rowing machine: Concept II vs. Tunturi
Cathy Quinones
We are thinking of getting a rowing machine. Everywhere we turn, we hear that
the Concept II is the best buy quality-wise.
This weekend we went to a sports equipment store and they had a Tunturi 701 (I
*think* that was the model). Problem: the pseudo-salesperson available had
absolutely no clue about the equipment, and we caught him bluffing (badly!) a
few times. Which is to say, I got no info out of him that I would trust
(let's just say that I had to show him that the model COULD be folded for
storage without removing a large bolt). We tried the machine for a while, it
felt ok, but it seemed like we could get no increase or decrease in the load
even though we kept changing the load settings. The salesfraud said the load
couldn't be adjusted in that model, that you just pull harder. Whatever.
I'm going to call the Concept company tomorrow to see if they can send me any
info. Then we'll try to find one somewhere in town because it would be weird
to choose a piece of equipment without testing it out first.
My questions: Can someone who has used both these machines share their
impressions? Does the Concept II fold for storage? Is the Concept II
significantly better than the Tunturi? The Tunturi was tagged at $699 and I
keep seeing the Concept II listed (in the FAQs) for ~$750 (mail order price I
presume?), btw.
Also, how would you compare a workout on a rowing machine to, say, a similarly
intense bike ride or walk/run/hike? I know different muscles are used and
that the scenery is different; I am looking for some sort of
physical/psychological description of how they compare [this is probably a
totally meaningless comparison, but fire away anyhow!]. Thanks for any input
:)
Joel
I purchased three machines for my school and they are very reliable. When
a kid broke a part, a replacement was sent out immediately without a
charge.
Concept 2 is the machine that is used in "Erg Sprints" They
have international rowing competitions for all age groups. The cost was
$700 plus about $30 shipping - depending upon where you are located. It
can be separated in a few seconds and can fit into a four seat car.
Joel
John Holthaus
: We are thinking of getting a rowing machine. Everywhere we turn, we hear that
: the Concept II is the best buy quality-wise.
Back when I was rowing with a local club a last year I would use the
Concept II, model B. It will hurt you. You will sweat.
The new one, model C is foldable and not as noisy as the model B. I have
never used the Tunturi but I think you will be happy with the way the
Concept II will work you out. I also don't know who designed the Tunturi
but the concept II is on its third design by rowers so I think they know
what they want.
Erica M. Dubach
You'll love what it does to your back and shoulder muscles (as well as
hams and butt), and the increase in aerobic capacity was amazing. (got it
measured before and then a year later and increased by 12%).
You'll love dealing with the Concept II company, they are really friendly,
efficient and knowledgeable. They have a quarterly (?) newsletter which is
informative and really quite motivating. You can send in your results and
see them listed!
The one thing I don't like is that I've gotten so bored with it, I can
hardly stand the thought of spending more than 20 Minutes on it, once
maybe twice a week. Obviously that's not enough. If you have a TV though,
you should be fine. But if you don't have one (like me), you might look
into other machines that let you read while you work out.
Good luck!
Erica
Gerard Menezes
different rowing machines and Concept II is by FAR the best. It does
have the draw back that it is slightly less interesting than the flash
computer screens but the important thing is how the resistance is
created. With Concept II it is a fly wheel, spinning against air
whereas on many other machines, it is a resistance wheel impedeing your
movement. This gives a totally different feel to the stroke and in my
opinion a far less fluid movement.
My opinion is completely biased since I used to row at College and the
Concept machine is far more comparable to actually being out on the
water (That doesn't necessarily make it better for training though).
The other problem I've had with other machines is that the handle is
attached to the wheel (sometimes) by a cord, and at one gym, the cord
snapped while I was in the middle of a stroke compressing my spine
completely. That sort of thing is EXTREMELY dangerous (I was lucky, I
could hardly walk for a few days) I've never experienced anything like
that with Concept machines (since they use a metal chain), If anyone
has any similar experience, It would be interesting to hear about.
Gerard Menezes
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mph...@biomed.abdn.ac.uk
http://www.biomed.abdn.ac.uk/~mph473/gerard.html