Kettler Home Exercise/Fitness Equipment: Kadett Outrigger Style Rower Rowing Machine

Package arrived kind of beat up on the outside, but no damage to any parts and all pieces accounted for. Assembly took me a good 1.5 hours, but I'm not terribly mechanically inclined and I really took my time so I would get it right. Assembly instructions are in pictures, which I found to be well laid out and pretty straightforward. The only tricky part to me was orienting the arms/pistons correctly, and my advice is to read through the other reviews for tips -- that helped me immensely. It all went together just fine in the end, and I've been using it now for a couple of weeks. The construction is very solid and it feels like it will last a long time. It's true the foot rests are plastic, but they're not as flimsy as I was expecting from reading other reviews (like someone else mentioned, the fat velcro straps are for the foot rests and the skinny ones are for securing the arms for storage). To me they feel fine. The rower itself is awesome to use! It's kind of relaxing, actually, despite the workout...I find myself getting into this kind of zen state as I row and row and row. And I love the workout! Not quite a full-body workout but it does incorporate many muscle groups. I was not familiar with sculling so at first I wasn't sure I was doing it right by keeping my arms low as I pulled back and then raising my arms on the push -- and, in fact, that's not correct. Keeping your arms higher as you pull back (imagine the oars dipping into the water) and then pushing them forward at waist level (oars out of the water) is, I believe, the proper form, and it gives your upper body a much better workout. I haven't been using the computer thingie, so I can't comment on that. The size feels fine to me...I'm a 5'5", ~125 lb female and am very comfortable on it. But it's got enough length that I think it can accommodate taller people just fine as well. It does take up a bit of floor space when you're using it, but it's simple to fold up the arms and move it out of the way. It's heavy but not at all too heavy to move easily. So far I'm completely happy with it!

Like most reviews, I agree that the Kettler Kadett is an extremely well engineered rower in terms of a truly realistic rowing experience due to the outrigger design; However, there are a few issues that I wish I was aware of before purchasing this unit. First off and most importantly, the shocks on my unit failed within the first three months of using the rower. Unfortunately, I did not notice that they were leaking hydraulic fluid all over my carpet until I glanced down during a workout and saw the puddle soaking into my carpeting. After speaking with Ketller USA, the shocks are considered an expendable component; Therefore, they are not covered under warranty. As such, buyers should be made aware that they will need to routinely replace the shocks, which cost $150 per set. In my case, I use the rower for 30 minutes per day, so I assume every 3 months I will need to purchase new shocks, which will result in a yearly additional cost of $600. If you only plan to use the rower 2-3 times per week for <30 minutes per session, you might be able to get 6-12 months out of your shocks, in which case you should plan on spending $150-300 per year to maintain the rower. Also, I highly recommend that you don’t put the rower on your carpeting unless you don’t mind having your living room look like the Exxon Valdez has floated through each time the shocks start leaking oil. Another issue with the shocks themselves is that they are very tight at the beginning of each workout session and then they drop resistance to something more manageable after about 10minutes, but unfortunately after about 20 minutes they have lost almost all of their resistance even at the highest setting. That was the case with the first set of shocks that came with my unit, so I’m still waiting to see if the 2nd set actually function better to maintain a reasonably same amount of resistance from the beginning to the end of a workout. Also, the heart rate monitor is completely useless. Mine is so erratic that it will fluctuate anywhere from 60-160 bpm during my workout, which is completely inaccurate. Kettler is also well aware of this design flaw and they are more than willing to resolve it by charging you an additional $89 for a chest strap style heart rate monitor, but considering their quality on the other issues, I don’t think it would be a wise decision to purchase anything else from them. In hindsight, I wish I purchased a rower that had a better warranty and did not require an additional $600 per year expense to replace the shocks. Hope this helps and good luck with your decision.

