Concept2 Forum

I love my Concept II as much as anyone, but fantasize about one day upgrading my Model A to a Model D. So I was practically rolling on the floor laughing while reading some of these review comments. Some people are so clueless! And some of these have obviously never even tried rowing on one:

"The Concept ll is a rowing machine reenacting a row boat, kayak, playak, or canoe in the water. However, the work-out isn’t as strong as the real thing. This is due to the density of air being 1/800th of the density of water."

"Surprisingly, there is no work-out on any part of my legs. This is because the point of using the machine is to pull yourself, not spring off using your thighs."

"One disadvantage is that there is no back support my back got very sore after using it."

"Why would you pay over $700 for such a weird looking machine when you can pay $200 and get a Total Gym that won't disappoint you. This machine is trying to do exercises somewhat close to Total Gym but not even close. If you really want to buy a good exercise equipment that really does work then you should consider getting a Total gym or Bow-flex. Those gyms won't disappoint you."

"...was sorely dissapointed in it when I went over to [a friend's house] to see how it works. It has very easy difficulty settings, so little excersize is gained by using it. Also, it is big, loud and ugly - not something you would want to have in your house. It does not hold up well either, it already had dents even though it was only a month or so old."

http://www99.epinions.com/reviews/Conce ... pa_~1#list
If you go to this link, don't be fooled by the backpack thing pictured. Or maybe some of these people expect it to function as a backpack?

shotparrot wrote:http://www99.epinions.com/reviews/Conce ... pa_~1#list
If you go to this link, don't be fooled by the backpack thing pictured. Or maybe some of these people expect it to function as a backpack?

I like the very first one on the site:

jo.com wrote:It is a Rowing Ergometer Model 6 made by Concept (sic).

It raises 2 questions for me. Is there another company that uses the word "Concept" as its name? That quote could be interpreted as implying that it is the original Concept and the C2 is a copycat.

If it is C2, what is the Model 6 like? Well, that brings a couple more questions to mind. Why did they switch from letters to numbers? Were there Models 1-5 or is Model 6 the name for what would otherwise have been Model F? Interesting point there, in that the most recent C2 indoor rower was not given a letter, but is just called Dynamic.

Fascinating site. Thanks for passing it on.

Bob S.

Edit: After posting, I read a few more and they weren't all that bad. The 5th one on that first page was extensive, detailed, and right on the money. B.

The current name of the Vermont manufacturer is Concept2. I believe they originally went by the name "Concept II." They've been around since the late 1970s and I've never heard of another indoor rower company with "Concept" in their name. I think this epinions reviewer is simply confused (on many counts).

Start here: http://www.concept2.com/us/service/indo ... efault.asp

Peter and Dick Dreissigacker hold this patent http://www.google.com/patents/download/ ... ew_r&cad=0

They also have a patent for a backpack!

http://www.google.com/patents/download/ ... ew_r&cad=0

The assignee of the rowing machine patents is a company called "Concept II"

ConceptII was incorporated in 1976 by Pete and Dick, and they, along with their wives Bari Dreissigacker and Judy Geer, remain sole owners and are very much involved in day-to-day operations. ConceptII became Concept2 with the rising popularity of the internet- the "II" was often mis-entered into a browser or misinterpreted, so the switch to the "2" made sense. The backpack, btw, was a project started in grad school by Pete that was ultimately taken up by North Face and sold as the Back Magic pack for many years.
C2JonW

JRBJR wrote:The current name of the Vermont manufacturer is Concept2. I believe they originally went by the name "Concept II." They've been around since the late 1970s and I've never heard of another indoor rower company with "Concept" in their name. I think this epinions reviewer is simply confused (on many counts).

Yes. I was just being sarcastic.

Bob S.

Here's another funny quote:
"The chain is fairly well enclosed, and unless you were to wrap it around your neck for some odd reason, it's safe."

I like that someone even thought of that! How many of us have accidentally wrapped the chain around our necks while rowing? I know I almost have a couple times haha.

Reminds me of my wife's fear when I was hammer throwing. She was afraid I would wrap the hammer around my neck and die...

BTW maybe a dumb question, but we all know about the Concept2. What's the Concept1? Is it a backpack? An oar? A prototype to the Model A? A crazy guy locked in the basement in Vermont? I've been wondering about that.

shotparrot wrote:
"...was sorely dissapointed in it when I went over to [a friend's house] to see how it works. It has very easy difficulty settings, so little excersize is gained by using it."

That's like giving someone a pair of Nikes and telling him or her to work out with them. It's possible to stroll along at less than two miles an hour or to run, covering over ten miles in the same period of time.

It's very difficult to believe anyone's opinion about exercise when they don't even know how to spell the word. And they can't spell "disappointed", either.

Here is another quote from the same epinions source that also makes no sense:
"So if you are starting out you might want to just walk or run around the block and so forth, because this machine is very intense".

It's only as intense as you want it to be. The beauty of the C2 is that you can do as little or as much with it as you care to.

sekitori wrote:
Here is another quote from the same epinions source that also makes no sense:
"So if you are starting out you might want to just walk or run around the block and so forth, because this machine is very intense".

It's only as intense as you want it to be. The beauty of the C2 is that you can do as little or as much with it as you care to.

The machine was probably very intense because the reviewer set the "very easy difficulty settings" to the highest resistence position and then flailed away without anything approximating proper technique.

by shotparrot » April 22nd, 2011, 10:06 am

BTW maybe a dumb question, but we all know about the Concept2. What's the Concept1? Is it a backpack? An oar? A prototype to the Model A? A crazy guy locked in the basement in Vermont? I've been wondering about that.

There was beer involved, I believe. The brothers Pete and Dick were considering several solutions to a problem or design question, and the solutions were labeled concept I, concept II, conceptIII, etc. At some point it occured to them that Concept II would be a good name for the fledgling product design company they were starting. The thinking goes something like this: for every design problem or question there is often an apparent solution that most people quickly jump on and implement without much further thought. That's concept 1, the obvious solution. Concept 2 implies a dedication to looking further for the not so obvious, and usually better, solution which involves more thought, insight and collaboration. C2JonW

Interesting, thanks Jon! As a UX Designer that story reverberates with me. Don't always go for the obvious 1st solution. ALTHOUGH after some research and trying out different variations, that 1st solution sometimes turns out to be the best...