VirtuFit Water Resistance Aqua 100i

After my old air resistance rower broke down, this water rower seemed like a good replacement. The assembly of the device is very simple and clearly explained in the manual. When I first used it, I noticed that the cover of the handles is quite rough, which forced me to adjust my grip a bit. The water resistance is very pleasant. The resistance can be regulated by filling the water tank to 1 of the 6 indicated levels. I briefly tested each level when filling and finally filled the tank to level 6, which amounted to just under 10 liters (this volume should have been stated in the description of the product and the manual). Even at level 6 I had the impression that the resistance was slightly lower than my previous (low-end) air rower, but enough to do a solid workout. Even using the included new batteries, the console's screen was very difficult to read. The numbers on the screen are just too bright. My Sigma standard uncoded 5Khz chest strap was seamlessly recognized by the console and so I could also read my heart rate. As expected, only the displayed time and heart rate are really usable. Like most rowing machines in the expensive high-end segment, this machine is not an ergometer. The number of strokes, strokes per minute, distance and calories shown are therefore pure estimates based on the revolutions of the belt shaft. I also tested the bluetooth connection with the Fitshow android app. The device was recognized very quickly by the app. The "tablet holder" on the console only has a very narrow cutout (about an inch) and no way to fasten the top of your tablet/phone. However, the app connection seemed more like a gimmick to me because only the speed was displayed in the Fitshow app. A few short & fast "strokes" of 20cm resulted in a speed of 42km/h :-) The device gives a very solid and stable impression. The seat is very comfortable and ergonomically designed. The seat also rolls smoothly over the rail and during rowing there was no squeaking or creaking to be heard, except for the water. In itself, it was initially pleasant to row on this device until after a short, more intensive test I encountered the (for me) biggest defect. The footrests are adjustable in 6 positions compared to a fixed footplate, but the standard position of the footrests is too high for someone who (like me) does not have full knee flexibility. Even at the lowest position of the footrests, I couldn't take a full rowing stroke. This caused pain in the lower back. I suspect this won't be a problem for people who do have full knee flexibility, but for me this was a deal breaker as it would lead to back injuries in the long run. For this reason I have returned the device and I will have to look for a device with lower mounted footrests (or a relatively higher seat).

I was only able to really test the device three days after assembly because it did not connect to the 'Kinomap' application when you selected 'Virtufit 100i' as the device. When you select 'WaterRower CityRow' it works immediately.

Pleasant device, quiet, stable