Lifecore R88 Rowing Machine

So, after much research, I bought this rower. Yes, everyone says "buy a Concept 2". Well, I hear you, but for many of us, the $300 price premium for the Concept 2 is a show stopper. So the monitor on the Concept 2 is better, and has more features, it's probably more durable (but this is for home use, so you don't need something built like a tank), and maybe the rowing position on the C2 is a little better, but I'm not convinced of that. For what I could afford to spend, these guys nailed it. It gives me a great workout, with variable levels of resistance. While it doesn't feel that much harder at level 6... until you've been rowing for a few minutes, when you realize how much harder you've been working. The foot pedals are lower than on other machines, but it appears to me that if you use good form and push with your legs first, it exercises them just fine. At least, my glutes and thighs were plenty tired, and even sore the next day. And I love its small footprint when folded. It's light enough that my 10 uear old son can fold it and roll it back into a corner. Set up was a breeze.... at least, I think it was, because I didn't do it. My 12 year old hauled it upstairs and assembled it in about 30 minutes (I know this because he was only home from school that long) before I got home! I also like the fact that the R88 has features of both air and magnetic rowers. If you're in the market for a rower, and don't have $900 to spend, or don't want to spend that much, this is an excellent choice.

Background: I have severe arthritis in my knee and can no longer perform exercises that impact the joint (even lengthy walks) without experiencing considerable pain. After using Lifecore Fitness' excellent 900 RB recumbent bike for the past 8 months, for a low impact good cardio workout, I recently purchased the company's R88 rower to exercise upper body muscles and provide an alternative to the bike. The rower was easy to assemble and took approximately 1/2 hour. The instructions are clearly written and well illustrated. Using the Rower: This machine is very easy to use. The first two days I limited my moderately paced workouts to 20 minutes on resistance setting #2. (Note: Most product descriptions -- including Amazon's -- state that the R88 has 8 resistance settings but this model only has 6 resistance settings, which is clearly specified on the shipping box and manual.) After two days I felt a pleasant soreness throughout my body (legs, abdomen, arms, chest, shoulders, back, and butt), which told me that this machine really delivers. Using this machine provides a more intense cardio workout than the recumbent bike. Pros: The R88 rower is simple, solid, compact,very well constructed, easy to operate, and smooth. I'd compare the build quality and operation to that of driving a base model Mercedes Benz with a manual transmission. The rower's resistance settings (changed easily by turning a dial) will accomodate almost everybody's fitness level. The seat bottom is firmer than that of the RB 900 bike, which is too soft. The unit folds up and can be rolled into a relatively small storage space. Cons: These are minor but worth mentioning. First, the monitor is not as well illuminated as shown by the company's advertising pictures. To clearly see all display info, a light (overhead or behind your shoulder) is recommended during workouts. Second, when folded for storage, the machine's wheels do not roll very easily on carpet. Third, while the flywheel fan provides a welcome breeze and cooling effect, the fan is pretty noisy especially under hard rowing. Conclusion: Investing $699 for this quality rowing machine was a no brainer. The R88 is fun to use and provides an outstanding, impact free, total body workout. My arthritic knee is painfree afterwards. The extra features offered by the R99 rower($200 more)seem like a waste of money. NOTE: I will update my review of Lifecore Fitness' R88 Rowing Machine in a few months. G Miller -- Phx. AZ January 2012 Update: Sorry for taking so long to update my review of this rower. I am still very satisfied with the R88 machine and it continues to function flawlessly. Since I purchased the rower, I have tried out other machines both more and less expensive. For the money, especially at the new lower price, I can't see how this one can be beat. The only additional con that I can add is that the monitor goes through alkaline batteries much faster than I would like.

Love this rower. Took a bit to put it together, but once it was, I was happy. My only issue, was that I've yet to figure out how to set the panel with how the instructions were written. Other than that, it's great.

Meh

I bought this machine 2 days ago. Used it once. Worked great. Went to use it again, and there is a rattling noise in the fly wheel area. It's impossible to get to, and has to be repaired by a professional or the warranty is voided. I can't even get it to fold up until the tech comes on Monday because it's frozen in place. I will not be purchasing this or any other product from Lifecore again. :(

This is a decent rower. If it cost $400, it wouldn't be an issue. However, the seat is high, relative to the foot pedals, so you end up working your arms and back much more then legs. I was used to a Concept2 at the gym and did not feel like this was in the same league. I returned it and bought a Concept2 for $200 more and couldn't be happier. There is a reason Concept2 owns the space.

I am a senior citizen who has bad shoulders. No problem with this machine. Small footprint can be moved very easily. 6'1 250Lbs. More than long enough and very sturdy. Just be careful when changing batteries small hands needed.

Delivery was easy and fast. Putting it together was possible by 2 "senior" females. There was a problem with one frozen bolt. The Lifecore customer service was very responsive in handling our problem and they were able to come up with a solution that had us able to complete the task quickly. This rower is very stable, is sturdy and the action is smooth. We love it.

This rower is exactly what I was looking for. It folds up nicely so takes little space when not in use. It was very easy to put together, took about 25 minutes. The quality of materials is very good, the frame is very beefy and feels solid while using. One speed fan and 5 levels of magnetic is good, the fan is very quiet but still gives you a nice breeze. Being able to race the computer from levels 1-9 and distance from 500M-10,000M is also great. I would recommend this tower.

Shipping was good: ordered Sunday evening and received in Winnipeg by noon Thursday. Assembly was easy - good instructions. Product quality looks/feels good. (Owned for three days) The locking knob to raise and lower the slide rail is a poor design. A simple oversize knob would be better. The instructions for using the display and monitoring features were almost useless. They listed the features but not which sequence of buttons to push to make them work as intended. I recommend reducing the fancy features and include a chest strap heart rate monitor instead (not included)

Very good rower for the money (on sale for $520.) well built and very quit for a air/magnetic rower. Gives both of us a very good work out s(active 65 year olds)