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LifeSpan Fitness RW1000 Rowing Machine

List price: $649.99
Amazon price: $499.99
You save: $150.00 (23%)
Prices subject to change.

Availability: Usually ships in 1 to 2 days

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Product Details

Binding: Sports
Brand: LifeSpan Fitness
EAN: 0855959000119
Label: LifeSpan Fitness
Dimension: 0.2 x 54.5 x 0.3 inches
Manufacturer: LifeSpan Fitness
Model: RW1000
Publisher: LifeSpan Fitness
Studio: LifeSpan Fitness

Features and Descriptions

Features a smooth and quiet eddy current drive system with a 16.5-pound flywheel
Solid steel frame; assembled dimensions measure 87 by 19 by 23 inches (L x W x H)
Folds to 34 by 19 by 64 inches (L x W x H) for easy storage
Three-LCD console provides distance, calories, time, strokes, and strokes per minute workout feedback
300-pound maximum user weight; five-year frame warranty, two-year parts warranty, and one-year labor warranty

Product Reviews (Overall: 4.0

)

- Good rower, not the best
I bought my LifeSpan rower about a year ago and have used it a lot with no major problems. It does the job and seems to be a good value for the money, but it definately is not a performance rower.

PROS:
Cheap
Compact
Folds Easily
Simple Digital Display lasts a very long time one one battery

CONS:
No chain, the pull mechanism is a strap of fabric.
Plastic wheels support the seat and pull movement. Mine have note worn out yet but they're not that smooth and they do feel as if they have worn down significantly during the year that I have used my rower.
The pull movement creates no momentum as with a fan or water resisting model, so you really cant build up much inertia and each pull feels like you're starting from a stp, which is not mych like real rowing.

All in all it's a good unit but if you're looking for something that will really take a beating and last a long time and also emulate the feel of rowing much better, get a concept 2 model D or E. I wish i had spent the extra $400 at the time, because now I have to sell my current rower first. Interested?

- Many minor glitches
Both foot straps (ridiculously inferior quality) broke immediately. The electronic timer has not worked - sometimes it's on, sometimes it's off. The bottom of the "heel holder" on the foot rests is too shallow - my feet keep slipping out. With my new straps (bought at Dick's), I cinch my feet very tightly into the foot rests and they do not slip out. I use the rower for 25 minutes each morning. Fundamentally, the rower works very smoothly and gives a decent, low-grade workout. I hope that the mechanics of the rower work better and last longer than the three largely ancillary parts that I identified above.

- Not meant to actually be used
I loved this rower at first, although if you have small feet, it's difficult to keep them from pulling out of the pedals while rowing. 6 broken straps, several emails to Lifespan (they did replace them for me), a change to a different type of shoe, and that problem was finally fixed. Then the pulleys started to break. Ordered a new set and replaced those (those I had to buy). Now the flywheel will not recoil. Took it apart...I would have to replace the magnetic wheel assembly. It's time to give up, it just wasn't made to be used. I used this rower for 2 1/2 years. My last rower was a cheap old piston type, it lasted 12 years. I finally broke the frame. I used the rower 4 times a week, this one just couldn't hold up. And, no, I'm not some 350 pound body builder...I barely make it over 5 feet and am under 135 pounds. I don't think I should be killing rowing machines.

- Good Quality Rower
I'm a runner but needed a quieter workout (my treadmill can't really be used in my new condo). Stupid neighbors.

I'm glad I chose this model instead of going for the one that is just a little over $100. The assembly instructions were cryptic (there is a blown-up bill of materials that inaccurately showed over 100 parts). I found it too daunting (due to cognitive deficits, maybe) and asked my brother-in-law for help. It took him only 15 minutes; homie even said it was EASY.

I watched a few how-to-row-properly videos online and that made a difference. The machine folds up nicely and I can easily wheel it to the corner of the room. It makes little contact with the floor so I don't feel that a mat is necessary. This is my first rower and it's amazing how much I sweat during a 30-minute workout (about 600 strokes). I'm losing weight like a bastard.

I highly recommend the LifeSpan Fitness RW1000.

- Great Product; be careful with shipping!
We ordered this product to help in a revamping of our exercise program, and it is absolutely great in that mission. The device assembles very easily and quickly; 15 minutes or less if you lay the parts out. There are two major assemblies, and you just attach the seat and put the two pieces together. In action, the device is smooth and quiet, and it can give you a very good workout in a relatively short period of time. The electronics package is good; the only issue some may have is that changing rowing resistance doesn't appear to change the calorie count.

The only problem we had was with Amazon in shipping. This is shipped in two boxes but for some reason Amazon seems to lose sight of that fact on its own tracking. If the two boxes become separated (which ours did) and only one is delivered, they show status as "delivered". I called customer service to try to get them to help with the other box and they continually insisted that the order was one box and was complete. Finally they gave me the UPS premier shipping contact but didn't tell me I would need their shipper number to use it! The other box finally arrived after about five emails to them, two calls to UPS and one call to Amazon. It's worth the wait, though. This is a really great rowing machine!

UPDATE:

We've used the rower for over a month now and so I have some notions of how it works. First, it's deceptive when you start rowing for the first time because the effort level seems light so you tend to crank it up to 4 or 5 (the top). Don't do that unless you're in decent shape or you'll bonk pretty quickly. What seems to work best is to start off rowing for about 10 minutes at about 25 or so strokes per minute according to the timer, at a 1 or 2 level. When you see how you'll do, you can then increase time, stroke count, and effort level. In terms of subjective effort, every jump of one in effort level seems to give you the equivalent of about a 10% increase in stroke count. When I go up in effort level, I'll drop my stroke count 10% until I'm used to the new one. If you're not a young athlete (which I'm surely not) then you will probably find 15-25 minutes of rowing at a pace of about 27 strokes per minute a good workout at level 2 or 3.

This machine undoubtedly gives the most concentrated workout of anything I've used. In 20 minutes I'm sweating big time!

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