JTX Freedom Air, Foldable Rowing Machine, Mag-Air Resistance, 135kg User Capacity, 2 Year In-home Warranty, Self powered - no plugs needed

I spent some time looking at different machines as I was used to using a Concept 2 and didn't want to be disappointed. The great reviews and a reduction in price meant that it was £330 cheaper than the Concept 2 and I bought one. Initial experience was very good as I was phoned and offered a number of delivery days. It arrived on time in a smaller box than I expected and that was because it came in more parts than I was expecting! Still quite happy to put something together. It took about an hour, the instructions are clear and the nuts, bolts and washers come on a marked out vacuum packed piece of cardboard so you can see which bolt is what etc. Or at least it is meant to, on mine the plastic had started to come off and many of the contents were now in the bottom of the box. Still when I had found them (I was missing a washer but managed to find a replacement in my garage) all was ok and the construction of my rower took about an hour. OK so on to the rower. Lots of positives and a few small niggles. The positives are it feels nice and sturdy, the seat and the handle are very comfortable (better than the Concept 2), easy to fold into 2, some good information on the display, adjustable feet so that it doesn't rock, straps stay tight around my feet, the drive is a bike chain (same as the Concept 2). Now on to the rowing experience I have to confess that when I first started I was a little disappointed but couldn't figure out why. I then realised that is was because it made a slightly different sound to the Concept 2 and actually had no impact on the rowing experience. The action is smooth and feels like the Concept 2. The fact that the damping is done electronically means that the rower is able to give you a variety of programmes such as interval style training, hill climbing by changing the damping as you go. This is a great feature and something that the Concept 2 cannot do. In addition it comes with a wireless heart rate monitor and there are a couple of programmes that adjust the damping as you go based on your heart rate and how hard you want to work. This is also very good. The damping settings are 1-16. 1 is very easy, 16 is tough, harder than the 10 on a Concept 2. Seat moves smoothly. I am 6'2" and it is big enough for me. On to the niggles, all mainly related display mainly. The per 500m display is not accurate it regularly tells me between 1:15 to 1:30 (I wish!). The RPMs seem pointless. Also you need to have it plugged in, not an issue but it wasn't clear in the description. There is a battery compartment but I couldn't see a connection to plug the battery to. Overall would I recommend this rower, the experience is the same as the Concept 2 except that it has some extra features which are good. It certainly does somethings better than the Concept 2, many things the same and a few things not quite so good (mainly the display). Only time will tell whether the quality is good enough but a month on from getting it very happy with the rower and would recommend it. It feels like I have saved some money without compromising the experience.

This has been a complete disappointment so far. There appears to be an issue with the monitor unit in that it keeps resetting itself mid-way through a row. When it does this, the resistance setting goes with it...pretty much making the machine anything but 'superior'. I have been contacted JTX and waiting for a reply.

Arrived promptly and when expected. Easy to set up although took me a bit longer than estimated in booklet because the allen keys supplied with the rower were insufficient to the task and I very nearly rounded the heads on the allen-head bolts. Not sure i want to try taking it apart again so not likely to be an issue. This is the right size for spare room (suspect the Concept 2 I was looking at initially would not and was £400 dearer) and seems to be robust and well made. Seems to be relatively quiet so no fear of upsetting the neighbours. Smooth rowing action. The interface on the monitor appears quite simple to use with reasonable selection of preset programmes. Intend to use this regularly so will update as I go as not given it (or myself) a proper test run yet. Two minor gripes: this rower is obviously not designed for average women or men with small feet - I am 5ft7 with size 7/EUR 43. There are six settings on the "pedals" but even on the smallest the strap essentially cuts off circulation to my toes as my feet. I will need to see how that is after a bit of use and may have to jury-rig some form of alternative strap. The second gripe is that the machine is obviously a return which has been repackaged as the monitor was full of scratches but as only cosmetic and does take affect use, I am letting it ride. As a consequence i am only giving a 4-star review.

