Welcome to our comprehensive review of the Hydrow Rowing Machine! In the world of fitness equipment, the Hydrow stands out as a top-tier rowing machine that promises to bring the intensity and excitement of outdoor rowing into your home.
With its advanced technology, sleek design, and immersive workout experience, it has quickly garnered attention from fitness enthusiasts all over the world. But does it live up to the hype?
We’ve put the Hydrow through its paces to give you an in-depth look at everything this innovative piece of equipment has to offer. Read on to find out if the Hydrow Rowing Machine is worth your investment.
Hydrow Initial Impressions
The Hydrow is quite clearly a good looking rowing machine. Its stylish curves will fit into most modern-looking homes. We here at The Rowing Tutor love any rowing machine that gets people rowing more for fitness or enjoyment. We all understand that rowing machines can give you much more bang for your buck when it comes to working out. So how does the Hydrow shape up?
When you analyse the market for price, you will see that the Hydrow comes out very near the top. Therefore, we expect the quality of the machine to match the price. There is so much to like about the Hydrow. Its beautiful 22-inch monitor, slick and firm rowing handles and gorgeous lines are all there to draw the buyers in.
When compared to the size of the Concept2 Rowing machine, the Hydrow is fractionally shorter, but the same width. The extra height that the Hydrow comes with is because of the audacious screen. For many people, the screen may be the thing that clinches the deal for you. Its functionality and training scenarios really are excellent.
It should be pointed out that this rowing machine will dominate every room you put it in. It is a statement piece. Even when wheeled into larger rooms its design features and large floor space draw it to your eye. This could be a good thing for you or not.
The HD display comes with a 1920x1080p resolution and has a responsive touch screen. In the world we live in everything is touch enabled, and this monitor does not disappoint. It has Bluetooth connectivity and requires WiFi to access the banks of workouts.
Hydrow Specifications
If the Hydrow rowing machine is something that you are considering then the performance specifications will be something you will want to know. It is useful to be able to compare the Hydrow to a machine you will probably know well, the Concept2 Rower. Now the Hydrow is different from the Concept2 Rower and different from the water rowers that have become popular because it works off magnetic resistance.
The Hydrow uses magnetic power to allow you to change the resistance depending on the workout you are completing. When using the machine you will find that it has a wider range of resistance than most rowing machines that you have used before. It is also smoother because of the lack of fan or water giving resistance.
Size of Hydrow:
219cm (l) x 64cm (w) x 120cm (h)
When stored vertically 64cm (w) x 84cm (d) x 219cm (h).
The Hydrow is of course an extremely well-made machine, but its HD display with a wide range of interactive workouts is what sets it away from its competitors. Yes, there is a monthly subscription. Yes, this allows you to join daily live workouts as well as the library of other workouts.
Rowing on the Hydrow
As you can tell we are quite large fans of the Hydrow. There are lots of reasons why we love it, but rowing on it is number 1. The Hydrow has a simple rowing action that you will recognise as the same from other machines you may have used. The area that it is different is the smoothness of the stroke and the changeable resistance.
You will not find a rowing machine with a smoother action on the market today. This all comes down to the magnetic resistance that the machine uses. It adds no physical friction to the stroke and just makes it harder, depending on your choice of level.
The Hydro rower is a clever piece of kit and will learn how you like your machine to be set up. It will give you workouts that suit your needs and will increase the difficulty and duration of workouts as you progress. The AI inside the machine will gradually mold you into a better, fitter rower. That is something that the other rowers simply cannot offer.
One negative that rowers in the US had was no way to just sit down and row. Every workout must be launched by the interactive system accessed through the touch screen. This means that a paid membership is something that has be launched before the Hydrow can be used. This I’m sure will be the snag that many in the UK will have with the rower. Once you have paid for the machine, you do not really want to have to shell out again for a subscription to use the machine.
As mentioned before, the Hydrow is a great machine to row on. Compared to other rowing machines it is much quieter, this allows the rower to potentially be based in a more central part of the house without needing to be hidden away because of the raucous fan or water system.
Final Verdict
Hydrow have taken the rowing machine industry a big step forward in some ways. Aiming to mimic a system like Peloton means that they will likely just be catering to the rowers with a higher income. Is the Hydrow worth it? Well in our opinion yes. When you add all of the components together you do get a truly superb experience. This machine will provide a comfortable rowing experience to all levels of rower, from beginner to elite and will actually coach you through the experience.
The magnetic resistance system in my opinion puts this rowing machine above the other top machines on the market at the moment. That is if you forget the price. Being able to change the resistance in such fine degrees means that rowers can really fine tune their workouts to get the best out of their time.
If you have the money and the space, then this rowing machine is the one to buy. If you are cash conscious, then the Concept2 is still your best option.