Bowflex is the brand name for a series of fitness training equipment, marketed and sold by Nautilus, Inc. Based in Vancouver, Washington, it sells its products through direct, retail and international channels. The first Bowflex product, Bowflex 2000X, was created in 1986. Bowflex products now range from a smart activity tracker to cardio machines, adjustable dumbbells, and home gyms.

History

The Bowflex grew out of a now-expired patent first conceived by an

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n engineering student in the United States, 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. Bowflex of America changed its name to Bowflex, Inc, and became a public company on the

Toronto Stock Exchange The Toronto Stock Exchange (TSX; french: Bourse de Toronto) is a stock exchange located in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It is the 10th largest exchange in the world and the third largest in North America based on market capitalization. Based in th ...

. In 1999 the company changed its name to Direct Focus, Inc. and initiated an IPO on

Nasdaq The Nasdaq Stock Market () (National Association of Securities Dealers Automated Quotations Stock Market) is an American stock exchange based in New York City. It is the most active stock trading venue in the US by volume, and ranked second ...

. With the success of Bowflex, the company bought the

Nautilus Corporation Nautilus, Inc., located in Vancouver, Washington, United States, is the American worldwide marketer, developer, and manufacturer of fitness equipment brands Bowflex, Modern Movement, Nautilus, Schwinn Fitness, and Universal. The products are ...

, Schwinn Fitness, and Stairmaster. In 2002 the company moved to the

NYSE The New York Stock Exchange (NYSE, nicknamed "The Big Board") is an American stock exchange in the Financial District of Lower Manhattan in New York City. It is by far the world's largest stock exchange by market capitalization of its listed co ...

and renamed itself The Nautilus Group and is now Nautilus, Inc.

Recalls

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 The United States Consumer Product Safety Commission (USCPSC, CPSC, or commission) is an independent agency of the United States government. The CPSC seeks to promote the safety of consumer products by addressing “unreasonable risks” of in ...

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. In March, 2006, about 17,000 Bowflex Ultimate 2's were recalled due to problems. In December 2007 about 68,000 home gyms were recalled. In March 2009, about 78,000 Bowflex Ultimate 2's were recalled due to problems with the horizontal seat rail.By Ben Rooney, CNN Money
/ Nautilus recalls 78,000 Bowflex gyms
" March 3, 2009. Retrieved April 22, 2014.

External links

Official site

References

{{reflist American companies established in 1986 Exercise equipment companies Weight training equipment

History

Recalls

See also

External links

References