Xterra Fitness Water Rowing Machine

The unit comes in a good sized box, so plenty of space is recommended to put this together quickly. It took me roughly 20 minutes to assemble, and there was no major issues with needing to force parts together, or trying to figure out what goes where. The unit is easy to fill and empty. Mine come with a funnel and syphon. It stands up and lays down easily, and takes up very little room standing up. You can feel the difference between each level of water, even though they appear to be very small. It is also extremely quiet. I was surprised at how quiet it was even at 30+ strokes per minute. The seat almost makes more noise than the water. :-) After 2 weeks of use, the unit holds up very well. I do understand the issues of the foot rests, they are open so your heels can get caught if you are rushing to get off. As with most things, taking your time and caring for your equipment will make it last longer. I did have one issue when I put the unit together. One of the rubber pads were missing, however, Xterra was quick to respond and send the missing piece. All-in-all, I'm glad I chose this unit, and I would recommend it to anyone looking for a rowing machine for personal use, and to anyone looking for something to workout more than just one group of muscles. It is a great full body workout.

Used my rower for the first time today, the amount of resistance is good I filled it up to max level and after about half an hour and I felt like I got a very thorough workout. The seat however isn't the most comfortable not terrible but not great either, the foot straps do seem to be a bit on the cheap side no issue yet. Additionally I do wish the monitor had an off button as has been pointed out in other reviews it does not have a sleep mode and stays on constantly. Aside from that the rower has a tray for your phone but it's featured right under the strap so it's only useful if you want to listen to music or are awaiting a call. If you want to watch videos while rowing you'll need to buy a clip on stand for your phone like I did, thankfully the base has ample locations to attach one. The only other problem is I didn't receive any water purification tablets nor did I see any instructions in the manual on how to clean the water tank's interior which makes me somewhat nervous as I don't wish to go out and buy a product that will corrode it so I have emailed them and I'm currently waiting for reply. Otherwise I'm really happy with my purchase, a great machine for the price range. Edit: I have received a response, due to shipping regulations they longer included the iodine based purification tablets with the machine but they did order me a 2 year supply for free.

11/19/18 I fell in love with my brother's orange "water rower" branded unit. Low impact, great cardio tool. Based solely on the Amazon reviews, I took a chance on this one. Delivery was seamless and arrived earlier than scheduled. No damage to the box. Thanks Fedex! Assembly took about 15mins. The provided tools are very adequate. Holy smokes.. much to my surprise... grade 8 stamped hardware! Nice! All the welds are quality, the machining on each of the treads was fantastic, which is not typical of most non-US made equipment. Everything went together with ease. Filling with water was straight-forward. The unit gets 4 stars because the UX for the feet is horrible. No surprise that previous reviewers have broke them. Clearly it's not the best design. It holds my size 9 feet securely, but is not confidence inspiring. Additionally, while the velcro straps are holding, the end of the hook webbing is precisely at where the strap is just secure enough to hold my feet... and I end up pulling back the velro webbing every time I cinch them down. I can tell it's NOT going to last long. Thankfully, the feet platforms are steel and very solid... so I'll probably end up replacing everything with something of my own design WHEN they break. Operation is smooth, quiet and just as advertised. It's on-par with units more than double the cost. Certainly, from a longevity standpoint the jury is out, but so far, so good! 11/21/18 Update after a few workouts and ~1000 strokes; Just a noted above, so far, so good. No issues, whatsoever. I'm very happy with the purchase and believe it's the best bang/buck rower. 12/8/18 over 5k strokes, not a single problem. updated 1/7/23 i've had to replace the batteries a dozen times, so no idea how many strokes. 100k+ probably. no additional problems. it's developed a small leak, but only seems to leak while I row. still definitely satisfied and recommend it all the time. gorilla tape around the feel straps, and it's held fine for a few years.

I have had the ERG600W water rowing machine for a week now and are 1587 rowing strokes into it. The machine was nicely packaged in the box, and it needed little assembly - mount the stand legs, insert the seat, and attach the main tube to the already assembled main unit. The computer needs mounting, too, with four screws. The connection to the water wheel is on top, as is the water fill hole. When upright to store, the water level is below the rotor shaft and the drain plug. I haven't seen any leakage in the upright or horizontal position. It comes with a siphon and a funnel. The siphon would be good to drain the water, but I used a gallon jug and the funnel to fill it. By the way, you might as well fill it to the top mark. Momentum keeps the water circulating as you slide forward, so once you get it going, you get more swoosh from having the highest water level (as indicated on the side of the unit near and below the fill port). The unit no longer comes with the water tablets described in some of the reviews here. The chest strap for heart rate is also not included. They are both options that you can order from xterrafitness.com. I do suggest putting a foot on the front stabilizer when lifting the unit into the storage position, in order to prevent the unit from rolling forward and crashing into the wall (or whatever is behind it). This is my first experience with a rowing machine. I'm pretty pleased with it-- so far, so good. If anything breaks or stops working, I'll update this review.

