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Best Rowing Machine Under 500 – Reviews 2022 – 2023

Last Updated on January 24, 2023

Best Rowing Machines Under 500

Editor's Choice
Dripex Magnetic Rowing Machine for Home Use Rower Machine for Home Gym & Cardio Training Rower with Aluminum Slide Rail, 16 Adjustable Resistance & LCD Monitor (2021 Upgrade Version) (Black)
9
  • ➽【16 Magnetic Resistance Adjustment】: This magnetic rowing machine by Dripex offers all the necessities for an intense rowing workout in the comfort of your own home, while the 16 levels of resistance mean you can choose from a range of workout options, from easy to challenging.

     

  • ➽【Silent & Smooth Aluminum Structure】: This Dripex rowing machine uses a solid aluminum flywheel and slide rail as well as no-touch magnetic resistance to keep your workout as quiet as possible. The quiet, magnetic tension system provides a smoother, more enjoyable workout without affecting others while in use. Keep it private and quiet.

  • ➽【Comfortable Seat & Smart Monitor】: This compact Rowing Machine from Dripex is not only marked by its exceptional manufacturing crafts but also ergonomic design in detail. The multi-functional LCD display offers statistics in Time, Distance, Count, Total Count, and Calories to track your progress as you row. Oversized non-slip pedals keep your feet securely in place, while a molded-foam padded seat offers maximum comfort. 

  • ➽【Easy Transportation & Upright Storage】: Indoor rowing is an excellent low-impact option for improving cardiovascular fitness and muscular endurance. At the same time, Dripex provides easy transportation with built-in wheels in the front stabilizer and saves space by storing it upright against a wall.

  • ➽【Reassurance & Trustworthy Product】: It’s a solid choice for beginners looking to get started with home rowing workouts, not only offering an accessible way to exercise, especially at home; but also 100% thoughtful and considerate of A/S customer services. No worries about the purchase.

Top Rated
Rowing Machine - Foldable Rowing Machine for Home Gym, 16 Levels Adjustable Resistance with Upgraded flywheels for Full-body workout, Space Saving Rower with LCD Monitor, Smooth-Gliding Padded seat
8.6
  • 【Foldable Rowing Machine】Neezee focuses on the development and design of large-scale fitness equipment, Refined the design and function after the inspection of 100 engineers and 2,000 fitness experts. Its versatility, space-saving design, and flexibility are ideal for home gyms.
  • 【16-Level Magnetic Resistance Rower】Level 1-4:warm up, Level 5-8:physical fitness, Level 9-12:Calorie burn, Level 13-16:explosive movement. Just rotate the adjustable knob to switch appropriate resistance based on your fitness needs, you can reach your fitness goals in style.
  • 【Foldable for Easy Storage】This rowing machine has a foldable slide rail and roll system. Easy storability and mobility, it conveniently stored in the corner by folding it up when the rowing machine isn't being used.
  • 【Improve Sliding System】Air-glide rollers give a smooth, quiet ride, 125CM of travel from pedals, ergonomically refined seat, optimized ultra-stable design offer a balanced full-body workout, will accommodate any size user.
  • 【LCD-Monitor】Smart LCD display gives you all the key metrics you need during a workout, such as distance,rowing time, count, total count and calories. Our rowing machine has a foldable console to hold your phone or tablet, you can enjoy the videos or music while you doing exercise.
  • 【Quiet Training】Premium aluminum rail is smooth and stable, with extremely low physical friction. You can enjoy your workout time without worrying about disturbing your family and neighbors, enjoy music or watch movies at a normal volume. The noise level of the magnetic rowing machine is extremely low.
  • 【Economic design】Extended handle provides a soft grip while you work your arms and build muscle. Our oversized, pivoting pedals with adjustable foot straps give you the confidence that you’ll stay secure during your most intense training workouts.
  • 【Ignite whole body】Rowing is one of the best full-body workouts because it challenges every major muscle group of the body. burn calories and rehabilitate muscles, ligaments and joints while also helping to relieve stress. It's perfect workout suitable for all ages and fitness levels.
  • 【Low-impact Exercise】 Rowing machines for home gyms are an excellent low-impact option for improving cardiovascular fitness and muscular endurance. It's a great way to improve fitness, lose weight and tone the whole body.
  • 【Get Your Rowing Risk-Free】We keep a constant supply of spare parts in stock to ensure longevity and sustainability. If you have any questions at any point, our professional support team will help you solve it. (Your Orders-Get Help with Order-Ask Product Question).
Top Choice
V-fit Tornado Air Rower
8.6
  • Club style, speed proportionate air resistance chain drive rower with canted, wide reach row bar
  • Contoured polyurethan anatomically designed seat with bearing mounted upper and lower seat guide rollers
  • Pivoting, oversize PVC footplates with two-position mount and adjustable velcro style footstraps
  • Three-screen, six-function exercise monitor
  • Maximum user weight is 115 kg

Nowadays, there are many tools accessible to assist you to attain your fitness goals, making it much simpler than you might imagine getting the physique of your dreams. The days of only having two training options—running or lifting weights—are long gone.

