NordicTrack RW900 Review: Is This the Best Indoor Rowing Machine?
NordicTrack
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Key Features:
- 26 digital levels of resistance
- 22-inch tilt and pivot smart HD touchscreen
- Live and on-demand rowing workouts with iFIT
- Ergonomic seat and design
If you’re looking for a cardio machine for your home gym that goes beyond a typical treadmill or elliptical, there are numerous reasons why an indoor rowing machine can be a great investment. Rowing is a fun and effective exercise that’s low-impact, high in calorie burn and works out the entire body. Plus, rowing comes with a host of health benefits. It can boost muscle strength, promote weight loss, lower blood pressure and decrease heart disease risk. While rowing may seem like an advanced workout, it’s great for beginners and a good exercise to try if increasing your fitness level is one of your goals, since rowing combines both strength training and cardio.
While there are numerous indoor rowing machines available today, one of the most popular and technology-heavy is NordicTrack RW900, a smart rowing machine that offers interactive training sessions, silent magnetic resistance and an oversized 22-inch touchscreen. Our NordicTrack RW900 review will outline exactly how this product works, its pros and cons and how it stacks up to other leading indoor rowing machines. We’ll determine whether or not it’s the best in its category, and if the NordicTrack rower RW900 is ultimately worth adding to your home gym.
What Is the NordicTrack RW900?
The NordicTrack RW900 rower is a premium indoor rowing machine equipped with high-tech features. This smart cardio machine is one of two rowers offered by NordicTrack and is the most high-end buy of the duo. While an earlier model of the RW900 is still available on NordicTrack’s website as a closeout deal at the time of this article, our review highlights the latest and newest model. This new and improved indoor rowing machine uses silent magnetic resistance, has a built-in compatibility for iFIT classes (a subscription-only fitness platform) and an ergonomic design that includes a molded seat, soft-touch handles and oversized pedals that pivot.
NordicTrack RW900 rowing machine uses an inertia enhanced flywheel to power its rowing workouts, which essentially means that the harder and faster you pull, the more intense your exercise will be. It also has 26 levels of digital resistance with automatic resistance adjustment when you follow iFIT programming. In addition, this machine comes equipped with Bluetooth connectivity that allows you to connect Bluetooth headphones, plus iFIT is compatible with many leading heart rate monitors. There’s also a premium 30-watt sound system that when paired with the 22-inch smart HD touchscreen, helps create an immersive rowing experience.
Specs:
- Price: $1,999
- Footprint: 82 inches x 22 inches x 54 inches
- Power: Inertia enhanced flywheel
- Resistance: 26 digital resistance levels
- Display: 22-inch tilt and pivot smart HD touchscreen
- Weight capacity: 250 pounds
- Warranty: 10 years frame, two years parts and one year labor
Working Out on the NordicTrack RW900
Overall, the NordicTrack RW900 offers a smooth and quiet rowing experience, thanks to its silent magnetic resistance. Air resistance and water resistance rowing machines tend to be much noisier, but the magnetic resistance cuts through the noise to offer a virtually silent workout. While this may not feel (and sound) as realistic as real-life water rowing, it helps provide a more seamless workout that makes it easier to focus on form. The RW900’s emphasis on comfort, including its ergonomic molded seat and large pivoting pedals, helps alleviate any discomfort while exercising; these are great features to have if you’re using the machine for more intense pulling. While the RW900 can be used without iFIT for manual rowing, the 22-inch touchscreen adds an extra touch that helps create a truly cinematic rowing experience for guided classes.
Pros of the NordicTrack RW900
- Cinematic experience with oversized touchscreen
- Includes transport wheels for easy movement
- Steel stabilizers create more secure workouts
- Adjustable nylon foot straps fit all shoe sizes
- Automatic trainer control offers hand-free workouts
- Wide resistance range with 26 levels
- Silent workouts with magnetic resistance
- Console can pivot for floor-based workouts
Cons of the NordicTrack RW900
- Low user weight capacity of 250 pounds
- iFIT membership required to access all features
- No one-touch controls for resistance changes
- Longer footprint may not fit smaller home gyms
Who the NordicTrack RW900 Is Best For
There are several groups of people who can benefit from owning a NordicTrack RW900. First, it’s a great option for those seeking out low-impact workouts with a high calorie burn, since rowing can burn anywhere from 250 to 300 calories during a 30-minute workout. It’s also a good piece of fitness equipment for those with joint injuries or limited mobility, and that’s because the RW900 offers seated workouts that don’t require stepping. Plus, if you’re a fan of rowing overall, or are looking for a cardio workout that goes beyond running or walking, the NordicTrack RW900 offers a fun alternative that’s effective and enjoyable. It’s also an excellent fit for cross-training and/or HIIT workouts, thanks to the rotating touchscreen and wide resistance range of 26 levels.
