- Arthur of Hawaii, USA writes:
I purchased my Bowflex, and it was delivered to my door in about 2 weeks, which was surprising. Initially, I thought the $1,700 I paid for my XTLU was a bit high (this is with shipping). However, after working out on my machine and finding that it does indeed live up to it's hype, I am a totally satisfied Bowflex customer. It gets an 9 of 10 for me. The only downside I have is that it is a BIG machine, but luckily I have a whole room I can dedicate to it and my treadmill.
- John of Nevada, USA writes:
The machine is pricey but has been worth it. The machine allows you to work all the major muscle groups to the point of failure without the danger of free weights or the need of a spotter. Extremely versatile and I find I work out more regularly at home compared to a gym.
- Jay of Florida, USA writes:
Good product, terrible customer service, and way to much money! I've had my BowFlex for 4 years now and continue to use it. The worst part about it for me was that it took me almost 2 months to get it! The shipping box they put this thing in is horrible! The first one I got was damaged in shipping so I had to send it back and wait for another one. Then they separately sent me a different attachment than the one I ordered. So I had to have that exchanged. When I did finally did receive a new one it had a huge scratch down the front (I never called them back on that, just to much work). Not to mention that they forgot to send me assembly instructions so it sat on my living room floor unassembled for about 2 weeks after I got it waiting for them to mail me instructions. And believe me, when you've spent $1300 and are excited about something you don't want to wait 8 weeks to start testing it! I hate to sound so negative but it was just a complete nightmare in the beginning. I also had a problem with a small $.02 rubber o-ring that attaches to a cable about 1.5 years after purchasing it. When I called customer service they were fairly unfriendly and told me that all they could do was SELL me a new cable because that $.02 piece is apparently permanent on a $20 cable! Go figure! I guess that illustrious lifetime warranty is only good on the power rods. You'd just think for the money people pay for these things that they would take better care of there customers. It does keep me in shape but that's all. Don't look for it to drastically change your body. The power rods are great resistance however substantially less weight than free weights. (Ex. There 50lb power rod is maybe 30lbs in real weight.) And DON'T leave it outside or even in an enclosed porch. Even the slightest moisture and most of the metal pieces including all nuts, bolts, & screws will start to rust. My over all rating would be a 6, with most all my deduction coming from customer service!
- Nick of North Carolina, USA writes:
I have never been much at all for home equipment, home gyms, and crappy equipment. Which is why I have owned a Bowflex PowerPro XTL for almost 5 years now!!! This is absolutely one of the best things I have ever spent my hard-earned money on! I used the Bowflex only (combined with proper diet & rest, of course) to bring myself into awesome shape! It is very safe, particularly on your shoulders and joints in comparison to free-weights. Before the "flex" I was strictly free-weight! If someone isn't out to be a competitive bodybuilder...but wants to get and maintain great shape on a piece of equipment that is actually FUN to use...you CANNOT go wrong with the BowFlex! I am a city letter carrier for the USPS in an office of about 125 employees. Since buying my Bowflex nearly 5 years ago...FIVE of my coworkers have done the same thing off of my rave and recommendation! They have not regretted it and love the machine as well! Hey...shouldn't I gave gotten royalties from Bowflex for that??? HAHAHAHA! It's the best. Period.
- Doug of New Jersey, USA writes:
I worked out on my own weight set, 2-3 hours a day, and doing so, was dangerous when I was bench pressing 130, without a spotter. I knew there had to be a better way, so I watched every infomercial on the market and found that the bowflex was the only machine with warranties for every aspect of it. Also, it had about 80 exercises, plus your own, if you wanted to make some up. I had to have it, so I ordered it and it is a "god-send". It is the same as weights, except now, I can reach that failure point, without worrying about dropping a weight on myself. They send you the bowflex in an extremely nice "packaging system", they send you a book with about 10 routines, plus eating guidelines, and you can make up your own routines. The bowflex is great, try it, they give you 6 weeks to do so, and if you don't agree that it's great, you can send it back for a full refund, but I doubt that'll happen. And, I almost forgot, it folds up. It is a great piece of machinery, everyone should get one.
