New guy questions on used equipment.

[ideas1]

A local used gym equipment store is selling 2 indoor rowers, Im new so naturally I have a few questions about these two machines. I tried "googling" but most of the time I would get fitness store websites not blog reviews about the machines.

The first is a Tunturi r60, its a magnetic rower.http://www.tunturi.com/products/item/21/r60/

The second is a Waterrower (oak finish) but does not have a S4 monitor(meter). http://www.waterrower.biz/en/waterrower_natural.htm

They have them both listed for the same price is not really an issue, at $400 both seem like a good deal. The techie side of me is really attracted to the R60 because of the meter and the hrm. It also seems to have a smaller footprint. I have seen mixed reviews on it on amazon and other sites but non of the review are actual real reviews. All the low/high reviews seem to talk about issues with amazon or the support number for Tunturi, and not about the actual machine. For example the build quality, ease of use, comfort, etc.

My main issue with the Waterrower is that it doesn't include a monitor, i know I can purchase one for $250 but I wouldnt be able to afford it after the initial machine purchase. If I was to go with the Waterrower, which has excellent reviews online; how would I track my workouts? Time and HR?

Thanks any help would be much appreciated. I wish I could afford a Concept since they seem like defacto standard but I cant. Thanks everyone. Sorry if my grammar or spelling isnt the best, English is my second language.

[luckylindy]

The reviews on Amazon don't look that great ( http://www.amazon.com/Tunturi-R60-Rowin ... B000PABRMA ). Have you tried either of them out? Have you compared to a newer Concept2 or other high end new model?

[ideas1]

Ive only used a concept model A, the one with the bicycle wheel that my friends dad bought like 15-20 years ago. I know concept rowers last a lifetime. The only local gym that had a rower was using a Kellar LHS, so I really dont have a place to test a concept2 or at least the newer model.

They both felt ok when I tried them at the store. Then again im new so i dotn know what to look for.

The Waterrower felt smooth and was quiet. The r60 made much more noise, but let me control the resistance.

Both felt comfortable, to me at least.

[luckylindy]

Maybe look around on ebay or craigslist to see if you can find someone with a model B for sale. Usually those sell for under $400, and you could try it out for comparison. I'm a new rower (just bought a model D), but from what I remember the model B was pretty great, and I hear they were built like a tank.