Stamina 1205 Precision Rower

I had an older version of this product when I was younger and loved it. Now that I have this new one, it's just as I remembered the old one (with some advances). It was easy to assemble and using it provides me only as much resistence as I feel up to. It's great!

Bought this rower not to long ago. I don't have a real strenuous workout, 20 minutes 3 times a week.
Good stuff:
Base is sturdy, and really not too far off the ground. I'm able to slide it under my bed.
That's it.
Bad stuff:
By the 2nd week the bushings holding the arms to the frame were GONE, I mean really GONE, they slowly shredded off.
The friction units (they look like shocks) get really really hot, and thats on a lower setting. A friend of mine used it on level 3 (out of 5, I usually use 4) and they melted my carpet.
Theres 5 settings for tension, 5 being easiest and 1 being hardest. But they don't allow a lot of variety, what I mean is: 5 is easy enough, 4 is pretty tough, 3 is insane. Maybe I just need to be stronger, but it seems to me, and other people who have used the unit, that anything above 4 is VERY ackward. Its not just the tension, its how the unit moves. You can row on it, but that great experience of working everything in unison is LOST, it just feels like it doesn't coordinate well.
The seat, its not so bad, but the rollers are made of cheap plastic. Theres big globs of lube on the tracks to help the rollers move, and in the beginning they move great, but I know they're gunna go soon, they are making noise after 2 weeks.
The arms, another issue, they wobble like crazy, too much play in them to make this machine feel stable. It gets worse when the bushing shred off.
It's heavy and ackward to put away.

Overall I would NOT recommend purchasing this rower. I can't recommend something better, but there has to be something more durable and better built. This one is heavy, and my initial impression before using was that it was of good quality - but it just isn't. Heavy strong parts are held together by cheap plastics and bad rubber. As well the tension is very uncomfortable and does not work smoothly with the machine.

Look around, its better to pay more and get a good quality product. This one, even for light use, just won't last.

1) Easy and straight forward to assemble. Be sure to check pre assembled rollers beneath seat to ensure, they are not over tightened.

2) Rower gives a good workout within the necessary range of intensity. Something like and average heartbeat of 125 bpm and 150 bpm.

3) The jury is still out on how the bushings and parts will hold out over time and usuage.

This product is exactly what I thought it would be.

I purchased this product because I joined a corporate rowing league and wanted to start training at home.

It does NOT come pre-assembled.

Also, the knobs you use to change the resistance slip sometimes..but overall not bad for the price.

I have really enjoyed this piece of workout equipment. In 30 minutes I get a great workout; especially upper body. I have to really concentrate on working out my hips and legs; I need to create my own resistence for the lower part of my body. That would be my only complaint. It's fairly easy to put together. The only complaint I would have on the instructions is it would be nice if they labeled all the screws and washers with a matching number. I spent a lot of time trying to figure out which was which. Otherwise, it only took about an hour to put together. Overall, I would definitely recommend this piece of equipment.