Concept2 Model D

As a former fitness instructor, when I wanted to get back in shape, a rower/ergometer was the only all-in-one exercise machine I considered. Rowers work almost every part of the body. It's easy on the joints and packs a lot of exercise into a little amount of time.

The machine is solid and the PM5 computerized display is just like the one in the gym. I'm very satisfied with the overall experience and I'm more assured that any service needed is covered by their 2- and 5-year limited warranty. I've exercised on it for 30k meters so far and it gives me a good full-body workout, challenges my posterior chain and my respiratory capabilities, and gives me a nice, deep, heavy sweat.

The only thing I wish differently is that it was the later model and not the newer one. I'm used to the older model. Small issue I know. Still works quite well and keeps me moving!

I hate going to the gym. There, I said it. I hate the smell of the gym, the sweaty equipment, the scratchy towels, and trying to fit it into my busy days. I researched exercise equipment because, while I like to bike ride and walk durning our brief fair weather months, eight months of the year are freezing and icy and not conducive to outdoor activities aside from snowshoeing and skiing. I wanted something fun to do that I could do in the comfort of my own home and whenever I wanted.

Product is fine, considering the delivery left it in the wrong place, and upside down even though it had fragile tags on all sides. No complaints about product or seller, but the FedEx delivery was horrendous

Yes, what I said is true! After believing I wanted a treadmill for my guest bedroom, I slogged through tons of Amazon reviews and came away realizing that every treadmill -- no matter the price -- gets a mixed reception. They are unreliable, unstable, unwieldy, overpriced, and people just generally sour to them. So next, I looked into pilates machines. And upon realizing that I'd need to remember how to do different moves in order to effectively USE the pilates machine, my interest in pilates machines quickly dissipated. Pilates machine. Okay, there, it's out of my system. Finally, I came up with the idea of buying a rowing machine. I had used them before and they were always simple and non-nonsense. When I looked at the reviews for this rowing machine, the Concept2 Model D, I was absolutely blown away. I have never seen any product on Amazon that has so many great reviews and such an immaculate score. Plus, it was not that expensive. So, those two things told me to buy one.

I’ve used this brand at the gym and bought the slightly updated version for home use. It’s amazing and as I expected. Has everything I need for a good cardio workout.

Well what else is there to say that hasn't been said. Most likely if you are looking at this rower it is because you already know it is the best indoor rower on the market, etc, etc. Really, you are getting a professional gym quality machine for a decent price. For most of us 900+ is a lot of money for a piece of gym equipment, but ask yourself are you going to be happy with anything else. I wasn't. Anyway I figured if it turned out I didn't end up using it as much as I thought, I could always sell it for nearly what I paid for it.

I have been using the Concept2 every day for the past couple of weeks -- 15-20 minutes at a time at half resistance. it continues to be quiet and provide a vigorous workout. It definitely is using sets of muscles that are underused in biking and hiking, notably upper body. If I have any reservations it might be about the durability of the plastic rollers under the seat. Keeping the track clean along with proper seating provides the optimal smooth back and forth movement, but sometimes it seems a bit rougher as I get towards the end of a workout. Loving this Concept2 so far.

Concept2 has continually built the best rower on the market since the 1980's. The Model D is no different. If you are an experienced rower, you don't need to be sold because you probably use one already. This is suitable for a beginning rower as well as elite world-class athletes. If you are new to the world of ergs, and you are debating buying this because of the cost, make the plunge. The Model D gives an accurate load simulation of being on the water (assuming you set the fan vents correctly!) and gives you a great workout. And it is insanely durable -- my previous Model D has nearly 2M meters on it and it works like new, and I've seen boathouse ergs with years of constant use which still work flawlessly.

We bought this rower on recommendation from a friend who had one and the fact that I was having trouble finding time in the morning to get to my fitness classes. It has been a Godsend with all 4 of us using it daily. It sits in our Living Room and while it is long, it is rather compact width wise. It's a great workout for a majority of the body. I do 5000 m per day rocking out to workout music. No excuses anymore for not getting fit. Very durable and the go to rower in most gyms. With the current climate with COVID-19 and folks not being able to workout in gyms, this really is a great low impact alternative. There are cheaper rowers out there but at the end of the day, if you're making a commitment to getting fit, then you really want a rower that is used by gyms due to its solid construction built for workhorse usage. Hope this review helps you in taking that first step to getting fit.

By now you probably already know you want the Concept 2 rower because you've used it in the gym or with your trainer. There are a wealth of videos on YouTube with tips and tricks on how to get the most out of your rower and you've probably already shopped around so you know what the 'out the door' vs. delivered cost of the rower is. Concept 2 rowers are available direct from the manufacturer via Amazon or thru a 2nd party retailer like a fitness equipment store. The retailers I contacted didn't actually stock the rower and the total cost included 'delivery and set up' fees. This adds approximately 150 to 200 dollars to the total cost and it adds another layer of logistics to the purchase as you'll need to schedule someone to be there to receive the rower and supervise the 'set up' etc. I'd recommend ordering it direct from Concept 2 via Amazon. My rower arrived within 72 hours, was easy to unpack and very uncomplicated to assemble. You will need an area 4 feet by 9 feet to stage the rower for use (it seems bigger in my apartment than it does in the gym!) and the PM5 Performance Monitor takes less than 60 seconds to set up. Quite literally within minutes of receiving your Concept 2 rower you can be on it and working towards your fitness goals! Enjoy!

was somewhat surprised to realize I had bought essentially the same machine that my wife loved to use at Gold's Gym. The only difference is we have the PM5 monitor and theirs have PM3 and PM4. The smartphone app is confusingly named "Ergdata" but worked fine to pair my iPhone and connect with a "logbook" account you set up at their website. On a laptop, in the "studio" where we have the rower, I installed the Concept 2 Utility software from their website. With a USB cable to the PM5 unit on the rower, this let me check and update the firmware and upload workout data. I set up a separate logbook account for my wife and use the upload feature to get her date into her separate logbook. The one bug I've found is sometimes I get an error when trying to upload from the PM5. I discovered I can just unplug the USB and then plug it in again. When I'm using the machine, I have my phone paired to it and can sync the new workout to my account without using the PC application. My wife especially loves this thing. She is now rowing for over 30 minutes at a time and increasing the resistance to the maximum by the end of the 30 minutes. I'm only up to about 7 minutes and one kilometer

We've had the rower for about a month now, and are quite pleased with it. Positives: *Feels very well made, and sturdy. It was easy to assemble, in fact I did it myself before my husband came home. *It provides a great full body work out without seeming terribly difficult. *Doesn't take up a huge amount of space. It's long, but low. It works well in our basement which has ceilings too low for a treadmill. *Doesn't need to be plugged in. I really like that I didn't need to worry about positioning it near an outlet to have the display work. *Long enough for my husband to row comfortably. My husband is tall, and with other rowers, sometimes the seat would hit the end before he completed his stride. This even has a few inches extra more than he needs! Negatives: *The seat is fairly uncomfortable as some other reviews warn about. I found that I could work up to sitting on it for longer periods of time in the same way you would with a bike seat. I started with 10 minutes of rowing, and worked up to 45. We've also used a folded towel as a little extra cushion rather than buy the extra seat pad. * The fan is a little noisy, but not loud enough to disturb other people in the house. It does scare the cat. 🙂 Overall I feel that it's well worth the money. My husband and I both use it around 5 times a week and we have had no issues with it at all.