RW300 Rower

Having read all of the reviews here and having owned a Nordictrack/Ifit cross trainer (the Commercial 9.9 version) used heavily and on a daily basis for the past 4 years, I'd like to take all of the criticisms I read here of other reviewers in turn and give you my well thought out opinion. I haven't owned this rower for long, but do know what it is capable of in terms of Ifit or stand alone use, and can also attest to the Nordictrack record of incredible solidity of build and reliability. I will alter this review should anything lead me think otherwise as concerns the RW300, but the following is where I am currently at... Weighing in at nearly 60kgs this is a solid piece of kit (as my elliptical is and has proven). I did initially (after much deliberation and research) however decide to go for the purist choice the completely different company Concept2 rower.. Realising then it would be just too long dimensionally for free use in its intended single room I was however forced to discount it. I didn't need that similarity to the rowing experience in buying a rower anyway, but initially decided the Concept2 to be the best choice simply in terms of it's toughness, slow value depreciation and free availability of user parts (in addition to it being the supposed "gold" standard). I was only in the market anyway purely in order to decrease the knee stress during a workout anyway (rowers being known to reduce this and me having a knee problem). That left the RW300 on my shortlist, the realisation it would sit comfortably side to side with my Ifit enabled elliptical in a single 2.7x2 metre box room convincing me to go for it.. I read a lot of reviews and the biggest critique of the RW300 is that it doesn't give you the most traditional rower feel or experience and can't tie in to the benchmark concept2 (which even professional rowers use). There are in fact reviews for the RW300 out there from professional rowers who state it to be a good piece of kit despite it not giving the most traditional rowing feel.. If this even matters then you can stop reading here... Get either the Concept2 (£1000) or the Merarch copycat which is exactly the same in dimension, build, spec and feel but half the price. Beware though that it has supposed no available replacement parts, not great backup support and supposedly an awfully designed monitor that gives frustration that devalues the whole experience... For those that aren't worried about a purist experience, but just want a decent fitness and calorie controlling tool that provides great cardio fitness yet connects to interactive workouts then read on... I note only five reviews for the new RW300 here on Amazon at the time of writing, but would like to refer those arriving here (seeing only 3.8/5 score for it) to other trusted review sources that do give a more balanced and positive perspective. Google reviews (many hundreds) give it a creditable 4.8/5, for example. There are two reviews here on Amazon currently that seems to push the score down, the first being a review criticising build quality (specifically footrests being loose)? I really cannot state more strongly that this is one incredibly strongly put together piece of equipment, the footrests being attached via three heavy duty bolts. They are absolutely solid, and I feel the reviewer must mean the adjustable foot harness attached to them. This is in fact absolutely bog standard and simply adjusts to accommodate different foot sizes?? They are great in use and I cannot really understand the criticism? The other review criticises the cost of Ifit membership, which I will discuss later but do acknowledge is peaky...! To avoid rabbiting on from this point I'll break the machine into Pros and Cons... I'll start cons... CONS: 1) Has only manual mode (single speed which you can change) if you don't pay for it discontinued Ifit membership. Other machines have at least a few built in programs. There will (as ever) with Ifit be a few workouts that you can still connect to, but this will be limited. The machine can still be utilised for fitness as standalone but is more limited than others. Don't buy it if you don't intend to continue with Ifit... 2) Ifit is expensive if opting for the full version which actually connects to machines and alters the resistance (although see PROS, below). There is a cheaper way to have Ifit that interacts with the machine, yet at a third of the cost.. 3) It is not a purist choice. If you row for real and want similarity opt for Concept2 or Merarch (if you have a room over 9.5 feet long to accommodate it plus user range extension). 4) My only reservation re build quality is the seat and it's rollers. I've had cheap rowers where this fails before. It feels good and I've no reason to worry other than experience, but I will be keeping a very close eye.. The 2 year warranty for parts however should cover this and it isn't a known issue given the older model doesn't have any failure reports. The same potential worry exists with any rower as the seat and it's rollers is highly stressed and can be vulnerable. PROS: 1) It's cheap. I'd suggest the RW300 over the 700 and 900 because you simply use a phone or tablet to Bluetooth connect. This instructs the machine how to behave in relation to an Ifit workout. You can even then cast the phone image onto a big screen or TV with fire stick/Miracast. All models appear to be similar or the same yet the 900 costs an eye watering £850 more for just a large fitted screen. If you are long sited like me it may also be a struggle to see a built in screen on the forward movement stroke (up close). 