Bowflex Review: New Owner, Old Recall, Still Worth Buying?
Bowflex survived its parent company’s 2024 bankruptcy under new ownership, and its no-subscription treadmills and SelectTech dumbbells are good value, but the recall of its most famous dumbbells left earlier buyers short-changed.
The verdict in 60 seconds
- The T9 treadmill and C6 bike are the best buys, both usable without a subscription and both able to run Peloton or Zwift classes from a tablet.
- The classic SelectTech 552 and 1090 dumbbells are under recall because plates can dislodge, and the Results Series versions replace them.
- Owners who bought the recalled dumbbells before April 2024 get only a prorated voucher, because the company that sold them went bankrupt.
- Returns run 30 days from delivery, minus return freight and a restocking fee of up to 20 percent unless the item comes back like new.
How Bowflex scored
Sensible, subscription-free equipment and solid treadmill warranties, held back by a messy recall, return fees, and slow parts and repairs.
- Product19/25
- Value18/25
- Service13/25
- Trust15/25
Worth your money
T9 Treadmill $1,799
A lifetime frame and motor warranty and 15 percent incline, with no subscription required.
The T9 is the treadmill we would buy here. It has a 22-by-60-inch running path, speeds to 12 mph, motorized incline to 15 percent, and ten built-in programs on a color LCD. It connects to Apple Watch and works with the JRNY, Peloton, and Zwift apps on your own tablet. The warranty is the selling point: lifetime on frame and motor, three years on parts, one year of in-home labor. Standard shipping was listed at $99 outside promotions.
- Best for
- Runners who refuse to pay a monthly fee to use a treadmill
- Weak spot
- No built-in touchscreen, so bring a tablet
C6 Bike $999
A spin bike that works with the Peloton app for a fraction of Peloton’s price.
The C6 is a plain bike with a backlit LCD, a media rack, and 100 magnetic resistance levels, and Bowflex actively markets it as a way to ride with the Peloton or Zwift apps on a tablet. It ships with dual-sided pedals, SPD cleats, a heart rate armband, and a pair of light dumbbells. The warranty runs 10 years on the frame and three on parts and electronics. Resistance is manual, so app classes cannot change it for you.
- Best for
- Riders who want Peloton classes without Peloton hardware
- Weak spot
- Manual resistance only
Results Series 552 SelectTech Dumbbells $479
The redesigned version of the dumbbells that made Bowflex famous.
One pair adjusts from 5 to 52.5 pounds per dumbbell with a dial, replacing 15 sets of weights. Bowflex says the Results Series uses metal components to hold plates to the handle and a locking mechanism, which matters because the classic 552 was recalled after plates came loose. The warranty is two years on parts, short for something you will own for a decade. They were on sale for $399 when we checked. A stand is sold separately.
- Best for
- Small home gyms with no room for a dumbbell rack
- Weak spot
- Only a two-year parts warranty
Xtreme 2 SE Home Gym $1,499
Seventy-plus exercises from one frame, with a seven-year machine warranty.
The Xtreme 2 SE uses Bowflex’s Power Rod resistance, 210 pounds as standard and upgradable to 410 with extra rods, plus a no-change cable system and a squat station. The warranty is generous: seven years on the machine and five on the rods. The machine is big, needing a workout area of about 112 by 150 inches, and rod resistance does not feel like free weights, which some lifters dislike. It was discounted to $999 during our check.
- Best for
- Beginners who want a full-body strength station at home
- Weak spot
- Rod resistance feels unlike free weights
Max Trainer M6 $1,299
Short, hard interval workouts in less floor space than a treadmill.
The Max Trainer blends an elliptical’s low-impact motion with a stepper’s intensity, and the M6 has a dedicated 14-minute interval button that tells you how it is meant to be used. It has 16 resistance levels and a backlit LCD, and links to JRNY on your phone. The warranty is the weak point: two years on frame, parts, and electronics, and only 90 days of labor. For a machine this demanding, that is thin.
- Best for
- Time-poor people who want short, intense workouts
- Weak spot
- Two-year warranty and 90 days of labor
Not these
VeloCore Bike - 22"
The VeloCore adds a leaning mode and a 22-inch touchscreen to a bike that otherwise matches the C6 on resistance levels, for more than double the money. Several Trustpilot reviewers describe screens and consoles failing and quoted replacement costs running well over a thousand dollars. We would buy the C6 and use a tablet you can replace cheaply.