Who the NordicTrack RW900 Is Not Best For
Like any cardio machine, the NordicTrack RW900 may not be for everyone. If you prefer a lower body workout, you may want to steer clear of this indoor rower since it relies heavily on pulling movements with your arms. This might also pose a problem for people with back injuries. More advanced rowers could also find that the RW900 isn’t challenging enough, and although the machine has 26 levels of resistance, the highest level could feel too light if you’re used to very heavy workouts. Lastly, while this rower can be stored vertically and includes transport wheels, it still has a long length of 82 inches that can take up a lot of floor space in a smaller home gym. If you don’t want to go through the hassle of storing your rower upright when it’s not in use, you may want to seek out a smaller rower or different type of cardio machine altogether.
Factors to Consider Before Purchasing the NordicTrack RW900
NordicTrack
There are a few things to know about the NordicTrack RW900 rower to help you determine if this machine is right for you. Here’s what you should consider before making a purchase.
Price
The NordicTrack RW900 isn’t exactly the most budget-friendly indoor rowing machine. You can buy indoor rowing machines for less than $1,000, but what drives up the price point of this product is its smart technology and interactive features. The RW900 costs just under $2,000, but with that price tag comes an oversized touchscreen, interactive program functions and premium sound. However, if you don’t plan on subscribing to iFIT, which costs $15 per month for an individual membership or $39 per month for a family membership that supports up to five users, you may not find that the price is justified (you could get a similar experience on a lower-priced rower).
Keep in mind that the price tag on the website may not be your final cost. In addition to monthly fees for iFIT, you could also be looking at additional delivery, extended warranty and assembly fees. You can purchase an optional three-year extended warranty for $179.95, or select room of choice delivery and assembly for an extra $199. Otherwise, standard delivery is free, but you’ll need to bring your product inside and assemble it yourself. These extra costs can easily tack on a few hundred dollars to your final cost, so it’s important to keep these fees in mind.
Construction and Design
The RW900 comes with a solid steel build reinforced by steel stabilizers that provide a secure workout. Therefore, don’t expect this product to wobble around or slide on your floor. This indoor rower’s design is one of its best features and takes many steps to create a comfortable workout experience. It has an ergonomic molded seat, a soft-touch ergonomic handle and adjustable nylon foot straps that help ensure your feet are securely in place, regardless of shoe size. There are also front-mounted transport wheels that let you easily move this machine if needed, and its lighter product weight of 163 pounds means you may not need any help to transport it.
Console and Controls
The NordicTrack RW900’s console is essentially its touchscreen. This comes with perks and drawbacks. While a touchscreen-only console offers a cleaner look, there are no one-touch controls that allow for quick or manual resistance changes. Instead, you’ll need to use the touchscreen to change your resistance, which can be tedious for some users. Plus, there’s no integrated media rack or water bottle holder, so you’re stuck using the floor to store your items.
That being said, the touchscreen itself is impressive. Coming in at a whopping 22-inches, the smart HD display can both tilt and pivot, and it has a faster display over the earlier RW900 model. It also has a built-in 30-watt premium sound system that lends itself well to creating cinematic rowing experiences. The high-quality touchscreen is very enjoyable with iFIT rowing workouts, but it doesn’t have the same oomph if you’re using it to exercise on a manual setting.
Modes and Features
One downside to the NordicTrack RW900 and other NordicTrack cardio machines is their lack of preset programs. Since NordicTrack relies almost exclusively on iFIT, there’s nothing built into the machine that lets you do fat burn, cardio or HIIT workouts (unless you tweak your manual settings on your own). Most features are available only with iFIT, which we’ll dive into below.
iFIT Subscription
You’ll get the most bang for your buck with this indoor rowing machine if you decide to move forward with a monthly iFIT subscription. iFIT will net you thousands of live and on-demand workouts taught by personal trainers, including scenic rowing classes that let you row as far away as Lake Bled in Slovenia or the Kafue River in Zambia. iFIT uses WiFi and is a comparable alternative to Peloton, although you may not get the same community feel. Still, iFIT’s features don’t start and end with fitness classes. iFIT offers some pretty advanced functions that include a Google Maps integration, which lets you exercise anywhere in the world. It also unlocks AutoAdjust technology that allows the machine to auto-adjust your resistance when following iFIT classes, offering you a hands-free workout. Plus, you’ll get more in-depth options for tracking metrics that help you gauge your process and what you can improve on.
Warranty and Return Policy
NordicTrack is known for having below average warranties. While many more premium cardio machines come with lifetime warranties on frame, the RW900 doesn’t follow suit. This indoor rower only comes with a 10 year frame warranty, two year parts warranty and one year labor warranty that falls below industry standard. For the higher price point, we would have liked to see a lifetime warranty, although you can purchase a three year extended warranty. While NordicTrack offers 30-day returns for all products, you might get hit with a restocking fee and a hefty shipping fee to send the product back that can cost you several hundred dollars. If you’re an Amazon Prime member, you may get a better return policy by buying on Amazon.
