Every product tested at homeNo paid rankings
IronnookTreadmills, racks, rowers and dumbbells, built and used in flats and garages. Scored on noise, footprint and build.
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 Bike+ is the best-riding connected bike we know of, and its swivel screen, auto-resistance and rep-counting camera do make off-bike strength classes easier to follow. It is also $1,000 more than the Bike, needs a $49.99 monthly membership, and reviewers report screen wobble and early creaks at this price. Buy it if you will use rides, strength and mobility every week. A cyclist who only rides should buy the Bike.
The 8 highest scores across every category. Rank 1 carries the lime edge. Full rankings
| # | Product | Category | Price | Key spec | Score ↓ | Review |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 01 | | Rowers and Ski Ergs | $990 | Resistance Air flywheel with adjustable damper | 9.1 | |
| 02 |  | Racks, Benches and Home Gyms | From $799.94 pre-selected, $1,249 as a builder | Steel 3 x 3 inch, 11-gauge uprights | 8.8 | |
| 03 |  | Exercise Bikes | $1,100 | Resistance Air flywheel with adjustable damper | 8.5 | |
| 04 |  | Racks, Benches and Home Gyms | $2,199.99 | Weight stacks 2 x 170 lb, 10 lb steps (220 lb upgrade $324.99) | 8.4 | |
| 05 |  | Exercise Bikes | $945 | Drive Belt-driven steel fan blade | 8.4 | |
| 06 |  | Racks, Benches and Home Gyms | $349.99 | Weight capacity 1,000 lb | 8.4 | |
| 07 |  | Adjustable Dumbbells and Kettlebells | $899.99 to $1,499.99 a pair | Sizes 65, 85, 105 and 125 lb pairs | 8.4 | |
| 08 |  | Recovery Tools | $349 | Speeds 6, 1,500 to 2,500 RPM | 8.2 |
Every machine is assembled and used in a home, with the floor, ceiling height and neighbours that come with it.
We note how loud each machine runs at a steady pace, so you know what the flat downstairs will hear.
Folded and working sizes come from a tape measure, including the clearance a rower or treadmill needs.
We keep using the kit after the review and change the score when something wears, rattles or breaks.
A product earns its score in the room it was made for: a spare bedroom, a garage with a cold concrete floor, a living room where the sofa moves twice a week.
We assemble everything ourselves and time it. We train on it for weeks, note what squeaks, what slides and what the app tries to sell. Price counts: a good machine at twice the price of a nearly as good one does not score a 9.
Scores run from 0 to 10 with one decimal. 8.0 is our line: at or above it, we would put the product in our own homes.
Read our methodThe Concept2 RowErg costs $990, needs no subscription and has barely changed in years. We rowed it against the smart rowers to see if the benchmark still earns the floor space.
9.1The Bike+ costs $2,695 and adds a swivel screen, auto-resistance and AI rep counting over the $1,695 Bike. With the monthly membership added, we ask who actually benefits.
7.7The PR-4000 offers 3 by 3 inch, 11-gauge uprights, Westside spacing at the bench and a 1,000 lb rating. We compare it with Rogue and REP's own PR-5000 to see where it saves money.
8.8A short email with our newest review and its score. No sponsored picks.