WaterRowerAsh Rowing Machine with S4 Monitor | USA Made Water Rower | Original Handcrafted Erg Row Machine for Home Use & Gym

Like most people in their 40's, my knees and stamina are significantly reduced from the aging process. I am 6'2" and a svelte 240 pounds; so clomping away on the treadmill makes a heck of a racket, makes my soul bleed and is rough on thee ol' bones as well.So my purpose here was not to "compete online" or any of that nonsense, but rather to have a decent cardiovascular workout while I numb my consciousness with a show or movie. Rowing seems like the ticket, so I started researching: A neighbor has the Gold Standard of rowers, the Concept 2, which I was able to test and honestly it's a better value: Everything about the Concept 2 is better - it's mostly metal and is commercial quality, with a smooth pull, a wider range of resistance adjustment, it has some silly two-dimensional "games" to help motivate you, a better screen and it gives you the impression that someone will snatch it up at your estate sale in 20 years... wipe the dust off and get another decade or two out of it - which is why you see it in every gym (and my neighbor's basement). It's tough. It's also $200 less... However, it's also loud... loud enough to where in a confined space (like your workout room), I feel you'd have to blast the volume on your TV or replace the batteries on your hearing aid before working out.Enter, the WaterRower. The WaterRower is trendy (they don't even need a space in the name, it's THAT edgy), yet it's still a good buy as it better fits what most of us are likely to use it for: working out at home, in a smaller room while watching a show. I can easily have a conversation with my children, watch Crockett chase someone down the streets of Miami in impeccably white Espadrilles at normal volume and still have the impression of "hey, Miami Vice was the best TV show ever, and this rower remarkably quiet!" My wife likes the wood construction and I will admit that it handles my 1/8th ton of mass effortlessly with no problem, unlike most of the furniture from Ikea (hint: don't shop at Ikea unless your a 60kg Swede). I just finished a workout and broke a sweat, but in a way that was comfortable and repeatable. The display is basic, however it turns on automatically and displays the basic info that most of us would want: your rowing rate, elapsed time, etc. No PacMan or Pong on it that I can see - which might have been a nice perk.Most of us will be rowing for a duration of time, so although the display was the ugliest part of the machine, it remains perfectly reasonable and utilitarian, like the dashboard of a Volvo. The best part, is that I did not have to turn up the volume on the TV in a 12 foot room to hear comfortably over the machine. It really is remarkably quiet, with smooth efficiency and a pleasing appearance. It is easy enough to stand up out of the way as well, so in this context I'd say the WaterRower is a better "value" for most of us recreational users. I was able to assemble the machine in about 10 minutes, not counting a trip to the garage to get a second 5mm allen wrench.If you feel the need to play a pixilated 1980's game of pong ("catch the fish") while trash-talking your Crossfit buddies on Snapchat before celebrating your new personal best with an ice-cold Michelob Ultra, then you probably have two active gym memberships, a single-digit bodyfat percentage and would be better off with the Concept 2. As for me, I like real beer, 80's crime dramas, full figured women - and the WaterRower. I rate it as a definite "buy."

Waterrowers are awesome. Excellent quality and they are so beautiful you can stand them in the corner of a room and they are not an eyesore. I love the sound of the water sloshing when I row. It is very soothing and working out on a waterrower is not like working out on another machine. it is actually enjoyable instead of a chore I have to get through.

Once a rower, always a rower. So for the last 20 years I have been longing for a rowing machine. My wonderful and thoughtful husband surprised me with this beauty this year for my birthday and I could not be more pleased!I will be honest, it has been 20 years since I have regularly worked out on a rower (in our love/hate relationship we call them ERGs) but I have to say it is a JOY to be back. It is like riding a bicycle. Your muscle memory is still there, it just comes back. Since we are comparing it to bike riding. Let me just continue that analogy by saying every rowing machine I used before was a tricycle in comparison to this Tour de France Racing Machine!I can not speak myself to the assembly, as I was not present for that part, though my husband tells me it was easy and took less than an hour. He is admittedly handy. It has a very sleek design and no detail is spared. Even the rubber "feet" on the bottom are numerous. There are wheels on the water compartment side so after your work out, you simply lift up the seat end and store it in the corner. Using the wheels it moves around the room easily. It's also pretty, so even sitting in the corner of my home office it beckons. When friends and family come over they always comment, we pull it down easily. They try it out. We talk about "novice knees" they apologize for all the years they commented about why my arms weren't bigger if I was a rower :) So it's art, conversation, and a kick your butt work out.It is stable on multiple floor surfaces, I've used it on hard woods, carpet, concrete, all of which work equally well. The foot pegs are adjustable and very easy to use, fit my size 9.5 gym shoe feet just fine. Easy to adjust. My teen daughter is a size 7 and we easily and quickly (30 seconds or less) are able to adjust to our own comfort, of course once I indoctrinated her to how it's done.As far as the display and electronics go.... I haven't had it long enough to work all of that out. I know I can put in a DVD, program the digital readout for different work outs, etc. I haven't done all of that. It's only been 2 weeks and right now I'm just trying to make it 2K and or 30 minutes without dying or my body giving up. (Not in the best shape to start with see). But I'll get there. So I will say that I can read the numbers even when working out. If you just hop on and start going it will display stroke rate, distance, time, as well as heart rate but I haven't figured that part out yet.So the actual stroke... The slide is smooth and quiet, no clunky "I need WD40 going on here", as it's made out of some hard resin material I doubt that will ever be the case. The grip is comfortable, non-slip and angled for a good, well... grip. The seat for me could be a bit more contoured, not so life preserver cushion rectangular, but I'm thinking after years of constant use, it may conform to my derriere.The BEST part is the water resistance. The feel of it is just like the water... well pretty close anyway. Also when you are hitting the wall and thinking why am I doing this, you can close your eyes, picture a clear crisp morning in your younger days and just HEAR your blade cutting through the water, "feel" sun on your back, and remember. Okay so whatever it takes to get you to the finish but for me the WaterRower IS worth it!