YOSUDA PRO Magnetic Rowing Machine for Home Use-Foldable Rower with 400lbs Weight Capacity and 16 Level Resistance

I've had the machine for about 11 months now, and am happy with the performance. I believe I probably have over 50,000 strokes on it by now so it has gotten a fair test. I'm not certain of the total stokes on it cuz the overall total rolls over at 10,000. It's done that a number of times now. Was not difficult to set up. I initially noted some clicking noises while rowing and isolated these to the place where the main rail joined to the front frame. A small piece of cardboard (like the back of a note pad) helped to silence that. I also tinkered with the seat stop near the front of the main rail. I found that I would bottom out on this and did not care for the clack when the seat would hit the rubber stop. Inititally I added a small piece of foam cushion (headliner from an apholstery project) to the front of the seat where it hit the bumper. That had mixed results. I eventually removed the rubber "button" bumper altogether and added a foam rubber cushion about 3/4" square to the stationary spot where the seat can hit it at the bottom of the stroke. This had the benefit of allowing the seat to come about 3/4" closer to the wheel which I liked because it allows you to scrunch yourself closer to the wheel at the start of the stroke. Seemed to feel appropriate to me and is quieter this way with very little impact at the bottom of the stroke. The seat is OK but I sometimes fold a bath towel and add that as an additional cushion. The machine is quiet and has stayed that way. It does not have any "entertainment" as the display is just basic parameters of stroke count, time, pace (strokes per minute) and calorie count. I think that the calorie count is a very simple function of strokes as it shows exactly 200 calories at 1400 strokes. I'm not sure it is sensitive to the load setting or your pace. I kind of doubt it but I don't care. I don't watch the display, but have the unit faced towards a TV and generally watch something that engages me to keep going. You can get a pretty good workout in the last hour of the original Die Hard. That keeps you from constantly looking at your stroke count and thinking "Oh crap. I'm only half way to my goal...". Bottom line is this thing does what is says it does and for a rather modest price compared to some of the wind and water versions, and it's quiet enough to accommodate Bruce Willis movies, ...or even Hallmark or Nicholas Sparks if you are so inclined.

Looks good. Supposed to be simple setup but had to loosen plastic case over tensioner to get bolts and washers installed as they needed to go under it. Works well. Smooth operation. Easy adjustment.

UPDATE: Customer service was excellent and responded quickly to send a replacement seat and rollers, which resolved the problem. This company clearly cares about their customers and will make sure you have a product you are happy with.I’ve updated my star rating to 5, as the rowing machine now functions perfectly. It is well made, smooth, quiet, and a great addition to our home gym. Let’s see how long it lasts, but so far this is well worth the price tag.EARLIER REVIEW:Very disappointed - just assembled this brand new rowing machine and the seat is not gliding properly. It appears to be sticking / grinding on the metal rail. We have assembled everything meticulously according to the instructions and the Yosuda chat bot on their website told me to buy a new seat! Hoping a human customer service actually replies to my email and helps resolve this. If so, I will update my review to 5 stars, because otherwise it seems very well made and robust.

This is probably the best rowing machine on the market when you consider its price and sturdiness. I’m currently undergoing physical Therapy at a major York City hospital. I know the rowing machine I’m using there is in the thousands of dollars. I knew I would have to get my own machine and decided on the Yosuda H-187.If you’re looking to purchase an excellent rowing machine for rehab or just plain exercise, look no further. You will not regret it. When I first tried this machine I saw no significant difference in PERFORMANCE between the one at the hospital and the Yosuda! This machine is very simple to assemble, the included instructions are very easy to follow. There is also a YouTube video that takes you step by step in the assembly process.Another excellent feature of this machine is that it folds practically in half, and has wheels allowing you to pretty much maneuver it any where you want to use and store it.The machine has 16 exercise levels that you access by way of a knob that’s easily accessible in the event you want to change the level while you’re rowing, including an LCD that allows you to see time exercising, calorie count, distance etc., Super cool if you like keeping track of your workouts.Last and most important. Don’t think that this rowing machine is designed only for rehab or beginners. This is a professional rowing machine for beginners, intermediate, and advanced athletes. If you’re serious about getting in shape without spending hours in the gym, this is the exercise machine you want. I guarantee you that 15-30 minutes rowing on this machine will work all your major muscle groups, including all your core muscles. I would suggest that you go to YouTube and watch videos on rowing. In short, I recommend this purchase without reservations for all the reasons listed above. Buy it, you won’t regret it.