The Kadett and I have been together for a week now. Like any good relationship, I think that's substantial enough time to tell if you've found the one you'd like to spend the rest of forever with since 7 days is definitely sufficient for getting to know the ins and outs of a partner. With that being said, it seems the verdict so far is -- I can settle for the Kadett. Hello, Mr. Right Now. With the Texas summer chill quickly approaching, I figured it might be time to invest in a piece of exercise equipment that can be set up in my apartment and not force me to brave the raging forces outside. This machine suffices for that. Typically, I'm used to standard rowers that mimic the use of one oar so in a geeky way that's unfamiliar for a girl who hates working out, I was pretty stoked to try an erg that's modeled after the use of not one -- but TWO -- oars. The transition in rowing style isn't hard to get used to. Watching videos on "proper techniques" is always a safe bet, but honestly, the motion with this machine is so fluid and natural that your body should tell you if you're not doing something correctly. Pain does not always equal gain, people. The machine itself is a substantial piece of equipment. Believe it clocks in at around 65 lbs which wouldn't be so bad if it wasn't so awkward to move. (Kettler, the introduction of wheels somewhere on this frame would be well appreciated!) I guess I choose to see this as a bonus since lugging it around my place might bump up the fitness level, yes? Yes? With that being said though, the parts and make are quality. I have no fear that something is going to brake or fall apart. Pure beast, this one. Some things I don't love about this rower, hence the docking of a star on our relationship? - First, it was a monster to assemble. In general, it came together pretty easily until I got to the arms. Oh God, THE ARMS. The fittings used to secure them don't quite...well, fit. A few times I was forced to pull out a hammer in hopes of getting them in. Not sure if that's best practice, but between that and the slur of curse words, it seemed to do the trick. Assembly was a bit lengthier than anticipated -- two Mad Men episodes rather than just one. The incessant hammering may have been the culprit there, though. - Second, Mr. Kadett is a bit of a squeaker at times. He does the job, but the machine is not the quietest. The rotation of the arms causes a clinking noise every now and again, sometimes more frequent than others. It's not AWFUL, but a bit of a pain to listen. - Third, oh...the hand grips! One great thing about the grips is that they're able to rotate with the machine so you're not forced to constantly slide your precious skin awkwardly to keep with the motion. One not so great thing is that the hard plastic is...well...hard, and also features a seam that's convenient for developing blisters. This is kind of a bummer, but no pain, no gain...amiright? (No, I'm not right. Never listen to me.) One reviewer had suggested wrapping sports tape around the handles to cushion them a bit, which I'm going to try. May also snag some gloves for the full effect. Better to look like I'm trying too hard than to have beautiful whelps on my palms. All in all though, this is a decent machine for the price. Compared to models I was considering (looking at you, Concept2), it has a smaller footprint, is easier to move, is better for storing in a small space, and falls into the less inexpensive realm for quality of what you're getting. The motion of the ocean is also fantastic and actually seems to be less tiring and more natural than a standard one-rower erg -- Of course, you get the same degree of a work-out, it just feels less strenuous on body parts that a regular erg can wreak havoc on, like your back. So far in our brief romance, I'd recommend. If this relationship takes a turn for the worst though, I'll be sure to alert the tabloids. Happy rowing!

Although there have been some reviews complaining about the item, I did not find any of the problems mentioned. I will go over a few thing in order to help future buyers, as there is some inaccurate information in some reviews. First, the manual does contain instructions in English, it can be found on any page marked with a GB (Great Britain) at the top. It is true that there is no written paragraph next to the assembling pictures, but they are very easy to follow. The only issue you might come across is the way you install the rowing hands. My suggestion is to place them onto the locking arms without actually installing them, you will quickly realize if you have them backwards (the piston has to compress when you pull rather than extend). Second, the adjustments on the pistons are not off as some people have mentioned. There is a patent number stamped onto them with a triangle background. The tip of the triangle will point toward the number you select and this way the resistance is equivalent. Where some folks went wrong is simply looking at the piston from the top. By doing so, they see different numbers on each of the two units and this completely throws them off. Just look on the side where the patent triangle is located and match the numbers, you will feel the same resistance throughout. Lastly, this item is NOT a regular rower, this type of rowing is called SCULLING. If you want some excellent advice on sculling technique, body position, arm and leg extension, wrist position, and proper catch/pull/release, you need to take a few minutes and go to [...] (click on "how to scull") and read the instruction by following along with the pictures. After about 5 minutes of slowly going through the movement sequence I began to feel the fluidity of the motion and the rower reacted to it accordingly. I am extremely satisfied with the product, the design is very ergonomic and sturdy at the same time. It weighs less than one of my kettle bells which makes it pretty easy to move around. I believe the nicest thing about this rower is its versatility. You can choose not to use your legs and only work out your upper body. Moreover, you can use alternate pulling and shift the resistance around when you don't feel like doing the same thing all the time. I hope this information helps shed some light on previously mentioned problems. Have a great workout.