Today, there is a huge selection of equipment for every type of workout imaginable, and the greatest part is that many of them can be used at home. Over the past few decades, one gadget, in particular, has grown in popularity: the rowing machine.

Rowing machines are excellent for a full-body workout because they work the upper back, shoulders, and core, and improve your cardiovascular health.

A rowing machine works both your upper and lower bodies, unlike cardio machines like treadmills, exercise bikes, and stair climbing apparatus. When using an indoor rowing machine, the rowing stroke is made up of 65–75% leg work and 25–35% upper-body activity.

A full-body aerobic workout on a single machine and less impact than other aerobic workouts are two additional advantages of indoor rowing. Every time you take a step when jogging, whether outside or on a treadmill, your body sustains orthopedic harm. While using indoor rowing machines, this is not the case.

The only problem with purchasing a rowing machine is that many go for more than $500, which is a bit out of reach for most individuals.

Fortunately, we’ve discovered numerous brands that sell rowing machines for around $500 and include all you need for a hard workout or a pleasant evening stride.

What to Consider When Purchasing a Rowing Machine

The following elements should be taken into account when purchasing a rowing machine:

Types of Resistance/ Choice of the rower

There are several alternatives available when looking for the best rowing machines for you. There are four different types of rowers: water rowers, flywheel rowers, magnetic resistance indoor rowers, and piston or cylinder-based rowing machines.

Hydraulic rowing machine

If the room is an issue or you need a budget rower and are on a tight budget, hydraulic rowers can be the best option. The quantity of air or fluid compressed by a cylinder or piston gives hydraulic rowers their tension, which is adjustable on most indoor rower models.

Although hydraulic-based are affordable rowers, they differ from air, magnetic, and water rowers in that you can’t pull in a straight line when using them. Gym Rowers with hydraulic cylinders force you into an unnatural exercise position that prevents you from using natural rowing action.

Flywheel Rowing Machines

For workouts, an air rower rowing machine or flywheel machine has an authentic rowing experience to rowing outside. The pulling motion of a flywheel workout rowing machine spins a flywheel with linked fan blades, providing resistance. The wind provides resistance.

All you have to do to raise the resistance on a flywheel rowing machine is to pull more forcefully. This causes the flywheel to spin more quickly, and the fan blades on this kind of indoor rower produce more wind resistance.

Air rowing machines offer a more natural, continuous, and smoother rowing strokes per minute than piston/cylinder or hydraulic-based rowing machines.

Indoor Rowers with Magnetic Resistance

A smooth rowing stroke and almost complete silence are two benefits of using a magnetic resistance fitness rowing machine. A magnetic brake mechanism is used in magnetic rowers, as opposed to flywheel-based indoor rowers, which get their resistance from the wind.

The lack of any audible output is one of the key characteristics of magnetic rowing machines. Magnetic resistance rowing devices (such as flywheel or water rowers) produce no friction and offer a silent intense workout.

There are magnetic resistance-based fitness rowing machines that use just magnetic resistance or a mix of magnetic and air resistance.

WaterRower

For people who row outside, the WaterRower is the perfect rowing machine. The special, proprietary Water Flywheel used in the Water Rower was created to mimic the range of motion of a boat across water. The flywheel of the WaterRowers generates resistance by overcoming drag as water flows past the tank, just like while rowing outside.

When in use, this indoor rower is almost completely silent. While utilizing this rowing machine, all you can hear is the sound of the water swirling.

A wooden frame supports the construction of the WaterRower. The mechanical vibrations, which are typical of other indoor rowers, are reduced, making this rowing machine one of the most attractive models on the market.

Performance Monitor

You should have a digital monitor that is visible on your rowing machine and that shows data like speed, distance, duration, and calories burned.

Weight Capacity

Can a variety of individuals use the rowing machine you’re thinking about? Verify the weight capacity of your rowing machine, the max user weight capacity, and whether it is high enough for use by every member of your household.
How comfortable is the seat? What is the average rower seat? Are the footplates and handles comfortable? You most certainly don’t want to spend your workouts confined to an unpleasant rowing machine.

