but its close.Not sure I would ever buy anything ProForm again now that we have seen the poor quality hidden inside.

I was very happy with the unit during the 90 day warranty period. Unfortunately, around the 110 day mark the cord snapped. Looked online to see if I could replace it - not in stock. Either design the unit so that it doesn't fray the cord, or use better material for it. Ridiculous for it to wear out after less than four months of regular use.

Loved this rower but spring broke after 2 years of light use (5 days a week, 15 minutes each)

The rower works well for my workout needs, though it is loud. My problem with them is that within a year the springbox broke. The customer service was nice, and I ordered a replacement part. But they had not placed any orders for those parts, and it looks like it will take nearly three months to receive a new part.In short, the product broke down within a year, and then it was out of commission for another three months because of delay in receiving a new part.

The machine works fine, however, the digital reading gauge that tells the speed etc. does not work and never has. I've asked the company to replace it, but haven't heard a word. Customer service stinks.

Overall, the Rower itself is great -- when it works!There may have been an issue with the shipping of mine that caused this, but here's the problem: the plastic wheel/turbine inside slides over on it's bar, which causes it to scrape the inside with every pull, causing an awful racket. This is part of the pre-assembled portion of the rower, and to fix it, I have to remove several screws, remove half of the case, and slide the plastic wheel back over so it stops scraping the inside - every time. At first, I could do this and it would work properly for several days. Now, when I fix it, it only lasts for a few pulls before it slides back over and starts making noise again. Going to have to find something from a hardware store to keep it from sliding over every time I suppose.

I bought this machine to help get me through the winter months with some consistent exercise. I took up jogging again this past spring but here in the northeast as the days get shorter and the temps start to dip it is more difficult to get the run in. I don't enjoy treadmills or elliptical machines and a friend recommended a rower. I would not consider myself in good shape. I'm a 35 year old male, 195 pounds, 5' 10, I run a slow 10 minute mile. This machine does not give you a work out. I have to work extremely hard on this machine for at least 15 minutes before I even break a sweat. I went with the fan option rower because I read a lot that the piston resistance rowers fail. This machine appears to be well made and functions well, it just doesn't produce the work out I was hopping for. I wish you could adjust the resistance or wish I had tried one before I bought this machine. I wouldn't recommend it unless you are looking for a minimal workout.

I normally don't write reviews but knowing how much I rely on them to make my decisions, I decided to add one here. This machine is very loud. I read in a different review that it was noiser than others but having no reference, and seeing 4 stars on average, i bought it. It was so loud that I immediately called Stamina saying something must be wrong with it. They were great and without question, sent me another rower. I assembled it and to my dismay, exactly the same sound. Unfortunately i think this is just the way it's built.

I bought this rowing machine because it seemed to be a good entry level machine at a lower price point. I figured that I would try it out and see if I like rowing in general before spending more on a better machine. Turns out that I do like rowing and will absolutely upgrade to a better machine very soon. But with that said, I cannot recommend this machine to anyone due to the general lack of quality. When things break, you are going to have to deal with it and from my experience here, things absolutely will break.-Rowing cord/rope: totally frayed just below the bar after moderate use- way too soon for that to happen. I'm not sure how I am going to "fix" this-Monitor: ProFrom has opted to supply electronics that are likely produced for about 10 cents in a Chinese factory. The first time I went to change the battery the entire assembly fell apart and two of the wires popped off of the board. I'm handy so i will probably be able to figure out how to get it working again, but that will only be so that I can sell the machine.Wal-Mart is selling these for $199.99 now. What does that tell you? Cheap Chinese garbage. Spend more on something better, you'll never regret it.

Like: low cost, funcionality.Don't like: resistance even in highest setting not enough. After 70 miles of use, the rope is already worn and broke.Likely no warranty on those machines.Hopefully at least parts are available.Revision: 1 star. 4 month old, word down broken rope. no warranty. Ridiculous parts price to fix virtually new machine.

