If you are in a hurry and just want to find out what the best hydraulic rowing machine for a small home gym is, then I’d recommend the MARNUR Full Motion Rowing Machine as the best one.
Let’s face it.
Exercise machines can’t get pretty expensive.
A lot of people don’t have thousands of dollars to spend on setting up a home gym.
That’s why hydraulic rowing machines are great.
A hydraulic rowing machine is inexpensive, no matter which brand you get.
You may even be able to go far as saying they’re the budget rowers of the group.
However, they are still effective and despite the low price tag, you can find some high-quality machines on the market.
This review has all the information you need to know about hydraulic rowers.
I’ve also included five of the top hydraulic machines you’ll find.
Here are the top hydraulic rowing machines we’ll be reviewing:
- Lanos Hydraulic Rowing Machine – Best Console Set Up
- Goplus Hydraulic Rowing Machine – Most Compact Choice
- MARNUR Full Motion Rowing Machine – Best Choice for Heavier People
- Stamina Products BodyTrac Glider 1060 – Best Choice for Large Feet
- Livebest Hydraulic Rowing Machine – Best Budget Choice
Everything You Need to Know About Hydraulic Rowers
A hydraulic rower is…well…a rowing machine.
It’s obvious what you do with it.
However, the technology behind how this rower works is what sets it apart from other rowing machines on the market.
This technology, along with certain qualities about the machine makes it only suitable for certain people in certain situations.
The Hydraulic Technology
When referring to hydraulic, this is a reference to the way the machine provides resistance.
The resistance comes from air or fluid that is in a piston.
On most machines you can adjust the resistance from low to high by turning a dial on the piston.
There are four types of rowing machines, or in other words, four ways to provide resistance on a rowing machine:
- Hydraulic
- Flywheel
- Magnetic
- Water
As stated before, a hydraulic rowing machine is the least expensive of the four so they’re great if you’re on a tight budget.
One thing to be concerned about is that they don’t mimic a natural rowing position.
If you’re a competitive rower or plan to be one, this is not the machine for you.
However, if you just want to reap the benefits of rowing exercise, this is a great choice.
Quality and Build
When getting any exercise machine, you should get one with a solid steel frame and as little plastic parts as possible.
Of course, plastic may be used on little things like the footplate straps or the feet of the machine, but major parts should not be plastic because they won’t last.
You should make sure that the supporting legs of the rowing machine are wide and sturdy.
Otherwise you may find yourself rocking as you row. That won’t inspire confidence as you work out.
Size and Weight
Hydraulic rowing machines are the most compact rowing machines, so they’re great for small spaces like a studio apartment, a basement, or a dorm room.
You may even be able to get a hydraulic rowing machine that folds for easy storage.
Keep in mind that these compact machines may not be the best choice for people taller than 5′ 10″.
Some of them might accommodate people up to six feet tall, but you’d be right at the limit.
If you’re taller than that, you’ll probably be wasting your money on a hydraulic rowing machine.
These machines are lightweight – rarely over 50 pounds.
They can be set up and moved around by one person easily.
For this reason, they don’t usually come with transportation wheels.
Console
The console is where you’ll see pertinent information for your workout.
The consoles on hydraulic rowing machines aren’t going to be fancy and advanced because these are inexpensive machines.
If you do find one with an advanced console (rare), it’s going to easily cost $1,000 or more.
The console will give you information like row count, calories burned, time elapsed, distance traveled, and more.
It will likely be a monochrome display with a few buttons (maybe as little as one button). They’re generally very easy to operate.
Weight Capacity
Weight capacity is self-explanatory, but sometimes people tend to overlook this important detail.
Of course, if you’re less than 200 pounds, you’ll probably be fine with the weight capacity of any hydraulic rowing machine.
If you weigh more than this, make sure the weight capacity is the first thing you check.
For hydraulic rowing machines, the capacity is usually somewhere in the 220lb. – 250lb. range.
The Five Best Hydraulic Rowing Machines
In search of the best hydraulic rowing machine on the market, I came across five that were impressive.
They’re all affordable and durable. Any of them would be great hydraulic rowing machines for a small home gym.
Lanos Hydraulic Rowing Machine – Best Console Set Up
It’s obvious that the Lanos Hydraulic Rowing Machine was designed with a lot of thought about the user in mind.
The console is set in a smart place on the rower.
The console gives you the time elapsed, calories burned, and the row count. Using the scan function rotates through each read out every six seconds.
The rowing machine is made with a durable, all-steel frame and has minimal plastic parts.
The glider allows for easy rowing and the wide, curved, front leg support bar keeps you from rocking back and forth while rowing.
The seat and handlebars could use a little work.
The seat is ergonomically designed so the fit isn’t too bad.
However, the padding isn’t as thick and comfortable as some other rowers.
The same goes for the handles. The rubber-like coating provides a good grip but does little for comfort.
The Lanos rower measures 50″L x 36.2″W x 20″H and weighs 34 pounds.
It has a weight capacity of 250 pounds. It offers 12 resistance levels (standard for most hydraulic rowers in this price range).
Pros
- Console is easy to read and operate.
- Foot plates pivot.
- 360-degree rowing motion.