Size

If you live in a smaller room, you could want to take into account a more compact model because rowers are often lengthy and take up a lot of floor space.

Storage

Does the rowing machine fold up easily for storage? When you need additional space in your home, you should go for something rather simple to store.

Warranty

Verify what kind of warranty your rowing machine has or does your rower have any extended warranties. You can never predict when anything will malfunction or break.

Price

Make sure you can go for an expensive model you intend to purchase before anything else. Does adding a few hundred dollars to the price for additional features make sense? Or should you get the cheaper rowers you can find as they will only be used occasionally?

SNODE Water Rowing Machine Support Paddling and Dragon Boat Rowing

Although far from being of gym grade, a water rower like the Snode WR66 Water Rowing Machine has all the necessary functions. Yes, Snode has to make a financial sacrifice somewhere. The Snode’s digital monitor is basic, but it’s better to have a basic monitor and save money for the frame.

Snode water rower is a capable machine at the price range, boasting an 80lb build (reassuringly weighty, telling us it’s manufactured from excellent components), a long rail accommodating users up to 6’5′′, a smooth rowing stroke rate, and perhaps what’s best of all an adjustable resistance system that suits all fitness levels because it’s dynamic.

Long Rail Can Hold People Up To 6’5″

The rail length on the Snode rower, which is the movement span for the seat rather than the overall length, shocked me because it’s one of the longest seen for a rowing machine in this price range and provides the Snode rower an impressive maximum height limit of 6’5″.

Ball Bearings of a High Grade

If you’re looking for a rowing machine, it’s crucial to ensure sure the seat glides easily on top-notch ball bearings because, without one, not only will your rowing technique suffer, but the noise it generates can be a nightmare.

Contoured Seat

We should always search for a balanced seat, which happily the Snode has, to hold you steady and stop you from slipping during the leg push element of the rowing stroke.

It’s encouraging to hear that no consumers have yet had concerns about the seat padding because if the padding is too soft, it will affect your stability, and if it’s too hard, it may be unappealing.

40 minutes to put together.

The Snode took an average of 40 minutes to assemble, according to the majority of users. The front of this decent rower already has intricate components like the tank and its fittings as well as the propulsion systems installed.
All that is required is to attach the rail to the machine’s front, fasten the seat to the rail, and then add the footrests, monitor, and stabilizers. then add water to the tank. Basic tools and comprehensive instructions are offered.

Pros

  • A sturdy structure can support up to 330 lbs.
  • Outdoor rowing is modeled by the dynamic resistance system.
  • Bluetooth-Compatible heart rate monitor.
  • Long rail can support individuals up to 6’5″ tall.
  • The belt drive system runs quietly.
  • In the leg push portion of the rowing stroke, a contoured seat prevents slippage.
  • High-quality ball bearings enable the seat to move easily along the rail.

Cons

  • The chest strap is absent.
  • Since the LCD is not backlit, it is challenging to read in dim lighting.
  • The foot pedals appeared to be of poor quality, according to several users.

One of the few products in this price range that is worth considering is the Snode WR66 Rowing Machine. Although it is not high-end, it is adequate for a home gym. Any fitness level can use it because of its sturdy construction and the smooth, quiet, and dynamic resistance system.

Rowing Machine, Merach Bluetooth Magnetic Rower Machine with Dual Slide Rail

Magnetic flywheel resistance is used in the Merach Fitness Q1S rowing machine. An attractive piece of fitness gear is the Merach Fitness Q1S Rowing Machine.

In the flywheel housing, there is a hint of woodgrain finish among all the chrome and shine.

The object is 65′′ long, 17′′ wide, and 25′′ height overall. You can set up in long, constrained locations thanks to the modest width, but you’ll need some additional space when working to accommodate an extension (depending on how tall you are).

Moving and storing the Merach Fitness Q1S rowing machine are both possible.

Build Quality

The rower’s construction quality is exceptional throughout. A dual-rail system and strong (but lightweight) design offer stability and encourage smooth operation.

View what’s visible from the seat’s bottom. The seat is kept in good working order by six pairs of guiding wheels. On either end of the track, substantial rubber bumpers prevent the seat from damaging the body. Hard plastic that has been molded into the shape of the seat is used to make it.

Setup

The good news is that most of the assembly is done for you. You only need to put together 9 of the components. The bad news is that the instruction booklet makes use of teeny, small pictures that are occasionally not orientated to the placement of the parts during installation.