- Brent of Georgia, USA writes:
As a college student living at home, I don't have the time to go to a gym. However, living off fast food and drinking nearly 2 gallons of sugar filled coffee every week has its price. With the Bowflex, I'm able to squeeze in a decent workout in between studying calculus and physics without all the hassle that so many other exercises take. I use to go to the gym regularly when I was in high school, but the drive there, the 40 dollars a month (nearly 500 a year), and all the time I wasted either waiting for equipment or waiting to find a spotter just wasn't worth it. I've had my Bowflex for several weeks now and I would have to say I'm glad I bought it. It does have its share of flaws, but that's just the nature of any all in one machine. For starters, it can't beat the feel and effectiveness of free weights, but having a few years of weight lifting experience, I can tell you that the Bowflex is one of the better machines I've ever used. It has a nice strong resistance pull, no momentum (which is often the cause of injury), and is to both easy to set up and use. Customer support has been fair. It took longer than I expected to get, but once I did, a nut that was welded to a key component stripped, and I got a new replacement part free of charge within 5 days. Also, I feel it's a little overpriced, but considering I was paying $500 a year for a gym membership, I'll make up for it by the time I graduate. Overall, I would rate this product as an 8.3 out of 10.
- James of Chicago, USA writes:
First the negatives: Horrid Customer Service; long shipping time (but worth the wait in the end) Positives: This is the best $1000.00 I've ever spent; I bought my XTL in April 2000 and have not looked back once. When I started I weighed in at 185 lbs and had a gut, a large gut; I was barely able to squeeze into a 34" waist pair of jeans and at 31 yrs old, that was embarrassing. I followed the 6 week weight loss program, did their fat-burning exercise and within 2 weeks saw a major difference which kept me motivated to continue. As of January 2002 I have dipped to 155lbs (I am now 160 as I've gained 5lbs in muscle since early November) and holding steady. I drink a Slim-Fast in the morning and still follow the guidelines set forth in the manual for lunch; for dinner, I eat sensibly but not as strictly as I did during the first few months. I can see the six pack beneath the thin layer over my stomach and wear 31" waist jeans; I used to look forward to the day when I could tuck my shirt in without a fat gut sticking out and I achieved that in July of 2001, a mere 4 months after using the product. The Bowflex is well made and has not lost one bit of it's effectiveness; the quality of material (on the XTL) is impressive and the workout is better than you can get at the gym (I belonged to Bally's for years and was NEVER as motivated as I am using the Bowflex.) I do more than I was ever able to spending hours at the gym; it only takes me 25-45 minutes to complete an intense workout covering either all muscle groups of focusing on one or two at a time; that's the best part, the flexibility of being able to do what *you* want to do as opposed to what the machine tells you can be done... I make no guarantees of this but can tell you that several others who have done this have achieved similar results...
- Rick of Arizona, USA writes:
The Bowflex can be what ever you want it to be. 6 weeks will show results for the average guy but if you want to results like the guy in the commercial it will take longer depending on the individual. I've been bodybuilding for close to 9 years now and it took about the first 3 years to learn how to focus and feel certain muscles. Those of you who have trained long enough will know what I'm talking about. I still go to the gym to deadlift and squat but I can do everything else I need at home.
- Michael of Nevada, USA writes:
Having been a competitive powerlifter and an amateur body builder for the past 15 years, I can honestly say that the Bowflex is a good quality product and will produce impressive results. With the addition of a set of "Powerblocks" I have been able to keep myself at about 75% of competition level fitness. The other 25% requires a tremendous commitment to diet. No matter what anyone tells you, proper nutrition is at least 75% of being in great shape.
- Kim of Massachusetts, USA writes:
My boyfriend and I decided to purchase the bowflex a few months ago. Even though $1300.00 is a lot of money we don't regret buying it for one minute. We use the bowflex 4x a week and the convenience of having it in our home is one of the best things about it. There were a few problems with the bowflex after two months of using it. The handles ripped, the house that supports the rods broke and one of the power rods had to be replaced. Each time I called Customer Service they replaced each piece without questions and had it delivered to me in days. When I received the new handles I noticed that they were more durable and won't rip as easy. I truly love the bowflex and I think you would too!
- Steve of Florida, USA writes:
I have been using my Bowflex for about 9 weeks. My thoughts: pros: I have gotten excellent results in my upper body. Both mass and definition. Almost as good as free weights for effectiveness, but much safer. I was prone to injuries with free weights, something that is not a concern with the bowflex. Easy to change exercises. Cons: I have the leg extension attachment which is good for lower quads and hamstring, but leg press and calf raises are a joke. Without the attachment, the bowflex is completely useless for lower body work. Too expensive. Included diet and exercise routines not very good. Some the the exercises do not work very well because of the way the machine works. some work, but it takes practice to learn how to do them effectively. It took me a couple of weeks of experimentation with small amounts of weight to tell the difference and ditch the exercises that didn't work.
