| Stay in peak shape and train in your own home with the Kettler Favorit rowing machine. It features two hydraulic cylinders with continuous resistance and a comfortably ergonomic seat with smooth running rollers mounted on rails. It also has moving foot plates with adjustable straps, folding oars with continuous force adjustment, and an anti-slip base that protects the floor. The Favorit is outfitted with a training computer that provides info on time measurement, number of oar strokes, speed of strokes, distance covered during training session, total distance, energy consumption, and pulse rate. You can program settings for desired distance covered and stroke speed and receive visual and audio signals when you've reached your goals. It has a 250-pound weight capacity and measures 49 x 31 x 10 inches. Rowing is an especially balanced form of exercise that involves all the main muscle groups and increases the efficiency of the heart and circulatory systems. it also encourages the metabolism and raises the ability of your organs to absorb oxygen. |
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 Best in its class |
| Review Date: February 29, 2008 |
| Reviewer: Steven Medway, USA |
Had no problem putting it together and have found no problem with the tightness of tension adjusting on the "oars" mentioned by previous reviewer - if anything they are very hard to release to slide up or down. So if sharing this machine with a different build quick adjustment day-to-day would be hard as you have to pry the plastic apart with a screwdriver.
However still a vast improvement on my previous machine of 20 years.
Shipping was a problem as the cardboard box and packing not heavy enough for the usual drop off but it survived even that! |
Good machine, but I got a dud.
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| Review Date: August 28, 2009 |
| Reviewer: L P, |
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. |
Kettler Quality for Bargain Price
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| Review Date: May 27, 2008 |
| Reviewer: one reader, |
I admit I didn't want to spend a lot for a rowing machine, so the Kettler Favorit seemed a good compromise. Shipment was free and item arrived quickly and in perfect condition. The Kettler Favorit is built of high quality, well-designed, sleek machinery (German-made after all). It's solid and quiet.
The instructions are written in several languages; just seek out yours. If you can't find your language, you aren't looking close enough.
For the price, this is a very nice machine. As to the alleged cumbersome adjustment of the rowing bars (seen in other reviews), I disagree. The trick is to slowly pull the bars toward you/back of the machine to an upright position before raising or lowering the clamps. Don't attempt to adjust the clamps when the rowing bars are parallel with to the ground. I'm not unusually strong and found the clamps easy to slide up or down as long as the bars are upright. Once the clamps are tightened, they stay in place.
Pulse ear clip: This is the only flaw to the design (in my opinion). it's just not practical and won't stay put. I didn't plan to use the clip to monitor my pulse, but for anyone who does, you may be disappointed.
If you want a perfect rowing machine, spend much more money. Otherwise, this is a fine machine for the price. I've no complaints. |
High quality rowing machine
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| Review Date: February 5, 2009 |
| Reviewer: ed18, California |
Having owned a Precor rowing machine prior to buying this rower, the differences are appreciable. While the Precor was well-made and a good machine, the Favorit is a level above.
The package was delivered in very good condition. Assembly took about 90 minutes and all parts were included. Thanks to another reviewer's suggestion to lay out all the parts before assembly - this really helps.
The machine is sturdy and solid. All the mechanics function smoothly. The seat is well-padded and comfortable unlike some other machines. The lateral swiveling action of the rowing arms is a nice feature which adds another dimension to the workout. The training computer functions well with no problems (the user manual has instructions on how to use the computer for those who can't figure it out).
One minor nit is that the left oar's resistance adjustment knob isn't completely secure and came loose during my first workout. Some extra tightening solved that problem and it has held in place since.
For the price of less than four months worth of membership fees at my health club the Favorit provides a great workout, is well worth the price and will last for many years to come. |
Great way to exercise!
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| Review Date: October 9, 2009 |
| Reviewer: C. Fiedler, Long Island, New York |
| 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! |
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