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Reviews

I just received my Bowflex Revolution FT and it is a good product. Well made and easy to assemble. Footprint in reasonably small so it can be used in smaller areas. It is very quiet during use and quick to change weights and positions. My only concern is that this equipment is made in China. I wish U.S. companies would make their products in the USA since so many Americans are out of work and need jobs.

I bought this item as a combination with the 1090 dumbells and the 3.1 bench. Ok back to the FT itself. Putting it together was fairly easy, the nuts and bolts are all seperately marked (an excellent touch I thought). When it was just about done and ready today....comes the bombshell.....There IS NOTHING in the assembly or user manual to explain what happens if the inner cable on the pully wheels inside, and the straps for the weight "wheels" go out of sync, ir the inner cables get all tangled. 3 HOURS it took and lots of internet research to discover how to rectify this problem. Which included me taking off the sides (note also, you will need a VERY long thin philips head screwdriver to get one of the screws out as its a really deep hole in the side) and top. Having to remove the 5lb plates for the spiraflex weights, pull out the tension knob, move the inner wheel clockwise and also make sure the "bands" were straight down (not angled) and tight. AND making sure the "counter weights" were rested on the springs inside (not the red plastic) Then replacing the plates and sides.....FINALLY got it all working. BUT CMON over 1,400 for a fitness machine that is OBVIOUSLY great once working, but has no information AT ALL on this problem????? which is a VERY common issue. Which could have been explained both on the video, or a few sentances in the assembly/user manual Having said that, now its all working, the system is INCREDIBLY smooth (albiet a little bit of flappy noise from the plastic that protects the bands on the wheel, but doesnt deter from the workout) It is important to follow the 4 second in 4 second out to get the most out of the system, but it really is incredibly space concious and versatile. Would have been a definate 5 but for the problem I had during assembly and setup

I have enjoyed using the bowflex revolution. One complaint, the left side came in off track and tangled. It was a pain to take that whole side apart to fix it, but it has worked great since.

I have been working out on my new FT for just a few days. So far I am incredibly impressed with the workouts and the level of flexibility of the FT. I opted for the FT because I think that not having the bench attached to the actually unit gives me a little bit more flexibility in my work outs..the bench in my opinion would get in the way. I bought an after market bench from Target. It works perfectly and is an added plus when I move to my selecttech dumbbells. First lets talk about the setup. Setup was pretty simple. The directions are straight forward and well put together. I ran into a snag at the end when I noticed that one of the chords was off track inside the actual housing of the FT. Customer service was closed for the weekend so I had to wait until Monday. Bowflex should either place these instructions online or include them in a troubleshooting guide. All in all there wasn't much to it. Customer service is great. On to the workouts. To get the most out of the FT or any Bowflex with the spiralflex tech remember these words.."Form Is EVERYTHING" 4 seconds out and 4 seconds in, is the rhythm needed to get the max out of your workout. You will have to experiment with the spiraflex plates to figure out what works for you but once you find that sweet spot you will be rewarded. The workouts are intense and give you a great amount of "burn" and feedback. I group my exercises so that I can work a couple of different muscles in a given arm and grip position. Here is my only negative...The chords loose their tension after a few sessions. Bowflex has a knob that you turn that is suppose to tighten the slack when this happens. Every time I touch that knob to adjust the tension the chord becomes tangled and I have to open the whole thing up to straighten it out again. I hope it's something I'm doing wrong, and very well maybe..but it is annoying. Conclusion...Buy it! The FT is a couple of hundred bucks cheaper than the XP and works just as well as the others. It really doesn't take up that much space I think it would fit perfect in an apartment or loft. My motivation for buying it was to spend more time at home with the family and less time on the road to and from the gym. To that end the Bowflex is just right for me!

*I am writing this 'review' not from the standpoint of purchaser, but rather from the standpoint of informer. I hope this can save someone from maybe buying the wrong Revolution.* There are 3 different Bowflex Revolutions. There is the 'regular' model (the Revolution) (footprint of app. 3'X 8'), then the [space-saving] Rev. XP, and also the [space-saving] Rev. FT (footprint(s) of app. 4'X5'). It seems as though the FT does NOT come with a seat/chair/bench (unless "added on"). Some [other] places offer the 3.1 bench included in the price of the FT. Purchaser should be aware that unless added, no bench will come with FT (again, this is from my research..please correct me if I am wrong). I am needing a bench that is able to be 'attached' to the unit, so the bench is stable...not wobble-like, or shaky ; therefore, I am opting for the XP. The "FT" is the retail version of the Revolution. Also, I personally see no provision(s) for a [true] preacher curl. I love the design and footprint of the [space-saving] Revolution(s), just wanted to clear up a potentially confusing situation.