SCHWINN Crewmaster Rower 100660, Gray

I was tired of the boring treadmill in our basement. While walking on the boring treadmill one day, I was watching a TV show where someone was using a rowing machine. "Gee, that looks fun," I thought. So, I found the Schwinn on Amazon, and Amazon had a lower price than anyone else, so why not? I would not say the rower was hard to assemble, but some of the instructions could have been a little clearer. The assembly job will definitely be much easier with two people because the rower is heavy to move in its packing box. Also, they way you need to screw in certain areas, it helps if you have a person on each side to screw in the various nuts and bolts (instead of constantly hopping over the machine). It took my husband and I about an hour to assemble it. Once assembled, this rower is a great little machine. It is sturdy, smooth, and silent. My husband is over 6 feet tall and over 200 lbs. He even finds it very sturdy and comfortable. The rower gives you a great workout - I am in fairly good shape, and I need to work my way up to 30 minutes because it is a harder workout than I am used to. As a tip, you do need to wear tennis shoes for the foot pedals to work securely. Otherwise, they are uncomfortable and your foot will slip off the pedal. I learned this one day when I was only wearing socks, and I thought I would get a quick 5 minutes of rowing in. You definitely need your workout shoes. This is a great machine for the beginner and true to Schwinn's reputation of quality.

I have owned and used this machine nearly daily for 8 months and it’s still in perfect working order. This is as good as any of the expensive rowers. It does not have the fancy infotainment system but there are awesome instructors on YouTube that will get you the same results. This machine is rock solid and super quiet so it’s great for apartment living. I can’t say enough about this beast. I am in great shape after committing to rowing for the last 8 months. Buy it!Product Update: 5/25/22The return spring broke after one year of near daily use. The piece that holds the spring together is plastic and it gave out. Not to worry Nautilus sent me an entire new “engine” within one week at no charge since it is under warranty. Great company to do business with. Their warranty process is smooth and easy. I was good to go after about a 30 minute phone call. Well done Nautilus! (Nautilus owns Schwinn) The equipment is solid and the company backs it up with a great warranty.

What I like:1) Fairly priced - given features and overall quality2) Availability - home exercise equipment from trustworthy brands is mostly out-of-stock (thanks to Covid)3) Fairly smooth rowing action - but as others have noted, feel of magnetic resistance different than air or water4) Quiet operation5) Comfortable grips on row handle & sturdy seatDon't like:1) Unsophisticated controls - versus other (higher-priced) machines which measure strokes, distance, calories, etc by pull (like Concept2), this uses a (presumably magnetic) stroke sensor mounted on the beam which means resistance and pull strength has no bearing on reported distance or calories. If you want to track your workouts with any accuracy, you'll need a wearable with good row algorithm or heart monitor.2) Some minor quality issues on arrival - could have been due to rough handling but the unit arrived with several screws lose; was able to locate corresponding parts and put them back in, but a little sloppy. Also was damaged in shipping with scratches to the finish on the beam - but this doesn't negatively impact function.3) While assembly isn't terrible, attaching the footrest was a bit of a pain; definitely follow instructions and install bolts on sides before bolts on bottom.

I purchased this because I wanted to add some cardio to my weight training. I looked at several different rowers. I had my mind set that I wanted the Concept2 Rower, but I was having a hard time justifying the price. This rower was literally half the price of the Concept2. I read the reviews and knew Schwinn makes good stuff, so I made the purchase. I’m glad I did! This rower will give you a great workout. Assembly was fairly easy, two sets of hands would make it quicker, but one person can get it done easy enough, took me about an hour, but I took my time and ensured everything was tightened down properly. I read a review that said the handle/bar is a bit short, sure, it’s small but I haven’t been bothered by it at all. The resistance settings are great and get the job done. The display is okay, gives you the information you want most, distance, rows, time, calories, lifetime rows and heart rate if you have the right heart rate strap. I’ve had this about a month, so far, so good, time will tell how durable this is, but I don’t expect any issues. Overall, I’m sure there are better machines out there, but you’ll pay more as well. If your looking for a rower that’ll give you a great workout and not break the bank, this is probably the machine for you.

I looked through several rowers on here for two days trying to decide. Frankly, there were a lot of reviews that seemed fake. Long blathering reviews of pros and cons etc. So it was hard to decide on one. We picked Schwinn because of their already established reputation, and I'm so glad we did. The seat is super comfortable, it keeps track of distance which a lot of rowers I looked at didn't for some reason, and my husband said it was easy to assemble. If you're undecided because theres so many options, this one should be at the top of the list. Also, amazon offered a payment plan (not to be confused with getting their card) which was convenient. Paid the first month and tax when it shipped and will pay $98 for 4 months.**update** absolutely loving this rower. I was basically a beginner since it had been so long since I rowed, and I'm really getting the hang of it again now. I saw one review before where someone said it killed the middle of their back when they rowed. Mine did too at first, but my husband suggested that I foam roll beforehand and that did the trick!