With the exception of those minor nuisances, the Kettler Kadett is an amazing piece of machinery. When I use it, I can tell it’s not going to break or fall apart at the nuts and bolts. It went together easily and it’s solid as a rock when I use it. I’ve never rowed on a real boat in my life, but this feels just as I’d imagine it would. And of course the most important part, when I get off, I feel like I’ve gotten a gym quality work out.

4 out of 5 stars for this rowing machine, the packaging could have been better and slightly re-designed foot wraps, but all in all an excellent buy.

From the solidity and the perfect fit of the parts, it is clear that this machine is the product of German engineering. I haven’t seen anything so well designed in years. Each part fits well, tightens nicely and still rotates or slides with ease. The machine is sturdy, sits well on carpet or hard flooring and easily folds into a compact shape when not in use.

A workout on the Kadett is better than any workout I’ve ever experienced, aside from rowing or kayaking. The motion is very realistic, with nothing to distract one beyond the small chirping of the pistons and the occasional knock of the seat against the front of the rail. It is easy to close my eyes and imagine myself rowing down a quiet river. The entire experience is more like meditation than exercise — the perfect way to start, or end, a busy day.

After a 45 minute workout, I wasn’t sure that I had really gotten a particularly strenuous workout. Then I stepped off the machine and realized that my legs were like rubber. It was that subtle.

I highly recommend this machine to anyone looking for an alternative to the ordinary. The full-body workout provided by rowing is a beautiful thing. The price is less than most elliptical trainers, the unit weighs only 66lbs, and it gives your arms a workout too! I can’t say enough good things about this machine.

Happy rowing!

The machine comes mostly disassembled and took about an hour and a half to put together. There were a few confusing moments as the instructions are only pictures and no text, so making sure you have the right part takes a little extra focus. It came with all the tools necessary except an allen wrench which was necessary for one small thing.

In terms of overall quality, it’s very high. I’m not concerned about this thing breaking, nor does it rattle or have ill-fitting parts. That said, the housing for the computer is a little wimpy and doesn’t attach very securely to the main body as I’ve knocked it off a couple times. A small piece of tape at the base has kept it firmly locked into place since.

Some people have complained about the location of the straps on the foot plates. I actually find their location ideal, although they do tend to loosen themselves during a workout. I made a trip down to the store and bought some velcro which I sewed onto the straps. It took 15 minutes to do and I now have the best foot straps in the world.

The best thing about this machine, and the reason I bought it, is that it REALLY DOES in fact mimic an actual rowing motion. When I close my eyes I can actually believe I’m on a boat on the water which makes my workouts much more pleasant. So for anyone with any doubts, you can in fact believe the hype, it IS like rowing a boat. Additionally, all the action is very smooth. The seat is very sturdy and comfortable and it doesn’t wobble. The arms are also smooth and the grips spin freely.

One other reason I bought this machine is that I’m very tall and the Kadett adjusts to accommodate my size. It does this by placing the footboards on a center beam that slides inside the central housing. This beam can be adjusted allowing my incredibly long logs to get a full complete extension without the seat hitting the end of it’s track.

Although it takes up a lot of space during use due to the outrigger style “oars”, it does fold up to the size of a traditional hydraulic rowing machine in about 30 seconds. I keep mine leaned up against a wall and out of the way in an adjacent room, and as it’s not very heavy it isn’t a big deal pulling it out every morning.

One problem I did discover, is that the numbers on one of my adjustable hydraulic pistons is misaligned. So it was a minor nuisance to set the resistance initially as I had to do it by feel.

In preview, the Kadette appears to be overpriced compared to virtually all other hydraulic rowing machines. But it really is a completely different kind of animal in terms of the rowing action that makes it worth the price tag. It still suffers from a slow start as the pistons come up to temperature like any other hydraulic rowing machine, but the rowing motion is like heaven.