Fitness Quest Integrity 3000 Air Rower

Manufacturer : FITNESS QUEST INC In Stock : 1 List Price: $229.99 Price: $225.00 You Save: $4.99 (2%) Quantity : 1

Features

• Traditional air-resistance rowing machine increases wind resistance the harder you row
• Seat mounted to the frame via premium ball bearing rollers for smooth rowing action
• Digital monitor tracks time of your workout, speed, distance traveled and approximate calories burned
• Rubber coated T-shaped handlebar provides comfortable gripping
• Measures 10 by 22 by 43 inches (W x H x L)

Amazon.com Product Description

Get a complete low-impact, full-body workout with the Fitness Quest Integrity 3000 rowing machine. It uses air resistance from a large fan that exponentially increases the wind resistance the harder you row, providing a smooth, effective workout. It offers a comfortable cushioned seat that glides over a strong extruded aluminum frame by means of a smooth sliding mechanism featuring premium ball bearing rollers. The motivational electronic monitor (with backlit display) measures the time of your workout, speed, distance traveled and approximate calories burned. The display is backlit and digital for easy reading while you row, providing constant reinforcement and inspiration to improve your performance. The Integrity 3000 folds vertically for easy storage.

Other features and specifications include:

• Rubber coated T-shaped handlebar provides comfortable gripping
• Large 2-inch square tube frame and extra wide 4.5-inch aluminum extrusion
• Dimensions: 10 by 22 by 43 inches (WxHxL)
• Weight: 51 pounds
• Maximum user weight: 250 pounds
• Warranty: 90 days

Customer Reviews

Average Rating of 3.50 out of 30 reviews

Rating :
I love this rower! - Laburd, Apr 06, 2008

I purchased this for myself and so far I am totally satisfied with this rower. I have never had this kind of exercise machine before but knew I wanted an air rower instead of a piston style as I need to be careful of my shoulders and rotator cuff. Because you are pulling towards you instead of to the side of you it works great.
My husband set it up rather quickly and I was ready to go.
This machine does exactly what I wanted it for. Strengthen my arms, back muscles, legs and abs. An all around exercise.
I read other reviews before I purchased and felt the low price was good for what I needed. I am 5'2, weigh 125 lbs and hope to go down to 115. I have been using for almost a month and have seen a difference already. I work out 3 mornings a week before work doing a different exercise 2 days a week.
I highly recommend to anyone my size. Can't tell you about anyone heavier although it is rated up to 225. (My husband is off limits to it). It isn't perfectly quiet, but I am able to watch the morning news and hear it.
The only thing that would have been better was if it was packaged better. When UPS delivered it the carton was open and one of the foot pedals was out of the carton. Thankfully nothing was missing or broken.
All in all I am very happy with my purchase.


Rating :
Pretty much satisfied - TimKLL, Mar 16, 2008

This is not a $700 rowing machine - I knew that when I bought it. I was looking for a reasonably sturdy, reasonably priced machine to add some variety to my workout routine - anticipated using it 2-3 times per week, more in the cold weather months. I looked at comparable models and it was obvious that I should avoid the piston based machines.

I have seen complaints in other reviews about the packaging and about the product arriving damaged. I found the packaging to be pretty much standard, no more, no less (hint: the manufacturer isn't going to ship this in a vault, and if it arrives damaged ping the shipping co and/or send it back). I had also seen complaints about the assembly instructions. They were a little on the weak side - but this is not rocket surgery. With a little common sense and trial and error everything went fine. Also saw complaints about the fan being noisy - even a $2000 fan-resistance machine is going to be noisy! Yes, it makes noise, it's a freakin' exercise machine! My elliptical trainer is noisier.

There just isn't all that much to the machine as far as assembly goes, and what is there seems to be pretty durable at this point. I did have an annoying squeak that I thought was coming from the seat but finally pinned down to the rear upside-down t-shaped stand. A little lube on the hinge on that and all is good.