2) In Nordictrack tradition it's well built (very, as you will see unpacking and assembling it). It's straightforward and assembled in about 1.5 hours. It even comes with a quality set of spanners and drivers. 3) Ifit interactivity is a fun plus that keeps you engaged in fitness. It really does. ObviousbI know, but those who know it will know that it's the top of its game. Sure it's expensive at over £300 per year, but if there are two of you or more (you get 5 users) it's fairer value. I'd suggest that single users do what I and many do, and just buy a slot from someone selling one on eBay. Usually circa £100.. This is fantastic value at about 30p a day as the beautiful scenery and motivation (plus connected variable resistance experience) is second to none. I agree an Ifit 5 user contract is too pricey for one person though, and do wonder why Ifit don't make a single user account that fully connects with the machine any more? £150 perhaps??? I don't think they intend to change this, however.. 4) It is much smaller than the Concept2 or similar Merarch at just 2.06 metres. You'll need room length of another 25 to 30cms to fit it in, but it's a compact piece of equipment that feels no less cramped in use than the Concept2 I have used at the gym. The smaller size is in essence down to the resistance unit being magnetic rather than a hefty air based one. They will both do the job, but admittedly air is supposedly the purist choice (again, think of how important this is for anyone.. for me, not at all). 5) The new European version of the RW300 (this one) looks so much more solid and functional than the old one. Not a Biggie, but I think I'm right in saying the new leg design will provide better solidity in use and reduce movement.. It does feel absolutely fixed in use and doesn't move one centimeter. I think that is all I can think to say about it, but to conclude I couldn't be happier with this RW300. It's a bargain given build quality and that your own mobile phone or tablet will do the same job as it's bigger cousins fixed screens at over double the rower cost for the top model 900 (despite all of the other specifications being the same). Beware with bigger models too, as most Ifit/Nordictrack inbuilt screens have not in the past allowed for casting to a bigger screen (you should check this is the case with the RW700/900 if it's an issue for you or you have poor near sight yet fancy an inbuilt screen RW model).. Be warned that Ifit often don't make this clear and once it's set up in your house it will be a bind to return...... It was a really annoying issue for me with my Nordictrack/Ifit elliptical which couldn't cast to a screen (which I had to overcome technically by downloading the Ifit app to a firestick and running a workout simultaneously on the elliptical screen as well as the fire stick).. It works and I'm living with it, but isn't ideal... Getting the RW300 with a cheap £40 Android tablet (or just using your phone and casting) overcomes all potential issues and makes this model such a no brainer... Admittedly Ifit is expensive, but it is still the best connected experience. I now have two great pieces of equipment side by side both Ifit enabled and it absolutely feels worth it to me, but would suggesting just think about what you want personally. I hope that's a bit more in depth and insightful than other reviews here (despite the length.. apologies for that)!

Easy to assemble with clear instructions, feels solid and durable, works smoothly. Everyone in the house has enjoyed training on it.

Foot plates come loose when rowing - do not hold your feet tightly. Had to improvise by using tape. Seat action hard and noisy and display difficult to operate.

Very solid, quality feel with great and steady resistance. Reasonably easy to put together and the app makes a relatively boring exercise a little bit more fun, although could do with a bit more of a feeling of involvement. The app does seem a little expensive, but it's cheaper than a gym membership and the only reason for 4 instead of 5 stars is the issues with connecting to both my Garmin watch and Strava to record the workout. Garmin does connect but it's not "integrated" (can only share HR to the rower) and exercises have synced to Strava once and not since. Would I recommend it? Yes. It's not perfect, but it's good enough.

Quick delivery. Good sturdy rower and very hi-tech. Deffo a massive upgrade from my previous cyclone rower.

Really happy with the RW300! It’s smooth, quiet, and feels super sturdy. The iFit workouts keep things interesting, and it folds up easily when I’m done. Perfect for getting a solid cardio session at home. Definitely worth it!

Nur mit app zum trainieren möglich