CR’s testers assess rowing machines to evaluate their construction quality, their ability to accommodate a range of body sizes and shapes, ease of use, and potential safety risks to users.
To evaluate a machine’s ergonomics, we had five men and five women row on each machine, to see how it fit various users and to see whether anyone had problems reaching controls, grabbing the handle, or adjusting their feet and strapping in on the foot pad. We also examined how easy it was to achieve a proper position to push off and how the machine performed for different rowers as the seat and handle traveled back.
For ease of use, we looked at how easy it was to push buttons on the display and to make adjustments to workouts or to resistance levels. We also examined the readability of displays and the steps required to activate various workout programs (where applicable). The presence or absence of certain features, including your stroke rate and split time, factors into ease of use.
To assess machine construction, we looked for any clear manufacturing defects, how smoothly the machine operated when driving back and pulling the handle, how smoothly the seat moved, and how the machine sounded while in operation.
Finally, all the machines we tested performed well in tests for user safety, which assess overall stability and look for pinch points or areas where fingers could get stuck while operating the machine.
