WaterRower Original Oak Review: The Rower You Do Not Hide Away
By The Ironnook Test Desk ·
7.6
waterrower.com
The verdict
The WaterRower Original Oak is the rower to buy if the machine lives in a room people sit in. The water tank is quiet and smooth, the oak frame is good furniture, and it stands upright to store. The monitor is basic and the warranty is thin, so for pure performance per dollar the Concept2 still wins. Pick this one for looks, calm and a stroke that feels like a boat.
Best for: Living rooms where a rower must look good and stay quiet
What we liked
Water flywheel is quiet, a soft whoosh instead of a roar
Solid hardwood frame looks like furniture
Stands upright on a 17.25 by 22.25 inch footprint
Assembles in under 45 minutes, per Garage Gym Reviews
Supports riders up to 700 lb and 37 in inseam
What could be better
S4 monitor is basic, with no touchscreen or built-in programs
The RowErg is the rowing machine we would buy with our own money. It is durable, repairable, accurate and free of subscriptions, and its PM5 monitor gives numbers that mean the same thing on every erg in the world. The costs are noise, a 96 inch footprint and no built-in screen or coaching. If you need silence or guided classes, look elsewhere. Everyone else should start here.
The Origin is the nicest rowing machine to live with: quiet enough for a flat with thin walls, smooth on the rail and backed by genuinely good classes filmed on real rivers. It is also more than twice the price of a Concept2 RowErg, needs a $50 monthly membership for anything beyond Just Row, and weighs 145 lb. Buy it only if noise and motivation are your problems. If they are not, the Concept2 does the exercise for less.
7.3$2,195 (plus $50/mo membership)
Costs more than a Concept2 RowErg at $990
Filling the tank is messy and the water needs tablets twice a year
Warranty terms differ by market, from 1 year to 5 years on the frame
The WaterRower Original Oak costs about $1,199, looks like furniture and sounds like a paddle in water. We checked whether that earns living room space when the S4 monitor is as basic as it is.
Put a Concept2 in a living room and you have bought a gym machine. Put a WaterRower there and you have bought a sideboard that happens to row. That difference is the whole argument for the Original Oak, and it is a better argument than it sounds. The rower you actually use is the rower you can bear to look at.
A stroke that sounds like water
Resistance comes from paddles turning in a sealed tank of about 17 litres. Pull and the paddles churn; recover and they glide. The sound is a soft rush that Garage Gym Reviews calls almost meditative, and it ranks the machine among the quietest water rowers. Compared with an air rower's roar, you can hold a conversation or watch TV at normal volume. That alone sells it to anybody sharing a room.
Feel is the second reason. Water resistance has a slight lag and swell at the start of each stroke, closer to a boat than the instant bite of a fan. Some people love it, and some prefer the Concept2's snap. Try both if you can.
Size, weight and where it goes
In use it is 82 inches long, 22.25 inches wide and 20 inches high. Stood on its end it is 17.25 by 22.25 inches on the floor and about 81.5 inches tall, so it fits a corner. Maker figures are 63.5 lb empty and 100.5 lb filled with 17 litres, and it supports 700 lb and a 37 inch inseam. The seat is 12 inches off the floor; Garage Gym Reviews measured 11.8. A 20 inch HiRise kit exists for taller or less flexible riders, and one retailer charges $175 for it.
A retailer listing at $1,324, with HiRise kit and delivery add-ons priced separately.
Assembly takes under 45 minutes including the tank, per Garage Gym Reviews. The filling is the unpleasant part: the tester called it messy. Plan for a bucket, and keep purification tablets in the drawer, because the water needs treating about every six months.
The monitor is the weak spot
The S4 shows stroke rate, time, speed, watts and split times. Garage Gym Reviews scored its tech 2 out of 5 and found it basic and not very user-friendly: no touchscreen and no built-in programs. The current Bluetooth version pairs with rowing apps, so a phone or tablet is how you get classes and tracking. Our advice is to treat the monitor as a stopwatch and add your own screen.
A US retailer listing at $1,199, with side, angled and footrest photos.
Price and warranty
Price is where the Original stops being a bargain. The US list is $1,199 against $990 for a Concept2 RowErg. Retailers vary: $1,324 at two shops we looked at and $1,079 for an open-box unit. The warranty needs checking: the UK page promises five years on the frame and three on parts, while Garage Gym Reviews lists one year in the US. Ask the seller to put the terms in writing before you pay.
Footrests, handle and comfort
The seat is cushioned and stayed comfortable through 1,000 metre repeats for the tester. Two things bothered them: the footrests sit close together and the handle is only 15 inches wide. A 17 inch handle is an option. Wood also dents and chips.
Garage Gym Reviews: a beautiful and high-quality rowing machine, rated 3.8 out of 5 overall.
Against the Concept2, in plain terms
The two machines are closer than the price gap suggests. Both give a full-body stroke, both avoid subscriptions and both store on end. The Concept2 is louder, cheaper by about $200 and carries a longer, clearer warranty; its monitor is the standard that rowing clubs use for comparing scores. The WaterRower is quieter, prettier and gentler on the ears. If you row to race a clock, buy the Concept2. If you row three times a week to stay fit and want to enjoy the room afterwards, the WaterRower makes more sense. Neither needs a plug, which is a small mercy for a living room.
Who should buy it
Buy the Original Oak if the room matters, if noise matters, or if your household would never allow a black steel erg in the lounge. Skip it if you want serious training data, programs on the machine itself or the best price per stroke; the Concept2 RowErg is the better tool and costs less. We rate the WaterRower as a lovely machine with a modest brain.
Aviron is the rower for people who get bored rowing. The air and magnetic hybrid gives a smooth stroke, up to 100 lb of resistance, and a 507 lb user limit, while the games and scenic rows are better than any class library we have tried on a rower. It also costs $1,999 on sale, needs a $29 monthly membership for its best content, and a Concept2 does the plain job for about half. Buy it if motivation is your problem, not budget.
