JLL® Ventus 2 Air Resistance Home Rowing Machine, 2025 Model, Fitness Cardio Workout with 8 Levels of Magnetic Resistance, Advanced Driving Belt System, Super Smooth Slideway, 12-Month Warranty

I've had this for a couple of months now and am very happy with it. It's very similar to the type I used to use down the gym, so feels very familiar. The display is very simple to use and you can either log your distance and time, or use race mode. Race mode has 15 levels and I've rapidly got up to level 12. Level 13 is just out of reach at the moment - all in good time. I started doing 1000 metres on resistance level 1, which was an effort at the time. In two months I've progressed to 2000 metres on resistance level 3. So the machine is going to last me a good long time as I get fitter and stronger. I wasn't bothered about Bluetooth or integrating with apps and smartphones, so the simple setup of the display is fine for my purposes. It shows stroke rate and watts being generated as well. I'd say the display is a bit on the cheap plasticy side, but it does what it's supposed to... The overall build is solid, but be prepared to assemble everything. It's very easy to follow the instructions, but the bigger parts take a bit of wrangling if you're on your own. The only minor quibble is that the bolts which hold the foot rests keep loosening with use. But they're very easy to tighten with the supplied spanners, so I just keep that handy and give it a tweak as necessary. Tons of packaging and polystyrene too, so be prepared for a full wheelie bin or a trip to the tip. They could probably do more to reduce this, especially the polystyrene. It's very easy to fold up and move around out of the way. You just unscrew the locking bolt, tip up the rail and push through the locking bolt. Then you can tip the whole thing up and wheel it along. Overall it's comfortable, easy to use, sufficiently challenging to keep someone who is unfit to moderately fit occupied, and decent build quality. Better than the cheap ones, better because of the air resistance, but maybe not as good as the expensive ones. But just right at this price point.

Pleasantly surprised by the quality and sturdiness of all the parts, everything was well packaged and the assembly was reasonably straightforward (aside from the two mystery metal bushes that weren't listed anywhere on the parts list or instructions - still don't know what they're for). Smooth and reasonably quiet when in use, the seat is as comfortable as you'll get on an erg, and the handle provides good grip. I'm 176cm tall, and the catch position is definitely short - you can't achieve a nice reach forward before the handle is already hard back against its housing - the footplates really need to be about 6-8cm further back, as the rail has plenty of length. It's a big unit, even folded, but easy to manoeuvre with the front wheels if locked flat, or the centre wheels when folded. Wish list would have been ant+ or Bluetooth connectivity, but it's a really robust and effective erg for the money. Just don't rely on the Amazon indicated delivery estimates - they bear no resemblance to reality. The courier company being used by JLL seem to have very few 2 man vans, so mine sat in their depot for almost two weeks.

This rower sits nicely between entry level 'budget' rowers and (very expensive) professional ones and you definitely feel you have got good value for your money. The JLL staff are extremely helpful and they have a showroom where you can actually see each of their models together which emphasises how close this model is to their top of the range unit. Assembly was straightforward with good written instructions and also an online video showing the major steps (the only thing missing from the video is actually getting the parts out of the box which does take some time as they are extremely well packed and secured with tape). One piece of information not in the manual is the weight of the main unit which is preassembled and is just under 22kg. There were some minor errors in the printed manual that was included in the box but most of these have already been corrected in the downloadable version. There was only one minor manufacturing defect with the unit on the mounting points for the left hand footplate which was easily resolved with the addition of a couple of washers to ensure the mounting bolts tightened fully. In operation, the rowing action is very smooth with the belt system much better than the chain system of my previous rower. The seat is also comfortable with 2 rollers on top of the rail and one below giving a stable motion. The addition of an air vent directing the fan output towards you and helping to keep you cool is very welcome and the tablet mount is also a useful feature. Folding the rail is simple and bprovides a secure arrangement to minimise the footprint when not in use. Positive points - A very sturdy and well designed rower with several features that differentiate it from similarly priced units - Extremely well packaged to ensure safe transportation - Simple and secure folding to reduce space - Fan airflow vent to provide cooling air - Smooth action with easily adjusted magnetic resistance - All necessary assembly tools included - Full A4 printed manual including an exploded diagram of the rower and detailed assembly and operating instructions Negative points - There were some minor errors in the manual included in the box (e.g. only one hex allen key is provided and required but two are listed in the contents) however many of these have already been corrected in the online version of the manual. - There was one minor manufacturing defect on the left hand footplate mounts that needed the addition of a couple of washers. - Changing the batteries on the monitor requires it to be removed from the bracket.

