- Sturdy air rowing machine with steel frame for superior all-around workout
- Oversized chrome seat rail and metal pull-chain for strength and durability
- Multifunction monitor displays distance, calories burned, speed, time, and more
- Foldable design with built-in casters for easy storage; wind-fan resistance system
- Measures 78 x 31.5 x 19.75 inches (W x H x D); weighs 80 pounds; 3-year frame warranty
Product Description
Stamina ATS Air Rower. Club-quality chrome / steel construction and wind resistance that folds for home storage! Built for the long haul! The Stamina ATS Air Rowing Machine is designed with an oversized chrome seat rail and metal pull-chain for extra strength and durability. When you’re not using the ATS Air Rowing Machine, simply fold it and wheel it away on its convenient, built-in casters. Rowing is widely known to be one of the best all around activities for cardiovascular fitness and strength… a total body workout that is efficient, effective, low-impact and utilizes all major muscle groups including the back, legs, arms, abdominals and buttocks. Rowing is also one of the best exercises for building a st… More >>
I purchased my Stamina ATS Air Rowing Machine from Mercantila. When my stamina arrived, it was quite a workout just putting it together. I was rather disappointed, as I thought I’d be receiving better quality for 300.00. The components were obviously very cheap. Nonetheless, I was optimistically hoping to get a great workout on the machine.
I did get a great workout on the machine…for 3 weeks. Then one day I was using it, and the chain just exploded. The handle flew up in the air, and there were little pieces of metal all over the floor. Now, I’m not some Hercules or amazon. This was certainly not due to excessive force exerted on the machine. I’m just an out of shape 5′ 5″ woman. Mercantila was fabulous about it though. They paid to have it returned, and quickly refunded my money.
Supposing the “explosion” of my machine was a fluke, I still wouldn’t recommend the Stamina ATS Air Rowing Machine. It was not very sturdy. After I’d been using it about 1.5 weeks, one of the bolts came off and hit the floor in the middle of a workout. When I tightened the bolt back on, it bent the metal. The machine has a pronounced “check” which bothered my shoulders (ironic, since I chose as air rower because it’s supposed to be easier on a woman’s shoulders than a piston rower) The seat was wobbly. The foot straps had to be tightened repeatedly throughout a workout. Oh, and the most ANNOYING part: every workout, within 5 minutes, one of the grips had slipped off the handle!!! And of course it would take 2-3 minutes to get it back on.
Bottom line: It’s not a comfortable machine, and I think it could be downright dangerous for any kind of athlete. I’m a 5 foot 5 inch woman who’s out of shape — I can’t imagine a muscular athlete using this thing without extreme irritation in the least, and possibly injury (due to the lack of sturdiness) at the most.
Rating: 1 / 5
I’ve used this rowing machine for the past 5 months (114 miles) and have not had a problem with it. It provides a good, convenient workout in comfort of my living room. Obviously, there are more expensive machines out there but this one does the job for me.
February 2007 update: I’ve rowed 288 miles on this machine since May 2005, and it still works fine. My only minor complaint is that it can be slightly noisy.
Rating: 4 / 5
The initial assembly wasn’t too bad, though there are a couple of connections that were tedious and difficult. The first impressions were very favorable. Everything worked smoothly and quietly. That changed abruptly after about two weeks. That’s when the high pitched scraping/rubbing noises started from the fan housing. Then I started noticing a black “powder” that was starting to coat one side of the fan that resembled greese. Then I’d find a spot of greese on my face after a workout. The noise became VERY loud and the rowing effort just about doubled! I could no longer hear my mp3 player without turning it up too loud! Stamina cust service sent me a whole new fan assembly that I had to install, and that started making noise after another two weeks. Finally, the straw to break my back nearly injured my back when after about ten weeks of use (admitedly, heavy use – by one 57 yr old 145 lb man)something snapped underneath and about 30 inches of slack pull chain came out and woudn’t go back. It had died.
When I called Stamina cust service, intending for them to take it back and get my money back, they wanted to send another part, but couldn’t because I could not tell tham WHAT had broken! They wouldn’t entertain the idea of taking it back, so I had to call the seller and after much effort to get to the right listener, it was picked up. Fortunatly I had a box from a new rower – a different make – that I could fit this junk into.
This is NOT made for anyone even mildly athletic! Buy it if you’re going to use it once a week for 20 min at a time, it might be worthwhile. If you’re serious about improving your fitness, do what I did (now) and spent about $1,000 for something that has a proven record, and is used by professionals and intituions.
Rating: 1 / 5
I’m a competative collegiate rower, I got this erg in order to keep in shape over semester break. The noise and the difficult assembly didn’t bother me. The two main problems with this machine are the lenght and the monitor. At 6′ I’m not very tall for a rower and I’m not getting anything close to full extension, I’m barely half an inch away from the end of the slide on my drive and I can’t pull the handle all the way in, and when I come up to the catch I can still stretch my arms almost past the fan assembly. The monitor displays distances in miles and speed in mph instead on meters and 500m split, making it extremely difficult to keep track of my performance. The seat is less comfortable the solid plastic seats in shells and the concept 2. In sumation this machine is fine for the casual rower, but not for anyone seriously invloved in the sport.
Rating: 2 / 5
I’ve had this rower for almost a year now and it has held up well. There were a few issues locking down the resistance fan housing on the front of the rower. It took some effort and force but I finally got it secured.
The idea that resistance is generated by increasing the speed of the rowing motion is sound, but it does reach a point of diminishing returns. You are going to go anaerobic (or catatonic) trying to get enough true resistance by speeding your stroke pace.
It’s not great but it is a good introduction to rowing. It was good enough to get me hooked on rowing as an addition to my aerobic home gym stockpile (along with the Treadclimber, Airdyne Bike, and ellipticals). But, I will be finding a new rowing machine that will allow me to set a static resistance instead of the dynamic air driven kind.
Rating: 3 / 5