- Tony of Virginia, USA writes:
Assmembly took about 5 hours. Not physically challenging, but it was difficult to match up the parts (especially the bolts) with the diagrams in the manual. Made it take longer. Exercise is great. I can bench over 300lbs, but cannot fully extend the Crossbow with all the stock (240lbs) bows in resistance. I did order the additional 200lbs bows becuase the stock 240lbs is not enough for my legs. I do have to keep switching between the long and the short handles depending on the exercise, so the quick change feature is not so quick. Overall, this is an excellent unit for the price. The Bowflex Ultimate may have one or two more features, but it cost 3 times as much. The aditional features aren't worth the extra BowFlex cost.
- Bill of Ohio, USA writes:
A month ago I purchased the crossbow from a local store. Thanks to reading all the other reviews I knew about the setup so it was not aggrevating. PROS: Cheaper price, More for your money ( Leg and Lat Tower), Safer than free weights. CONS: Part of the seat was ripped when I pulled it from the box, Seems like the 10 and 20 lbs rods are already bending which may affect the effectiveness of your workout. Seems to have a slack in the cable which would probably affect the workout... Overall: I am very happy with the machine and use it every other day alternating between upper body and lower body .. I actually like the leg attachment and have seen results in a month .. If you serious about working out and changing then I would purchase this machine over the bowflex.
- Paul of New York, USA writes:
i have been working out for over 25 years and i have used free-weights, nautilus, universal, etc., and they are all good products. i recently purchased the crossbow and i could not be happier. i have not felt a burn like this in years. i have used the bowflex several times and i feel there is no difference between the two, except the price. the instructions were pretty easy to follow and accurate but plan on 2 and a half to 3 hours assembly time. as a football coach, i would not recommend this product though soley for strength training. a good set of free weights would help, but for one who wants to tone up and stay in shape, well this is the home gym for you.
- Ken of Virginia, USA writes:
I have owned a Crossbow for about a month. I purchased it from a national dept store to avoid shipping charges. It took me about 5hrs on and off to put it together. Some of the assembly really should have been done by the factory. Also, there was no user/assembly guide in the box. I found the user/assembly guide online as a .PDF. During assembly some of the parts did not match up to either assembly guide (one was metric, the other was inches) Once assembled, the unit was solid and worked well. Be sure to put grease on the lower pulley frame sockets so that they rotate freely as the cable angle changes during chest pullovers. I have been using the Crossbow about 3 times a week averaging 35 minutes per workout. I have not been keeping good workout records (reps, resistence, etc) but my gut feeling is that I am getting stronger and my muscles are firmer. I'm using low rep/high resistance to bulk up and create more fat burning mass. I took a "before" body picture and will take another @ 6 weeks. I like the Crossbow because it is safer in the house than weight systems (I have kids with curious little fingers). Having worked out in clubs before, I like having my own home gym because I never have to wait for the next piece of equipment in my routine. The variety of exercises makes each workout different and interesting. As such, I am still figuring out an efficient routine. It takes very little time to change the resistance (less so than the Bowflex I used to sell at the bike shop) I keep my Bowflex in the guest bedroom and it folds up easily whenever I need more space. Overall I would recommend the Crossbow over the Bowflex for price and ease of use.
- Michael of Michigan, USA writes:
I purchased my crossbow via the manufacturer. Like I've read earlier, if you mention that you can get it at a local retailer, the shipping will be waived. Therefore, I only paid 499.00. I did opt to go ahead and purchase the additional 200 lbs of resistance at that time. They told me shipping would be 2 weeks...got it in 5 days!! Assembly was about 3 hrs. It is a great idea to sort and label all of the screws/bolts/nuts. Be advised that some bolts are very close in length, so don't think some parts are missing until you compare all of the parts. I noticed that the wheels are too small in diameter to roll easily over my carpet, so a quick trip to the local hardware store...got some cheap plastic wheels (like replacement for a grill) and slapped them on. I am going today to make a lat bar out of conduit and eye bolts (cheap). I've only had two workouts on it, and I think this unit is great. I went to another bow-type website and downloaded their workout guide....much better than what comes with the crossbow unit. All in all, I really like the resistance, and what a value!!! About time someone came into the market with a reasonably priced resistance machine.