Max Total 16
The Max Total 16 is a Max Trainer with a 16-inch touchscreen and a few more resistance levels, and it costs $1,200 more than the M6 at list price. That premium buys a screen tied to JRNY and streaming apps, which a tablet on the M6 can largely replicate. Given owner complaints about expensive console repairs, the simpler machine is the safer buy.
Bowflex versus two rivals
Two brands a shopper is likely to be weighing at the same time. Words only; the numbers change too often to print.
| Row | Bowflex | NordicTrack | Peloton |
|---|---|---|---|
| Range | Adjustable dumbbells, home gyms, treadmills, bikes, and Max Trainers | Treadmills, bikes, ellipticals, rowers, and Pilates reformers | Bikes, three treadmills, and a rower, plus app memberships |
| Price position | Mid-range list prices with frequent sitewide sales | High list prices with deep, near-permanent discounts | Premium hardware plus a required monthly membership |
| Returns | Thirty days from delivery, minus freight and a possible restocking fee | Thirty days from delivery, minus a flat return shipping charge | Home trial on first purchases, with a return fee per machine |
| Standout | No subscription required on its treadmills and bikes | Steep incline training controlled by iFIT trainers | Class production and instructors nobody else matches |
Buying from Bowflex
Each line below was read on Bowflex's own site in October 2026. Policies move; if one has, tell us.
Buy if, pass if
Buy if you are
- Anyone who wants cardio equipment that works fully without a monthly fee
- Peloton or Zwift app users who want cheaper hardware to pair with them
- Small-space lifters who need a full dumbbell range in one pair
Pass if you are
- Buyers who want a built-in screen with trainer-controlled resistance
- Shoppers who may return a machine and cannot absorb freight and restocking fees
- Anyone still burned by the prorated dumbbell recall voucher
Reader questions
Are my Bowflex SelectTech dumbbells recalled?
If you own the classic BowFlex 552 or 1090 adjustable dumbbells, yes. The recall, run with the Consumer Product Safety Commission, covers all genuine US units because plates can dislodge from the handle. Stop using them and file a claim on the Bowflex recalls page. Other SelectTech sets, including the Results Series, are not part of it.
Why do some recall claimants get less than others?
Johnson Health Tech bought Bowflex assets from the bankrupt Nautilus in April 2024. Buyers from April 23, 2024 through May 2025 get a replacement or a full-value voucher plus a year of JRNY. Earlier buyers, who bought from Nautilus, get a prorated voucher and a year of JRNY, which many owners consider a poor outcome.
Do Bowflex treadmills need a subscription?
No. Bowflex labels its T6, T9, and T16 treadmills “no subscription required,” and they include built-in programs. You can add the JRNY app, or pair a tablet with Peloton or Zwift. That is the clearest difference from NordicTrack, whose equipment needs an iFIT account to activate.
Where is the Bowflex return policy?
When we checked, the return policy page on the main site was empty after a site update in August 2026, and the full policy lived on the separate help site. It allows 30 days from delivery, minus return freight and a restocking fee of up to 20 percent unless the item comes back like new.
Our call
Bowflex is the sensible alternative to subscription-heavy rivals: the T9 treadmill and C6 bike work fully without a monthly fee, and the T9’s lifetime frame and motor warranty is excellent. The brand’s weak spots are after-sales. Returns cost freight and possibly a restocking fee, parts can take months, and the dumbbell recall treated pre-2024 buyers poorly. Buy the T9 or C6 during a sale and register them right away.
See it at BowflexDesk notes and sources
This is desk research: the brand's own pages plus published customer reviews, read in October 2026. Nothing was sent to us and nothing was tried in person.
- Bowflex product pages for its treadmills, bikes, Max Trainers, Xtreme 2 SE, and Results Series dumbbells, with warranty specs
- Bowflex shipping information, FAQs, contact page, and the empty return policy page on the main site
- Bowflex help center article on returns and cancellations
- Bowflex recalls page and 552 and 1090 dumbbell recall FAQ
- Trustpilot reviews of Bowflex, recent and one-star filters