NordicTrack RW900 Ordering and Assembly
Ordering a NordicTrack RW900 is a fairly easy process. You’ll add the item to your cart, then go through a few prompts asking you if you’d like to buy one to three years of iFIT upfront, add an extended warranty or include room of choice delivery and assembly in your purchase. Once your product is paid for, NordicTrack will then call you to schedule a delivery and assembly date if you select that option, otherwise you can expect to get the product on your doorstep. Many customers say the assembly itself is rather straightforward, with a recent customer named Troy writing in his review that the rower was “easy to assemble” and “up and running in no time.”
How the NordicTrack RW900 Stacks Up Against Other Products
NordicTrack
With so many premium indoor rowing machines on the market, it can be tough to figure out which ranks supreme. Luckily, we’ve done the research for you. Here’s how the NordicTrack RW900 compares to other leading indoor rowers.
NordicTrack RW900 vs Hydrow
Hydrow offers one of the most popular, if not the most popular, indoor rowing machine for home gym use. The original Hydrow Rower has a similar offering to the RW900 at a higher starting price point of $2,495. Like the RW900, it also has a 22-inch HD touchscreen that pivots and an ergonomic design that includes seat cushioning. However, the Hydrow has a much higher user weight capacity of 375 pounds that makes it usable for many more customers. One drawback to the Hydrow is that you’ll need to buy a Hydrow membership to unlock all of its features, and this costs slightly more than iFIT at $528 per year, or $44 per month. Since these machines offer such similar experiences, we believe NordicTrack RW900 is superior thanks to its lower price, but the Hydrow is a much better fit for households with users that weigh more than 250 pounds.
Related Post: Hydrow Wave Review: What We Love and What We Don’t
NordicTrack RW900 vs WaterRower
WaterRower is another leading indoor rowing machine, but the main difference between the WaterRower and the RW900 is that the WaterRower uses water resistance. This recreates a more realistic water rowing experience, and the WaterRower also has a sleek wood build that gives it the look of an actual rowing boat. It has a weight capacity of 700 pounds, which almost triples the RW900’s user weight limit of 250 pounds. That being said, the WaterRower is a simpler machine and comes with an LCD display for metrics, versus a touchscreen. If you plan on exercising on a manual setting and won’t use iFIT, then the WaterRower may be a better option for you. It has a lower price point of $1,160 on Amazon and a more realistic rowing experience. However, if you’re looking for fitness classes and smart technology, then the NordicTrack RW900 is a much more worthy investment for your home gym.
NordicTrack RW900 vs Concept2
Last on our list is the Concept2 rower, which uses air resistance. While this indoor rowing machine costs $1,000+ less than NordicTrack RW900, you’re going to get a noisier experience due to the air-powered workouts. It’s also a very basic machine with no bells and whistles, although many users prefer the simplicity. If you’re rowing for rehabilitation or to help yourself recover from injury or illness, the Concept2 may be a better fit, but those seeking out immersive rowing experiences will likely find more enjoyment in the RW900.
NordicTrack RW900 FAQs
When did the RW900 come out?
The latest model of the NordicTrack RW900 was released in 2022. This upgraded machine features a cleaner look, new console, better sound and slightly smaller dimensions than its predecessor. It also has a faster display and offers quieter rowing sessions.
Can you watch TV on the RW900?
You won’t be able to watch TV on the RW900, since the touchscreen display is only compatible with iFIT workouts. It doesn’t have any third-party app integration that makes it usable with apps like Netflix and Hulu. To watch TV while rowing, you’ll need to use your own smart device.
Can you use the RW900 without iFIT?
Yes, you can use the RW900 without iFIT, but your workout options will be limited to rowing on a manual setting. Since this machine doesn’t come equipped with built-in workout programs, you’ll need to turn to iFIT or other rowing apps to follow guided classes that go beyond only manual.
Final Thoughts
At the end of the day, the NordicTrack RW900 is a premium indoor rowing machine complete with smart features and interactive technology. While it may not be the most budget-friendly buy, it’s also far from being the most expensive, making it a great middle-ground option for an indoor rower with high-tech features. Still, you’ll need to use iFIT to get the most bang for your buck, so if you plan on rowing on a manual setting, you can save a lot of money by purchasing a simpler rower that doesn’t include a touchscreen or guided classes. Otherwise, the NordicTrack RW900 is a high-quality machine with some of the best comfort features, a sturdy design and build and easy assembly that makes it worthy of a spot in your home gym.
Prices are accurate and items in stock as of publish time.
