by Gary Patterson |
Last Updated: June 4, 2021 Table of Contents
Stamina X Air Rower Overview
Founded in 1987 by five friends and business partners, Stamina Products have truly become a household name for fitness equipment in the past 30+ years.
Born in the northwestern corner of Springfield, Missouri, Stamina has amassed 73 employees and 200,000+ square feet of warehouse space and continues to flood the fitness and leisure markets with innovative, affordable, high-quality products.
This fitness equipment brand brought us the American Gladiator Home Gym, the AeroPilates Performer, and InStride Walker, the Body Dome, and now this Stamina X Air Rower review, and was one of the first fitness equipment companies to develop infomercial products.
Stamina is also the manufacturer behind fitness products such as Suzanne Somers, Tony Little, and Danskin, and Lotus.
Stamina Products are for adult men and women and span from aero pilates equipment to rowing machines. The Stamina X brand, however, is specifically for those who feel as if they’ve hit a plateau in their fitness level.
This line is not designed for the average person looking to get in their home workout. This is for the dedicated athlete, who is truly looking to push themselves beyond their limit with the most durable, high-quality fitness equipment out there.
This Stamina X Air Rower review looks at the tough and durable Stamina X Air Rower, which was created so you can take your next rowing workout to the extreme.
This $550 machine automatically adjusts its resistance to match your intensity – meaning the harder you row, the harder this durable machine will work to make sure you have the best workout possible.
Air rowers in themselves are not new to the fitness world and have steadily gained popularity since the ’80s. Many believe air rowers offer the best type of resistance when it comes to rowing machines, and are often preferred over magnetic, water, and hydraulic models.
This Stamina X Air Rower review will take an in-depth look at this product’s features, quality, and value to help you decide if this high-intensity air rower is worth the buy.
Pros
- High-quality air rowing machine
- More affordable than many similar products on the market
- Made with a solid steel frame and durable rowing chain
- Molded seat for long workouts
- Padded rowing handle for extra comfort
- Real-time monitor measures distance, calories burned, speed, time, number of strokes, and strokes per minute
- Two free video workouts included with purchase
- Can be easily folded and stored away
- Comes with a 3 years frame/90-day parts warranty
- Free Standard Shipping for Continental US orders
Cons
- Weight limit is only 250 lbs.
- Customers have found the seat to be uncomfortable
- Ships only to the US
- Customers have noted quickly needing parts replacements
- Limited warranty with customer having to pay shipping
- Fitness monitor does not allow you to input your own stats
Technical Specifications
The Stamina X Air Rower is 78.5 x 18 x 29 inches when fully assembled, and 63 lbs. This air rower comes in a red/black combo, which truly gives off those at the gym vibes, and consists of a steel frame, metal housing, plastic fan, and a rowing chain.
This air rower features a simple battery-powered fitness monitor, which measures your distance, calories burned, speed, time, number of full-bodied strokes per minute in real-time.
The seat is molded, to provide extra comfort for the user, and also includes padding on the rowing handle to ease the strain on your hands with prolonged use. You’ll also be getting two free workout videos with the purchase of your Stamina X Air Rower, which will demonstrate how to best benefit from this full-body workout.
While this product does not come with adjustable resistance, it is automatically adjusted to match the user’s intensity, depending on how hard/fast they row. The Stamina X Air Rower does come with a limited warranty, which includes a period of 90 days on the parts and three years on the frame from the date of the original purchase.
Resistance Type
The Stamina X Air Rower is an air rowing machine, meaning that the machine produces resistance by using air flowing over an internal flywheel.
This method of resistance is meant to replicate the natural resistance you would experience when rowing in a real boat on the water. This type of rowing machine is usually the standard model used in indoor gyms, as opposed to a water, hydraulic, or magnetic model.
The advances to an air rowing machine are its automatic resistance (which is also featured in models which use water), its smooth action, and the fact that you’ll experience little wear and tear to the rowing mechanism. The disadvantage is that an air rowing machine is not quiet, and can be noisy for indoor use.
Price
The Stamina X Air Rower falls in the middle price point when it comes to other air rowing machines on the market, at $550. In fact, many competing products in this similar price point are by the Stamina brand themselves, with more expensive products being nearly double the price.
Other air rowers at this price range have incredibly similar features, including a simple fitness tracker and no additional options for resistance, while the only major improvement that can be seen in pricier rowers is an improved LCD screen.
Stamina does not hold a limit on how many units can be ordered, and the Stamina X Air Rower can be purchased off of their website. You can also find this product being sold at several different retailers, including Best Buy, Home Depot, and Amazon. Stamina accepts all major credit cards as well as PayPal and does not offer a payment plan.
Shipping & Assembly
Stamina offers free shipping in the continental US only. Surprisingly, they do offer shipping in Alaska and Hawaii, and internationally, but you must contact Stamina directly to receive rates. Odds are it’s going to cost you a pretty penny! International orders cannot be placed on Stamina’s website, and can only be placed by contacting Stamina.
For continental US orders, you’ll experience the following shipping times:
- Standard (5-10 business days)
- Expedited: (2-5 business days)
- Two Day Air 2: (4 business days)
- One Day Air 1: (1-2 business days)
The Stamina X Air Rower has been noted as being easy to assemble, taking the user no more than 30 minutes to do so. A wrench, along with a 5mm and a 6mm Allen wrench are included and are the only tools needed in order to fully assemble your air rower. The Stamina X Air Rower comes with 16 pieces of hardware in order to connect its pieces.