- Josh of Texas, USA writes:
I got mine in within 2 weeks.All the parts were there. Separate all the parts first and its a breeze to put together. took me 3 hours including 40 minutes to separate parts. The machine is great and its smooth. I did not have any problems putting it together at all. Remember separate on the pieces screws, nuts and washers and you will have no problem. I used to workout with free weight 24 years. I got so bored with them I gave them away. This machine is fun and very simple to use. The only way you can get hurt on this machine is if you get up during the night and walk in to it. My room is very large, But it is a good ideal to fold it up when not in use. This is a great product. The bowFlex is way over rated.
- Shawn of Oregon, USA writes:
I purchased the Crossbow and was upset about the long wait...almost a month... but was excited when it arrived 2 weeks early. I was a little intimidated by the exploded diagrams in the user's manual, but since I am mechanical I figured assembly would be a breeze. It was, but you definaltly need to give yourself plenty of time and send the kids to the movies. The machine is nicely crafted and i am amazed by the work out it gives me. I have no buyers remorse and am very satisfied.
- Richard of Utah, USA writes:
I'm a Bow Flex Owner and was curious on the Cross Bow since it is half the price. I went to a local store and tried it out and was disappointed in the product. The infomercial tries to put Bow Flex down with only 2 examples. One is the range of motion. The range of motion on the Bow Flex is fine when you do the exercise properly in the right position in which the infomercial did not, and second they state it's difficult to change the weight on the Bow Flex compared to the Cross Bow which is also not true. I've owned my Bow Flex for 4 years and you get what you pay for. Let me give you some reasons not to buy this but to spend the extra money for a better product. The hand grips on the Bow Flex are better quality, more comfortable to grip, and are designed to be used by your legs as well for different leg exercised. I've heard Cross Bow's customer service is so so. The bench is covered in a cheap plastic type vinyl that can tear easily and also sticks to you when you're sweating. The weight is so unrealistic. I was able to curl 160 pounds on this thing 4 times. On the Bow Flex or free weights I can't even come close to moving that weight. On top of that the rods they use have a feel like bungee cords. It starts off easy then get progressively harder as you push or pull the weight. About half way through the movement is when it gets difficult. Doing a squat on this thing is a joke to. You need the weight on top of you, not behind you. Also the rods feel like a cheap plastic. The Bow Flex has a non tear bench material that is very comfortable. Also won't stick to you while working out. The power rod weights are very close to real free weights, and it feels the same from the very start of the movement till the end of the movement. Very Consistent through out the exercise. Customer service is outstanding. When doing the squat on the Bow Flex you need the attachment, but this attachment allows the weight to be right over you and feels great. Plus with the attachment you get a bar bell which rest on your shoulder to do your squat properly. Cross Bow you have to use the hand grips so your arms are supporting all the weight in stead on your legs. By the way when doing the row machine you need your feet clipped onto the foot bar in order to get a real rowing work out. The Bow Flex has tow clips you can purchase separately that are worth every penny and make for a great rowing workout. All in all I could leave far more examples but if you really want something that is superior and will last forever? Pay the money and get the Bow Flex. The Cross Bow has some good ideas but is far from being a good machine!
- Kevin of New Mexico, USA writes:
Like many others on this site, I have been dreaming about the bowflex for years. Just when I was about to give in to the outrageous $1600 price tag for the one I wanted, my brother told me about the Crossbow. Then, as luck would have it, a retail store started carrying it. So I tried it out. I loved it! I was still wavering though because I really had my heart set on the Bowflex. However, all my doubts were put aside when my wife bought me the Crossbow for Christmas. Assembly was definitely a trying experience. It took me 6 hours to put it together by myself. So I've been using it for over a month now and I haven't thought about the Bowflex since! I bought all the attatchments. You definitely need the extra resistance for the leg press. I've tried the Bowflex and I honestly must say that the Bowflex is the better machine, but only slightly. To get the same thing you get with the Crossbow you would need to at least get the Bowflex Power Pro with the leg attatchment and the Lat Tower. This will cost $1597. It's definitely not that much better. The Crossbow is the way to go.
