[ SEE UPDATES 2018-2022 BELOW ]. I bought this comparatively low-cost machine to use at home because all rowing machines at my gym are the flywheel type with a single pulling T-bar, which at a much higher price provide neither the feeling nor the distribution of muscle load of two-oared sculling.SPECS[1] The BodyTrac 35-1050 includes a meter providing a number of functions displayed in its "scan" mode; calorie consumption is described as "an estimate for an average user" but since no description is given of what is an average user, these calorie values should be taken with considerable distrust. The rowing machine, made by Stamina Products, Inc. (a three-decade old company based in Springfield, MO), is built for users weighing less than 250 lbs. [2] The owner's manual has clear, step-by-step assembly instructions, and the machine is easy to assemble. It folds quickly to be stored standing on one end; once folded, however, it does not offer comfortable grip points to lift and move it around. At 35 lbs, it may be a bit too heavy for some people, so adding wheels on the front stabilizer --which would allow the folded machine to roll when tilted-- would be a good design improvement. Also, the seat would be less uncomfortable with a redesign conformal with the shape of modern scull seats. I wear tennis or jogging shoes when rowing and, unlike some other reviewers, I have no issues of foot-strap slippage (I am 6-ft tall and have a shoe size 9.0 to 9.5). [3] As expected from a machine whose resistance is provided by a hydraulic shock absorber, the BodyTrac is a bit noisy, and there is some squeaking from various parts until they are warmed up by friction. Nevertheless, this does not interfere with listening to music or to a television while rowing. The fluid of hydraulic absorbers heats up a lot with use; do not grab the absorber (located under the rear of the sliding beam) when folding the machine after a session, as the cylinder may be very hot. STROKE MECHANICS [4] Rowing provides a non-weight-bearing exercise for ALL major muscle groups. In this respect, a distinct advantage of the articulated arms of this machine is that --after an initial phase focused on legs and hips to create the power during the stroke, just as in a power clean lift-- you can emphasize the exercise load during the remainder of this propelling part ['the drive' in sculling] either on the chest/shoulders or on the mid-back, depending on the manner for completing this part of the stroke. One manner is to open the arms when sliding towards the front, and then lower the hands while pulling back with the handles close to one another (they cannot be perfectly aligned since there is not enough separation between them). This focuses the main pulling effort more on the pectorals and shoulders than the back. The other manner is the reverse sequence by sliding forward (i.e., towards the scull's rear [the stern]) while keeping both handles low and close together --a motion equivalent to 'the recovery' in sculling when the oar blades are brought above water towards the scull's front [the bow]-- and then lifting the hands while pulling back with the handles up and apart. This focuses the main effort more on the mid-back than on the chest and shoulders. The possibility of selecting the region of main load is very useful for a chest/back balanced exercise; it can also help to avoid too much muscular development of one of those regions if so desired. This is something a flywheel with a single pulling T-bar cannot provide. ELEVATING THE DEVICE [5] I wanted to increase the exercise load on the rower's legs by elevating the rear end of the Body Trac. Instead of using an elevating block or platform, which would add another item to store after a session, I decided to increase the length of the 'leg' of the rear foot so that the sliding-seat beam forms a 10° angle with the horizontal plane (see my figures). To do that I used two thin walled metal tubes : one, a container of aquarelle pencils of one of our children, with an outer diameter that almost fitted the inner diameter of the rear single tube leg of the machine; the other, a metallic flashlight with rear-end diameter a bit smaller than that of the previous tube, and with a flared out front-end diameter fitting perfectly the receiving plastic well of the rear foot (see figure with panel A). To withstand the rower's weight, these tubes were filled with quick-setting cement in two steps -- in the first one I filled the bigger tube (with a red color in the inset of panel B before it was spray-painted black) to 2/3 of its length; and in the second step I finished filling this tube and filled the smaller tube with cement, placing the latter inverted into the former. Then I sealed the narrow gap between the tubes with glue to achieve a moist curing of the cement to provide a higher compressive strength. The cement was left to cure for 3 weeks. I spray-painted black this extension and tightly inserted it into the machine's rear tube leg using turns of reinforced duct tape for shimming. The new leg maintained the 97° angle with the beam of the sliding seat (see panel B of the figure). To preserve stability, the bottom of the rear foot was shimmed along its rear edge to compensate by the 10° angle also formed there. [6] The cement-filled extension withstands my 181-lb weight without any issue so far. The machine stands on the floor on three points (two in the front, and one with a wider contact area in the rear). The *lateral* stability of this tripod is inherently reduced by its narrow and elongated shape, but its stability is strong as long as the center of gravity of the system is both relatively stable and low. By elevating the single rear foot, however, I changed that equilibrium, likely decreasing stability when the seat reaches its rear-most sliding position, as this changes the dynamic center of gravity. If you were to implement the change I made, avoid sudden, large side jerking movements at the end of the stroke that might tip you over, and make sure there are no objects in the vicinity of the rear of the device that could harm you in that case. SUPPORT [7] While the machine deserves it, another reason why I also give it 5 stars is the quality of the customer service of the company. The BodyTrac 35-1050 I received had scratches on several of its components, so I contacted Stamina's customer service and emailed them pictures of the defects. They quickly replaced all the affected parts at no cost --including the entire center beam and rowing arms-- in less than 2 weeks. A good customer service is paramount for online purchases.__ UPDATE (2/2018) -- This rowing machine has been working well and without any problems after 3¼ years of systematic use on my part (40-60 min, 5 days/week), a more recent use on the part of my marathoner wife for back and legs workout, and what seems very occasional use by the oldest children. It is cleaned well after each session and, about once a month, I lubricate rolling or friction points of moving parts. It has provided us a superb service and fully deserves my original 5-star rating. UPDATE (7/2018) -- The molded sliding seat of this machine often feels uncomfortable after a long rowing session. At the imperative demand of family members claiming rowing ought not be proctodynic, I added to the seat a so-called coccyx pad, whose memory foam I had to trim and carve to a contour approaching that of a good scull seat. (From my experience as a sculler, the best seat has a smooth, front-to-back ridge at the middle, dividing the slightly concave halves of the seat, each of which has a tapered hollow of ~1/5 the total width to accommodate the seat bones [seat on your hands to locate yours], plus a straight front edge and a back edge having a butterfly's hindwings-like contour to provide tail-bone comfort -- It resembles a sleeping mask but with eyeholes.) Redesigning the current heart-shaped seat would avoid a not uncommon complaint of discomfort, and distinguish this rowing machine from Chinese near-copies (e.g., bit.ly/2uGCh0C) as well as American aftermarket-generic-copies (e.g., amzn.to/2GJaote). UPDATE (12/2019) -- The machine has now been in more or less continuous use over the last 5 years without any problems. With my children now using the machine while watching television in the family room, the addition of wheels on the front stabilizer to allow rolling the folded machine when tilted is sorely needed. UPDATE (10/2021) -- Almost 7 years since I bought it, and with a lot of use by all family members in 2020 and just by myself in 2021, the device keeps working well without issues. Unlike many of the things I have purchased from Amazon, it deserves taking the time to write updates. My DIY 10° slide elevation described above also works well, and has made quite a difference in the long term. UPDATE (6/2022) -- Still with no issues and working well. A rare find. --