Reviews

I purchased the R300 in the November 2024 Black Friday sale & overall I am extremely happy with the machine with one rather unfortunate caveat.

The machine itself is very easy to assemble with all tools required to do so included in the package. The instructions could be a bit clearer - put the steps & diagrams on facing pages instead of having to flip the page between the two - but it’s not a whole lot of assembly & as long as you put the right screws in the right holes & assemble it in order then you’ll be fine. I easily did it on my own.

It’s very sturdy & high quality construction & after a couple months of use I am very happy with the high quality of the rower. Though it’s been a while since I’ve been on one, I would put it on par with a Concept 2 with regards to these aspects.

I find it to be relatively quiet & have it in my spare room/office in my apartment. I’ve not measured the decibels in any way but so far no complaints from the neighbours (though we do have solid concrete between apartments here, not the modern paper-thin walls).

The cell phone holder above the monitor is great - since it’s on an elastic strap it can be positioned to the side a bit which means you can centre a device without power & volume buttons getting mashed down, it’s also stretchable enough that I can comfortably have my 10 inch tablet sitting in it.

The resistance dial is easy to move - maybe a little too easy as when I remove the cover I have on the fly wheel to keep dust out when not in use, it tends catch on the resistance lever & moves it, but that’s easily solved as one of the things I always check before I start rowing. I think it’d also be good to highlight the lever & the numbers a bit better - they’re the same colour as the flywheel cover & in certain lighting conditions can be very hard to see. White paint or stickers would solve that very minor issue.

I can’t speak to portability too much or storage requirements as mine is permanently out & in position, but based on putting it together & moving it within the same room this should be quite easy to roll around & separate into two parts for storage.

THE CAVEAT: the console/monitor.

Don’t get me wrong, it displays all the things you’d want it to - time, distance, watts, stroke rate, etc - & has a good selection of modes to choose from, but it is rather let down by zero memory retention & almost no external connectivity.

1. The monitor does not record anything you do on it. After a workout, I have to take a quick photo of the screen before moving into my cooldown. There is no internal memory on the monitor & there is no way to change how long the screen stays powered on for. Once it powers off, any & all data from a session is lost. The screen goes dark initially after about 5 seconds & I believe completely powers off after 30 seconds (I haven’t timed the full power off) but if you hit ENTER when it just goes dark but isn’t powered off it will show up again. If you accidentally hit other buttons to wake it up then the data is lost as they change the state the monitor is in. It stays on for longer in certain modes (manual says 2 minutes), but not the main ones I use which are free-rowing & distance.

Once the monitor powers off completely, all data is lost. This is even with 2 x size C batteries installed. It doesn’t even keep a historical track of how many strokes or metres the system has been used during its lifetime. The manual suggests the cable/bungee cord for the handle may stretch after 250,000 strokes, but how would you know if it doesn’t keep track? I guess just go by feel.

2. The only connectivity to the unit is to a heart rate monitor like the Polar H10. There is NO other connectivity. You can not connect it via bluetooth to any device or app, so if you want to keep track of your workouts, you have to keep a manual record from the aforementioned photos. Interestingly when I started using a Fitbit the pulse sections starts flashing between P & bt which would seem to indicate there is a bluetooth chip built into the machine but it just hasn’t been implemented, I could be totally wrong there but I did not notice the bt flashing before I got a Fitbit.

The R300 is in no way advertised that it can connect to anything other than a chest-strap HRM, I made the assumption it could at the very least save my data internally & at best connect to an app to record my data. It’s an aspect of the rower I wish I’d more thoroughly researched & understood, but I guess that’s on me.

Overall I am VERY satisfied with the machine itself & am happily rowing on it almost daily. So far recording data isn’t a major issue as I’m just starting out, but if I decide to get serious & wish to keep better track of my stats or even subscribe to a gamified rowing app, then I will sell this very capable rower & buy a Concept 2.

