Spartan Sports Full Motion Rower- New! Review

You DO get what you pay for.

"Unfortunately, it is a bit of a slog to put together. It didn't need to be that way, since there are essentially only 8 bolts and washers to put the 3 major sections together. But the assembly instructions were so ambiguous and the exploded diagram done with such a fine line that it almost looks like a pencil sketch. Luckily, I have plenty of experience putting things like this together so I knew how to approach this. But it still didn't prevent me from nearly severing the wire to the diagnostic computer because it wasn't clear that the feet were actually made for the storage position and not the sitting position, which caused me to initially have the section turned the wrong way. And so it went. But my biggest problem with the unit is its piston. It has a clever tension-adjustment ring, but not a word about it in the instructions/manual. First off, I only learned through minutes of trial and error that small adjustments were all it took to make major changes in the 'friction quotient', requiring a stronger pull on the oars. That said, the highest setting is maybe 50% of what my previous rowing machine was capable of asking for in pulling power. That means, I'm not getting the workout I expected from this machine. Essentially, its a rowing machine for people not already in shape and used to pulling power of the upper torso. I'll use it, but I'm not particularly satisfied. I guess I got what I paid for."