I work out in a gym which is only for rowing . They, of course, use the concept 2. At home I have a waterrower and find it a far better workout than the concept 2 for the following reasons. The concept 2 has a "catch" problem at the begining of the stroke which causes an ever so slight jerk. The sound and feel aren't like true rowing. The waterrower on the other hand sounds like the water and the feel as you increase your stroke rate is smooth and consistent. For overall short and long term it is the best.

Tried lots of fluid rowers and they all tried to be something they weren't so when I hopped on the WaterRower it felt a bit "soft" however the guy told me to try a 2 minute blast.... wow, I was instantly sold.
My wife hopped on and so did my 11 yr old. All found it perfect without the slightest need for any "resistance adjustment" which Is obviously why there isn't any. Apart from being by far the best rower I have ever used, it looks just fantastic in our front room.

Customer Service

The folks at GymRatz where superb. They answered every question for better or worse, and not once did they try and force a sale. Best of all they gave me a free WaterRower Heart Rate kit and Polar Chest strap no extra charge. TOP MARKS!

Similar Products Used:

Fluid Dynamics rower, Concept II, Horizon Oxford II

Outstanding fitness equipment for long-term use. Excelent value for money. Easy to stow, beautifull to behold, instant rowing, no maitenance, and provides a very demanding training. The Rolls-Royce for rowers.

Customer Service

Friendly price, very profesional service, took a little longer than expected, though.

I work out in a gym which is only for rowing. They, of course, use the concept 2. At home I have a waterrower and find it a far better workout than the concept 2 for the following reasons. The concept 2 has a "catch" problem at the begining of the stroke which causes an ever so slight jerk. The sound and feel aren't like true rowing. The waterrower on the other hand sounds like the water and the feel as you increase your stroke rate is smooth and consistent. For overall short and long term it is the best.

Customer Service

I e-mailed about programs and they sent it right back to me.

Similar Products Used:

Concept 2.

If you don't mind devoting a room in your home to looking like a gym, you may want to buy a Concept 2. But if you wish to have an attractive piece of "furniture" that takes up little space and still gives an authentic rowing workout, the Water Rower is terrific.

I really can't stress enough how good an indoor exercise machine this is. Depending on what your goals are, this could be exactly what you are looking for. Here are some reasons why:

True all body exercise:
Many know that rowing is a brilliant all body exercise. At the moment, you just can't make the most out of rowing indoors unless you are on a Concept 2 or a Waterrower.

Quiet and natural sound:
You can watch the TV at normal volume and you don't need to worry about your neighbours if you live in a shared building. This might sound odd, but the sound of the water spinning round the drum is really satisfying, and the faster you go the better noise it makes!

Comfortable and adaptable:
Spending long periods of time on this rower is an enjoyable experience. The mechanics of the thing give a very plush feel regardless of stroke rate or power input.

Aesthetics:
Many will think this is not important, but I think there are two reasons why it is: 1) If your chosen piece of exercise equipment is visually attractive, you will be more inclined to use it instead of hide it away and forget about it and 2) Unless you have a dedicated gym, few people would choose to have an ugly metal contraption invading their living space. With the Waterrowers wooden construction and "stand on end" storage mechanism (roll it up on end using wheels), both of these points are taken care of.

Build quality:
Difficult to describe. Superb, intelligent design and you get the feeling that the guys who actually build the things care a great deal about what they are doing. If you appreciate this level of quality then it is worth buying for that reason alone.

Price:
I don't know about the situation in the US, but in the UK, if you can afford a Concept 2 then you can afford a Waterrower. I imagine this is no accident. Neither are cheap but both should last a lifetime. The better wood types are more expensive but this is a question of personal taste, they are the same machine.

Compared to the Concept 2:
The Concept 2 is an excellent machine and I like it a great deal, though only for 2k attempts. Built like most gym equipment, it is of all metal construction and uses a flywheel as a resistance mechanism. It does not feel like rowing (contentious I know) though this does not necessarily matter, as you are exercising the same muscle groups. I would disagree with reviewers of the Concept 2 who say it is quiet. If you are doing anything below 8 mins for your 2k then I believe it is very loud indeed. There is no 500 metre active average split time on the Waterrower, as there is on the Concept 2. This bothered me at first (the 500 metre split is a fantastic motivator when attempting a fast 2k) but now I understand that this machine is not designed for sprint training, and that is not what I use it for. I think that people generally find it easier to spend money on buying a Concept 2 than a Waterrower, because they may have used it at their local gym and liked it. Certainly, if Leander are constantly on TV with them, and the indoor championships and records are held on them, then who can blame them.

In conclusion, if you are training for a 2k improvement and you can tolerate the comparatively difficulty to live with, then there is no better machine than the Concept 2. If you are planning anything else which requires longer sessions, especially increasing endurance or losing weight, then there is no better place to be than a Waterrower.

Customer Service

Price quoted above is in UK £ Sterling, not $.

I would say it is essential that you buy the computer and heart rate attachment when you get your Waterrower. With these two pieces of equipment (and a good heart rate monitor) you can plan your exercise sessions effectively and gather accurate data of your improvement over time.

Periodically, Waterrower produce upgrades for your machine which you can either order new bits for and fit yourself, or send the relevant bits back to Waterrower and they will fit them for you, returning your upgraded parts when finished (the recent upgrade to the foot plate, which needed doing by the way, is a prime example). Check their web site for details.

The Waterrower is available in different wood finishes. You can take your pick and the cost varies in accordance with the source cost of the wood. Different woods are different weights but this only really matters when you are carrying the box's up the stairs. Ash is the Basic model, and I believe the most attractive. Not everyone will have the same tasted so you have Cherry Wood and Walnut as alternatives.

There is no “Resistance Adjustment” on the Waterrower. To exercise harder increase your stroke rate (this just makes complete sense to me). You can change the effective weight of the “boat” however, by adding or removing water from the drum. They give you a chart to equate number of litres to boats (eg single, pair, four etc), which is great.

I am sure the respective companies may disagree on this, but the computer on a Waterrower is calibrated differently than the Computer on a Concept 2. On the Waterrower though, you should really be concentrating on your Heart rate, Stroke Rate, duration and form, not your short course times. When you want to assess your improvement over the 2k (bought about by your distance work on the Waterrower), pop to the gym and step on a Concept 2.

Similar Products Used:

Concept 2