Stamina Avari Programmable Magnetic Exercise Rower

I agree with all the other reviews for the most part. Very nice, solidly built, machine. Have had it for less than a week.I got it because aside from weights, treadmill, and recumbent bike, I also swim laps in my pool, but I'm closing it for the season soon and needed a machine that works my upper and lower body at the same time. I had considered an elliptical, but since I also own both a recumbent bike and a treadmill, really wanted something that would work my upper body more, and would be lower profile (my gym is in attic with sloped ceilings.) I didn't need to brain myself with an elliptical, nor did I want to purchase a $1000 machine in the hopes of avoiding the dreaded squeak so many develop.The only thing I wish is that the bar was smaller - I have small hands and I wish my fingers could go around the bar completely. It doesn't look like it's something you can remove or replace on your own, so I'll have to make do until my finger/hand muscles acclimate.Also, unlike one of the other reviewers, I find the seat plenty comfortable, altho my butt does hurt a bit after 20 minutes. Same thing happens on my recumbent bike, tho - and then it actually goes to sleep a bit. LOL. I wouldn't advise wearing danskin-type pants, tho, because I did the first time and I was sliding all over the seat.After using it twice so far, I find that my trapezius muscles are definitely getting a workout, as are my hand muscles (from holding onto the bar,) the insides of my forearms, and, most surprisingly, my stomach muscles - more specifically, my lower abdomen. I had a laparotomy in December 2013, and the surgeon gave me a midline (vertical) incision in my lower abdomen - so all those muscles were cut and stretched. So I'm not sure if I'm feeling it more because of that. It of course works legs, back, biceps, as well, but I feel it most in the first ones I mentioned.I have found that if I get my shins in perfect vertical position during the catch phase (when you go forward and bend your knees), my knees really start to hurt. So if you have bad knees, you'll probably want to avoid going too far forward until you've had a chance to strengthen your knees a bit until they feel comfortable. I also feel it in my hip joints, but it's not pain so much as muscle aches from previous non-use. It's a good ache.I've only used program 7 so far (intervals) because it looked the easiest one without being monotonous for a newbie (and seems to be.) It's good and gets my heart up.I tried using the heart monitor, but didn't have much success. I ended up having to wear it at the top of my bra (i.e., over my heart), rather than beneath it. I did wet it first, and I was pretty sweaty when I started using it, so it had plenty of contact with skin as it should. The manual says using it with the heart rate, the rower will keep your heart rate at a minimum of 90bpm. Well, I think it was either not reading my pulse right, or trying to kill me. The program that it had in mind was way above what I was capable of doing, at least for as long as it wanted me to do it. I have both a recumbent bike and a treadmill with heart monitors, so I'm very aware of how I feel at my target rate, and the rower was nowhere close. I hope that it's pilot error on my part, and will try it again soon.It is long - the 72" mat I got for my recumbent bike is too short. I'm guessing an 86" or 90" would do the trick. I've made up the difference for now with a yoga mat under the front. It is very quiet. Not as quiet as my recumbent bike, but not nearly as noisy as my treadmill.The box was heavy - around 100lbs if I had to guess. And probably 4' wide by 3' high, by maybe 18" deep. Came in excellent shape - no dings to the box. And all parts present and accounted for, with no breaks or bends. Pretty easy to put together - everything machined well.Seems to be worth the money so far. If that changes, I'll be sure to add to this post.

I will give updates as often as I have them:Ordered on 6/29/19. @ 2 day free shipping it arrived7/2/19: The item arrived today and so far so good. Packaging was done well and there was no damage to my product when I unboxed it. All the parts were there. The package with the majority of the nuts and bolts came loose so, if that happens to you, check all your boxes and keep things organized. **The instruction manual listing the item (bolt) numbers and the package itself holding them are DIFFERENT, so you have to eyeball and do process of elimination - not very hard at all..*** They do include all the tools necessary however if you have a full sized or powered wrench (be super careful with powered not to over tighten to the point of breaking!!!) that will make your job easier.All the parts were easy to assemble except for the 1 bolt connecting the seat rail to the main chassis. This should have taken me 5-10 mins to install. It took nearly an hour because of that ONE bolt. The hole that I passed the bolt through (connecting the seat rail to the chassis) was serrated the entire way through. No big deal except either the bolt or the inner threading wasn't shaved enough so that I had to crank the sh** out of the tiny wrenches to get it through (think about wearing gloves if you dont like raw hand/fingers; ddidn't bother me). I used a laser to ensure the holes lined up well so that ruled out incorrect alignment on my part. Had they shaved that bolt/thread hole better, I would have had this thing in one piece within that 5-10 mins; The pictures are very very self explanatory. So, after that 55 of getting that one bolt through, I tested it out.As advertised, it is a super silent operation which is perfect for me since I live in NYC. It's more silent than my air conditioner. The manual is handy and gives you a nice idea of what type of programs there are. The Heart beat strap so far is working. I banged it down 1 star (so far) because of that QA issue of the manual part number being different than on the packaging. The main reason for the 1 star knock down was more because of how much time I had to spend threading through that one bolt. Doesn't make sense when all the other parts connected smoothly...7/6/19: So I just did a 60 minute row and as other people have mentioned the seat is very uncomfortable for anything intense. The seat is rather hard and you would benefit from a cushion of some sort. The resistance isn't the same as wind rowers but if you exert more energy (as you really should), you can hit your target heart rate. The full extension is long enough for me (5'11) and there is definitely more room on the rail so it should easily accommodate someone 6' tall. The foot straps aren't that necessary to use if you maintain good form.The pre-programmed settings aren't intense at all so if you want to get a convenient work-out with this machine, use the custom setting and crank the difficulty all the way to the top. You also will need to (again) not just rely on the magnets but the amount of energy you exert. These two things can help you reach your desired heart rate. The LED panel stays on for a few minutes but then turns off automatically if there is no activity.7/8/19 - Dropped it a star. The Heart rate monitor is faulty. During my 45 min row it would reset every 5 mins.7/14 - Heart rate monitor resolved. However now the seat is making clunking noises as I go back and forth...

Due to its "Used, Open Box" state, we had a rough start because of a crucial missing piece to the computer. However, after sifting through the plastic bags, we found it, fixed it and reattached it. Works just as it's supposed to.Using the machine for 30 minutes and 7 days so far, I've already started seeing the results I hoped for.It's quiet, makes almost no noise at all.Perfect magnetic rower. I love it.

Despues de 6 meses de inactividad la pantalla muestra "E2" y la unica forma de interactuar es presionando el boton "start/stop/reset" durante dos segundos, hacer esto muestra la interfaz normal durante unos segundos antes de volver a mostrar "E2". Esto, naturalmente, causa que sea imposible usar la pantalla o cambiar la resistencia, y no parece haber ninguna clase de documentación, ni en el manual ni en Internet, de siquiera que significa el codigo de error. Aparte de eso parece funcionar bien, pero Dios sabe durante cuanto tiempo.

Excellent machine easy to set up,only item I added was a cushioned seat.easy to assemble,well made.only thing missing one seat bumper stopcame loose but do no know how to reattach,one bumper is fine.

I freakin love it. You need a mat, though, or it will slide.

very good!