The most important thing when you shopping for a machine is that it fits properly. Numerous things to keep in mind when you selecting exercise equipment. But with rowing machine, it’s pretty basic. The hardest part is figuring out all of your needs. These 6 critical questions are an integral aspect of buying a rowing machine. Read this carefully and write down your answer to each question, then making a smart investment with ease.

What you should consider before buying a rowing machine?

Just like there is no fitness or nutrition plan right for everybody. There is no cookie-cutter model for every human being that exists.

So, before going further, you need to break down your needs. Start from the following questions:

1.Think about your long-term fitness goal

What is your ultimate fitness goal? Are you planning to purchase a rower for CrossFit, weight loss, muscle building, or overall fitness?

The rowing motion works out your body in an effective way. It can bring a lot more than your awareness. It is recommended to have ideas of how good is a rowing machine and how it can exercise your body.

You can get exercise through a variety of repetitive movements, so all types of rowing machines can benefit you, but not all of them suit you perfectly.

If losing fat is your goal, the rowing machine is a wise choice that provides high-efficient workouts.

However, we may have the misconception – exercise is the primary driver of weight loss. Though exercise is great for so many different physical and mental benefits. But the calories you burn from exercise are not the driving factor behind weight loss.

There is a crucial point: 70% of the weight loss is diet, 30% is working out, so in addition to working out consistently, you have to keep your diet in check – nobody likes talking about it, but that is the reality.

a woman having a plate of vegetables in her right hand and a dumbbell in her left hand


According to the latest studies, people with a pear-shaped body who accumulate fat deposits predominantly in their arms and hips benefit from rowing the most. If you want to lose fat, any type of rowing machine can help you meet your goal.

If you’re looking to build strength and lean muscle the resistance offered by a magnetic, water- or air-based rowing machine can get you there.

Needless to say, by working out daily on a rower, you will improve your cardiovascular health, as rowing will put your heart and lungs to the test. In this case, a rowing machine equipped with a monitor is what you need to consider.

2.How long will you keep it?

This might seem like a strange question but it’s worth thinking about.

If you’re planning to keep the rower for more than 5 years and use it multiple times a week, it’s a good idea to spend a little bit more money and find a quality rowing machine that is designed to serve longer.

It might seem like a lot to pay initially but if you consider you’re going to get years of trouble-free usage that will help keep you fit and healthy for around $1 a day or less – it suddenly doesn’t sound too bad.

3.How often do you intend to use it?

Even the best fitness equipment will only work if you use it regularly!

An all-too-common trend is to get hyped about working out, consequently invest in an expensive rower, use it for a few months and then cram it in a corner where it will gather dust and rust for decades to come.

Buying a rowing machine can certainly be considered a solid investment for your health.

4.How many people will be using the machine you ultimately decide to buy?

If you have a family of 3 or more who will be rowing quite often, it’s important to purchase a model that has varying resistance strength to accommodate the different levels of users

Also, keep in mind the rowing machine you choose needs to have enough weight and height capacity to ensure that each of you can use it.

5.What space is available?

As rowers are longer than other exercise equipment, it will be crucial to measure and decide the room in which you’ll have to work with before making a decision.

Tall people should go for machines with longer seat rails (track length), which might occupy more space.

It is also recommended that you have factor in the room surrounding the machine for your arms and elbows.

6.What is your budget?

money, calculator, notebook, and ball pen


Some need to spend more than $1000 to buy a good rower, while others will not want to spend so much on rowing.

In general, like practically anything you buy, the higher price represents the higher quality. Keep that in mind when determining your budget.

In matters of rowing, it really is a big monetary investment. Rowing machines range in cost from between $300 upwards of $2,000 plus, depending on the type of rowing machine that you choose.

#How Much Do Rowing Machine Cost

Now that you’ve become familiar with what rowing machines are, how they work, and why they’re a unique and effective mode of workouts for many people throughout the world, you may be wondering what the actual costs are of buying, using, and maintaining a rowing machine.

This section will give you an overview of what these costs look like and will attempt to answer the questions people typically have as they begin thinking about the possibility of buying their own rowing machine.

In genneral, indoor rowing machines can costs anywhere from $100 to $2500. Most good rowing machines cost from $500 to $1200. Price of Rowing machines mainly depending on:

Resistance type

Quality

Brand

Design

Warranty

Economical rowing machine

Exercise should be challenging but enjoyable.