- Daniel of Texas, USA writes:
I purchased the Crossbow about three weeks ago after watching an infomercial about it. What persuaded me to purchase this product was the price. It was about half the cost of the Bowflex. Assembly is very time consuming, but my advice is to arrange all the parts into groups before attempting to assemble. My wife and I assembled it in about 4-5 hours. I've been using it for the past two weeks and I feel it is one of the best investment I've made. I feel great after each workout. Highly recommended!
- Gary of Ohio, USA writes:
I ordered my Crossbow in November, 2002. It came in 2 weeks, the lat bar came in another 2 weeks. A bear to put together, but mechanical wife came in handy. 5 hours at least, but kind of fun. I thought the clips were a little small so I went to the hardware store and bought bigger ones and just clipped them into the existing ones. The changes are much faster now. The base plate had a broken bolt but it doesn't hurt anything. The rower is not very smooth, kind of bumpy. I don't use it much anyway.I have learned to do squats with it by taking off the bench and leaning forward a bit while holding the handles. Calf raises are difficult, the body strap hurts my back. Do be careful doing benches and presses. Use proper form or you may aggravate your rotator cuffs like I did. I am 6'3", 300 pounds. The machine is adequate for me, I do look forward to using it. It is a keeper. I recommended it to one fellow and he hated it, I think he was comparing it to health club machines that cost six to seven times more. It IS a home gym, not a commercial machine.
- Doug of Florida, USA writes:
I am very pleased overall with the product. The initial assembly took three hours with just one person. The only part I could have used help on was attaching the bottom rollers and spacers to the seat slide. The lat tower will NOT fit thru a standard doorway so if you are trying to move it from room to room you will need two people to scoot it sideways thru the opening. I have worked out on my brother-in-law's Bowflex alot and this product is every bit as good as the Bowflex for 1/3 of the price.
- Patrick of Arizona, USA writes:
Ok lets get the obvious out of the way first. This is a new product and hence, is not perfect. I.E. the wheels are to small etc. etc. Also, we know it's difficult to put together. Anything like this is will always be a bear to assemble. Ok now the review. I wanted a Bowflex for a long time and then saw the Crossbow advertised on TV. I bought the Crossbow about 3 weeks ago and it is awesome. I am 35 and have been using free weights for years. I am also married with 2 wonderful kids. In other words I'm busy with other priorities. This product is perfect for me in that it provides me a great (burning) workout consisting of various excersizes targeting all areas of the body. I use this product 4 times a week in the AM,in 45 minutes my workout is done for the day. The Crossbow is a quality machine and provides a tough workout. I expect to have to upgrade with additional resistance, so what, that means I'm increasing my strength. Yeah maybe the rods aren't exact with the amount of resistance but there is enough resistance to get you burning and pumped. After 3 weeks I am already noticing changes in definition and proportion. I love it. By the way, I saw a Bowflex at a local store. It's the Power Pro version (the one that comes with not tower or leg stuff). I tried it out and I was very dissapointed in the quality of the Bowflex. And don't even get me started on the price of that inferior piece of equipment. Needless to say I am not interested in the Bowflex anymore. Those guys are making some serious money on the Bowflex. Too bad if you've bought one you could have done better with the Crossbow and not financed someone's Lexus at Bowflex.
- Joseph of Georgia, USA writes:
This Crossbow is an awesome picece of equipment! I love it! I am a soldier, so physical fitness is very important to me. This machine lets me get a total workout. One negative thing about the Crossbow, "it took me nearly 6 hours to put the thing together. It will definitely take two people to assembly the Crossbow in a record breaking time. Overall, I give the Crossbow an A rating.
