Here’s my point: If I had written a review during my first 7 years as a Bowflex owner, I wouldn’t have had much good to say about the machine; however, now that my son and I have actually been using it on a regular basis for over a year now, I think it’s GREAT! The resistance is fantastic and the results do come if you stick with a good weight training routine.

I’m considering replacing my Ultimate with a Revolution, but I’ll have to try one out first. I tested several Hoist Home Gyms today and can honestly say that I prefer the feel of my Bowflex. I say this to my own surprise because after reading so many good comments about Hoist, I was really expecting to like it so much that I’d want to own one. Such was not the case.

Regarding the comments about financing, when I first called Bowflex and inquired about their financing, I was told point blank that that should be used as a last resort due to the high interest rate.

People won’t pay money for a fitness machine that sucks (think of those abdominal exercises that come and go from year to year).

Bowflex might not be good for an athlete who regularly trains at a fitness facility, but for the average joe out there, bowflex is definately more than enough.

Yes, I sell Bowflex home gyms and I own one and use one. I have gotten great results from working out.

Is it better than free weights? NO, but for the amount of exercises if offers, it is about as close as you can get without turning your house into a full blown gym and spending $10,000.

Also, another thing to note is they have excellent customer support that will go out of their way to help you. For those that feel it’s a scam, just realize you have six weeks to return it no questions asked for a full refund – minus shipping and handling. Getting results is really up to the individual.

Just me 2 cents

Mark

Thanks.

I didn’t like the high price tag ($2799 + $199 S&H + tax) despite having a 10-yr warranty. The consultant said they offer the 10-yr warranty mostly for customers who have multiple people working on the machine most days of the week; for average customers (1-3 people at home), this will outlast them. Despite some discounts and monthly payment plan, it came down to buying it used (local pick up), refurbished (Overstock), or new (Bowflex, eBay, etc.). With some unexpected expenses during this same time, I decided against buying it from Bowflex because of the total cost and wanted to save that money for other things (i.e. paying for the unexpected expenses).

After a month of using the Revolution, I came to a couple of early conclusions (mind you, these are just my conclusions and don’t represent anyone else’s as some may be happier while some are more disappointed):

Positive:
+ solid construction, very good engineering, great installation instructions
+ wide range of excercises and variations, so you’ll never get bored with a routine
+ lots of resistance (*) even without the 80-lb plate upgrade
+ quite operation (good for night time workouts)
+ workout DVD is excellent
+ beautiful piece of equipment, not an eyesore, wife likes it

Negative:
- bench is wobbly when in flat position (i.e. try holding onto the bench while doing leg curls… it’ll lift up a bit)
- getting into a seated upper body workout position while facing away from the engine requires reaching behind and curling the handles to your torso, a huge potential for injury when loading up the plates (bad starting angle/position)
- leg press is a complete disappointment (fully loaded 300-lb resistance plates which are supposed to double for the leg press does NOT feel like 600-lbs; I can only press 325 in the gym, and with the Revolution I can press all “600″ lbs — feels like less than 300 lbs honestly)
- requires an extra 3-4 feet in length and width of the workout area to comfortably walk around, change plate configurations, do some workouts on the side of the bench (i.e. kneeling high-to-low trunk rotation) without hitting the walls or someone else
- optional accessories like the mat and rack should be made standard equipment (you need a mat to protect your floor, and the rack keeps the attachments & plates off the floor), but of course this is about making money… and accessories are big money makers

This machine is proving to be a worthwhile investment, especially if you can buy it from a local seller (check craigslist or eBay) for half the price. You won’t be sorry, and once you see the quality of the machine, you’ll feel better about not having the 10-yr warranty. As with any fitness equipment, it’s better to be able to try it before you buy it, but in my opinion I would discourage one from doing the 6-week trail period from Bowflex because of 2 reasons:
1) if you work out correctly and religiously for 6 weeks, you WILL see results, so why even bother with the trial period… investment in a home gym is a commitment and a lifestyle;
2) once you assemble this thing, I challenge you to disassemble it, repackage and rebox each piece (assuming the boxes & styrofoam are still in decent shape), and eat the cost of shipping — most people will say it’s not worth the trouble or their time.

PS I also made a bunch of custom parts that you can attach to the machine… maby I should sell them to bowflex ;-) It’s great to work at a place that you can do metal work in.