When you’re rowing on the Sunny Onsdian Surge water rower, it will feel solid and of high quality. It comes with 8 adjustable resistance levels which increase the tension the higher you go. You sunny health and fitness treadmill can genuinely feel the resistance getting stronger as you increase the levels which is great but you can slightly feel the magnetic plates almost click into place on the higher settings.
Michelle Parente is a seasoned lifestyle journalist who is passionate about making well-vetted product recommendations. She specializes in health and fitness content, always reading up on the latest wellness research. We often work in tandem with the top brands in the industry to offer bulk order discounts to fitness clubs, bike studios, schools and other venues throughout the US. To return a product that has already shipped for a full refund, just let us know at with the reason for returning the item. Returns will be accepted within 30 days of receiving your product at the discretion of the manufacturer. After the returned item is received, refunds will be issued to the same form of payment used when placing your order.
In reality, no rower seat is particularly comfortable, especially for long workouts, and this seat isn’t any different. If you’d like more info on these other rowing machines, check out my rowing machine buyers guide. The Sunny Health & Fitness SF-RW1205 Rowing Machine is probably the cheapest rower on the market today. At well under $100, it’s hard to imagine how any rowing machine could cost less.
“There is a touch of nostalgia to a Schwinn, and they are consistent and reliable machines,” says Chicago-based certified personal trainer Eric Ridings. The Schwinn IC3 comes with a digital LCD monitor as well as a water bottle or tablet holder. It can hold around 300 pounds — more than most of the bikes here — and its warranty will cover the frame sunny health and fitness bike for five years, among other things, according to the brand. If you want to have a great elliptical workout, there’s no need to go to the gym anymore. You can order the best elliptical machine and have it shipped right to your door. Using it will give you a great full-body workout and on the plus side, this piece of cardio equipment is low-impact.
When the user adjusts the knob to a high resistance level, a valve inside the piston closes, making it harder for the hydraulic fluid to pass through, which in return increase the resistance strength. The Sunny folds for storage and it’s a useful feature as it halves the Sunny’s overall footprint when folded. And it’s not one of those fiddley systems like we see on so many of the cheap rowers. The SF-RW5155 uses a pull pin type system which takes just a few secoinbds to fold. Assembly takes around 45 minutes, which is the approximate assembly time for all of the rowers we have mentioned in this review, and the necessary tools are included with the unit.
However, if you’re an older adult or have mobility issues, this is not the rowing machine for you. This rower sits insanely close to the ground, and requires a very deep squat to get into the seat. I do have to be a slight hater for a moment–– if you’ve read any other cardio machine reviews I’ve ever written, you’ll know my pet peeve is small water bottle holders. In this case, the SF-RW5801 does actually have a water bottle holder that will fit an average-sized drink; however, the bottle slot is directly behind the device holder. This makes it extremely inconvenient to grab your water without knocking over your phone or iPad in the process.
If you’re someone who lives in an apartment, condo, or other small space, this might be a wonderful option for you. The footprint does reflect the compactness of the machine—you’ll find the length to be shorter than the typical rower. I’ve tried some of the hottest tech-y rowing machines on the market, including the Ergatta, Aviron Tough Series, Hydrow, and the CITYROW MAX. While all four of these machines wowed me with their interactive programming and smooth experience, they can be out of reach budget-wise for many. Mili Godio is an editor at Select who has written a variety of stories about fitness equipment, including dumbbells, affordable ellipticals, weighted hula hoops and more. For this article, Godio spoke to four cycling and fitness experts about how to shop for exercise bikes and researched dozens of options on the market to recommend the best ones to consider.
There are three types of rowing machines you can buy based on your personal needs and style preference. If you’re interested in rowing but don’t have a lot of space to spare, you might consider a foldable rig. Echelon’s Row Connected Rowing Machine relies on a magnetic resistance system and is one of the few that truly folds (most are simply made to be stored upright or taken apart). As for the machine itself, you get 16 levels of resistance, non-slip pedals, and a whisper-quiet design that won’t bother your family or your downstairs neighbors.
Make sure that the machine also has back wheels to make moving the rower easier. Sometimes the footplates on these small rowing machines can be, kinda, um, crappy. The footplates are pretty large and the velcro strap is big enough to do its job. With hydraulic rowers, as the piston warms up with extended use, the resistance decreases.