Echelon Smart Rower – Test and Review

Why the Echelon Rower? Having had several slips, trips & falls with the snow & ice in December (and generally being a bit nesh) I’ve been looking at alternative ways of maintaining fitness through the winter months. Having spent my teenage years on the River Dee, I knew Rowing to be a great all-round option!

I’ve had many Rowing Machines over the years, the one thing they all had in common was that I got bored of them incredibly quickly, I’ve never found them to be a replacement for actually getting out on the water. I tried listening to music, even watching TV, Films & Sport whilst rowing, none of which particularly motivated me. However, I’m now very much into technology so was keen to try a ‘connected’ device this time…enter the Echelon Rower! 

To give the machine a fair test, I’m going to give you my short term thoughts, and then a longer term review after a few months. At the time of putting this together, I’ve had the Rower for just over 2 weeks.

Echelon Rower Assembly

It actually took me longer to get it out of the box than it did to put it together. The instructions were good, and all the parts clearly labelled. I did it completely on my own with absolutely no problems at all.

I’m pleased to add that after 2 weeks daily use there are absolutely no annoying squeaks or rattles!

Echelon App

This is where the Echelon is different to the other rowing machines I’ve had! You can choose from classes for all fitness levels and durations, or you can choose from a number of scenic rows which are filmed on location. 

I’d say that I’m fairly competitive so immediately jump in to a class. After a few minutes of joining I find myself instinctively trying to climb the leaderboard, always hunting down the next person in the list. For me, this is the motivation I need to keep going. This is what makes the experience quite addictive.

The Echelon Rower doesn’t come with a screen so you’ll need to download the app to your bluetooth enabled phone or tablet. Which you then secure into place using the arm built in to the rower. I use it with a 12.9” iPad Pro so that I can clearly see the leaderboard whilst rowing. 

The Echelon App will also connect to your Apple Watch (hopefully they’ll also add Gamin & Suunto in the future) and will work with Apple Health, Fitbit & Strava. I have a Fenix 7X, and found the stroke rate etc accurate when using the ‘Indoor Row’ workout option.

Now for the downside, the subscription is £29.99 a month which is about the same as a local gym membership. However, you do also get access to all the Cycling & Running classes as well as FitPass (Strength training, Yoga, Pilates & Zumba), so if you did also own the other pieces of equipment there would be no extra cost. You do get a month for free when you buy the rower (it actually gave me 45 days) to try it out.

Yes, you can use the machine without a subscription, but obviously you won’t have access to the classes, plus you will find that the logo on the front of the machine constantly flashes at you unless it’s connected to the Echelon App.

Resistance

The Echelon Rower has 32 levels of magnetic resistance. This is controlled by buttons on the handle, This is a ‘stroke’ of genius (excuse the pun)! Every other rowing machine I’ve used has required me to reach forward to the machine for adjustment, which generally requires you to slow down or stop rowing which really disrupts your flow. 

Personally, I found that anything less than 23 didn’t really offer me much in the way of resistance. Historically I’ve always used rowing machines with the resistance cranked up as I like to give my arms a good workout.

Noise

This machine is literally whisper quiet! We have a young toddler with unbelievably amazing hearing, yet I’ve been able to use it in the living room without disturbing him in the evenings. I’ve had several rowing machines in the past, with all methods of resistance…it’s by far the quietest I’ve used.

Design

If the look of a machine is important to you, you won’t be disappointed! The sleek black & red Echelon Rower really looks the part! The design team have really nailed the look. I’m actually a designer myself so tend to be quite hard to please when it comes to aesthetics.

Build Quality

There’s absolutely no denying that it feels very robust. I’ve used it twice a day, everyday for almost 2 weeks and haven’t heard as much as a squeak yet! Again, previous rowers I’ve owned required me to tighten up all the bolts on a regular basis.

Size

When it’s folded out ready to be used it’s pretty big at just over 2m, as you’d expect. Surprisingly, when you collapse the rower it is very compact. I was genuinely surprised at how small the footprint is (approx 90x50cm).

Weight

It’s heavy at 49KG, however the wheels under the front feet, and the grab bar under the rail make it surprisingly easy to manoeuvre in to place.

Power

This rower is actually powered off the mains so you’ll need a plug socket or extension lead fairly close as the power cord is probably around 1m long. Not a big issue but worth mentioning.

Price

The Echelon Rower is currently widely available for around £750, which is a £200 saving over the RRP. No, it’s not cheap, BUT it’s a quality well built piece of equipment that feels like it’ll last. Plus, the Echelon App will no doubt have extra classes and functionality added with time.

Initial thoughts

I’m loving mixing things up! The Echelon Rower really is a fantastic piece of exercise equipment that i’m enjoying using. After 2 weeks of use (around 20-30 mins daily) I can already feel it’s effects on my arms & shoulders…it’s definitely a complete body workout.

Available now for £749, check out the Smart Rower on the Echelon Website HERE

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