This is my first rowing machine, so it was a bit of a stab in the dark, the Ventus 2 felt like a good starting point for someone like me: physically fit with a well established exercise regimine - looking to branch out and incorporate rowing into the mix. My expectations were met and exceeded - particularly by way of customer support (from helpful assembly videos to help when I accidentally bent a crucial component of the machine!). The machine itself is sturdy, well built but practical. The footprint was important to me, with limited space. The process of folding up and moving the machine is very, very simple and its size, once folded, suprisingly small. As made clear in the description - the display / software here isn't going to connect to fitness watches or anything like that - being a simple LCD display. However, the programming and readouts are extremely intuitive with all key metrics clearly tracked and the whole display does a great job of telling you everything you need to know - at a glance. The holder for a tablet is a great addition. The build quality is top notch, as is absolutely necessary for a machine designed to take an adult's full weight during rigorous exercise. The belt resistance feels good too and all points of contact sturdy, reliable and comfortable. Aside from a few hiccups with assembly (which were easily rectified by finding the build walkthrough on Youtube) - I cannot find fault in this great, strudy and compact machine.

If you don't want to pay mega bucks for a home rower I can recommend this piece of kit. A good mid range rower, delivered on time, which is saying something during the Covid-19 crisis. The rower is self assembly and is well packaged, watch out for the weight as it's about 40kgs. The rower comes with its own tool pack but would recommend you use your own sockets or spanners. The assembly instructions were ok but 4 small parts attaching the railway to the fan assemble were not mentioned, took me a few minutes to find out where these went. It took about 50 minutes to assemble, some parts are a bit fiddly and you may want another pair of hands to help. Once assembled the rower is sturdy and feels like the real deal when you get on it. The ride is smooth and the resistance levels are ok. Obviously this is not up there with the 'Concept 2' or commercial kit you get at your local gym but for home use it is about the best you can get without paying over the odds. My family and I have been using it every day since we took delivery and it has held up well. No problems thus far. A good aerobic workout. Worth the money.

I was surprised at the quality of the product. It felt very well engineered as I was assembling it. The instructions are basic but ok. The only thing I would say is that the forward reach is limited by the position of the circular dome. On a Concept 2 I can reach forward beyond my feet to get the maximum movement. On this machine the forward reach is limited to just being level with my feet. It is ok, and works ok. If you never used a Concept 2 you probably won't notice. The adjustable resistance is ok, I have it in the middle and works well for me. Putting it on maximum gives it a strange feeling of the resistance throughout the stroke, but I guess that is a result of using magnets. For the price it is perfectly fine. it seems a good product. I would recommend it.

After some extensive comparison research, the JLL Ventus 2 was chosen based on features and price. The delivery from Amazon came on time as expected. The product is relatively easy to assemble as the instructions were clear and the parts were easy to identify. In use, it works as expected, there is good variation in the level of assistance available and the digital readout works well. A bonus is that the holder allows an iPad to be secured above the readout but be aware you will need to use longer bolts to secure it in place. One problem we had was that the heal strap on one of the footpads was split. We phoned JLL to report this and their customer service was second to none. They put a replacement (pair) in the post without any further ado. Top quality and highly recommended.

I spent over £500 on this product and lost many hours of my life without being able to use it. PROS The product arrived well packaged and with pretty good, clear instructions. The build quality of the rower itself was reasonably good - about what I would expect for £400-500. CONS 1. The display is a cheap plastic box and extremely poor quality. The manufacturer should be embarrassed to include it alongside the rower, which was much better quality. 2. Fitting the display to the rower is very fiddly and easy to get wrong - a very poor design. MY EXPERIENCE 1. Having spent almost two hours building the rower it didn’t work. I then spent almost an hour testing and refitting any bits that I may have got wrong. 2. I contacted Amazon to try and resolve the issue. All they could do was offer me a refund, which wasn’t how I wanted to be rewarded for losing 3 hours of my life. 3. I then contacted the manufacturer and explained the problem. After quite a few emails back and forth the concluded it was the display unit and so they sent me another one. A few days later the unit arrived and I had to spend time, once again, trying to connect the fiddly and awkward unit to the rower. It didn’t work. 4. After further emails with the manufacturer I was asked to record a video to evidence that it didn’t work!!!! Eventually they concluded that the whole unit had to be replaced and offered to collect it without me having to disassemble it (the one plus!). I explained that I would need to be advised when the collection would happen so I could make sure I was in. On the day collection was due I received no notifications but by chance I saw a lorry outside my house. The driver was just about to leave. He hadn’t called me so I didn’t hear the door bell when I was in the garden. When he opened the door to the lorry there was no replacement unit. I called the company and all they had arranged was the collection and told me that I had to arrange a separate delivery with them. I gave up and requested a refund. I was told I couldn’t have a refund until their delivery driver returned with the unit. Eventually, I received my refund. No compensation for the many hours of inconvenience and no real apology. On the basis of the poor quality display I would advise thinking twice about buying this product. On the basis of the terrible customer service I would encourage actively avoiding the company altogether.