Great workout, feels pretty invigorating! I had read an article in Men's Health that said that a 30 minute workout on one of these was great for overall body and cardio. Sat down the first time with the intention of going for 20 minutes. (I have been on a routine for more than a year of almost daily 4 mile walks, with an extra 2.5 mile run on approx. 2 out of 3 of those days, with weights on alternating days) I crawled off the machine in muscle lock-up after SIX minutes!!! What a butt-kicker. I have worked my way up over a couple of weeks of use and can now do 30 minutes with no problem - feels really good and offers a great change of pace to a workout that had gotten a little stale.

I am pretty much completely satisfied with this machine. I might have knocked a half star off for the weak instructions if this site had let me, but I pretty much got more than what I paid for with this purchase.

I would do it again and have recommended this to friends and co-workers.


Rating :
Pretty good for the money! - C. Proler, Mar 09, 2008

I have owned this item for about a month and been using it almost daily. I am a pretty big guy so I'm a bit concerned with the construction holding up over time but so far it has delivered, especially for the price. My only real concern is the seat and rail system it glides on. That feels a little cheap but so far it has performed fairly well. The resistance is smooth and I think it's a worthy piece of equipment for anyone not wanting to spend a lot of cash.


Rating :
Great value, decent workout - PhillySW, Feb 18, 2008

This review ended up being reeeeally long, but I hope it helps you with your decision!

I purchased the Integrity 3000 Air Rower about a week ago. I wanted a low-impact machine that would be forgiving to my knees, but without spending a bunch of money on an elliptical machine. I chose the Integrity 3000 over the identically priced Stamina 1205 Precision Rower based on reviews stating the pistons on the Stamina model started leaking. I figure the fewer working parts that could break (chain + fan versus oil-filled pistons), the better. I also like the fact that the Integrity allows for more range of arm motion with the horizontal bar, rather than two separate "oars" on the Stamina, but that's a personal choice. I'm very satisfied with my purchase so far. I consider it $200 well spent!

Assembly
The rowing machine arrived in fine condition and I was able to assemble it within about 45 minutes. As other reviewers have noted, the directions are not very clear. In a few places the diagrams don't exactly match the parts, but when I got stuck I was able to figure it out by looking at a real picture of the assembled machine on Amazon. I also kept thinking I was missing bolts/screws since there were only three in the packaging, but all the pieces of hardware mentioned in the directions were included---they were just already on the machine. Several steps included taking the bolts/screws off an already assembled part of the machine and reattaching them in order to complete an assembly step, and this was not explained at all in the directions. So if you think you're missing hardware, check again before you call customer service! I had no problem attaching the chain to the bungee cord, though it did require flipping the machine onto its side so I could see what I was doing.

Noise Level
This rowing machine is moderately noisy. The sound of the fan isn't bad at all; it's the chain that makes the most noise. When the chain comes into contact with the gear in the front (which turns the fan), it makes a slight grinding sound. I do have to turn my TV up when I'm on the rower, so this might not be so great for apartment dwellers if you like to watch something while you're working out. The noise from the machine itself wouldn't be enough to bother anyone, though.

Comfort
The seat and foot pedals are comfortable and the seat glides very smoothly. I had no problem with slippage when wearing sneakers. The only uncomfortable part of the workout is my hands! After a while, my hands really start hurting due to the pressure from the pull bar. It isn't padded much--there's just a thin strip of foam over the metal bar. I'm going to invest in some weight-lifting gloves and may try wrapping the bar with something (bike handlebar tape maybe?) to provide additional padding. Other than that, the working is quite comfortable. I am 5'3", so I'm not sure how the machine would be for a taller person. My floor is carpeted so the machine doesn't slide at all when in use. On a hardwood floor you'd need a rubber mat.

Storage/Portability
Storage is easy enough, as long as you're not trying to fit the rower under a bed or squeeze it into a closet. I guess you could fold down some of the parts, but I wouldn't want to try it for fear of messing up the chain. That said, the rower is light enough to be pulled across the room from the place I store it to the open spot on the floor where I use it. I think you could also lean it up against a wall with some finagling. There are wheels on the front stabilizer, and you can kind of tilt it forward to wheel it away. Two people could easily lift the whole thing and move it if you're worried about scratching your floor.

