Very impressed with the machine. Have been using a piston type rowing machine up until now. This rower gives a much better workout. For some reason I couldn't work up a sweat with the piston machine but am able to with this rower.
The variable resistance does work, is noticeable and useful. Much better than adding/removing water to adjust resistance. I warm up in position 1 and slowly increase and then decrease towards the end of the workout.
The ability to stand the machine up and wheel it into the corner is very useful.
The only thing is that the rower is advertised as being quiet and even quieter than fan units, but??? The water sloshing around is very noisy. I have to use my headphones to listen to my podcasts. Was surprising but not a deal killer.
The rower is very well built with quality components. I read complaints about it having a bungee cord recoil, but heck it works, is minimalist in its approach and inexpensive to fix if it fails in a few years.