This is the BEST Rowing Machine Under $600

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In this video, I discuss what I believe to be the best rowing machine for under $600. There are A LOT of VERY BAD rowing machines on the market, but this one seems alright all things considered! This video explains the "why" behind my decision making!

Wanna check out this rower for yourself? Check it out here:

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[loge]

I wouldn't take any recommendation of a person who hasn't used the product.

[eddyaruda]

Thank you for sharing your insight on Amazon ratings. It never occurred to me that the reviewer wasn't qualified to rate a product. What really concerns me is the fact that I hadn't figured that out for myself!

[buru]

I recently decided to get into rowing and spent the weekend watching your videos. After a lot of research, this specific rower is the one I decided I'm going to get (hoping to get a better deal on Black Friday), so I was thrilled to find that you agree! I wasn't even thinking of the full stroke aspect (but good to know!), rather I liked the tablet/phone holder it has so I can follow along with your/other workout videos, as well as just watching Netflix, etc, while working out lol. I also liked the larger monitor it has that displays more info simultaneously than similar-priced single-metric ones, and the bottle holder as well. I'll reply here with feedback once I get my hands on it and a week or two of workouts. Thanks for your super informative videos!

[danielday]

Whew, dude, I about had a panic attack. Thank you for recommending the Sunny Health Hydro water rower, as I just bought one. 🤙

[SunshinePip]

I love that sunny water rower. I've had it for 5 months and it's great. Its quiet, fairly easy to move and doesnt take up so much space in my apartment. I havent had any issues with it. It also looks cool in my living room, everyone asks about it when they see it.
I would just be careful when ordering. I ordered the one with the fixed foot plates but I noticed the other models have moving foot plates.

[craiglopresto]

Liking the Phantom so far. It is more of a coarse rubber grip instead of the soft rubber. Still plenty wide grip i think. The other nice thing is the rail can be collapsed so you can store it horizontal or upright with relative ease. So far i would recommend it for anyone starting out!

[tlogan]

I watched this video about 1000 times (ok, maybe SLIGHT exaggeration) before finally hitting the "buy" button. I've been using a rower at my gym but wanted something at home so I can be more consistent. I don't have the funds for a monthly subscription to something like Aviron or Hydrow but didn't want to get a useless cheap machine either. Thanks for providing reviews on the budget rowers for those of us that need them!

[NoEmailOnSundays]

That sunny fitness water rower is the exact one I was going to buy, that is until I found your channel. I'm now on the Concept2 wait list and am super excited to get started on my rowing journey to lose weight and fix my lower back. Thanks for all your fantastic tips!

[richardturner]

Thanks dude. I was looking at budget machines but ended up joining the waiting list for a concept 2 model D. My exercise bike died a few weeks back and I’ve been running the streets at night since. Cannot wait for what will be my first rowing machine. Been watching your videos to try and get an idea for the correct technique. May as well start off right!

[theDAILYmug]

Just getting into rowing. This video really helped me purchase a good rowing machine that will help me get started! (Got the phantom model) I hope to see you use this machine soon. Thanks for the help.

[emilyhops]

I asked in the comments, ages ago, for the rowing community to help me with the best budget rowing machine recommendations, and EVERYONE said just save up for a concept 2, so i did!

[soko]

Just picked up a XTerra ERG650W from Costco. It was reduced to under $500 and so far I am really pleased. Seems very similar to the one you just reviewed. Thank you for the info.

[rizzleroodoo]

I purchased this rower and have used it 4 times. I like it a lot. The resistance is good. The distances are definitely different from the concept 2. I tried that at the gym at work and was getting 2.5 minute / 500m. On the Phantom, the 500m times are more around 5 minutes.

Thank you for the video. I like the rower! Bought it thanks to you!

[petermichaels]

so glad i watched this, you just made me decide to wait and get a better rower like a concept 2 second hand or something. seems like alot of crap out there.

[oceanbelow]

I have the Obsidian by Sunny Health, I love it! And it covers all of your key points! As always, enjoy the content!

[chromedruidess]

Hey, I got this one in September! You forgot to mention it can fold up. I'm mostly happy with it as a home rower, although I wish the monitor was backlit. The metric tracking is definitely not comparable to a Concept2. I went from using a C2 at the gym to this Sunny Phantom and my split time nearly doubled for roughly the same effort. At least I can track from workout to workout. Assembly was easy enough with 2 people but I wish it would have come in 2 boxes. It was a bitch to get the huge box up the stairs to the apartment (I dropped it on my knee and had a huge bruise for 2 weeks). The part that goes around my heels is very hard and uncomfortable if only wearing socks or in bare feet and the velcro on the straps runs out so I can't get them tight enough on the front but wearing shoes solves both problems. The heel bit also frequently slips off and smacks against the metal behind it, making an annoying noise. I put some thin foam as cushioning between them so it doesn't make noise. Overall I'd say it's a good budget rower.

[B-U-C-K-S-H-O-T]

I just got a Pro-form Sport RL from Costco and so far its been great. Im 6’ tall but 280lbs so i am a big guy, rugby player, and its been great for my initial week of use.
Longevity obviously is yet to be determined but its got a decent warranty with costco and manufacturer.
It was $399. plus tax.

[JorgePerezMoreno]

I own the obsidian 500 from sunny health & fitness. It’s... ok. I’m more into running but bought the rower when the shelter in place order started. For the most part I have enjoyed the experience and it’s definitely a challenging workout. Not being an expert I found the pivoting foot rest a little annoying but nothing really that bad. It has a nice design and the monitor has the essential functionality. It does have the mechanism described in the video to get the full range of motion and the seat it’s quite comfortable. One important thing to mention is that the first one I had was defective. The tank started leaking, i then contacted customer support looking for the defective part and they sent me a brand new rower! Aaaaand I could keep the old one, now that’s great customer service!

[harveybatra]

The sunny health is really bad too .... mine started leaking in 1 year; nothing beats a concept2

[miqiee]

Wow! What a great review! Even though you haven't used this particular model, you explained what to look for in a machine and what to avoid. Good job!