Sunny Health & Fitness Phantom Hydro Water Rowing Machine - SF-RW5910, Silver

Primarily I was looking for value and function in the $500 price range for a rower. I had never used a water rower and only used magnetic type at a gym. The Sunny Hydro Rower came in a sturdy box mostly assembled. The water tank and surrounding front frame are already put together. Although I found the visual instructions lacking enough detail, it was not a hard assembly that took about 40 minutes. It would be less if you are less patient. Along the way the only concern was when I unpackaged what they call the meter or the computer. Immediately there was a small rattle and after taking off the battery door and rolling it around a bit, a small screw did appear. I filled the tank as instructed for the first use at about half the maximum. More water means more resistance. I advise starting with the minimum if you are a beginner like me and work your way up as you build strength. Using video training through Apple Fitness I've gone through about 5 workouts of 10-30 minutes each. I find the instructors indication of strokes per minute match up well to the on board meter indicating it is at least pretty accurate. Again, as a beginner following the trainer's guidance on proper technique of 60/20/20 or 60% energy from the legs, 20% from core and 20% from arms, I am feeling a fairly even workout. The water resistance is much better, in my opinion than magnetic and I'm pleased to have gone this route. The only strain I am feeling so far is in my lower back. This could be technique, lack of core or positioning/adjusting with the machine. There are adjustments for foot position, front and rear round rubber screw type feet. One important feature I learned from a video instructor (on YouTube) was to have a machine with full range for the handle position. This machine allows for a return of the handle past the handle saddle/lock. Some cheap machines have the strap for the handle only go as far as your foot position, thus not allowing a full range. I am 6' 1" with long arms so full range was important to me. All the functions, including the meter work as advertised and I am very pleased with the initial quality. The welds look solid and there are no leaks. On the initial uses I see no issues with the foot rests or straps as some have mentioned but we'll see over time. I can see this on most moderate priced machines being something subject to replacement over time. Finally, but importantly, I want to applaud Sunny customer service. After my first few uses I started a ticket on Sunny's site sharing the loose screw from the meter and my concern that over time this could be an issue. The response from an actual agent was within a day and they considered this a warranty replacement and have mailed me a replacement meter/computer. I do recommend this machine for persons like me that want to have a rower, might not be a daily user and are newer to the exercise. I hope to have it for several years of good rowing!

I only have a few weeks of use, if any of my opinions change over the long-term I'll update this review. Very good first impression. The rower seems to be well made, solid welds, sturdy frame, and is very stable while I'm using it. I'm about 5'11” tall, and 200 lbs. The computer is functional – I'm not sure how accurate it is, but it gives you the most valuable statistics and you can track your progress from there. This is an important feature as many budget rowers don't provide proper metrics. The seat is pretty good. No complaints. There are much worse seats out there. The pull handle is study and textured for grip. The foot straps seem to be the cheapest element. The plate is welded securely, the actual foot pedals are adjustable and they work – but I see this being the weakest link. The length of the straps are also cut unnecessarily long, giving a small point of contact for the hook-and-loop. Easy fix if one is so inclined. I'm really enjoying the water tank – this is first water rower I've used, and I really like the "whooshing" sound. It's not loud at all and becomes meditative after a while. My house uses well water, not city treated tap water, so I used distilled water to fill the tank. It takes about 3.75 gallons to reach the "max fill" line. I recommend everyone fill it to the max level as resistance is dependent on the amount of force you use when you pull the handle, i.e. don't pull as hard if you want less resistance. I highly doubt anyone will be filling / un-filling to change resistance. Also, deliberately look over the tank for any signs of cracks before completely assembling. It takes about an hour to unbox and put everything together, it’d be a major hassle if your tank had a leak. Who is this rower for? I've used the Concept 2 off and on over the years, that's mainly what I'm comparing this rower to. I recommend this rower for individuals who seek exercise, not necessarily as an indoor trainer for people who actually row out on the water in the real world. The reason I don't recommend this for "real" rowers is because the Concept 2 is the industry standard and any subtleties or computer comparisons you make will be inaccurate. The act of rowing properly is quite technical, so to keep consistent with a team or coach, you should use whatever equipment they’re using. If you’re a lone wolf, I don’t see this machine limiting your stroke. With that said, this rower is perfect for the home gym with individuals looking for low-impact exercise. The build quality is actually pretty decent, it may hold up well at smaller communal fitness clubs. Again, it is completely sufficient for any home gym scenario with individuals working toward fitness goals. Cheap bearings might be a long-term concern with very heavy use, but frame construction is not. So, if you hate running or the wear and tear it does to your joints, this little machine could be a great addition to your home gym. So far, I'm really enjoying it – I jump between this rower and a bike trainer hooked up to Zwift throughout the week.

Todo muy bien .. salvo el tiempo de entrega y que tuve que recibirlo en otro domicilio, porque no había entrega em mi área.

Love the water row machine. Priced well for what it is. Easy to set up.

So first off, I do really love the feel of the machine. It looks great, feels really smooth to row on, feels really decent quality for the price etc. The sound of the water is very soothing too, I like that a lot. Overall I'm a big fan but there were a couple of small issues. HUGE PRO's OF THIS MACHINE: (1) Foot Rests. This rowing maching fixes as issue that a lot other machines in this price range have, which is that most other cheaper machines have pivoting/swivelling foot rests. This is a disaster for technique because it means you can't push off properly, so if you care about actually getting something out of your row, this machine is excellent because the foot rests dont pivot. (2) Design allows full stroke. The "body" of the machine (the water part) is low enough that you can reach over the top of it properly and achieve a full stroke. With a lot of other machines this part gets in the way, so you cant go the whole way forward. This is super super important for technique as well as not ruining your knees and stuff. SLIGHT NEGATIVES: (1) Statistics: This is probably the most important issue. I think maybe the distance meter is flawed? On concept2 machines at the gym I am used to having an approximately 2:10 minute split (time per 500m). On this machine it's more like 6:50... So I think there is an issue with the distance meter perhaps. This is only really a problem if you are an athlete and need to submit stats to a coach or something. If you are just keeping track of yourself using the same machine over time to show progress, it's not that big of a deal. It does show a lot more helpful stats than other machines, but to me this is a little annoying. Not a deal breaker though, since I am just using it for exercise. On max resistance I can build up a sweat fairly quickly so I dont mind. (2) Assembly. This thing is SO HARD to assemble. The instructions are really confusing. I have built a lot of furniture and stuff in my time and holy cow this was hard. A lot of the pieces are very poorly labelled (the physical pieces and drawings), and the labelling font on the diagrams is really small. Diagrams are overwhelmingly detailed but yet somehow don't show you clearly what you need to do. I will say a lot of the assembly is just common sense, so I had an easy time putting it together when I abandoned the instructions. It took me about 1.5 hours to assemble in total. But I would love if Sunny updated the instructions to not be horrific. Overall, besides the assembly and stats issues I am really happy with my machine, and if that changes I will update this review. The reason for the 4 stars was mainly the stats issues, otherwise would be a 5 even with the difficult assembly.

Fue muy fácil para armar, el producto se ve de muy buena calidad, descargué la aplicación y se ve fácil de usar, aunque me hubiera gustado que la resistencia máxima fuera un poco más pesada, aún así me gustó mucho

Strong and smooth. Good product.