BowFlex is the brand name for a series of fitness training equipment, marketed and sold by
Johnson Health Tech. Based in Vancouver, Washington, the company sells its products through direct, retail, and international channels.
The first BowFlex product, BowFlex 2000X, was created in 1986.
BowFlex products now range from cardio machines, adjustable dumbbells, and home gyms.
History
The BowFlex grew out of a now-expired patent 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
Sheave without a rope
A pulley is a wheel on an axle or shaft enabling a taut cable or belt passing over the wheel to move and change direction, or transfer power between itself and a shaft.
A pulley may have a groove or grooves between flan ...
machines, the original BowFlex machine used a combination of polymer rods to create constant resistance or tension.
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
The Toronto Stock Exchange (TSX; ) is a stock exchange located in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It is the List of stock exchanges, 10th largest exchange in the world and the third largest in North America based on market capitalization. Based in th ...
.
In 1998, 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) is an American stock exchange based in New York City. It is the most active stock trading venue in the U.S. by volume, and ranked second on the list ...
. With the success of BowFlex, the company bought
Nautilus International, Inc.,
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, Manhattan, Financial District of Lower Manhattan in New York City. It is the List of stock exchanges, largest stock excha ...
and renamed itself The Nautilus Group, then
Nautilus, Inc.
The company changed its name from Nautilus, Inc. to BowFlex Inc. and refreshed the BowFlex® brand identity in 2023.
In March 2024, BowFlex declared
Chapter 11 bankruptcy
Chapter 11 of the United States Bankruptcy Code ( Title 11 of the United States Code) permits reorganization under the bankruptcy laws of the United States. Such reorganization, known as Chapter 11 bankruptcy, is available to every business, w ...
, citing poor post-COVID sales for its collapse. Taiwan-based Johnson Health Tech purchased the company for $37.5 million after approval from the bankruptcy court in April 2024.
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 injury ...
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
*
External links
Official site
References
{{reflist
American companies established in 1986
Companies that filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in 2024
Exercise equipment companies
Weight training equipment