The WaterRower A1 Home is a commercial specification rowing machine that has been designed for home use.

The WaterRower A1 is hand crafted in solid Ash and features an Aluminum monorail design, and is fitted with the new A1 Monitor which has an LCD display found on most rowing machines.

Each machine is unstained but hand finished with Danish Oil, with wood chosen due to its marvelous engineering properties, primary amongst these is its ability to absorb sound and vibration enhancing the Water Rower’s quietness and smoothness of use. Ash, like all woods used in Water Rower construction, is a premium hardwood with incredible longevity and dimensional stability. For reasons of ecology, all Water Rower woods are harvested from replenish able forests. How this plays on your ethics is another matter, this rowing machine is more like a bit of furniture rather than a piece of fitness equipment. Over the years I haven’t seen a Water Rower in a commercial gym and fitness environment, this crown is always taken by the like of Fluid Rower and Concept 2.

At just ofer £760 this rowing machine is not cheap and is aimed at the serious rower, for a few pounds more I would certainly consider the Club Rower as this is aturder machine and will lend to better abuse. Parts of the A1 machine felt a little flimsy when assembling, but once screwed together it did feel solid and heavy.

The Water Rower’s smooth action makes it a pleasure to use, replicating not only the superb physical benefits of rowing but much of the aesthetic pleasure as well. The Water Rower’s patented Water Flywheel uses paddles to connect to a moving mass of water. Like rowing, the connection is fluid, there is no impact, jerkiness and jarring typical of lesser rowing machines. It uses the very same system as the Fluid Rower and the water noise is very pleasing to the ear.

My only concern over time would be that the wood could and would dry out, if stored next to modern central heating radiators. But im sure if you keep it well oiled this would not happen, although on a machine of this price the last thing you would want is for the wood frame to split. I have had no evidence of this but it would play on my mind.

Overall i think I would be tempted to look at the Club model for £800