Concept 2 rower -- helpful?

I haven't rowed much, but I do know it's a smoker. I have a couple of friends who rowed in college. My experience has been limited to a couple of crossfit workouts. I can tell you that it is a great total body workout. You can deliver a lot of impact in a short period of time. It'll be a great piece of equipment to work off some extra weight through a second workout or while staying inside.

I think crosstraining is a great idea, if nothing else, it'll give you a mental break from swim/bike/run. I have nothing against rowers, and I actually think this would be a good purchase assuming the price is right. But just to play Devil's Advocate:

I don't know how much the used rower costs (new is pretty pricey) but wouldn't that money be better spent towards a bike trainer, assuming you don't have one?

Wouldn't crosstraining be simpler with, say, a plain old jump rope or, if you want to get a tiny bit fancier, a kettlebell? Kettlebells also provide a full-body workout with a strength component and you will be breathing hard. Would take up much less space, too.

I like C2 rowers, wish I had one, but they are pretty pricey. It's pretty hard to even find used C2 rowers anymore because all the CF gyms out there are buying them up as soon as they see them. I think they are a great cardio alternative, nice to do something different and it works your entire body. You could get a bike trainer, I hate bike trainers though, they are just sooo boring and I don't really have the motivation to push myself as hard as I should be to get the most out of them. I feel like it's easier to stay motivated on a rower because it uses your entire body, so it's a more engaging exercise. Maybe that's just me though. So, in summation, I think they are a fantastic thing to have, but I don't plan on buying one because I would rather spend the money on something else (I have a very tight budget). If I had a significantly more generous budget I would be looking to pick one up though.

Thanks for the replies. I don't have a trainer, but I do have a nice spinning bike, but the boredom is the problem. Even with TV, radio or cmptr, I start to go crazy after about 20 min. I thought it might be cool to have something different to alternate with the spinner. I am afraid it might turn out to be a long, fancy clothes rack.

I know what you mean. It's cool to have lots of fitness toys, but sometimes it's possible to have too many toys. If you have a spinning bike, you might consider investing in some Spinervals DVDs. No boredom with these.

Going back to my suggestion of possibly buying a kettlebell or just some dumbbells, one way to relive boredom is to mix the bike with some kettlebell/dumbbell work. For instance, do 10 kettlebell swings, then hop on the bike for 2-3 minutes. Repeat until good and toasted.

Again, just some ideas. Just to show you that I have nothing against the Concept 2, it could also be used as a boredom reliever. For instance, do 10 minutes on the bike, 10 minutes on the rower, then go run for 10 minutes, repeat. That type thing.

i have a used concept 2 that id part with so i could get a power meter. pm if interested.