The bungee system is jerky and not smooth- terrible, somewhere between the monitor and flywheel something doesn't work right- the monitor will come on, but it will never "begin" a read out.I know you might be on a budget, but save up a little bit more, and get the Concept 2, you can find them on Craigslist, I got one from a guy that refurbishes gym equipment and got it for $700 with an updated monitor, and only had to make a short drive to get it.

Came without a battery pack on the console. They can't fix it so I have to ship it back to Amazon. Really, really disappointed. Do not buy this product. Do not, do not do it. I have learned my lesson, and I hope you can learn from mine as well. Heed the one stars here people. And it is one star because there is no option for zero.

I'm used to rowing in a rowboat on a lake. However, last year I tried a rower at my gym and enjoyed it. I bought this machine this summer. I in no way expected this machine to compare to the rower at the gym as one is purchased by a business for heavy use by multiple people, the other is purchased by an individual for light use at home.Assembly was fine, followed the instructions step-by-step. During the third use (2 hours total use time - at the most) the "cable" pulled right out of the center of the handle. Thankfully the knot anchoring the cable in the handle (Yes, that is the solution/construction - a bungee cord with a knot on the end shoved through a hole into the middle of the handle) caught and the cord did not completely retract into the machine. I was able to tie the cord around the handle, but am not sure how long it will hold.I will never buy ProForm again.

This machine broke in less time than it took to assemble. The cable stopped retracting back into the main unit. Very disappointed in product.

The spring mechanism broke within 6 months, rendering it useless. Only one person was using it 3 times a week for less than an hour at a time. The company that sold it had to be persuaded to send a replacement part, then shamed into sending installation instructions, which weren’t even helpful. Since the original mechanism broke, the tension on the strap has been too low for it to fully retract, so the whole thing is worthless.Save yourself the grief and try a different rower. No one expects an industrial strength piece of equipment at this price, but you definitely expect it to withstand a single, infrequent user for more than a few months.

broke at second time, and one bolt can't be assembled tightly

I decided to take up rowing to manage a medical condition. I wanted a cheap, simple, reliable rower. I didn't need fancy features, just a rower. It broke within a month.The good:* Cheap* Functional enough when first set up* Pretty good lookingThe bad* Complicated set up. I assembled it without problem, but to have a smaller package, they divided it into many more parts. It took around 45 minutes with two people.* If you are even somewhat flexible (or maybe long armed), you may "bottom out" returning, preventing a full range of motion.* The handle isn't very well designed. The machine's "chain" is actually some polyester. Like what a seat-belt is made of. Its looped around the handle in a recession in the grip, and will slide from one side to the other, forcing you to apply more force from one side than the other. The handle is also narrow and can be uncomfortable.* There is nothing to adjust drag. And the setting it was on was way to high. I would be at 17 (mph? m/s?) and it might go down to 3-4 on the rest/return portion of row.* The "computer" was very simple. I believe distance tracked is miles, rather than km. It updates very slow for speed.* Rowing at even a relaxed pace will cause the machine to slowly slide forward on the ground*The box you receive it in is small, and stapled together. This will make it impossible to ship back in that box, unless you want to remove many staples to prevent from having to rip the box apart* The foot holder is also badly designed, and doesn't really enhance range of motion very much.The Ugly* I used it for ~25 days of rowing, at around 45 minutes a day average. The spring return mechanism then broke. The manufacturer knows of this defect, but will not correct it with a more durable mechanism. Another amazon reviewer said that the manufacturer told him the product should be expected to wear out with their "heavy" 45 minute a day use. Another reviewer had this part break twice. Like I said, I am using this to manage a medical condition, and I'm not an athlete. This breaking is ridiculous.* There is is a reason why it only has a 90 day parts warranty. Don't expect it to last much longer if you actually use it.

Easy enough to put together. Seemed fairly well built. Broke 20 minutes into my first workout. The strap wouldn't retract anymore. Sent it back, got a full refund.

poorly made. damaged upon delivery and returned

After 1 year of moderate use, this started making a terrible sound. The belt is "jerky" and I would not recommend this item.