Rowing machines provide an excellent combination of resistance training and cardio. You won't build bulky muscles using a rowing machine but they will tone muscles that you don't hit with dumbbells or other weight training.
There are four types resistances provided by rowing machines: hydraulic, air, water, and magnetic. The hydraulic are the really low end machines and we won't discuss those here.
Air resistance machines use wind to create the resistance when you pull the bar. They have a rotating turbine like device with vanes on it that creates drag. The faster you pull the more resistance these machines give you. There is also a damper you can open and close to change how the row feels.
Olympic athletes typically like using air resistance machines because you get a more accurate reading on the monitor that comes with the rower. This allows you to better track your performance and compare it to the performance of others. These machines also better simulate real rowing.
The downside of air resistance machines is that they are the loudest of the three so they work best in isolated areas of the home.
Water resistance machines have a reservoir that you pour water in to provide the resistance. They have a similar turbine as an air resistance machine except the drag is provided by water and not air.
You can change the resistance by adding or removing water, although removing water is not an easy task so this is not something you can do easily. You have to siphon water out into a bucket if you want less resistance. Tracking performance on these is a little harder since the monitor doesn't really know how much water is in the reservoir.
Water machines are quieter than air machines and they do produce a more natural noise as compared to real rowing.
Magnetic rowers use a spinning metal flywheel and then a caliper with magnets on it. The closer you adjust the magnets to the flywheel, the more resistance you will get. This is the quietest of the options.
You can get the most resistance using a magnetic rower, but the downside of that is that you may tire out arm and shoulder muscles quickly and not give the rest of your muscles a chance to get a good workout so a higher resistance is not necessarily a good thing.
Magnetic rowers are often cheaper to manufacture so the cost on these is usually lower.
Below are how top 10 picks for the best rowing machines in all categories. The chart below shows the top 5.
Top 5 Comparison Chart
Contents
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|---|---|---|---|---|---|
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Product | Concept2 | Incline | Fitness Reality | Lifecore | Stamina |
Price | $945 | $849 | $240 | $1299 | $279 |
Water Resistance |  |  | | | |
Air Resistance | | | | | |
Magnetic Resistance | | | | | |
Easy Storage | | | | | |
LCD monitor | | | | | |
Online competitions | | | | | |
Data transfer to PC | | | | | |
Additional Exercises | | | | | |
Wireless Accessories | | | | | |
Bluetooth | | | | | |
Warranty | 5 year frame;2 year parts | 5 year frame; 1 year parts | 1 year limited | 5 years parts/1 year labor for residential | 3 year frame; 1 year parts |
Rating | |||||
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1. Concept2 Model D Indoor Rowing Machine
If you have around $1000 to spend on a rower this is favorite rowing machine. It's not just a piece of equipment you're buying a community and support structures that go along with it. The company Concept2 as been making rowers for around 40 years so they have a huge following. The design of this rower is such that you can connect to the Internet to have rowing challenges with other people. That's a nice way of pushing yourself to do a little more.
This is one of the all-time best-selling rowing machines out there so there are also plenty of third party accessories that can be purchased to go with it. Our favorite is the RowPro software that can be display races with other people on a laptop or even a widescreen TV if you want. You can also see all your stats there.
The included Performance Monitor is the best of all of the Top 10. Not only does it come with games to motivate you, but it also lets you export your data to a log book on your PC. That's nice way of keeping track of your progress. What gets measured gets improved.
See the full review here:
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2. Incline Fit Wooden Water Rowing Machine
If you want a water rower and want one that fits your decor, a wooden-framed rower like this Incline Fit may do it. It's frame is made out of wood. It looks more like a piece of home furniture than a piece of gym equipment.
You can get the rower in a no-stain natural oak color as well.
Many people find noise produced by rowing to be soothing and it makes them feel like they're out on the water. The only challenge with water rowers is that you can't very easily lower resistance once you put water in the tank.
We really like how you store this one. It has wheels on one end so you just pick up the seat end, roll it where you want it, and flip it up. Flip it up is a breeze since the weight of the water is right near the wheels.
