I considered getting a rower for a while. Since I go bike riding and hiking occasionally and go to gym for elliptical and other fat-burning machines, I wanted something for home use. Something that would let me exercise different muscle groups and be non-boring.

Based on the advice I got from the Money magazine, I got the Integrity 3000 Air Rowing exercise machine. According to the expert the magazine quoted, the cheapest kind (piston-type) of rowing machines do not have even effort. The air type, along with water rowers are the closest emulation of rowing. The water-based rowers are more expensive.

The Integrity 3000 was recommended as having a surprisingly sturdy construction for less than $200. I bought it online and got it within a week.

About Integrity 3000 Air Rowing Machine

The machine required some assembly. About 35 minutes to be exact. You can do it yourself - there is no heavy lifting involved.

The machine is of a medium weight, but feels sturdy. I put it on the exercise equipment mat to reduce vibration. The machine has a little ¡°computer¡± that can show you calories burned, speed, distance traveled, time, etc. in either metric system or miles. The computer uses two AA batteries, that are included.

The rower folds, but I never fold it as I have plenty of space. It does make some noise when I exercise though, so make sure you do not intend to watch TV while exercising, unless you blast it or use headphones.

In Use

When working out, I use Sennheiser HD202 headphones attached to my iPod Nano. With long cord and good sound insulation, I have no issues with noise.

There are two settings for resistance, of which I selected the highest. The machine provides excellent simulation of rowing and automatically varies the resistance based on speed.

The indication of calories burned might be somewhat optimistic, as I am not getting as tired per the number of calories burned as on the gym¡¯s elliptical. On the other hand, maybe it is because more muscle groups are involved with the rower.

The machine definitely burns calories though and raises my pulse rather easily. So it seems to work well for cardio workout as well as burning calories, and it is good for muscles on shoulders, arms, lower back, legs and more.

Durability

I have used this machine for over 2.5 years and there are no signs of wear on it. It seems durable so far. It did start to make a loud clicking sound in the middle of the stroke after about 1.5 years, but it doesn't seem to affect the performance.

Bottom Line

I am happy with this machine and highly recommend it. For less than $200, it is a steal. It lets me work out whenever I want and the motions are less boring than an elliptical or a treadmill.

Recommended: Yes