Top pick
With a sturdy build, a gritty feel, and clear metrics presented on an unobtrusive screen, this air-resistance flywheel erg is beloved by both seasoned rowers and people who’ve never held an oar.
Throughout our research, one brand name continually came up: Concept2. Created by Peter and Dick Dreissigacker in 1976, the Concept2 RowErg has held a reputation for many years as the standard training tool for competitive rowers, and indeed we found that it provided the best workout experience of all the rowing machines we tested.
Some rowing machines tout virtual programming, with big screens that can simulate the feel of early morning rows on placid rivers. The Concept2 RowErg, on the other hand, is like a midnight techno rave in a dark, underground bunker—focused purely on energy, sweat, and grit. It is loud and not as sleek as other rowers, but some testers said that the noise of its spinning flywheel and its no-frills setup helped them quickly get into a rhythm and focus solely on their workout.
One of our testers who rowed competitively in high school and still trains on a Concept2 RowErg perhaps said it best: “The Concept2 is a hell machine, but it’s the hell machine.”
It can accommodate a range of sizes. The seat of the Concept2 RowErg slides back far enough on the 54-inch rail to accommodate taller rowers (some of our taller testers felt more cramped on smaller machines), and the foot holsters securely keep feet both big and small in place (also something that taller rowers found was rarely true on other machines). The handle rest, located just above the foot holsters, is at an ideal location to stop and start a workout.
Concept2 states that according to various tests, the RowErg can hold up to 500 pounds. “I really like the orientation of this machine,” a 5-foot-10 tester said. “I didn’t need to overreach for anything. The screen was at an appropriate and comfortable height. I honestly felt like I just jumped into the seat and was off and rowing very quickly.”
The monitor is small but gives you all the data you need. The RowErg is equipped with a barebones, black-and-white 12-by-12-inch screen. You can immediately start exercising with the Just Row option or try a preprogrammed workout. Once you start rowing, you can keep the screen on basic metrics such as time, 500-meter splits, and strokes per minute, or you can cycle through the display to emphasize certain metrics in a bigger font. “I’m a newbie rower, but the screen and metrics were immediately extremely clear,” one tester said. And rowing experts we consulted unanimously agreed that the RowErg’s metrics were reliably accurate.
The machine’s design seems to give you haptic feedback. The RowErg has 10 resistance levels. Unlike with some of the other rowers we tested, when you raise the resistance on this machine, you can feel the difference in your strokes. Whereas other rowers make for a quieter workout, the RowErg’s nickel-plated steel chain and spinning flywheel, although loud, create a feel that’s much more akin to the effort of swinging oars on the open water. “That smooth whirring noise was almost like a rhythmic endorsement and reminder of my own power and output,” one tester observed.
The RowErg has a two-year warranty on moving parts and the monitor and five years of coverage for the frame. The company’s website offers tips for maintenance, such as how to clean the rower and how often to inspect parts. Replacement parts, from monitors to seats, are available.
Flaws but not dealbreakers
You have to stop to change resistances mid-workout. The switch to change the resistance levels (from 1 to 10) resides on the outside of the flywheel, so unless you have the wingspan of an NBA center, you likely won’t be able to alter it without stopping and getting off the machine. Depending on your size, you may also have to stop a workout to change settings on the display.
It is louder than most rowers. Although a majority of our testers didn’t mind the sound of the flywheel, the RowErg is noticeably louder than the other machines we tested. If you want to have a fan nearby as you exercise, that would only add to the noise level. During our tests, though, when we wore earbuds while working out, it mostly blocked the noise from the rower.
