NordicTrack RW900 Review: A Quiet Rower Locked Behind iFIT
By The Ironnook Test Desk ·
6.9
nordictrack.com
The verdict
A quiet, comfortable rower with a big screen and resistance that follows the instructor. The catch is that it is tied to iFIT, which testers say it will not work without, and its 250 lb limit and 82 in length are weak points. It suits iFIT fans, not rowing purists, who should buy the Concept2 RowErg.
Best for: iFIT subscribers who want instructor-led rowing with a big screen
What we liked
Magnetic resistance is nearly silent, with reported 48 to 56 dB
AutoAdjust changes resistance to follow the instructor
26 resistance levels cover warm-ups through hard intervals
Large pivoting screen can be turned for off-rower floor work
10-year frame warranty on the maker's page
What could be better
Reviewers say it cannot be used at all without iFIT
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)
iFIT costs $39 a month or $396 a year for the family plan
250 lb user limit is low next to a Concept2 at 500 lb
82 x 22 in and 163 lb with no fold, so it is poor in small rooms
Rail vibration can reach wood floors at high resistance
The NordicTrack RW900 pairs a 24 in touchscreen with 26 levels of magnetic resistance and AutoAdjust. At $1,799.99 it is quiet and polished, but it needs an iFIT plan to work.
The RW900 is easy to like for the first ten minutes. The screen is huge, the rowing is hushed, and an instructor seems to change the resistance for you. Then the bill and the rules arrive.
Sold as a rower, run as an iFIT terminal
NordicTrack lists the RW900 at $1,799.99, marked down from $2,799.99. That crossed-out number is marketing theatre, so judge the machine at the lower figure. For that you get a 24 in pivoting touchscreen, 26 levels of what NordicTrack calls Silent Magnetic Resistance, and AutoAdjust, which lets the instructor in a class change your resistance in step with the workout.
NordicTrack's own listing image for the RW900, which it sells together with iFIT.
The classes are the point. iFIT lists more than 10,000 workouts, with rowing, strength and yoga sessions mixed in, and the screen pivots so you can leave the seat for floor work.
The iFIT catch, in numbers
Here is the part to read twice. Garage Gym Reviews says "you can't use the rower at all without an iFIT subscription." We would put it this way: if you stop paying, you own an expensive piece of furniture. The family plan runs $39 a month or $396 a year, and an individual plan has been quoted around $180 a year.
iFIT's pitch on the NordicTrack site. The rower needs the plan to work, according to testers.
Over three years the family plan alone adds roughly $1,188. That is two-thirds of the rower's price again. Even the cheaper individual plan adds about $540. Factor this in before comparing the sticker with a Concept2 RowErg, which needs no account at all. Our RowErg review shows how little that machine asks of you.
How it feels to row
Magnetic resistance is smooth and nearly silent. One test measured 48 to 56 dB with iFIT playing on concrete, which is in neighbour-friendly territory for a rowing machine. On wood floors the rail can pass vibration to the room below at higher resistance, so a mat is worth buying.
The seat is padded, the handles are soft-grip, and the foot cradles are large with adjustable straps. One tester found the cradles odd after years on fixed pedals, so expect a short adjustment.
AutoAdjust is the cleverest part. In a class you stop reaching for the resistance control mid-stroke, and the effort follows the plan. It is a real help for beginners who do not know what level 14 should feel like.
An independent review: great for cross-training, with the iFIT caveat.
The weak spots
Size and weight are the other problem. Garage Gym Reviews lists the RW900 at 82 in long, 22 in wide and 54 in tall, weighing 163 lb, and it does not fold. That is a big footprint for a small room. The listed 250 lb capacity is also low, against 500 lb for a Concept2. Heavier rowers should look elsewhere.
The maker says 24 in for the screen, though one tester wrote 22 in, so the exact diagonal is worth checking on delivery. Neither figure changes the verdict, but a buyer who sits close to a screen for forty minutes should know what size they are getting before the box arrives.
What the money buys elsewhere
Put the $1,800 beside the alternatives and the choice gets clearer. A Concept2 RowErg gives you a 500 lb user limit, a monitor that works with no account, and nothing to cancel. An Aviron or Hydrow gives you a screen and games or scenery, with their own memberships. The RW900 sits in the middle: better screen and class design than the plain erg, more polished than the cheap magnetic rowers, but just as dependent on a monthly plan as the other connected machines.
If instruction is what keeps you rowing, that dependence is a fair price. If it is not, you are paying for a screen you could prop up yourself.
Who should buy it
Buy the RW900 if you already pay for iFIT, you like to be coached, you want a quiet machine and you have the floor space. Within that group it is a polished product, and the Garage Gym Reviews score of 4.1 out of 5 seems fair.
Skip it if you want a rower that works without a login, if you weigh over 250 lb, or if floor space is tight. The Hydrow Origin is the pricier subscription alternative, and the RowErg is the plain, durable one.
We score the RW900 6.9. It is a quiet rower behind a big display and a recurring bill.
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.
