
Most “budget” rowers mean sacrificing something important, like quality displays or software features or the quality of material. Hydrow, which already makes one of our favorite rowers, has put on a master class in subtly trimming away hardware to make something in a couple of ways could be seen as improvements. The Hydrow Wave is lighter and more compact without sacrificing its maximum height and weight capacity. There’s a stainless-steel track with a nearly perfectly silent fly wheel, makes it quieter than most unless you’re the type to shout as you row. It’s got a 16-inch screen instead of a 22-inch screen, but the same 1080p resolution which means this smaller display is actually slightly clearer than the more expensive model. The one big feature Hydrow Wave is missing compared to the premium model is the adjustable neck on the rower — which, if I’m being totally honest, I didn’t notice for the first few days of use and can’t say I’ve personally needed.

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The Hydrow is our pick for a luxury rowing machine.
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The Hydrow is our pick for a luxury rowing machine.
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The Hydrow is our pick for a luxury rowing machine.
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The Hydrow is our pick for a luxury rowing machine.
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If you don’t mind spending a little more on a rowing machine then you’ll love the Hydrow. While testing rowing machines, I got input from the CNET Wellness team and we collectively agreed that Hydrow was a smooth and high quality rowing machine. Not only does Hydrow look sleek and futuristic, even the stride feels smoother and natural.

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The Ski-Row is the best 2-in-1 machine that is both a ski trainer and rowing machine.
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The Ski-Row is the best 2-in-1 machine that is both a ski trainer and rowing machine.
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The Ski-Row is the best 2-in-1 machine that is both a ski trainer and rowing machine.
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The Ski-Row is the best 2-in-1 machine that is both a ski trainer and rowing machine.
” overridecredit=”Giselle Castro-Sloboda/CNET” usepricing=”true” data-key=”cnetlisticle__94cebb7f-b079-4dd9-affe-e2bc402201c7″ position=”NaN” contenttype=”Best List – Precap” pagelayout=”FAQ Markup + BL Precap” showdetails=”true” suppressautoplay=”true” class=”c-shortcodeListicle g-border-thin-light-top g-inner-spacing-bottom-medium g-inner-spacing-left-large g-inner-spacing-right-large g-inner-spacing-bottom-xlarge g-outer-spacing-bottom-large g-border-thin-light-bottom g-border-thin-light-right g-border-thin-light-left”>
I was super excited to try EnergyFit’s Ski-Row because I love the idea of a rowing machine being two-in-one. The Ski-Row does just that by combining skiing and rowing. It offers two machines: The Ski-Row Air + Pwr and the Ski-Row Air. For this review, I tested out a Ski-Row Air + Pwr. Having used other two-in-one fitness machines like the Concept 2 rowers and Ski Ergs before, I knew I would have to compare the Ski-Row to them to see if the design does it justice.

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The Hydrow Wave is the perfect rowing machine for small spaces.
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The Hydrow Wave is the perfect machine for smaller spaces.
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The Hydrow Wave is the perfect rowing machine for small spaces.
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The Hydrow Wave is the perfect rowing machine for small spaces.
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Earlier in the list we mentioned the Hydrow. Now, we’re focusing on its newest and smaller model, the Hydrow Wave. One of my original issues with the Hydrow was the size of the machine. It rectified the issue by shrinking the original model by a few inches. I had this one delivered to my home and was impressed by its size. It fit in the space I had in mind in my apartment with ease. When it was delivered, the Hydrow team assembled it incredibly fast and ensured I could access my account before they left.
- Assembly: We took into consideration how easy it would be for the average person to assemble the machine.
- Ease of use: We looked at how easy it was to set yourself up on a machine as well as the ease of use on the metrics monitor.
- Noise level: We checked to see how loud or silent the machine was during rowing sessions.
- Features: We observed unique features that made the rowing machine stand out and/or improved the user experience.
- Storage: We looked to see how easy it was to store when not in use.
Rowing machine FAQs