Pros
- Genuinely engaging gamified workouts: races, multiplayer games, and data-driven programs instead of classes
- Natural, quiet water resistance that closely mimics rowing on water
- Stunning solid cherry-hardwood frame: one of the best-looking home rowers made
- Stands upright for storage with no disassembly; high 500 lb capacity
- Cheaper membership (~$29 to $39/mo) than Hydrow or Peloton, and water upkeep is minimal (a tablet every 6 months, free for life)
Cons
- Expensive at ~$2,199, plus a membership to unlock the gamified content
- No instructor-led live or on-demand classes: a dealbreaker if you want coaching
- Heavy with water (~103 lb) and cumbersome to relocate; pro assembly is an optional extra
- Heart-rate monitor sold separately and the audio is fairly quiet
Specifications
- Resistance
- Water (WaterRower-based): natural, self-adjusting, quiet
- Frame
- Solid Appalachian cherry hardwood, handcrafted
- Screen
- 17.3" to 21" HD touchscreen (by model)
- Content
- Gamified races, multiplayer games, and programs: no instructor classes
- Membership
- ~$29 to $39/month (cheaper than Hydrow/Peloton)
- Weight capacity
- 500 lb; fits users to ~6'8"
- Storage
- Stands upright on rear wheels, no disassembly
- Warranty
- 5-yr frame / 3-yr parts / 1-yr tablet
Performance
One Ergatta customer, in a testimonial relayed by Honest Brand Reviews, described the hook better than any spec sheet: '...the game-like workouts on this allow me to do an hour of exercise but make it feel like just 20 minutes.' That is the product working as intended. The water flywheel gives a smooth, quiet, self-adjusting stroke that feels close to open water, and the software turns workouts into races, multiplayer games, and programs that recalibrate to your fitness every few sessions. As a pure rowing machine it performs well; the real question is format fit. Chasing a personal best against a live field either lights you up or it does not. If it does, nothing else here motivates like the Ergatta. If you want someone counting down your intervals, it offers nothing on that front, on purpose.
Build Quality
Cherry first: the frame is solid Appalachian hardwood on WaterRower's proven, long-durable platform, and it looks enough like furniture that leaving it out in a living room is a feature rather than a concession. That matters, because the machine is heavy and awkward to move once the tank is filled. Upkeep is nearly nothing, one purification tablet every six months, free for life, and the 5-year frame and 3-year parts warranty is the strongest coverage among the connected rowers here. Wood can dent and chip in ways steel does not, so it wants a little care. As a long-lived, good-looking object built by people who have made water rowers for decades, it delivers.
Value Assessment
Two numbers frame the Ergatta: $2,199 up front, and $39 a month after (an effective $27 with the five-year prepay). That membership is meaningfully cheaper than Hydrow's $50 or Peloton's $49.99, and it sits on hardware with real residual worth, since there is a proven WaterRower underneath the software. Still, be clear-eyed: the games, the races, the adaptive programs, the entire reason to choose an Ergatta, all live behind the subscription, and owner complaints to the BBB about auto-renewal billing are a reminder to manage the account deliberately. This is a defensible splurge for the self-motivated buyer who wants a beautiful machine and will actually race on it. The value play it is not; that remains the $990, no-subscription Concept2.
What Owners Say
“This is a subscription which auto renews. I requested a refund as soon as I saw the bank charges, I was unemployed at the time.”
Verbatim owner and reviewer comments gathered during our research, linked to where we found them. They are not our words, which is the point.
Who Should Buy It
Competitive people. If a leaderboard does more for you than a cheering instructor, and you want a quiet water rower attractive enough to live in the living room, this is the machine built for your exact temperament.
Who Should Skip It
No coaching means no coaching: anyone who wants instructor-led classes to stay motivated should be looking at the Hydrow or Peloton Row. Pass as well if you resent subscriptions on principle (the Concept2 exists for you), or if the rower will need to change rooms often; a filled water tank makes this a stay-put machine.
Final Recommendation
Most connected rowers try to motivate everyone the same way; the Ergatta is the rare one that picked a personality and built for it. That focus is why it wins Best for Gamified Workouts, and it doubles as the buying test. Know yourself: if competition is your fuel, this is the connected rower you will still be using in year three, at the lowest membership cost of the group. If you are not sure you are that person, do not spend $2,199 to find out.