America
The RowErg’s 4.9 across thirteen thousand owners is the best record of any machine this site has ever reviewed. Air resistance that scales with effort, a PM5 monitor accurate enough for competition, and parts support measured in decades make the case; the fan’s noise and the honest premium over our budget rowing picks are the caveats. Standard legs suit most; tall legs earn their variant for taller users and easier mounting.
How We Picked
A single-product guide still runs the full gauntlet: live-listing verification, the 4.3 floor (cleared by the widest margin on record), and family-listing checks — Concept2’s tall-leg variant sells under its own ASIN, which we card deliberately as the guide’s central variant question rather than hide under the dedupe rule. The comparison standard is our own rowing machine roundup: the RowErg must justify its premium against machines we already recommend, or this page would say so.
1. The Machine (Standard Legs): Concept2 RowErg with PM5 Monitor
Concept2 RowErg with PM5 Monitor
Concept2 · 4.9★ from 13,047 verified ratings
- 4.9 across 13,000 owners — this site’s best-ever record
- Air resistance with the flywheel feel rowing is judged by
- PM5 monitor: accurate, comparable, competition-standard
- Separates in seconds for storage; parts support for decades
Why we picked it: The RowErg’s record is unlike anything else we have reviewed — a 4.9 sustained across thirteen thousand owners on a machine sold essentially unchanged in concept for decades. The reasons are mechanical: air resistance that responds honestly to effort, a monitor whose numbers mean the same thing on every RowErg on earth (the basis of its universal benchmark status), and a parts ecosystem that keeps twenty-year-old machines rowing. Trade-offs: the fan is audible — conversation-friendly, apartment-notable — and the premium over our budget rowing picks is real money for casual rowers who will never chase a 2k time.
2. The Variant (Tall Legs): Concept2 RowErg, Tall Legs
Concept2 RowErg, Tall Legs
Concept2 · 5.0★ from 42 verified ratings
- Same machine, seat raised to 20 inches
- Easier mounting for tall, older, or mobility-limited rowers
- Identical PM5, flywheel and parts
- Small separate-listing base — the machine’s record is above
Why we picked it: The tall-leg RowErg is the same machine with the seat raised roughly six inches — a difference that sounds cosmetic until you watch a tall or stiff-hipped rower get on and off each version. Standing up from a 14-inch seat is the RowErg’s one ergonomic complaint; the tall legs answer it. We card it as the variant decision, with the honest note that its separate listing carries only early reviews — the 13,000-owner record above is the machine’s true base. Choose legs by knees and hips, nothing else.
Comparison Table
| Version | Seat height | Best for | Monitor | Owner record | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Machine (Standard Legs) | Concept2 | Standard (14 in seat) | Most users | PM5 included | 13k owners at 4.9 |
| The Variant (Tall Legs) | Concept2 | Tall (20 in seat) | Tall/mobility-limited users | Same PM5 + parts | Variant listing, early base |
What to Look For
Why one machine became the standard. The PM5’s honesty is the moat: its pace and distance calculations are consistent enough that rowers worldwide compare scores as equals, clubs test on it, and online rowing lives on it. No budget rower’s console offers numbers anyone else recognises — if benchmarked training matters to you, this is the entire argument.
Who genuinely shouldn't buy it. Casual rowers wanting quiet steady cardio are better served by the magnetic machines in our rowing roundup — near-silent, apartment-safe, and a fraction of the spend. The RowErg’s advantages compound for people who train; they mostly evaporate for people who potter. This site earns either way; buy the right machine.
The noise and the footprint, honestly. Air resistance means fan noise — less than an air bike, more than any magnetic rower; downstairs neighbours will know your training schedule. In use it wants roughly 8 by 2 feet plus stroke room; it splits into two pieces in seconds and stands upright, which is better storage than almost anything its size.
Buy-once economics. The used market is the tell: decades-old Concept2s sell readily because every wear part remains orderable. Against budget rowers replaced every few years, the honest arithmetic narrows — our rowing roundup’s picks win on entry cost; the RowErg wins on cost-per-decade.
Our Final Take
Most buyers who train: the RowErg, standard legs. The benchmark machine with this site’s best-ever owner record.
Taller rowers and easier mounting: the RowErg, tall legs. The same machine; kinder to knees and hips getting on and off.
Ready to buy?
Jump straight to our picks on Amazon — check the current price at click-through.
Your Questions, Answered
Is the Concept2 RowErg worth it for a beginner?
If rowing will be a real part of your training, yes — it is the rare machine you cannot outgrow, and its resale value forgives changed minds. If you are testing whether you like rowing at all, our rowing roundup’s budget picks answer that question for far less.
Standard or tall legs?
Tall legs raise the seat to about 20 inches — roughly chair height — which taller users and anyone with cranky knees or hips will appreciate at every mount and dismount. Rowing mechanics are identical. When in doubt at average height, standard.
How loud is a RowErg really?
A steady whoosh that scales with effort — comfortable to talk over, impossible to hide from a light sleeper one wall away, and transmitted through floors at hard intensities. A mat helps structure-borne noise; the air sound is the price of the resistance’s honesty.
Does the RowErg need a subscription?
No — the PM5 works completely standalone, and that self-sufficiency is part of the machine’s appeal. Free and paid apps can connect to it for classes and logbooks, but nothing about the machine waits on a payment. Verify current bundle details at the listing.
Related Guides
How We Research
Picks are researched and written by Mike Callahan based on manufacturer specifications, current Amazon listings, and patterns across verified owner reviews — particularly the negative ones. We are not a testing lab and do not claim to be; our full standard is in the editorial policy. Specifications and included accessories vary by listing, so confirm current details at the retailer before buying.
Note: The tall-leg variant sells under its own ASIN with an early review base; the 13,000-owner record belongs to the standard listing and the machine itself. Both carded deliberately as one variant decision. Ratings verified on the live listings August 6, 2026.