This is a very well made product indeed. Good German engineering. It functions as claimed and is easy to assemble. Reading some of the other reviews I noticed some comments about the velcro straps. I think some folks are mistakenly using them in the wrong places. It comes with two pairs of velcro straps. The wide pair is for the footrests and are more than adequate, and the narrow pair are to secure the arms in their folded position for upright storage. There are slots under the central rail towards the rear on both sides for the narrow straps. The unit comes with very nice shiny chrome nuts which cover the threads of the bolts. The assembly instructions ask for the bolts to be inserted from the top down with the ugly hex-shaped top facing up and the nice shiny nuts at the bottom where they are hidden from view. I found that the bolts can be inserted from the bottom up with absolutely nothing being compromised with the nice shiny nuts facing up thereby providing a much better look to the machine. As far as packaging goes, the carton was in good shape, but the packaging of the 67 lbs of parts inside left much to be desired. The metal pieces could be heard rattling against each other. The factory could do a much better job of preventing the metal parts from coming in contact with each other. Fortunately mine had no scratch marks, but it did come with two left side footrests! A little disappointing, but made right by Amazon expeditiously. Unfortunately they were unable to ship me a right side footrest on its own, but could only ship a whole new product instead. A big waste of energy I'd say, but I was able to retrieve the missing right footrest before sending the unit back, at no cost to me, with a note on the outside saying "This unit contains 2 left footrests. What happened to Deutsche kwaliteit?" I am enjoying rowing on the unit (now that it's not going round in circles anymore). It is very quiet - the only sounds are the seat sliding back and forth smoothly and the "oars" clicking softly and rhythmically at the beginning and end of each stroke - just like the real thing.

The equipment arrived on time, but when I started to assemble the machine, I realized that the rear bracket of the lower frame was spot welded incorrectly. The rower could not be assembled. I contacted customer service, sent them a picture, and they immediately shipped me a replacement. The problem was that I had then to transfer a number of parts from the old frame to the new one. After I finished this successfully, I proceeded to assemble the rower. The directions state that the assembly time should be about 45 minutes. I have good tools, and I am pretty good at putting things like this together. Assembly took a good three hours. Few serious problems except that they did not include enough of one size washer and I had to improvise. Once assembled, the rower performed very well. It is well engineered and well made.

The weld of the support beneath the seat to the main bar was crooked so it was impossible to assemble the rower. I am returning it and looking for a different rower. I do not trust the quality control of a company that would send out a product with such a major defect. I received the rower on time however the packaging is poor, pieces stuffed somewhat haphazardly into a cardboard box. It almost looked like a re-packaged item.

This is by far the nicest rower I've used anywhere. It replaced my elliptical trainer which I wore out. Was told that I was probably one of the only people in the US to wear out a piece of exercise equipment. Assembly was complicated. Harder than Ikea but not PhD worthy. Having said that the device was designed well to be assembled, there was a considerable amount of thought in the construction with regards to assembling the device correctly. Plan on a good solid hour or double that if you're not mechanically inclined. It is constructed from solid metal. The frame parts are likely to survive the impending zombie attack. I have had the machine for about eighteen months. It has gotten moderate usage. I would call it heavy usage if I traveled less. When I'm home it's 2-4 times per week about 40 minutes at a stretch. There are some issues. 1) The foot straps broke within the first month. You need to get creative with identifying replacements as they're not commodity items. I was able to buy some generic Velcro straps on Amazon that work relatively well. (At least they take longer to fail and you can buy them in quantity.) 2) You need a screwdriver to replace the monitor's batteries. Please. 3) The right arm sits lower than the left one at rest. This isn't a problem per se, but an annoyance. [Edit: I've been informed that this is likely by design. So . . . never mind.] 4) The right handle does not sit as far down as the left one. It feels like the screw or sleeve is stripped or something. This is more of an issue than #3 but not a real problem. [Edit: Poorly phrased above. The hard plastic handle sits over the end of the "oar" shaft and is secured via a screw/washer to a spacer inside the pipe that serves as the shaft. The handle rotates independently of the shaft. The right handle has about 1/4" of play in/out of the shaft while the left handle has almost none.] 5) In the middle of my rowing last week the timing unit took a dump. It suddenly reset and I noticed after it was reading in Fahrenheit instead of Celsius. I never bothered to change it over to Imperial units. Odd. 6) The left piston has started to exhibit loss of resistance. I don't know if there is a gasket problem or some other issue, but it seems to be failing. The last time I was able to "reset" it by turning the resistance knob all the way around. Now it seems to be behaving oddly once it's warm. I can't claim to be a heavy user in either frequency or mass so this is likely a latent defect in the piston. In the end I'm conflicted. It is a nice machine and I use it multiple times per week. The action is smooth and I'm getting good results from my workouts. But for this kind of cash I expected fewer rough edges and a little better durability. --------- Update November 2012. The right handle did finally separate itself from the oar. Each oar has an insert inside the oar pipe with the center drilled out for the screw that holds the oar handle. The screw was stripped during insertion. The assembly manual had complete instructions to assemble the handles but I recall that that part of the assembly had been done at the factory. A trip to Lowe's was able to produce a replacement screw and the oar handle was re attached. It seems to be holding. The left oar piston did fail. It started to provide resistance sporadically or and eventually not at all. After reading of the "three year residential warranty" I called Kettler USA for a replacement. I was informed that oar pistons were wear items and not covered. $88 later a new piston is in the mail. -1 star (from three to two) for being cheesy on the warranty. When the replacement arrives I'll disassemble the failed piston to see if I can identify the issue.