NordicTrack RW500 Rower - Black

So I just got this and set it up. Did a quick workout on it and here are my initial observations: 1. When I ordered, it was called RW500. The site is calling it the RW850 now. It’s the same unit. I received the RW500 box and my receipt says RW850 but it is definitely the same unit. 2. It’s very heavy. Assembly was easy but you need your own wrenches and a philips head screwdriver. Metric or adjustable for the 13mm. 3. The strap is flat nylon and feels sturdy. The seat slides smoothly and the foot straps are robust. The actual rowing action is superb. Similar to the expensive gym stuff and the wheel blows air on you. 4. The console is a pain to figure out so I just ran it in manual mode. It came with a basic tablet that runs the iFit app. 5. One of my huge cons is that the beam that holds the console on was welded crookedly so the display is tilted counterclockwise at a quite noticeable angle. That’s extremely poor because if it was welded in a factory with a jig, everything should be at right angles. It looks like someone just tack welded it by hand. Heavily reduces the perceived quality of the somewhat expensive unit. 6. Also, my machine was packed very well and seemed new but had a few random white paint scuffs on black portions and scratches all over the logo. Not sure if it was refurbished to new at the factory and repackaged or damaged while packaging. Not the end of the world. Those are my quick impressions. Outside of the slanted mount for the console and the fact that I would have forgone all of the iFit and tablet stuff for a lower price (although the next model down is “only” $200 cheaper, I was worried about the rowing quality being lower), I can tell by the quality of the actual rowing that this will be my machine for a very long time.

super nice rower, seat could be a little more comfortable, but overall very happy with my purchase.