ProRower H2O RX-850 LTD Series Rowing Machine

by H2O Fitness

Product Features

• Light commercial rowing machine with innovative Hydro-Power Drive system
• Polycarbonate water tank and internal paddle system mimics feel of actual rowing
• Easy-to-read, oversized display panel tracks time, distance, calories, and more
• Micro-adjustable footrest accommodates many users; 450-pound weight capacity
• Folds for storage; measures 84 x 22 x 24 inches (W x H x D); lifetime frame warranty

Product Description

Amazon.com Product Description

The ultimate light commercial rower for gym or home use, the ProRower H20 RX-850 LTD series rowing machine offers the perfect blend of industrial design, aesthetics, and functionality. The RX-850 employs an innovative Hydro-Power Drive system that mimics the dynamics of actual rowing, with a polycarbonate water tank and an internal paddle system sitting at your feet. Just like with real rowing, the water acts as the main resistance system. Want a more intense workout? Row faster. Want a slow but steady workout? Row slower. There's no need for any disruptive mechanical adjustments; instead, the water's "natural adaptive resistance" offers all the pushback you need. In addition, the workout is incredibly smooth and relaxing, with an on-the-water experience that feels and sounds just like the real thing.

The RX-850 includes an easy-to-read, oversized display panel that tracks such details as exercise time, distance, 500-meter split time, strokes per minute, calories burned, and heart rate (in conjunction with the built-in heart rate receiver). And users will love the micro-adjustable footrest, which accommodates a wide variety of users. Other details include a compact design that folds or stands upright for easy storage and transport; protective shrouds that keep the drive mechanism dirt- and dust-free; and a maximum weight capacity of 450 pounds. The RX-850 measures 84 by 22 by 24 inches (W x H x D), weighs 94 pounds, and carries the following warranties: lifetime on the frame, three years on the tank and seals, and two years on all mechanical and non-wearing components.

The RX-850 folds for easy storage and also features a micro-adjustable footrest, which accommodates a wide variety of users.

Product Description

RX-850 LTD Series: Combining Durability & Value to Create the Ultimate Light Institutional Rower Innovative Hydro-Power System provides an incredibly smooth and relaxing on the water rowing experience, it feels and sounds just like the real thing.

Product Details

• Product Dimensions: 84 x 24 x 22 inches ; 94 pounds
• Shipping Weight: 100 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Shipping: This item can only be shipped to the 48 contiguous states. We regret it cannot be shipped to APO/FPO, Hawaii, Alaska, or Puerto Rico.
• Shipping Advisory: This item must be shipped separately from other items in your order. Additional shipping charges will not apply.
• ASIN: B000WMFJKM
• Item model number: ProRower H2O RX-850 LTD Series
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #269,106 in Sports & Outdoors (See Top 100 in Sports & Outdoors)
  • #58 in Sports & Outdoors > Exercise & Fitness > Cardio Training > Rowers

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great sturdy exercise, March 3, 2010

By 

Kyle L. Kirk (Midland, TX) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: ProRower H2O RX-850 LTD Series Rowing Machine (Sports)

Really happy with this rower. First, it is a great workout. Might like for it to have actual programmed workouts, but that would not work on this rower since the resistance is the actual water. You can get creative and get an awesome workout. I go 1 minute easy and 1-2 minutes as hard as I can.

Sturdy, which is important. I weight 280, so I wanted to make sure the rower would last with my weight. So far, I am thrilled.

Overall, great buy and great machine.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Above average but lacks firm resistance, October 29, 2011

By 

Jasper T. "Spectral Swedborgian" (Between Here and There) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: ProRower H2O RX-850 LTD Series Rowing Machine (Sports)

Here are the Pros:

This machine is quiet and very smooth to operate. The swishing sound of water is exquisitely enjoyable. It's absolutely perfect for workouts in which you want to just get into a rhythm, shut all the mental chatter off, and let the sounds of the water meditatively whisk you away. Very, very nice!

Assembly was easy and took less than half an hour, and I'm not especially good at putting exercise equipment together. Someone with even a little bit of skill in this area could probably have done it in 10 or 15 minutes.

The rower is aluminum framed, so it's light and relatively portable. If you want to move it around the room, or from one room to another, one person can transport it with little effort.

It makes for some terrific entertainment for the cats, who love to sit and watch the water swirl around in the transparent polycarbonate container. In fact, they enjoy it so much I have to periodically shoo them away so that they don't get in the way of my workout.

Now the Cons:

Resistance is not very strong. I've rowed on open water, and there is no comparison. I've also used mechanical and hydraulic rowing machines, and all of them allow for far more resistance than this water-based rower can produce. The amount of water contained in this rower is quite small. There is simply no way to get any stiff resistance out of your workout regardless of how hard or fast you pull. I looked at a number of these types of rowers before settling on the RX-850, and from what I can see the water mechanism looks to be more or less the same on all of them. This leads me to the conclusion that water-based rowers in general are probably all low-resistance machines. You're not going to get a tremendous strength workout using this machine because you just won't be able to put a lot of stress on your muscles. The resistance is even light enough that a serious cardio workout is probably also out of the question. What you will get is a little bit of strength training and a modest cardio workout. You'll also get a very nice flexibility workout, especially for the joints of your knees, hips, shoulders and elbows. I think this machine is worth the price just for that flexibility workout alone.

The footstraps that are supposed to hold your feet against the resistance plates tend to slip off your feet and slide around more than you want them to. It's necessary to periodically stop and adjust them, breaking into the flow of your workout. I got around this by adding a couple of supplemental Velcro straps so that they now hold my feet comfortably. This small flaw should be addressed next time this machine goes for redesign.

One other downside is that it does take up some space. I had thought from reading the product page that it would fold down into two smaller pieces and I had hoped it would store away in a closet-sized space. Either I misread the product page, or it greatly exaggerated the ability to fold down this machine, because I am left with either keeping it on the floor where I use it or standing it full-size up in a corner. Again, this could have been my misreading of the product page, but it was a disappointment that I could not stash it away somewhere out of sight.

In summary:

I recommend this machine for anyone looking to get a nice, gentle workout that stretches muscles and joints. It will give you a cardio workout, but not a terribly vigorous one unless you are very out of shape and are just getting into an exercise regimen, in which case it may well give you a better bang for your cardio buck until you achieve a reasonable level of fitness. And you will get a very minimal strength workout, but nothing to write home about. I think this would be especially good for doing gentle rehab or therapy work after certain types of surgery or convalescence. Because the resistance is so light, I've found this machine to be best suited as a form of warmup exercise. Five or 10 minutes of rowing gets the blood flowing, gently raises the pulse and respiration, and does a superb job of warming and preparing muscles for other, more challenging forms of exercise. It's also an excellent cool down tool to let your body return calm down after a vigorous workout.

But if you are a hardcore muscle monster, or want something you can do HIIT training on and drive your heart rate up to 90-100% of your HRM, this ain't your baby. You'll want to look at either a mechanical or hydraulic based machine, or else get a shell and do some pulling on open water.