- Folds for easy storage.
Cons
- Not very comfortable after extended time.
- Velcro straps don’t hold feet in place well.
Goplus Hydraulic Rowing Machine – Most Compact Choice
Hydraulic rowing machines are already compact, but the Goplus Hydraulic Rowing Machine may be the most compact of all.
If you only have a small space to use, this is a great choice.
It folds almost flat (down to 7 inches) so it can be stored under a bed, in a closet, or in a corner.
It’s also very lightweight – the lightest rower on the list.
The rower has an extra wide seat (14 inches) and a decent amount of padding so it’s comfortable to sit on.
The console tells you the time, count, total count, distance, and calories burned. It has a scan feature to automatically cycle through these numbers.
It’s a decent console, but the one hiccup that Goplus could fix is the positioning.
It’s almost flat and placed in between the foot plates. This makes it difficult to read being that it’s small and doesn’t light up.
The Goplus machine measures 42.5″L x 33″W x 8″H and weighs 30 pounds. It has a weight capacity of 220 pounds. The resistance goes up to 110 pounds (not necessarily listed in levels).
Pros
- Extra wide seat for comfort.
- Can be stored under a bed.
- Extremely sturdy.
Cons
- Console is hard to see.
- Resistance levels aren’t clearly marked.
MARNUR Full Motion Rowing Machine – Best Choice for Heavier People
Hydraulic rowing machines aren’t usually made for heavier people, but the MARNUR Full Motion Rowing Machine is a welcomed exception.
Not only can the solid steel frame support heavier weight, but the entire machine is designed to accommodate larger people.
The handles are set a little wider apart than other machines and they’re a little longer.
The foot plates are over-sized. Even the seat is extra wide. To top it off, the slide rail is a little longer than the average (38 inches) so it can accommodate tall people as well.
The MARNUR rowing machine is one of the more expensive choices in the list but it’s not expensive since these are all technically budget machines.
It’s worth the few extra dollars if you need the extra room to workout comfortably.
The rowing machine measures 48″L x 17.5″W x 9.6″H and weighs 32.2 pounds. It has 12 resistance levels and can support up to 350 pounds.
Pros
- It’s great for larger people.
- It has a strong, sturdy, solid steel frame.
- Console has a media holder for your smart phone.
Cons
- Foot plates are very large so smaller feet may slip.
- The seat isn’t very soft.
Stamina Products BodyTrac Glider 1060 – Best Choice for Large Feet
If you have large feet and need some extra room in the foot plates, the Stamina BodyTrac Glider 1060 is a great choice.
The foot plates are noticeably larger than typical foot plates. It also has extra wide straps to hold your feet in place.
The downside is that people with small feet may find it difficult to keep their feet secure in the gigantic foot plates.
However, it’s not impossible, especially if they use proper foot placement.
The console on the BodyTrac Glider is bigger than the others in the list. This is because the console has a media holder for your smartphone or tablet. It’s placed between the foot plates, but it’s raised up a few inches so it’s much easier to see than other consoles on other rowers.
The Stamina Products BodyTrac Glider 1060 measures 49.3″L x 36″W x 20″H and weighs 34 pounds. It has 12 resistance levels and a weight capacity of 250 pounds.
It’s worth noting that it has a 35-inch slide rail.
Pros
- Ergonomically contoured seat.
- All steel frame with welded parts for extra durability.
- Large console with media holder.
Cons
- Pricey for a hydraulic rower.
- Heavy compared to other hydraulic rowers.
Livebest Hydraulic Rowing Machine – Best Budget Choice
Sometimes the lowest price is the most important purchasing factor and that’s why you have choices like the Livebest Hydraulic Rowing Machine.
The low price is attractive, but it doesn’t sacrifice quality to give it to you. It’s made with a solid, sturdy all-steel frame that will support up to 250 pounds.
There are a few sacrifices in features. For one, the slide rail is short (25.8 inches), so this rower won’t work for tall people or people with long legs.
It has a small seat, although the seat is padded for comfort. It also has a small console, no bigger than a stopwatch.
The console is placed on the handlebar instead of having its own mount.
None of these are deal breakers. It’s expected that some features will be a bit lacking with budget purchases.
However, the most important thing is that you can still get a lot of use out of the Livebest rowing machine.
The Livebest hydraulic rower measures 56.7″ x 19″ and weighs 30 pounds. It has 12 resistance levels.
Pros
- Easy assembly.
- Easily folds for upright storage
- Costs less than $100 on average.
Cons
- The seat is narrow.
- The foot plates are small.
Final Thoughts on the Best Hydraulic Rowing Machine
Rowing machines are one of the best machines to use in a small home gym, especially hydraulic rowers.
They’re inexpensive, compact, lightweight, and most can be stored out of sight if you need to. Plus, using one can target almost every muscle group in your body at once.
Out of the five that I’ve listed above, if I had to pick one that was the best of the best, it would be the MARNUR Full Motion Rowing Machine.
This machine is built to support heavier people, so you know that the quality of the machine is top-notch. It’s roomy and comfortable, and tall people can easily row on it.
All the machines in the list would be excellent choices. No matter which one you choose, you’ll be making a sound investment.
