Review by chris carter for Kettler Kadett Outrigger Style Rower Rowing Machine
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I initially tried to order my Kettler Kadett from a company called Mercantila, a.k.a. Rowingmachines.com. It was a complete disaster and nightmare including some false advertising, trying to cover up some mistakes on their part which caused about a month of delays, some horrible customer service (or lack thereof), some false charges, and a lot of headaches. Eventually enough was enough and I wound up ordering it directly from Amazon, which cost me a few bucks more, but was well worth it.

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.

Review by J. Dimick for Kettler Kadett Outrigger Style Rower Rowing Machine
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When I got the machine and started putting it together, I noticed I was missing a few small pieces. Understandable, I think, as this machine was shipped from Germany. 3$ and a trip to my local hardware store later, the Kettler Kadett was all assembled. I had some problems with the foot straps loosening while I exercised, but I found that a velcro strap fastened around the toe area (to provide an additional foot strap) and some velcro adhesive slapped on the existing foot strap fixed that problem.

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.

Review by G. Vincent for Kettler Kadett Outrigger Style Rower Rowing Machine
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I enjoy rowing on a lake when I have the chance and I’ve also used the much more expensive concept II type rower. I had planned to get a wind resistance type rower like the concept II but when I read the reviews on the Kettler Kadett I decided to give it a try even though I had used a piston type rower before (and hated it). I’m very happy with my purchase. The Kadett really is like rowing a boat, the motion is very smooth and it is very quiet. Assembly was very straight forward, just read the directions and look at the pictures to verify. The workout is first class and a nice addition to my nordic track.