I am really glad I bought this model rower. I was looking at water rowers, but have a super small space, and wanted a silent rower. I was also balking at the prices of good water rowers and how loud they can be. I read reviews of many models, and listened to videos of the sound/loudness of each type. This fits my needs, with excellent resistance levels. The flywheel adds the feeling of more resistance for a harder pull, and a smooth stroke. I had an air rower chain drive previously. I never got over how loud it was. This is silent, but feels very similar. I hear the seat move and that's it. The belt drive is good quality, and quiet. The seat is very comfortable. The magnetic resistance is excellent. I feel strong resistance at level 3 and there are 8 total. I have plenty of room to grow. I find this really stretches my back out in the morning, is helping my posture, and i feel 'the burn' of the workout. It was packed very well, (probably important so the heavy flywheel stays aligned), was very easy to assemble, and is foldable if needed. The monitor seems to work, but i don't really look at it. I'd much rather the money is put into a quality machine and I can use my own HR chest strap and watch to track my workouts which is what I do. I love the magnetic resistance and flywheel. I rate this much better than a rower without the flywheel, and i prefer over an air rower for the quiet. I will keep this for a long time. Again, well built, and the 10 pound flywheel is totally worth the extra money for it.Update: I've had this for a few months now and it still works great. It would be nice if it had wheels or something to make it easier to move since I changed locations with it, but other than that I am still really pleased with this purchase and feel like this is a quality item.