The price of these rowing machines is usually under $500.

Cheaper machines can be a choice, but they sometimes can be annoyingly due to the poor build quality and typically don’t use the realistic water-based resistance mechanism (like hydraulic rowers) that higher-end models do.

Also, the display on these rowing machines only equipped with a few functions or even doesn’t have a display on the rowing machine.

Still reminding you to stay away from the cheaper like $300 rowing machines especially if you’re looking to use rowing seriously as an exercise as something that you want to progress and improve with, you want to invest in a good quality machine.

Mid-range rowing machine

Most mid-range rowing machines, costing between $500 and $1000.

In this range, you’ll get the rowing machine that’s durable, solid build and with high-spec monitors. Also, it gonna pop up variable choices of resistance type whether air-, magnetic- or water-based for you to pick up.

If you’re a serious rower looking for a device that can keep pace with you, or if you’re a sports fan wanting to equip your home with a new quality rower, then a rower in that price range is what you need.

Top-end rowing machine

Top-end rowing machines can often tip the scale at over $1,000.

But you don’t have to fork out that much cash for decent rowing equipment, particularly if it’s a new sporting endeavor for you.

If you’re looking for a rowing machine equipped with a huge size monitor that allows you to race against friends and take part in online coaching, these high-spec rowers with a hefty price tag are more suitable for you.

Rowing machine prices

a pie chart indicating price distribution of rowing machines


As you can find out, the price of rowing machines mainly focuses on the range of 0 to 500 dollars, but it doesn’t mean you can get a high-quality-built machine within $500.

According to the market survey report, the average price overall is $506. That is the dependable cost for a serious rowing machine.

Let’s dig a little deeper to look at the various types of machines.

Resistance type is the main difference between the rowers.

So I separated the machines by type of resistance. The prices are MSRP without any shipping, handling or anything extra.

Hydraulic

Hydraulic rowers can barely be called rowers compared to most of the other resistance types. The pattern of movement and smoothness is not on the same level.

However, many people tend to compromise on these things because hydraulic rowers are cheaper and smaller. But let’s see what kind of money you can expect to pay.

price table of hydraulic rowing machines


It’s clear that hydraulic rowers are much cheaper than the other types. The average price of an hydraulic rower is $171.

For around $200 you can buy a decent hydraulic rower. The prices range from $84.99 to $499. This is much lower than any other type.

Air

This is the type for most athletes and people who want to train for actual rowing. Since many people are looking forward to an air rower, there are some more expensive models and some cheap ones.

price table of air rowing machines


As you can see, the average price is still around the same as the overall price of $641. The price range is a bit narrower than in the full list, with prices ranging from $259.99 to $1,599.

There is a wide variety of qualities, which leads to a wide range of prices, designs and assurances available that affect the price.

Magnetic

A lot of cheap end machines come with magnetic resistance. These have become more common over the last few years. Although you can get costly magnetic resistance rowers, most of them are in lower price ranges.

price table of magnetic rowing machine

There are quite a few magnetic rowers on the market. The average price of magnetic rowing machines is about $404. Prices range from $194.49 to $799. Magnetic rowers come in many different qualities and with different guarantees.

You can get a decent model for $400 to $500, while higher-quality magnetic resistance models can be had for around $600 to $800.

Air & magnetic

They are significantly different from air rowers and come with a distinct price tag. So I’ve decided to split it up from the air or magnetic categories.

If you’re looking for one type over another, it’s good to know what you can expect.

price table of dual resistance rowing machines


Rowers that combine air and magnetic resistance are quite a bit more costly than just air. The average price shoots up to $976. Prices range from $289.99 to $1,799.

For a good quality Air & Magnetic resistance rower you can expect to pay $1,000 to $1,200.

Water

Finally, the water rower type.

price table of water rowing machines


This is by far the most expensive category or rowers. The average price is $639. Even the cheapest model still needs about $300.

A good water rowing machines start at around $700. The price goes up from there but what you get extra isn’t all that much.

Sure you can get higher quality, better materials and better design but the difference isn’t as big as from $600 to $1000.

Starting to make your choice.

After knowing these 6 questions, you might have a point of view about choosing your ideal rowing machine. To help you make your choice in the right way, we wrote a step-by-step rowing machine buying guide.

Also, we collected some common water-resistance models on the market. Click here to browse best water rowing machine reviews.