On Board Computer
The little computer is bare bones, which is fine with me. It came with batteries. The timer function works well and actually pauses when you do--very nice when you need to take a sip of water or change the channel on the TV. I haven't really paid attention to the other functions (distance, speed, and calories burned). The calorie monitor is unbelievably inaccurate. Don't bother relying on it, unless you want to believe you burned 500 calories in 20 minutes! Get a heart rate monitor with a calorie counter that considers your gender, height, and weight.

The Workout
Working out on this rower is a nice mix of cardio and strength training. I try to vary my workouts (jogging, circuit training, step aerobics, etc.) so this is another great way to keep cardio exercise interesting. However, the workout itself is not very aerobically challenging. I wore my heart rate monitor and had to REALLY concentrate to keep my heart rate above 125, which is the very bottom of my range. A 20 minute workout burned about 135 calories, whereas the same 20 minutes spend on the treadmill would burn 200+. It does work a wide range of muscle groups though, and that's a big plus. My arms and back were tired after the first time I used the rower! If you're not familiar with using a rowing machine, there are some helpful videos showing proper form on YouTube.

Rowing Machine versus Other Cardio Equipment
If this is going to be your only piece of cardio equipment, and your goal is to burn calories and keep your heart rate elevated, I would look into a treadmill or stationary bicycle before buying a rowing machine. Likewise if you're looking to duplicate the actual experience of rowing outside, look elsewhere--this is not a fancy machine. But if you're looking for an affordable way to diversify your exercise routine and get a full-body workout, this is a great piece of equipment.

Durability
I don't know about durability since I've only had it a week. But it does seem to be a very sturdy machine, especially considering how light it is. I'll try to remember to come back and update this review after a few months of use.

So, to sum up:

Pros:
-reasonable price
-sturdy construction
-quick assembly
-comfortable
-lightweight for easy storage
-good mixture of cardio/strength workout

Cons:
-assembly directions aren't very clear
-moderately noisy
-pull bar may irritate your hands
-calorie monitor is useless
-not as aerobically challenging as other types of cardio equipment


Rating :
Cheap, but Works. - J. Ashley, Feb 15, 2008

My experience with this product is pretty much like you'll read in the other reviews.

The rower is boxed inadequately, to put it nicely. Mine came with the end ripped completely off. Someone taped another piece of cardboard on at the end. If they hadn't, I doubt that many parts would have stayed in the box over the journey from China. As it was, I was missing a nut and washer.

The instructions are written in a way as to cause confusion. For example, there are only two belts but they call them out using three different descriptions at various points in the instructions, so you end up wondering whether there's supposed to be a 3rd belt somewhere, or which belt of the two they've decided to reference with a different name. As other reviews have stated, there is a step out of order (re: attaching a belt).

After increasing the belt resistance, I get a "click" sound each time I row, as the belt hook underneath the seat rail slides under the end of the rail. It bugged me enough that I finally just put the resistance back to the lower level, which places the hook at a different point on the rail where it won't strike the rail end when the row bar is pulled.

I'm 6 ft. tall, but haven't run out of chain length, like one review mentioned. If you pull the bar straight toward your waist, you'll be fine. The only way the chain appeared too short is if you pull the bar to your head with each stroke.

I placed the rower on a concrete garage floor and, yes, you can get the whole rower to slide forward or backward on the floor if you throw your weight with each row. You can, by concentrating on it, intentionally create a smoother stroke and keep the rower from moving around.

The control panel should have some kind of target indicator for you to keep a visual on your level of output so you can try to keep the workout more constant, but it doesn't. When you first start a workout, the clock doesn't always start at zero, so you have to reset it. The calorie counter is absolutely, rediculously generous. If you divide the number displayed by a little more than 3, you'll probably have a more realistic estimate of calories burned.

Although I was disappointed in the lack of range of resistance offered, if you row for 20 min. or more, you can get a pretty decent workout. You need to put time in on it, as you won't notice any great body-building challenge on short intervals. This is more of an endurance, cardio-type machine.

I've had the machine for 3 weeks, and so far, I've had no failures. It's definitely cheap, but if it gets to your place in one piece, and you've already read the reviews so you're prepared for all the shortcomings, and can live with those, you can still get a fair workout.

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