Making sure you’re placing the right thing in the proper place requires some double-checking. Making sure you’re matching the proper sizes up to the right instruction is a little difficult because there are SO MANY washers, screws, and nuts.

Merach uses one of those pre-printed, sealed cardboard cubes to identify and organize things, which is fantastic. The labels, however, come off as you separate the plastic.

Performance

Movement and operation are flawless. The magnetic rowing machine operates almost silently and provides constant resistance over the whole range of your pull.

Smooth, solid, and strong seat tracking are present. Additionally, the range of resistance is adequate, allowing you to adjust the intensity of your runs from light cardio fitness levels to some rather serious strength training. It offers many possibilities for additional workout exercises and is incredibly great to use regularly.

This product may be unavailable,

Our recommended alternative to this product is the Dripex Magnetic Rowing Machine for Home Use Rower Machine for Home Gym & Cardio Training

CIRCUIT FITNESS Deluxe Foldable Magnetic Rowing Machine with 8 Resistance Settings

Circuit Fitness’ foldable rower is made to provide you with the workout you require. People of various abilities may get the workout they want from the comfort of their own homes thanks to the 11-pound flywheel and 8 degrees of resistance.

This rowing machine is extremely adaptable because it enables you to work in different body regions, go to new difficulty levels, and improve your overall fitness journey.

Various Resistance Levels

Rowing is an excellent cardio workout to start since you can get better at it. This machine has 8 distinct levels of resistance that you can progress through. This is ideal for people who wish to start slowly and go up after they find their groove. For those who wish to row for a long time, it’s also fantastic.

It keeps your exercise journey fresh and entertaining every day. You may quickly increase or reduce the resistance as needed by pulling a lever located next to your feet.

Convenient Handlebars

Making sure your hands and arms are in the right positions when rowing can help you focus on the right body components. This rowing machine has strong and comfortable handlebars. To ensure that they won’t degrade over time, they are wrapped with sturdy foam.

The anti-slip material also ensures that you remain relaxed and focused throughout your challenging workout.

Assembly

Many consumers reported that assembling the Circuit Fitness Rowing Machine took them between 1.5 and 2 hours and that there is an instruction booklet included.

A few customers have mentioned that the instructions were ambiguous in several parts and that they were forced to choose the expert assembly offered by Amazon. But most reviewers agree that you can assemble this equipment on your own as long as you take your time.

Adjustable Fit

A wide range of users can be accommodated by the rowing machine from Circuit Fitness. The adjustable straps may adapt to accommodate users of various sizes and heights. Regardless of the rider’s size, the seat is roomy, contoured, and comfy, so they will always feel comfortable.

This enables them to pay closer attention to what they are doing, such as getting into an enjoyable rowing workout routine.

Detailed Display Monitor

The big LCD display screen is excellent. It includes certain helpful functions for a computer of this type, is simple to read, and uses.

It shows built-in workout information like distance in meters, duration, stroke rate, and calories burned (obviously calculated), and it is compatible with a chest strap so it may also show your heart rate. The chest strap is not included, take note.

We loved having the option to create a fitness journey based on time, distance, stroke rate, calories, or pulse. You could, for instance, set a goal of 2,000 meters and watch them decrease until they reach zero.

Pros

  • The silent magnetic resistance
  • The functional features on the console are good.
  • Good, robust piece of equipment
  • Supports users weight up to 300 lbs. (Maximum user weight capacity)
  • Contoured, comfortable padded seat
  • Suitable height from the floor for the seat
  • Easily put together
  • Two-year guarantee

Cons

  • No chest strap is provided.
  • In low light, the LCD workout monitor’s lack of a backlight makes reading difficult.

Overall, you may target all of your major body parts with this rowing machine to obtain an intense, full-body workout. That’s because it has anti-grip handlebars, 8 degrees of resistance, a cushioned seat, and strong pedals to keep you in place.

This one is ideal for a realistic rowing workout. The fact that this rowing machine has a foldable design and is carried away for convenient storage is one of its key advantages over competing models.

 

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About the author 

Kieran
A star athlete during his school days, Kieran quickly excelled at sports and in particular; football. Kieran's true passion lies in home exercise equipment, and so FitnessHomeHQ.com was born.FitnessHomeHQ.com was built as a source for all of Kieran's thoughts to be put down on a medium. Here he guides you through various nuances of working out at home, tips, guides, reviews and more.The only other thing Kieran enjoys more than working out, is writing about it.
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