Type of exercise equipment
BowFlex
is the brand name for a series of fitness training equipment, marketed and sold by BowFlex Inc., formerly
Nautilus, Inc.
Based in Vancouver, Washington,
[1]
the company sells its products through direct, retail, and international channels.
[2]
[3]
The first BowFlex product, BowFlex 2000X, was created in 1986.
[3]
BowFlex products now range from cardio machines,
[4]
adjustable dumbbells,
[5]
and home gyms.
[6]
History
[
edit
]
The BowFlex grew out of a now-expired patent
[7]
first conceived by an Ethiopian engineering student in the United States, named Tessema Dosho Shifferaw. BowFlex of America, Inc. began marketing the first product, BowFlex 2000X in 1986. Instead of conventional
weights
or
pulley
machines, the original BowFlex machine used a combination of polymer rods to create constant resistance or tension.
[3]
BowFlex of America merged with Stratford Software Corporation, USA in 1993 and changed its name to BowFlex, Inc. It became a public company on the
Toronto Stock Exchange
.
[3]
In 1998, the company changed its name to Direct Focus, Inc. and initiated an IPO on
Nasdaq
. With the success of BowFlex, the company bought
Nautilus International, Inc.
,
Schwinn Fitness
, and
Stairmaster
.
[3]
In 2002, the company moved to the
NYSE
and renamed itself The Nautilus Group, then
Nautilus, Inc.
The company changed its name from Nautilus, Inc. to BowFlex Inc.
[8]
and refreshed the BowFlex® brand identity
[9]
in 2023.
In March 2024, BowFlex declared
Chapter 11 bankruptcy
, citing poor post-COVID sales for its collapse. Taiwan-based Johnson Health Tech soon announced that it would acquire all of BowFlex's assets for $37.5 million.
[10]
Recalls
[
edit
]
On January 29, 2004, about 420,000 BowFlex machines were
recalled
due to mechanical problems. In November 2004, there was a recall of nearly 800,000 (680,000 Power Pro units and 102,000 Ultimate units) BowFlex machines after reports that several models had broken unexpectedly. The
Consumer Product Safety Commission
said that the seats could unexpectedly break and that the backboard bench could collapse when in the incline position on the Power Pro model. This recall was voluntary and the company offered every purchaser a free safety repair kit.
[11]
In March 2006, about 17,000 BowFlex Ultimate 2's were recalled due to problems.
[12]
In December 2007 about 68,000 home gyms were recalled.
[13]
In March 2009, about 78,000 BowFlex Ultimate 2's were recalled due to problems with the horizontal seat rail.
[14]
See also
[
edit
]
External links
[
edit
]
References
[
edit
]
- ^
By Aaron Corvin, The Columbian."
/ Nautilus rolls out new fitness products
."September 10, 2013. Retrieved April 29, 2014.
- ^
By Staff, Portland Business Journal."
/ Executive Profile - Bruce M. Cazenave
."February 8, 2013. Retrieved December 13, 2013.
- ^
a
b
c
d
e
Gotch, Nathan (May 20, 2013).
"The Only Bowflex Review You Need"
.
Street Articles
. Retrieved
May 20,
2022
.
- ^
By Mark Barroso, Men's Fitness."
/ Nautilus Launches New Fitness Products
." September 13, 2013. Retrieved December 10, 2013.
- ^
By Mark Barroso, Men's Fitness."
/ The At-Home Arm Workout
." November 12, 2013. Retrieved December 10, 2013.
- ^
The Review Crew, Reviewboard Magazine."
/ Bowflex Xtreme 2 Home Gym Review
Archived
2014-04-15 at the
Wayback Machine
". April 15, 2010. Retrieved January 20, 2014.
- ^
"Schifferaw 1984"
(PDF)
.
- ^
"Nautilus, Inc. Rebrands as BowFlex Inc"
.
www.businesswire.com
. 2023-11-01
. Retrieved
2023-12-21
.
- ^
"Nautilus, Inc. Relaunches BowFlex® Brand"
.
www.businesswire.com
. 2023-07-31
. Retrieved
2023-12-21
.
- ^
"BowFlex files for bankruptcy"
.
CNN
. March 5, 2024
. Retrieved
March 5,
2024
.
- ^
By N/A, Associated Press."
Nearly 800,000 Bowflex machines recalled
." November 16, 2004. Retrieved April 22, 2014.
- ^
By N/A, Consumer Product Safety Commission.
/ CPSC, Nautilus Inc. Announce Recall to Repair Bowflex Ultimate 2 Home Gyms
." March 30, 2006. Retrieved April 22, 2014.
- ^
By Peter Hadzipetros, CBC. "
/ Bowflex Ultimate 2 home gyms recalled from marketplace
." December 6, 2007. Retrieved April 22, 2014.
- ^
By Ben Rooney, CNN Money."
/ Nautilus recalls 78,000 Bowflex gyms
." March 3, 2009. Retrieved April 22, 2014.