TL;DRIf you do not intend on folding this rower, or are willing to machine your own parts for a slightly better fit, I think this is well worth it. YOSUDA support was nice initially, linked a video, then disappeared but Amazon Support really does the heavy lifting here so could be worth a shot knowing their generous return policy.In terms of grading the product as a budget-friendly rowing machine: excellent. Super quiet (dogs slept next to me) and I had a light sweat after 20min on just half the possible resistance. You really can't lean much to either side mid-stroke or the strap gets off the track and makes an intense grating noise, but you shouldn't be doing that much anyway without risking some mild injury.However, the assembly is definitely a "you get what you paid for" kind-of-deal. I ended up ordering an entire replacement just to try to fix my own problem after their support stopped responding (re: next section), so I know my couple of gripes aren't limited to a one-off experience at the very least since both bikes suffered from them. The main issue is absolutely the center knob - this is the piece that both holds the front of the rower and back as a single unit when in use AND is supposed to hold the back end in the air when you fold the unit. If you plan on leaving it in or never folding this up, this is actually a great bike - I mean that. Even in their videos and emails YOSUDA says the pieces "need to be perfectly aligned to screw in" and it really does have to be PERFECT since the knobs are manufactured a bit too short to be consistent and if you try to force it you'll actually ruin the bit of thread in the joint you need to ever connect it again. As an aside, when folded and "secured" with this knob and the one-way bolt they include it still flimsily rocks side-to-side but is prevented from slamming down and actually hurting anything. My second issue is the plastic housing for the magnetic system itself - it really could do with being just a bit thicker. Both units were about to burst at the seams and flexed almost open at a strong poke to the front. This latter issue was fine, but I knew I'd be having to contact them in the future for it so I figured I may as well reach out about the knob issue...Customer support is great until it isn't. As a new customer they are QUICK to respond and try to get you passed off to the correct support team for your issue; understand these responses will typically be between 6PM-1AM PST so ideally you are able to respond right away or the issue can drag on. I told them my issue, I watched the videos to troubleshoot, and was open to any suggestions - they were friendly, said they could send the part quickly, and passed me off to another team. That team said the line about "perfectly aligned" and to watch the videos, and after I told them I had and sent pictures of the knob/threading I never heard anything back. After 4 days I asked if there was any updates; after a few more days I ordered a replacement to check it myself. Knowing with the cheaper parts I'd have to inevitably talk to them again it is no longer worth the hassle for me.That said, Amazon Support has been surprisingly great. I dug out the original box (which I had already broken down confident in my purchase...) and was dreading having to disassemble everything. Other users saying it takes ~1 hour are not kidding - the videos help but the labeling/images are really that bad and you're bound to put at least one thing on backwards during. Amazon's "heavy packages team" answered all my questions about the original + replacement return and eased pretty much all my worries. I even told them I'd have to be taping up the original box pretty good to keep it together, and they said it's just a plus I even had that still. Definitely a silver lining after the disappointment of how everything turned out.

I really like this rowing machine. I was looking for a rower that had magnetic resistance with low impact and this fits. Assembly was OK. The rowing mechanism is smooth and quiet. I looked into the hydrow rower but the price point was too high and the monthly subscription of $40/mo was the deciding factors not to go that route. This Yosuda rower connects to an iPad or Android tablet using Bluetooth 4.2 or above. I use an iPad with the Kinomap app and it works seamlessly with the machine. The rowing videos are great and almost make you feel like you’re not exercising. After the apps trial period, I believe it’s $11/mo.Only negative on the rower itself was the pegs (item 76 in picture) that stop the pedal movement should have foam for noise reduction. Not an issue if you don’t hit the stop while using the rower. I added some self adhesive closed cell foam and works great. I did not remove any stars since this was a minor issue

**updateDropped down to a 1 star review. This will no longer store folded up. I have to now tie the rail into the vertical position. Almost every feature on this has now broken. The rower itself is still functional but it seems like the middle is under too much stress without the bolt and I don’t imagine it has too much life left. Hopefully other people have better luck than I did.***original reviewThe reason I'm not going down to 1 star, is that so far, the actual rowing mechanism still works.The first issue I had was as soon as I assembled the rower. There is a large knob that gets screwed in to support the rower when you have it unfolded (there is also a pin). This knob will not screw in in the unfolded state, I can get it to screw in when I fold up the rail for storage just fine. I'm concerned that the small pin will wear and break over time which will make the rower useless. I did reach out to the company about this and never saw a response. It may have gone to my junk, but they say they will respond within 24 hours and I was watching the junk folder for about 4 days after I submitted.The next issue occurred after about 1 week of use. There is a plastic piece that keeps the strap centered on the rowing handle. This has some guides on the inside and encases the rowing handle where the strap sits. It is made of 2 pieces of plastic that should keep it together in a cylinder that goes around the handle. This piece has broken. I was able to get 1/2 of it reattached to handle to the strap is stable during use, but everytime I tried to repair the whole thing it would snap again within 5 minutes.Finally, after 4 months, the display that track distance, time, etc is now just making a constant beeping sound. The screen will not turn on, so I've had to remove the batteries and can just use the rower without being able to see the information for workout. Luckily, since this is the magnetic version, the resistance is a separate knob so the rower is still functional, just disappointing that I didn't even get 6 months out of it before it is down to the most basic functionality.

Although it provides only moderate resistance at the max setting, it gives you a smooth, quiet workout. Assembly is straightforward — except for the finicky thread on that center knob that joins the two parts together (as others have noted). Getting the threading right is a bit tricky — and iffy — each time you want to fold the rail up or down. Maybe somebody knows a DIY fix for this?