I have been using the Concept2 rowing machine at my gym and finally decided to buy one for home. After several months of trying out and being disappointed by the quality of rowing machines within my budget I came across the JTX Air Rower. Most of the bigger brands sell rowing machines but none of them feel very sturdy at all. The build quality of the the JTX Rowing Machine was really difficult to see in the pictures but it really is a solid piece of kit – really comparable to the commercial rowing machines in my gym. Its got a really great stroke (very smooth and not at all noisy. The combination of air and electro-magnetic resistance is really great because the programmes keep me focused but I really do like the feeling of the Concept2 resistance (which this mimics). The other great thing that I hadn’t noticed was that it comes with the cardio heart rate programmes and a free chest strap. Most of the other rowers I tried don’t include the chest strap, or charge extra, but its such a nice feature. It means that the programmes adjust the resistance to keep you working out at the best level for getting fit. Finally -buying through Amazon you never really know what the customer service will be like. I have to say JTX Fitness surpassed all my expectations. I got a call so I could choose when it would be delivered and also offered some rowing machine support from a personal trainer if I wanted it ( I got a bit more advice about the cardio programmes which was really helpful). I then rang back when I wanted to check how to set it up and they couldn’t have been more helpful. 10 stars!

I bought an earlier model of this rower 4 years ago. Unfortunately one of the foot rests has split in 2. Only moderate use but ok, fair enough. This is out of warranty of course. But the website does say that spare parts are available. However, this was not the case. I was told that these parts are no longer available but I could be offered a discount on a new rower! So pleased be warned that you might only own JTX rowers until something breaks - not happy rowing for years to come.

OK I've had this rower a while so I'll update my opinion. Initial problems aside this is a good rower. I revise my opinion of the power; it's plenty powerful enough for a serious workout. The one thing I'd recommend is rapping the heal holders with Gorrila tape as, in my experience, they split easily. I have changed my opinion from one star to three. Old Review Had this rower just over a month. So far it's had 3 new display consoles, a new motor and new internal wiring. This means I've only used it a handful of times. Now the foot plate has split. When everything works it feels OK. The pulse monitor is rubbish though, it says I've a pulse of 30 when rowing on level 16. I find the resistance a bit light, even on max. I have a background of hill running and cycling and wanted a piece of equipment to do the upper body. Since I'm primerily interested in endurance, both from a sport and muscleature point of view this rower is ideal for longer sessions. Well it would be if it was reliable. The console offers a good array of programs.

Ordered in response to prospect of 3+ months social distancing and the resulting inability to attend the gym or join weekly Rambler's excursions to the hills. My previous experience of rowing machines was limited to those provided by gyms I've belonged to - Concept2. Buying the JTX Freedom was something of a gamble but existing on-line reviews were encouraging. Ordering was easy and delivery was both timely and on time - with accurate information provided at each stage. Assembly was straightforward with all required tools provided; the diagrams were accurate - i only had to scratch my head a couple of time! The questions were - which items were the seat stops (round illustrated and square supplied) & where did the bolts securing the two main sections together actually go? Also, where is the 4th washer for the footrest? (After an extensive, unsuccessful search I came to the conclusion that it hadn't been supplied. (I was able to finish the assembly using an alternative washer from my toolkit). I've only used the rower once 'in anger'. After using the Concept2 it was a little difficult to get used to - resistance settings, data displayed on the console and the adjustment of the footrest length (the moving section kept coming off the fixed section - probably because the material used is still quite stiff). However, the first exercise session was quite satisfactory. I have contacted the supplier about the missing item and I have been advised that it will be posted as a matter of urgency. I can confirm that the aforementioned washer arrived a short while ago (14.30, 21/03/2020). Given the general circumstances, I think that's pretty darned good.

Bought this rower just over 2 years ago as my previous cheaper rowers have not lasted. The rower is very good to use but if I went back in time, I wouldn't buy it. Just after the 2 year warranty was over, this machine went the way of my cheaper ones and the bearing unit broke. I had used it for half and hour 4-5 times a week.