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
Ethiopia
Ethiopia, , om, Itiyoophiyaa, so, Itoobiya, ti, ኢትዮጵያ, Ítiyop'iya, aa, Itiyoppiya officially the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, is a landlocked country in the Horn of Africa. It shares borders with Eritrea to the Er ...
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.
See also
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*
NordicTrack
NordicTrack is an American company that manufactures treadmills, strength training equipment, ellipticals, exercise bikes, and accessories. It is best known for its Nordic ski machines, low-impact exercisers, ellipticals, and incline trainers. ...
*
Soloflex
Soloflex refers to both the Soloflex exercise machine and to Soloflex, Inc., the company that created and produces it. Instead of pulleys, the Soloflex used an elastomer Weightstrap made of heavy-duty rubber to create variable resistance. The com ...
*
Vacuactivus
External links
Official site
References
{{reflist
American companies established in 1986
Exercise equipment companies
Weight training equipment