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Kettler Favorit Rowing Machine

List price: $429.00
Amazon price: $429.00
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Product Details

Binding: Sports
Brand: Kettler
Color: Silver/Black
EAN: 4001397116950
Label: KETTLER
Dimension: 0.2 x 51 x 0.3 inches
Manufacturer: KETTLER
Model: 7978-900
Publisher: KETTLER
Studio: KETTLER

Features and Descriptions

Rowing machine to help you stay in shape and train in your own home
Two hydraulic cylanders with continuous resistance and a comfortably ergonomic seat
Training computer provides info on time measurement, number of oar strokes, speed of strokes, distance covered, and more
Program for desired distance covered and stroke speed; visual and audio signals
250-pound weight capacity; measures 49 x 31 x 10 inches

Product Reviews (Overall: 4.0

)

- Get this rower!
We bought this rower for our entire family to use (ages 11, 15 and 50.) It is easy and great to use and you will start to see results in a week or two. Good-bye to flabby arms and legs if you are over 50. Everyone, no matter what age will acquire more strength and definition. We use it while watching t.v. and the time just flies. It is a solidly built machine with a smooth movement. Easy to store upright and out of the way. Hint: notches and knobs where the handle ends and the piston meet is the point of adjustment, lower or raise from easy to more difficult.

- The Answer for Middle Age Spread
I just received this machine and it exceeds my expectations. If you can assemble a childs playset or furniture from IKEA you will have no trouble putting it together. Using the assembly diagrams and the picture of the finished machine I was able to put it together without a hitch. This is a power machine, not a speed machine. You are rowing your grandfather's rowboat, not an olympic shell. I find it great for upper body and core strength building. It also builds aerobic capacity through prolonged heavy power effort, not by rapidity of movement. If you are used to a fan machine, this is not the same at all. I am 6' tall and have no trouble with the leg extension. The tension adjustment is tight but it might not do well if you are going for rapid movement. I'm using it for strength building so it isn't a problem for me. I suggest you practice the rowing motion slowly with a light load a few times to get used to the motion of the machine before you really try to do a workout. Final analysis: Great machine, just what I was looking for. Very solid, should last a long time.

- Great way to exercise!
I'm no athlete but I needed to get in shape. When I heard that Gerard Butler used rowing as one way to get in shape for 300, I decided to check it out. I'd really enjoyed rowing when I was younger. I did lots of research before I decided on the Kettler. The package was in okay shape and a friend of mine who is technically savvy set it up in a little more than an hour. It takes a little while for the oars to loosen up but once they do, rowing is a breeze! As someone else said it's very meditative and requires more concentration than my elliptical machine which I bought from Nordic Track - not a good piece of equipment - has always wobbled. This, on the other hand, is rock solid. You definately can feel that this type of exercise is a good work-out! Plan to make it part of my regular routine. Another plus - I have Chronic Fatigue so it's easy to pace myself so I don't get post exercise collapse. If you are looking for a good rowing machine (and don't mind spending a bit more), this is it!

- Good machine, but I got a dud.
I got my Favorit about 5 days after I ordered it and when I went to put it together I realized that a piece was missing (the bar to hold the foot pedals on). So I called customer service and they sent me one free of charge the next day. I was a little disappointed because I was excited to use it but couldn't without something to put my feet on. So I waited another 5 or so days and I got that part.

After using it I realized the right shock absorber wasn't working correctly, and it started losing more pressure within a few day to where it was unusable. I emailed customer service this time and they sent me a new shock right away.

Since then I haven't had any problems, the machine works great and I've been using it about 3 weeks daily with the new shock. The customer service was really great, which is why I decided not to take off a star. I think I might have gotten a returned machine. It was obviously a dud either way, everything else about the experience was so high quality it's hard to believe this sort of thing would happen regularly.

I wanted to respond to the other review about the resistance adjustment too (because I was worried about this when I was reading them). When I was talking to the customer service lady on the phone the first time, I told her that I had gotten two of the wrong bolts. There are a set of bolts for putting the arms on with tooth that goes all the way up the bolt (this is also used for the resistance knobs), and another set for the arms that only has tooth about a third of the way up. I hadn't gotten any of the second type, but I had two extra of the first type. She said that they replaced those because people were accidentally using the the bolts without the full tooth on the resistance adjustment, which wouldn't work because you can't screw it down all the way. So the people who were complaining about the resistance just didn't follow the instructions.

Also, people seemed to make a big deal out of the instructions but they're very clear with good pictures, diagrams of the bolts you need to use, etc. Seems to me they must never have had to partially assemble anything. All you have to do was bolt the arms, legs, and foot pedals on. It's mostly assembled when you get it. Be careful to put the arms on the correct way, though, the bend should face forward like in the picture.

Overall I'm very glad I bought this machine. I read a lot of reviews on a lot of the cheaper ($100 - $200) piston rowing machines and they were all complaining about their machines degrading within a week of two of getting it, like broken wheels on the seats and shocks leaking oil and loud squeaks and that's why I decided to pay a bit more. The Favorit is really quiet, and obviously build to last. The resistance is good too, at its lowest setting it's pretty easy, so you can do an aerobic workout, and on it's highest setting I can hardly pull it back. I have it set around the middle right now so it's like a weight machine. You can even sit on it backwards and do a bench press. And if you have problems with it, you'll have a really great support center to work with.

- An above average machine with terrible directions!
It appears this is a quality machine. Unfortunately it took me "hours" to assemble it because the directions are totally inadequate. There are numerous diagrams labeled "A," "B," "C," etc. however, several diagrams are "turned backwards" and have the assembled parts in different directions and locations (i.e.-one diagram shows parts located partially front to back and then the next one has the parts located side-to-side and then partially back to front.) I finally got it assembled and have begun working out on it but it will take some time before I know how it really holds up. It was very frustrating to still know if I have it put together correctly! All the pictures show the handles standing up. Mine won't do that! The entire machine seems very sturdy. However, the performance monitor IS in German but at least there's a booklet to translate what it is indicating into English!

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