- Vicki of Washington, USA writes:
I recently purchased a CrossBow after owning a bowflex (the ex got that one) I loved the bowflex and wanted to replace the one I'd lost but couldn't afford it. I read all this site's reviews on the crossbow and decided to go for it. I bought it locally (on sale) for $499. The bowflex seems somewhat better made, but definitely not worth over $1000.00 more. Assembly wasn't bad. Separating and checking the parts before starting was the most time consuming. DO NOT try to put this together in a hurry. Take your time and read carefully. If you count all the parts before you begin, which is essential, don't panic if you come up short. A few peices are pre-assembled and we found a few nuts and bolts already attached to things. We ended up missing just 2 bolts which were easily obtained from the hardware store. I definitely recommend the lat bar and at least an extra 100 lbs. All in all, a good deal, especially when compared to the bowflex.
- Jonathan of Pennsylvania, USA writes:
My crossbow came in with in a week and a half. It took me about 5 hours to put together myself only because I have a 1 year old running around with the parts. I've been using for sometime now. Its a nice workout but I wish it came with a workout program specialized for what your trying to acomplish. I called customer service and asked i they do specialized programs and he told me to just watch the video and pick what I want to do which I thought was ignorant. In my book the product gets a 8 but service gets a 1 only becuase they answered the phone.
- Don of Washington DC, USA writes:
I've had the Crossbow for about 3 weeks now and I have to admit I am disappointed. There is no way that the weight on the rods is the actual resistance force that I am pulling. While doing arm curls I have to put 100lbs to get any real resistance. I know that I have a hard time curling 50lbs per arm of free weights. While going the a rep the only time I feel any burn is when I am at the peak of the motion. Whereas using free weights you have resistance from the moment you pick up the weight. Yes this machine is safer than free weights and costs less than the Bowflex, but it falls extremely short on its weight. It advertises that it comes with 220lbs of resistance, but it feels like 50lbs. I would not recommend this machine until an unbiased scientific study is done on the true resistance weight of this machine.
- Jeff of Kansas, USA writes:
I worked out on a Bowflex for 9 months with a friend before he moved. Overall I would say the Crossbow is equal if not superior once you add in all the attachments. I purchased the squat attachment and foot harnesses from Bowflex and they incorporate into the Crossbow great! The 240lbs of resistance is deceiving. Although it varies by the exercise and position when you start your motion, the 240lbs is PER SIDE, or a maximum bench of 480! I use nearly the same amount on either machine for bench press. For single-side exercises (1 handed curls) they do not match pound for pound however because of the shared tension line that the Crossbow uses. Bowflex's 410 lbs maximum is TOTAL, or 205 per side. With the 200lb upgrade the Crossbow actually offers far more (880 to 410) total possible resistance!
- Mark of Idaho, USA writes:
Great piece of equipment to do most any exercises on. Good resistance both positive and negative. Safe to work on. No need for spotters. Can give you a quick workout in 20 to 30 minutes. Will see results in as little as three weeks (10 to 12 sessions). Well built and sturdy compared to other pieces of equipment in a similar price range. Cons: Be prepared for at least three to five hours of setup time to put this bad boy together. Also, the equipment is pretty tall and will be difficult to move down hallways and through doors. Some parts could be improved on and further setup at the factory should have been performed before shipment of the product. Instructions were fairly complete but lacked in a few areas. Chair is okay but still has play from side to side. Overall rating on a scale of 1-10 is 8.5. Good product for the money.
- Rob of New York, USA writes:
I have been using the crossbow for just over a week. Putting the system together did take some time. I have to say that you need to layout the pieces well, and read the instructions carefully, however, its not rocket science. The workouts on the crossbow are excellent. In a weeks time I did notice a difference in my body. I definitely feel different. For the price, the crossbow is well worth it. It may not be as "put together" as the bowflex, but for the price, you cant beat it.