If data retention isn’t an issue, then I highly recommend this machine, I am not disappointed in that aspect in the least & ...

Great rower, went together easily (just follow the instructions, no shortcuts) solid parts well made, and feels like a good strong-quality rower. Best Fitness kept me up to date with tracking and when it arrived.

This is my first Preacher Curl Bench so I don't have any experience with other home units. This Powerline Bench is of solid construction, appropriately adjustable and comfortable to use. I was having trouble isolating/focusing biceps with free weights and was hoping this bench would solve that problem...it does! Ive got nothing to compare this unit to, but I don't regret this purchase and would recommend it.

I ordered a weight bench on 16th December and I am still waiting to receive it. The transport company advised delivery should occur on 23rd December. I have contacted the transport company twice & have been left on lengthy hold for service and am still waiting for advice on when the item will be delivered. I would not recommend the transport company you have used as their service has been terrible & left a very unsatisfactory impression - which impacts my satisfaction with the order.

Good quality product, great variability with 3 exercises in one machine and easy to switch between them. Mot too hard to put together either. Service and delivery were very efficient.

I have not received it yet, am still waiting

Good piece of equipment. Not industrial grade but perfect for home gym. Just have to put some weights on the front legs when doing bicep curls; other than that it does exactly what it is supposed to do and it was easy to assemble by myself.

my bolts are longer than they need to be so the bolts dont tighten even with the washers provided, i am buying more washers to make it tighter, otherwise is a bargain.

My order has not been received yet after placing it more than two weeks ago. An update on my delivery would be very much appreciated.

Just wanted to let you know that everything arrived in perfect condition last week.
The instructions were clear, and assembling it was straightforward.
I’m absolutely thrilled with the Y120 and just wanted to say a big thank you!!

Ordered on the Saturday and was pleasantly surprised when it was delivered the following Friday.
It took my husband 4 hours to put together, he said it’s good quality but will be replacing the bolts with stainless ones so they don’t rust.
We are both very happy with the new addition to our home gym.

Meets expectations. Quality appears good so far.
Delivered quickly.

High quality sturdy machine.

Seems well built for a home use power rack. The only drawback is the distance between the holes in the frame for the rack hooks and safety bars. It would be better if they were 50mm apart, rather than the 75mm they are.

Good website, good products, good value!

It’s a great equipment for our home gym. Fairly easy to put together as well. The weigh horns are super handy to add on so you can stack up weights. Delivery was super quick! I was impressed since everything takes forever to get to WA.

Extremely happy with service and product

Great piece of equipment, definitely value for money. Adds a finishing touch to a fantastic smith machine.Couldn't be happier.

Very happy with it, ideal for my small space

Provides a very good workout for the legs plus doesn’t take up a lot of room. Highly recommend

Good comms with supplier. Friendly and prompt service on pick up. Great product - fit for purpose, sturdy and well constructed.

I ordered this item a couple of weeks ago, I had a minor issue with delivery but the best fitness team solved it rapidly and ended up getting delivered earlier than expected!!!

I would like to say a big thank you regarding your customer service, Lucas in Adelaide was outstanding and resolved everything within the hour!!!!!

Now the negative!!!!

The instructions for the build are horrific, I’m pretty savvy with building kits, my brain was getting a good workout, word or warning, don’t build this with your wife otherwise it could possibly terminate your marriage as frustrations ran high during the process!!!😂

All in all, I would recommend this product, I’m super pleased with it, great price and service from BF.

We bought this rowing machine to improve our health and work on core strength, it fits the bill perfectly. A great investment and using it daily is really helping us both.

I delt with Lucas before purchasing this rack and he was very helpful with my questions.
Received the rack in Qld, in good time with no issues.
Putting the rack together was easy and didn’t take long.
The rack is very well made and very solid, even for chin ups, can’t fault it.
Very satisfied with this half rack and the customer service by Best Fitness.

Great item, will soon be ordering the Pec Deck to complete the system. Highly recommended.