BodyCraft VR100 Rowing Machine

I tried every rowing machine made, and this VR100 is the one of the worst, I have no idea who came up with 5 stars for this complete Piece-O-Garbage. Yea, it is cheap, but 5 stars, no way. The computer is weak at best, the seat does not glide very smoothly, the foot holders are a joke, and the worst thing of all, the front end comes off the ground when you pull on this thing. The salesman at the fitness store where I tried it, tells me that I could put some ankle weights on the front end to help hold it down on the ground, seriously, ankle weights, LOL, this was the worst of all the rowing machines I tested. The Kettler & Lifecore were the two best of the bunch, I ended up buying the Lifecore R100, which was head and shoulders above the rest. 5 stars, com'on, lets at least try to be honest.

I was/am a runner who constantly was sustaining leg injuries of one type or another. I finally yielded to the fact that I needed to seriously cross train and reduce my running. I decided to row, however I abhore having to spend tons of cash on exercise equipment to work out indoors when running is virtually free outside. I originally wanted to spend only a few hundred dollar so at least I could get my work outs in and see if I really liked rowing. After reading every review I could find, I decided that it may be in my best interest to spend more than a few hundred dollars. When I chose the Body Craft VR100 rower I figured that I would still be compromising quality since it was a mid-priced unit. I didn't want to listen to things click and clack, and have to tighten things that would loosen over time. Much to my amazement, this rower Rocks! It was really easy to put together, the parts are high quality, and the important thing is when you row you don't even think about the fact that you are on a machine. It's solid, steady, smooth, and a great workout. I use it 4-5 days a week for 45 mintues each time and have had it for about 1 month. It feels just as good as the day I bought it. If you are thinking about purchasing a rower, I highly recommend this one.

After having purchased an inexpensive piston rower (which was not so bad,
by the way) I tried in a fitness shop some magnetic rowers and I found them much better. So I shopped around and I tried the Tunturi R30, The Kettler Coach, the Fitness Quest Integrity 3000, the Water Rower,the Lifecore R900, the Life Span and the Body Craft VR 100. I found that the Body Craft has the best value for money ratio. It is built very well, its ergonomics are handsome, the workout is fantastic, and the price is very acceptable.
I particularly like the position of the footpedals and of the handle-bar,
which I think is perfect.
It also looks like it is very durable and it will last forever. I am very much satisfied, and would recommend it to everyone looking for a classy rower at a very honest price.

Bought this as a way to exercise through the Cleveland winters. Easy assembly. Have owned it for about two weeks. Easy to work up a sweat.

Two negatives: the fan is louder than I anticipated and there is no way to disengage it necessitating high volume of music/TV while rowing. Polar heartrate monitor does not report accurately when exercising. Heart rate OK at rest, but with movement it jumps all over.

Overall - well worth the $699 - let's hope it lasts.

There aren't many exercise routines I can do without getting bored or hurt (bad knees) but rowing is reasonably low impact but great all-around. This machine is a great value given its variable levels of magnetic-assist resistance on top of the basic air resistance. It folds up nicely when you need the floor space, runs smooth, and isn't too noisy. Best of all, it got this lazy-bones back to exercising regularly and, after one month, I can already feel the difference.