Runow Water Rower Review • Rowing Machine King

Resistance Type

The Runow Water Rowing Machine is, you guessed it, a water rower. That means it uses water stored inside a tank to generate what is known as “variable” resistance.

Quick Explanation: “Adjustable” resistance can be increased/decreased by turning a knob or dial that adjusts the difficulty level—more commonly found on magnetic and hydraulic piston rowers. “Variable” resistance is resistance that increases/decreases according to your effort. Simply put, the faster/harder you row, the greater the difficulty. This type of resistance is more common among air and water rowers.

To learn more, you can read about water vs. air rowers in my post here.

The water inside the Runow’s tank gets churned up by the paddles that get spun when you pull on the handle.

The harder and faster you pull, the more the water is displaced, so the more difficult it becomes to row.

Users love water resistance because it simulates the feel of actually being on a lake or river. It’s the most “natural” feel around, and it gives you a workout ranging from low to ultra-high intensity—all you have to do is row slower or faster.

The sound of the water sloshing inside the tank is also incredibly relaxing, and it’s much quieter than the whirring of fans in an air rower.

The Runow Water Rower only generates 65 db of noise, meaning it’s quiet enough that you can watch TV, listen to music, or carry on a conversation easily. Or, if you have kids playing or sleeping next door, you can work out without worrying about disturbing them.

Resistance Benefits

Not only does the Runow Water Rowing Machine offer variable resistance, but you can actually fill up the 20L water tank to different levels to manually increase or decrease resistance.

Note: There is a “recommended” level, but you can test out various fill levels to adjust the difficulty yourself.

Most reviewers who praise the Runow Water Rower talk about how smooth the resistance feels, and how difficult it can get when they start rowing hard.

In fact, water rowers like the Runow are known to generate the HIGHEST level of resistance for any rowing machine. This makes them perfect for ultra-fit athletes or professional rowers who want to push themselves to the max.

But they’re also ideal for beginners, too. You can row slower to still displace enough water to make the workout difficult without being too hard. Adjusting your rowing speed is all you need to do in order to vary up the resistance.

Resistance Downsides

The one drawback to the water-resistance utilized by machines like the Runow is that you can never truly get a low-intensity workout.

With magnetic and hydraulic-piston machines, you can simply turn the dial to the lowest setting and enjoy a calm, relaxing workout—perfect for recovering from an injury.

With water rowers, however, even at slow speeds, you will end up working hard. It’s great if you want to push your fitness, but less so if you’re using the rowing machine as a rehab tool.

Resistance Overall

Water rowers like the Runow make an excellent choice for athletes looking to take their fitness to the next level. They generate less noise, and the sound of sloshing water is wonderfully soothing and makes you feel like you’re on a lake.

The smooth variable resistance and natural glide definitely make it a popular choice among rowers.

Really, water-resistance gets virtually no complaints—users just love it!

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