Kettler Kadett Outrigger Style Rower Rowing Machine
- Rowing machine to help you stay in shape and train in your own home
- Outrigger style rower simulates actual water rowing; resistance setting from 1 to 12
- Training computer provides info on time measurement, number of oar strokes, speed of strokes, distance covered, and more
- Program for desired distance covered and stroke speed; visual and audio signals
- 250-pound weight capacity; measures 49 x 31 x 10 inches
Product Description
Rowing is a particularly balanced form of training which exercises all the main muscle groups and increases personal stamina and endurance. In addition, rowing stimulates the matabolism and raises the oxygen content of the body. The many benefits for both strength and general fitness combined with the natural sequence of movements make rowing one of the most effective types of exercise. The KETTLER® KADETT is fitted with rowing arms, hydraulic resitance system, … More >>
Kettler Kadett Outrigger Style Rower Rowing Machine
November 5th, 2009 at 10:06 am
I found it $30 cheaper on another site. I liked the reviews here and shopped around and found a better deal. Once it arrived, it was a great machine. Took an hour or two to put together, not a big deal. I took it slow and patient and everything fit properly. The quality is excellent, not thin tinny parts, but solid machinery. It’s whisper quiet, so you can enjoy television while rowing. It’s small when wide open, and the arms fold back even farther for easy storage. The only problem is the data panel — the booklet instructions are in some inscrutable language, so I never learned how to use the buttons on the panel. That’s ok, though, because it gives you elapsed time and number of reps, and I don’t really need a lot more data when I’m rowing. Also, the data panel kind of slides on to the top of the machine and sits between your knees. If you bump it while rowing, it can get loose or pop off. But overall, this is an excellent machine, well worth the money.
Rating: 2 / 5
November 5th, 2009 at 11:26 am
Great machine with excellent results. Quiet and smooth so there’s no problem watching TV while you work out.
Rating: 5 / 5
November 5th, 2009 at 1:33 pm
I would have expected more from a German company…
After less than 3 months of using (almost) daily, 45 minutes a day, the right piston is damaged; after 15 minutes of training it doesn’t hold the pressure anymore. Of course if gets hot but that is a known problem of the design…
This toy might work if you bought it just because you feel guilty for a few pounds extra and believe that by buying it, 90% of the job is done and you can slim down just by looking at it… If you really intend to use it, this is just a piece of (German) junk.
I preferred it to the cheap copy because I respected Kettler brand and I thought I would be fair to them since they designed it… Well – poor choice.
Rating: 2 / 5
November 5th, 2009 at 3:23 pm
I was on low work leave for several weeks and wanted to keep in shape for my physical job. I had been on a real rowboat as a kid once in my life, and wasn’t totally thrilled with the experience. Yet, I kept having the thought for a few years now that I should get a rower. I finally acted on that hunch and couldn’t be happier.
I searched a bit online, and when I saw one that was German-made and actually simulated a real rowing experience, I knew exactly what type I had to get.
Like other reviews mentioned, when you’re using it, it doesn’t feel like you’re really having a really tough workout. But, once you get off of it, you definitely feel your muscles are tired. I’m in my forties now and I’ve noticed my butt has lifted up once again. Yippee!! My arms are more tone and I just feel stronger. Exercising definitely empowers you. The back and forth motion makes me feel like I go backwards and get in touch with my power and then bring it forward. I really love it.
I’ve been telling everybody I can. I want my elderly Mom to try it. You have dials on the side to adjust for different resistance. To me, it is the perfect workout, especially for older people. It is mild enough and yet will get your heart going. You can clip your ear and know your heart rate too. It’s very relaxing and enjoyable.
What I don’t like about the rower is the foot straps. Your feet don’t stay strapped in with the velcro. Personally, I found you don’t really need them and I freer without tying my feet in. Freedom is everything!
The rower takes up pretty much room space with the extended arms so make sure you have the right place for it.
Kettler is a German-made company and unfortunately the directions came in German except for the directions for the electronic box for keeping time, etc. I didn’t put the rower together myself, but it didn’t seem to be too tough to do and was assembled in maybe an hour or so. Pictures for assembly were fine.
The box comes signature required which is an inconvenience if you’re working, so I ended up having to pick it up myself. My box was also missing a piece so I had to contact Kettler for the part. It came within 4 or 5 days though, so I was happy. And, Amazon gave me a percentage back on my purchase so after that whole hassle, I think well of both Kettler and Amazon for good customer service and of course a great product.
So, in all you’ll “Row, row, row your (rower), merrily down the (living room), merrily, merrily, merrily, merrily..life is but a dream!” It’s important to be happy while you exercise. You gotta love it or you won’t do it and make it a part of you. This rower will make you want to get out on the water next and really row!
Rating: 5 / 5
November 5th, 2009 at 5:14 pm
I received the machine a few weeks ago and have used it about a dozen times.
This is the first rowing machine I’ve used, and I like it very much. It is quieter than the exercise bikes I’ve had. It isn’t “whisper quiet” — there’s a little noise from the pistons and from the rollers on the seat. But it is still easy to listen to music or TV without cranking the volume or talk to someone at a normal volume.
Rowing so far seems to be mostly a leg workout (for me anyway), but it also exercises the shoulders, back, arms, and abdomen. It’s great to get such a full body workout on one machine.
Other notes (mostly confirming what other reviewers have written):
- Very well built
- Assembly took about 90 minutes — no missing parts for me. You have to look really carefully at the pictures. (I initially installed one of the rowing arms backwards.)
- Foot straps could be better — from reading older reviews it appears the straps used to come loose. In the current model they’ve made the velcro so strong that now it’s hard to loosen the straps at the end of the workout. The problem is the velcro goes the whole length of the strap so there’s no loose edge to grab. I put some spare velcro on the end of the strap, which created a non-sticky part of the strap that I can pull to loosen the strap, and that is working fine.
- The handles seem fine to me. They swivel and are a comfortable shape, but they are hard plastic and I can see why some people would want to wear gloves or put softer bike handles over them.
- Pistons start out pretty stiff and loosen up over the course of a workout as they warm up, which means you need to increase the tension on the pistons partway through the workout to keep it consistent. The pistons are warm to the touch by the end of the workout. My machine is outside on my porch, where it’s been 30-40 degrees during most of my workouts so far. This might not be as much of an issue if you had the machine indoors.
- The numbers on the pistons don’t seem to be very accurate, but it’s still pretty easy to adjust them so that the tension feels right.
- The computer module does come loose easily, but is easy to secure better with tape.
- I like the ear clip pulse monitor, and it works fine for me. It takes a few seconds to get “dialed in” and start taking the pulse correctly.
I like the pulse monitor because I’m finding that it would be really easy to get a workout that felt like a good muscular workout but that didn’t actually get into the cardio range if I wasn’t paying attention to the pulse monitor.
Rating: 5 / 5