- Jeff of New Jersey, USA writes:
I got my Bowflex about 6 weeks ago and I'm very happy with it. I already have noticeable results and I haven't even modified my diet. I'm only going for toning right now, but experimentation has shown me that when I'm ready to build up, I'll have no problem "maxing out" (with the possible exception of my legs - the leg press is surprisingly easy, even at high weight levels). Some parts of the machine seemed flimsy at first glance, but everything's holding up just fine. The time spent changing the machine setup between exercises is no worse than a Universal or Nautilus at a regular gym. I haven't experienced the problems reported by some of getting graphite residue on or under my skin from the rods, but there was an unpleasant "rubbery" smell that lingered for the first week or so. It's gone now, though. One last point - I keep hearing people say the Bowflex is an expensive machine, but compared to other home gym products it's actually about average. The Soloflex is at least as expensive, for example, and other machines that only do one or two things also cost nearly as much. All in all, I feel the money was well spent.
- Pierre of Saskatchewan, Canada writes:
Have had the Bowflex Power Pro XLT for four years and have been happy with it's performance. It's not the perfect piece of equipment but I don't think that it was meant to be. But, for a good full body workout, it works for me. As for the price, yeah it's a little steep by as far as I'm concerned any money invested towards my health is a good investment.
- Michael of New Mexico, USA writes:
I purchased the Bowflex in 1998. I've been totally satisfied with the quality and resulults of the Bowflex. I bought the XTL and ended up buying all the attachments seperately. Customer service has been great. A weld broke on the footend of the bench after about 2 years of use. I described the part to the customer service rep and within 1 week I had a new footend attachment. It's true that a hard leg workout is near impossible, but I'm not looking to be the next Arnie. My wife and I use the machine and have recommended it to all that have asked. It's a quality product that allows me to workout on my schedule. It is too pricey when compared to the Crossbow, but I've been satisfied and feel it was money well spent. I do have a set of PowerBlocks and feel that I have a home gym system that allows me to do anything I could do in a gym. Definately recommend the Bowflex.
- Pat of Ohio, USA writes:
The Bowflex was the best investment I ever made in home gym equipment. It was easy to assemble and easy to use! I have had mine for about 6 months and have had no problems with it. I also have the optional leg machine so all in all, it cost about 1300 bucks if you include the shipping and handling.
- Barry of New York, USA writes:
I have had a Bowflex for more than 8 years now. The design of the latest Bowflex machines seems to be the same as mine. In fact I recently bought an attacment (for legs) and it was compatible. I use it regularly and it has held up very well. It was easy to setup, easy to fold up to get out of the way. Recently saw Crossbow commmercial and shocked that anyone can make something comparable at a much lower price, but this one 1) lasted for 8 years and is like new 2) had and still has great service on the phone 3) Easier to setup 4) Proven If I was buying new I would be tempted to try the Crossbow, but then again when you have a great experience with a product like Bowflex it's hard to recommend people go elsewhere.
- William of Alaska, USA writes:
I own the new bowflex ultimate this is by far a much better machine then the power pro. I have been using the bowflex machines for over 5 years now, as far as i'm concerned bowflex is the best home gym you can own. I was 265 lbs. when I got my first power pro machine, I'm now 222 lbs. and in the best shape of my life. At 46 thanks to bowflex my life is just beginning. I have been reading what people say about the bowflex machines, if you are not getting results start over till you get the results you want, I had to start over a few times before I got the results I wanted.
- Jim of New Jersey, USA writes:
I have been using the bowflex for about six years now and think it is next best choice in exercise equipment other than free-weights. There have been about five or six people that i have recomended it to that have it and love it! People are always asking me about it and what i do, i am sure more will buy this great product. Please keep up with your high quality, it is worth every penny!
- Joe of Ontario, Canada writes:
I have owned a Bowflex for a couple of years. It is well made and is the next best thing to free weights. It is expensive and should come with all the attachments considering the price. Customer service is poor. My main rail got gouged by the screws on the seat working themselves loose and the company would not replace it.