Setup
The Stamina X Air Rower requires very little additional setup once assembled. The Fitness Meter runs on two AA batteries (not included), which can be easily installed at the back of the display monitor. You can then use the Fitness meter to monitor your distance, calories burned, speed, time, number of strokes, and strokes per minute.
Design and Features
This machine is red and black, making it a great addition appearance-wise to your home gym. It features a solid, steel frame and a molded seat for added comfort to your workouts. The weight limit for the Stamina X Air Rower is 250 lbs.
Build Quality
While some customers have reported on Stamina’s website as being impressed with this air rower’s “durability, resistance, and design”, others have very clearly stated the opposite. While some have stated that the padded seat does not add any additional comfort whatsoever, others are not impressed with the quality of this machine, referring to it as a “piece of junk”. Overall, the quality of the product has still been rated 4.3/5 stars on Stamina’s website. The weight of the Stamina X Air Rower is 63 lbs, making it relatively easy to move with the help of the moving wheels on the Front Stand.
Comfort
Regardless of the padded seat, customers have largely noted that the seat is, in fact, not comfortable at all, with one customer on Stamina’s website going so far as to buy extra padding. While the discomfort that customers have experienced with the seat has merely been an inconvenience to some, it has caused others to not want to recommend this product altogether. The Stamina X Air Rower does include padded rowing handles and pivoting footplates to make your workout more comfortable, which have not received any customer complaints.
Capacity
The weight capacity for this air rower is only 250 lbs, placing a large restriction on those who are looking to lose weight. With the average weight of a man in the United States being just under 200 lbs, this is not an ideal machine for those who are looking to lose a substantial amount of weight.
The Stamina X Air Rower is most ideal for men and women who fall into the average to slightly above average weight range, who are looking to get in a full-body workout. There is no sweet spot reported in terms of height/weight.
Display/LCD
The Fitness Meter that is included with the Stamina X Air Rower is incredibly simple, and measures distance, calories burned, speed, time, number of strokes, and strokes per minute. Unfortunately, you do not have the option to enter in your own stats to make the results more personal to you, which is a definite downside to this product. The fitness meter will automatically shut off after four minutes of inactivity, with all function values being kept. To reset all functions to zero, simply push the MODE button down and hold it down for five seconds. The Fitness Meter’s display is encased at the base of your air rower.
Membership
There is no membership option available with the Stamina X Air Rower.
Storage
With the Stamina X Air Rower measuring somewhere between the length of a standard-sized couch and a loveseat, it is not the most inconspicuous piece of equipment to tuck away. However, it can be folded by adjusting the position of the fan, saving you quite a few inches of space. This air rower can be rolled into a corner or into the closet with the moving wheels located on the front stand.
At a weight of only 63 lbs, one person should not have an issue moving this air rower. The instructions for storage are straightforward, and it should only take you a few moments to fold and relocate this machine to its new home.
Warranty
This product falls under a limited warranty, with protection for parts particularly being extremely limited, indeed. Stamina only guarantees the use of their products for 90 days on parts and three years on the frame. Of course, this is only in the case that the product breaks down under normal wear and tear.
Stamina also very specifically states that their limited warranty only covers home use, and does not apply to purchasing this product for commercial use. If it turns out that you do meet the criteria for a limited warranty, then Stamina decides if they are going to repair the product or part or replace it. But you have to pay for shipping.
Final Thoughts
So, what are our final thoughts resulting from this Stamina X Air Rower review? Overall, this product seems to be great value for the price, especially compared with more expensive models. The only difference between this product and the more expensive models seems to be the display. So, if more personalized stats and a higher quality screen are important to you, you may want to consider going with a more expensive model. However, this will come at nearly twice the price.
When considering purchasing the Stamina X Air Rower, you need to consider that the seat of this product is not comfortable, despite its molded padding. Purchasing additional padding for the seat seems to be an absolute must for those who are looking to work out on their air rower for an extended period of time.
FAQ
Where can I purchase the Stamina X Air Rower?
The Stamina X Air Rower can be purchased on Stamina’s website as well as several popular retailers, which include the following:
- Amazon
- Best Buy
- Home Depot
- Lowes
- Walmart
- Staples
Is there a Stamina X Air Rower discount?
Stamina does not currently offer any coupon codes for the Stamina X Rower.
Does the Stamina X Air Rower fold?
Yes! The Stamina X Air Rower can be folded by adjusting the position of its fan, saving you quite a few inches of space. This can be achieved by removing the pull pin from the rail and then removing the locking knob from the support frame. It can then be rolled into a corner or into the closet using the moving wheels located on the front stand.
Can you lose belly fat on a rowing machine?
While a rowing machine doesn’t specifically target your core, it can most definitely help you burn belly fat. A rowing machine can help you quickly burn calories and shed fat, allowing you to burn between 400 and 800 calories per hour. By using your rower regularly, you will lose fat off of your entire body.
Is rowing better for you than running?
When it comes to running and rowing, both activities have their benefits. However, rowing can help you develop both upper and lower body muscles that running cannot, and will reward you with a low impact, but highly beneficial cardiovascular exercise.
How to contact Stamina Products?
Did you come to this Stamina X Air Rower review looking to contact Stamina Products? Here are the best ways to get a hold of them:
- Phone: 1-800-375-7520
- Email: [email protected]
- Contact form on their website
- Via Facebook Messenger
- Via Twitter: @StaminaProducts
Stamina Products’ office hours are Monday – Thursday 7:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. CST, and Friday 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. CST.