WaterRower (waterrower.com) has a 4.4 out of 5 rating on OK.one, based on 63 user reviews collected here. It is listed under Sports and its reputation is good. 82% of reviews are 4 stars or higher and 3% are 1 star; The business has not yet replied to negative reviews; 4 of them were added in the last 12 months. Last updated 2026-08-10.
I was worried about my rower getting lost in the mail. I tried sticking it out, assuming it's a bigger package and transport will be a little slower. However, when there were no shipping updates in 5 days, I contacted customer support. I know there's not much they can do on their end either, but I was hoping they could reach out to their carrier to ensure it was at least en route and not lost. They initially got back to me the next day, but only to ask for the order number, which I provided. I didn't hear from them for another 4 days. They only bothered to respond AFTER it had already been delivered and the tracking had been updated to tell me, "it should have arrived." Yes, I noticed. Thanks for that, I guess? but it was more like an afterthought and like my concerns would have been ignored entirely if they hadn't resolved on their own. I wouldn't expect a shipping solution right away, but a timely response would have been nice...
Easy purchase of a great machine. Website was easy to use and placed my order after looking at different options. Love the rower and looking fitter every day.
Cons first, because that's what I really want to know about when I look at reviews:
The onboard monitor (S4) is a great museum piece. Setting aside the archaic, late 80s LCD UI, for the cost of this machine, I would expect--at the very least--for the ability to communicate with my smart watch (ANT+ or BLE) or mobile device out of the box. They claim to have an add on to (literally) bolt on Bluetooth functionality, but from reading the manual for the device and other reviews it's a sub par, disappointing attempt. There are 3rd party open source alternatives out there that I'll try for this.
Pros:
Pretty much everything else about this machine is good. It's well made, the action is smooth, it feels like a good approximation of rowing, and most importantly, it's a good workout. It's easy to move around, and it stores upright, so it doesn't take up much room at all.
Bottom line: as long as you don't mind manually inputting your stats into your fitness tracker, this is a good choice. If WaterRower really wants to dominate the market, they will seriously consider making some modern changes to the monitor and stop nickle and diming their clientele on add-ons that don't actually solve any problems.
smooth workout experience and a lovely piece of equipment
Great product, easy to setup and maintain, smooth workout experience and a lovely piece of equipment unlike most gym equipment. We bought a second water rower for my parents because they liked the rowing experience on ours so much when they came to visit. We have had ours for five years now and love it.
Best packaging and easiest setup seen in a long time.
Someone clearly put a LOT of time, thought and effort into making the unboxing and assembly as simple as possible - I was up and running in under 10 minutes.
Great communication - even over the holiday break I was able to get updates on a separated shipment.
We love our rowing machine and it was easy to get it put together…. It works and looks great. The staff was very responsive in helping us resolve a small issue with a loose monitor.
I did not give a 5-star review because it took over a month for the rower to be delivered to us in Alaska. I requested delivery to the barge in Seattle (a common delivery method to save money). The machine was not in stock so it was not shipped for 8 days, then FedEx delivered the 2 pieces at separate times, causing another 10 day delay and an additional shipping cost for the 2nd barge.
George Thompson美国 · 1 review · Experienced 2025-01-01 ·
★★★★★
A sad experience
So my wife had purchased a Waterrower for me for Christmas as she knew I had been looking at them.
She purchased a hybrid model in oak with the Cityrow electronics. I hadn’t considered Cityrow when I was initially shopping and didn’t know anything about it. After looking into Cityrow we realized that it requires a 29.99 monthly subscription. I knew immediately that I didn’t want the Cityrow package.
I attempted to resolve with customer service via email to see if I could swap electronics for simply a phone holder, they responded back with instructions on how I could swap out hardware, although they said it would require a fair bit of disassembly. After speaking with them I opened the box and started to assemble the rower to see how feasible swapping out the electronics would be. My wife came downstairs and immediately noticed that the order was wrong. They had shipped vintage oak, instead of the oak color we had ordered (our basement is finished with a natural oak.) I emailed the company and let them know that the order was incorrect and I’d like to return it. I sent the rower back via fed ex, 350.00 to ship back. I called them after shipping the rower expressing my frustration with having to pay to ship the item back when it wasn’t what we ordered. I was told because I was unhappy with the electronics they weren’t going to refund any costs to ship! I could have simply swapped electronics had the finish not been wrong! Absolutely zero desire on their part to resolve amicably.
The entire experience was just sad. I used to sell Waterrower 20 years ago before college. It’s an absolutely beautiful, well built rower. Sadly customer service was non existent. I’m now out nearly 500.00 and no rower to show for it.
The rower came in assembled incompletely. Customer support was helpful and friendly but sent me still incomplete parts. No complementary compensation or partial refund. Overall not a great experience.
I’ve always wanted my own home rower, but after watching House of Cards a few years ago, it sealed the deal. I had to have one. I waited until we moved to our new place this year so I could have enough space to put it in my bedroom. I chose the Walnut S4 model. It’s absolutely timeless, the wood you could tell is hand selected. The grain and sheer elegance of this machine is unmatched. It’s a work of art. My own mother (who hates everything I pick out, just because.. I pick it out) Even she was wowed and couldn’t hide how impressive this machine is. My husband too, instant green eyes! So, it looks like I’ll be purchasing 2 more units for Christmas.
The function too is incredibly wonderful. It lift up and moves, or should I say glides very easy across my wood floors. The sound the water makes while using is a meditative experience. I can’t begin to describe how that sound changes the energy of a workout in its entirety. I can’t recommend this enough honestly! I’m beyond impressed!
Great product, great customer service. Would highly recommend to anyone.
We bought one for the guys in our plumbing shop to use and help them keep fit.
We should have bought two...they're lining up to use it.
L
Louise英国 · 7 reviews · Experienced 2024-11-19 ·
★★★★★
Purchased 4 years ago during covid
I have had my water rower for 4 years now and it’s still my go to exercise after a day sat at my desk. The only niggle is the seat has caused me to have a bit of sciatic pain if I’m on it longer than 40 minutes but that is probably more my age than the rower itself
This machine is great. So easy to set up and to use. My husband and I really enjoy the water rower.
Thanks to our daughter that recommend this machine.
