First Degree Fitness Viking II Black Reserve Indoor Rowing Machine, Black/Brown

Decided that I need to shed some weight/improve my fitness level and my online research led me to rowing machines. Well, that and House of Cards. What Frank Underwood called "medieval" I thought looked like the most luxurious form of exercise ever! I ordered it having never used one before, fingers firmly crossed, and chose to spend extra for the attractive wood and the water resistance because it had to be quiet (apartment) and look nice in my living room. It also had to be something I'd genuinely want to use and......I totally bought the right thing!Getting the primary box upstairs to my living room provided me with a workout before even putting the thing together, but assembly itself took about an hour and a half (I find allen wrenches very fiddly) and the instructions are detailed, in perfect English and large enough print to easily read.The wood on this is attractive, nicely finished and warm. The seat rolls back and forth silently and effortlessly and I find it comfortable. The belt that winds/unwinds during use is also as good as silent, so all you hear is the magical sloshing of water -- Which you can also watch while you're rowing.Because I used to cycle when I was younger I've had a spin bike that I pretty much never ride, for years. The main reasons are that I get bored with just running my legs while my upper body pretty much sits there -- Cycling requires scenery and curves and hills and actually going somewhere for me to enjoy it, apparently. It's also a tad noisy, what with the bearing rumble from that heavy flywheel transmitting to the floor.The rowing machine, my comparison, is the absolute opposite. You literally put your back into it and are rewarded by the soothing (or sometimes aggressively frothing -- egging you on) sloshing of the water. It just feels so much more engaging, provides physical and audible feedback, and I love spending time on the thing! It's an excellent pre-breakfast cardio workout or post-office pressure release.Another difference between the two is that the rower stores upright when desired and is actually pretty easy to wheel around, even on carpet. The spin bike has wheels too but is much more unwieldy, possibly due to that heavy flywheel and all-steel construction, and of course takes up more space when not in use.The only downside to this rowing machine is the electronics' connectivity. If you just want to use it as it is then the display is easy to read and gives you what you need for the most part, but forget about connecting it to a laptop if you're running Windows 10 -- There's no driver for anything past Windows 7 or 8 that I could find. It doesn't have Bluetooth, so no apps to play with either. Also, I found their website's support area kind of primitive and laggy. I think the only thing I'll be adding to mine is a heartrate monitor, as there's a spot on the LCD display for that and it's kind of a pain to check my Fitbit while rowing.In summary, if you're only going to get one workout machine I can't imagine anything topping this for a great full body cardio workout OR for seamlessly integrating with most décor. I love the workout and it goes great with my leather furniture. Of course, it's not cheap! But it seems built for commercial fitness centers so it should last a really long time.Side note: When using these, you'll soon find that the breathing is opposite of most workouts -- You inhale while expending force to drive yourself backwards and exhale while on the way back towards the front -- Especially if you're sporting a bit of a gut like I am. Be sure to watch a YouTube video or two before using it for the first time if you've never used one before. Also, the seat's pretty low, so if you have trouble with getting down and then back up again this could be an issue for you.

I and some in my family are enjoying rowing this machine. Very smooth, stable, consistent, and looks good on top of that. Assembly is not difficult, with clear instructions. No issue at all.

UPDATE 3/15/2021: Reported the problem to the company and got an immediate reply. I received a part under warranty and repaired the rower. Looks like they stand by their product and the warranty.UPDATE 2/15/2021: It's been two years of fairly regular use. While I was impressed with the rower (see prior review below), I noticed water was leaking around the tank. I looked at it more closely and there are cracks where the bolts join the two halves of the tank together. I have no idea what has caused the cracks. I'm sure if I try to tighten the bolts the tank will totally give way. I take very good care of the machine. It is in the basement out of the sun so the plastic should not have degraded. Otherwise I have enjoyed the rower, but two years?? I will be buying an air rower...----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Very impressed with the machine. Have been using a piston type rowing machine up until now. This rower gives a much better workout. For some reason I couldn't work up a sweat with the piston machine but am able to with this rower.The variable resistance does work, is noticeable and useful. Much better than adding/removing water to adjust resistance. I warm up in position 1 and slowly increase and then decrease towards the end of the workout.The ability to stand the machine up and wheel it into the corner is very useful.The only thing is that the rower is advertised as being quiet and even quieter than fan units, but??? The water sloshing around is very noisy. I have to use my headphones to listen to my podcasts. Was surprising but not a deal killer.The rower is very well built with quality components. Someone complained about it having a bungee cord recoil, but heck it works, is minimalist in its approach and inexpensive to fix if it fails in a few years.

As someone who has purchased home exercise equipment before, only to find herself back at the gym for a proper workout, this piece of equipment has been life-changing. The assembly was quite easier than expected and took 45m at the most. The quality of the product is undeniable, the wood finish is pristine, and the storage is surprisingly sleek and easy. I keep it in my living room and nine times out of ten, people don't notice it at all. The actual sound of water while you're rowing is very satisfying while you're sweating away, and believe me, sweat you will. There are numerous YouTube videos you can queue up that offer total immersion, meaning you're looking at scenery as if you are actually on a body of water.I should note that I am someone in moderately good shape, not a professional athlete, but not a novice either. I've played sports all my life and lead an overall active lifestyle. That being said, this is not a "quick-fix, infomercial special-of-the-day" machine. If you are on a path towards better fitness or continuing a current routine without having to go to a gym, this is a fantastic tool. Be warned: this is not a thigh-master and damage could be done to one's body with improper form or usage.

Since it is my first water rowing machine, I did not know what to expect except from the write-up on the product. After comparing multiple rowing equipment, I settled for the Adjustable Resistance feature. It turned out better than I anticipated - time consuming installation but easy; beautiful; easy to setup for use and store away. Overall, I am very happy with the product. So are my wife and kids.

Fluid rowers are amazing and you get what you pay for.