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3. Fitness Reality 1000 Magnetic Rower Machine
What we like about this one other than its low cost, is the Bluetooth capability that lets you connect to the MyCloudFitness App.
While most rowers come with an LCD monitor that lets you track things like, calories burned, distance traveled, workout duration, and speed average, the app on an iPhone or Android device lets you store the data to keep records of your progress.
This is the only machine that lets you do more than just row. You can stand in front of the machine and use the bar to do front raises, tricep extensions, side raises, biceps curls and other exercises. You simply stand on the front footpads to stabilize the machine and then lift the bar up.
An included smartphone holder holds your phone in place so you can see your stats on the app.
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4. Lifecore R100 Commercial Rowing Machine
This is the only machine that supports both air and magnetic. If you want the realism of actual rowing just use air by setting to level 1. If you want to give your arms and shoulders a workout, then you can add some magnetic resistance.
You can use an optional wireless heart rate monitor with the included monitor. When it is added the monitor can adjust resistance based on your heart rate, which is something other air rowers can't do.
We still prefer the Concept2 Model D for its Performance Monitor, reliability, and community, but if you really want the magnetic resistance feature and don't mind paying more, then this is a great machine.
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5. Stamina ATS Air Rower 1403
If you want the benefits of an air rower while on a budget, the Stamina ATS can give you those.
Being an air rower you can get a little more accuracy out of the LCD monitor so it will measure miles traveled.
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6. WaterRower Club Rowing Machine
This rower has an artistic design that would seem to fit in a high-end loft apartment or other similar environment.
Using this is almost like the experience of sitting in a wooden row boat with the waves parting around your boat as you row.
This rower is made in the USA from replenish-able Ash hardwoods from the Appalachian Mountains.
There is a free We-Row software that lets you race against other WaterRower owners. Or you can set up your own private training session. You can store your stats data and access at any time, so you can chart your progress and also share with other users.
The only reason this rower is lower on our list is due to the price. We would be proud to own and use it.
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7. Sunny Health & Fitness Obsidian SF-RW5713
This is a water rowing machine that gives you the benefits of water rowing at a lower cost than our previous option.
It has better monitor than some of the cheaper models. Water resistance can give you a little more accurate readings than magnetic .
The R2 Fitness Meter uses ANT+ wireless technology so it can be connected to optional heart-rate belts or watches.
The R2 displays total time, 500 m time, strokes per minute, total strokes, calories, heart rate (optional), ambient temperature, and distance. It also acts as a clock and calendar when not being used.
This is not a machine that will easily blend in a residential environment so if that is a concern you may want to consider other options. It has a very heavy-duty appearance.
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8. XTERRA Fitness ERG600W Water Rower
This another very industrial looking unit that looks amazingly similar to the Sunny Health & Fitness water rower. Even the monitor is the similar so we suspect it is made by the same manufacturer.
One difference is that the XTERRA breaks down into two pieces for storage. That is a little nicer since it doesn't stand so tall when stored and may fit in a closet.
One big difference is the warranty. The XTERRA has 5 years frame; 2 years parts while the Sunny has 3 year frame; 180 days parts. Maybe that's why the XTERRA cost $100 more or maybe they use better parts.
Either way they both have the same features other than the storage.
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9. Sunny Health & Fitness SF-RW5515 Magnetic
This Sunny Health & Fitness Model SF-RW5515 is a best seller low-end, no-frills, magnetic machine. While this unit is not for people over 250 pounds (same as the Sunny Health above), for the price the quality is suitable.
The LCD display has some basics but it doesn't measure distance traveled. With magnetic rowers it's a little harder to make that meaningful anyway since it doesn't simulate real rowing very well.
If you want to get into rowing without investing a lot of money this machine isn't a bad choice but there isn't too much to get excited about.
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10. WaterRower M1 HiRise
If money is no object and you like a steel frame water rower, then you can't go wrong with this one. It has all the benefits of the WaterRower Club above (less the wood).
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