I can't say enough about XTERRA Fitness and specifically Rhiannon B the customer support rep who helped me. I bought the ERG600W Water Rower almost 2 years ago. The reason why I am writing the review now is because of how the company stands behind their product and the professionalism of Rhiannon. One of the reasons I bought this rower is because of the 2 year warranty. Most other rowers in this price range have a warranty that is under a year. I row a lot. I the past year and a half I have put 27,110 plus strokes on the machine. (I reset the computer by mistake and so don't have the full 2 years). I have the water level set to the highest resistance. When I row I row hard, which is not to say that I am some incredible person, but just that I use the machine, it is not in some closet. Anyway, the short of it is that I was rowing on Jan 2nd and the rower broke. The warranty expires in a couple of months, so I filled out a service request not expecting much and the next day I got a response (that was the day most businesses were closed for New Years). Anyway today is 1/15 just finished rowing on the new machine they sent at no cost to me. I really can't say enough. So the rower is solid. It can put up with me for 2 years. I prefer water rowers because the feel is closer to actual rowing. The machine is pretty simple, it does what it is intended to do very well. My original machine is still solid as well, some small internal part broke in the rowing mechanism. I would recommend this rower over all the other rowers in its' class because of its' overall quality, the warranty, and the company. I really can't say enough.

UPDATE two months later. This company should be banned from Amazon. They sell a defective product and refuse to stand behind it. I cannot use this rower and cannot get them on the phone or by email. They are just ignoring my patient requests. IT IS MY RECOMMENDATION THAT ANYONE CONSIDERING THIS ROWER FIND A DIFFERENT PRODUCT. CUSTOMER SERVICE, AFTER SALES SUPPORT AND REPAIRS ARE NON -EXISTENT. UPDATE after 6 months. I noticed about 3 weeks into my rowing experience that the belt would slip on occasion. At first, it was annoying because it messed with my rhythm. After the slipping belt became more regular and happened 20 or more times in a 600 stroke cycle I became frustrated. I contacted the company and they ordered a replacement part. It arrived after about a month later with instructions to call a contracted equipment repair person. I called and was told the service order expired and it would have to be renewed. That was in March 16 and it is now April 19. The part sits next to my rower. My rower continues to mess with my back from the sudden slipping that is happening more and more. I REGRET my purchase and especially regret the poor quality of after purchase service. This was my original post. This is my first rowing machine. I didn't get it for a competitive experience. I wanted to keep my body limber and stay active during the winter. I ride a bicycle daily in the warmer weather but snow and cold make that very difficult. I plan to spend the same amount of time on this rower as I spent daily on my bike. I immediately noticed muscle soreness in places that don't get the same workout on a bike so that makes me feel like this workout will benefit me as much or more than just bike riding. I find the rowing motion very smooth and the sound of the water is great. I watch tv while I row and don't need the volume up very loud because the water sound isn't overwhelming.

If you're like me, you had your heart set on a water rower but did not want to spend the $1200+ for the wood version. After doing as much research as possible, I rolled the dice on the ERG600W. Boxing: It showed up quickly in a large hefty box. Get this thing delivered right to your door so you don't have to carry it far. Everything inside was neatly packaged and individually wrapped in plastic Assembly/Instructions: This could not have been any easier unless it showed up fully assembled. Simple step by step easy instructions with minimal hardware and tools required. All tools and hardware is provided. The instructions recommend using two people to assemble, but I easily completed it by myself. Moving at a leisurely pace, it took me about 20 minutes. Durability: This is my first day using the rower, so impressions are from first sight/use only. Overall most everything feels solid and sturdy. The one exception is the plastic foot holds. In particular, the plastic backings feel cheap and flimsy. Other reviewers have pointed this out, so I already knew the risk here. The same reviewers also said they received excellent customer service from Xterra, however. I am a complete beginner rower, but it is my initial opinion the heel is used little during workouts anyway. The velcro toe straps are probably more important and these appear to be strong. Will update this portion in the future if anything happens. Performance: The first workout I did was about 3000 meters just to get a feel for it. It felt excellent! Smooth, quiet, and steady. What else can I say? The panel readout is nice and easy to use as well. Overall: 5/5 for me. Yes, a portion of the foot holds does feel cheap and flimsy, but there are much pricier options out there if total perfection is your requirement. If you want a solid water rower on a budget with minimal compromise, this is the one. Great buy!

Pros: I have been using this rower for a few months now. This is a great, sturdy, affordable rower! I do not personally have any trouble with the foot straps. They are velco and very strong. I love the whole body workout that I get from this rower. I filled the water to maximum strength and after 10 minutes, my heart is pumping! The seat is more comfortable than other rowers I have used, and seems to be a little cushioned as opposed to hard plastic which was one of the main reason why I purchased this one. Having a comfy seat, will allow me to work out longer! Cons: I wish it came with a few water purification tablets. I don't understand the electronic board and I threw away the manual. I wish the timer would stay put instead of going back and forth to some other number.