HouseFit Magnetic Rowing Machine Review
If you are looking for a way to improve your health and burn calories with a low-impact workout, then an indoor magnetic rower may be the home fitness machine for you. Let us present to you the HouseFit home magnetic rowing machine that provides you with a smooth and efficient workout for an incredibly low price. You will marvel at the solid steel frame with lightweight and sturdy aluminum rail that provides a smooth rowing action with a wide cushioned seat. How strong is the aluminum rail? The HouseFit magnetic rower is capable of handling a maximum user weight capacity of 300 lbs, which is 50 lbs more than similar magnetic rowers in this price range like the Sunny Health and Fitness SF-RW5515 magnetic rower. The HouseFit magnetic rower boasts what the company calls a humanized design, although it is unclear as to what that means in terms of the esthetics of the machine. HouseFit did include rear floor stabilizers which definitely help to accommodate the larger user weight capacity. This particular HouseFit indoor magnetic rower is not a foldable frame, so you will need to store it in an upright position.
As with nearly all home rowing machines regardless of resistance type, the HouseFit home magnetic rower requires a substantial footprint for you to operate it. The assembled dimensions are 65” L x 22” W x 32” H, which isn’t too daunting, especially if you compare it to the Women’s Health/Men’s Health magnetic rower which at 80” is over two feet longer. The lightweight aluminum rail and relatively small magnetic flywheel means that the HouseFit home magnetic rower weighs in at a user-friendly 61.7 lbs. Unlike water resistance rowers which require a water tank or air resistance rowers which have a large fan, the magnetic resistance system is always fairly compact and therefore are generally the lightest rowing machines in the industry.
The compact magnetic flywheel on the HouseFit indoor rower provides users with a smooth and most importantly silent workout. The HouseFit home magnetic rower comes with 15 different levels of resistance as well as a convenient tension control knob where the user can manually adjust the resistance level in the middle of a workout. Perhaps the most appealing feature of indoor magnetic rowers is the fact that they make minimal noise when working out, compared to the air fan on an air rowing machine or the sloshing of water inside of the tank on a water rower. In this case, the only noise that the HouseFit magnetic rower makes is the sliding of the seat on the rail, so this is an ideal model to get if you live in an apartment and do not want to disturb your neighbors. This is one thing that stood out to us as we love the silent workout that you get with the HouseFit magnetic flywheel, especially when you combine it with the fact that the machine requires very minimal maintenance. The tension knob is a handy feature, and is always one difference that we bring up between a magnetic rower and a water rower that may just help the user choose between one machine or another.
The technology is definitely one area where the HouseFit home magnetic rower leaves a lot to be desired, especially in a time where connected home fitness machines are all the rage. This model comes equipped with a basic digital monitor that really only provides the very basic readouts to the user like the time, count, distance, and calories burned. Other than that, there is no Bluetooth connectivity or WiFi connectivity, which definitely puts it behind similar machines like the Women’s Health/Men’s Health Bluetooth magnetic rower. There is no media rack or tablet integration that users can utilize while working out for entertainment purposes, so the HouseFit home magnetic rower is truly a fitness machine for those who do not need all of the bells and whistles. The only thing the HouseFit rower does come equipped with is a smartphone holder, and although this is not ideal, it is definitely better than nothing!
Interestingly enough, online reviews of the HouseFit home magnetic rower are mixed on how easy the assembly is. Most home fitness machines come with clear instructions and the tools required to put the machine together, but for various reasons some users seem to have had difficulties with this. While some say it is easy to assemble in about 30-45 minutes, be prepared for there to potentially be some assembly issues. As mentioned earlier, the maintenance for magnetic rowers is fairly minimal. As long as you keep the rail clean of dirt and grime, and regularly clean the machine to keep dust out of the flywheel, the HouseFit magnetic rower should continue to operate smoothly. HouseFit is another brand that does not offer its own stand alone website, so the easiest way for users to purchase the magnetic rower is to buy it from a site like Amazon or WalMart. Of the online retailers that carry the HouseFit home rower, Amazon provides the fastest shipping and smoothest transaction process.
We already know that the most appealing feature of the HouseFit indoor magnetic rower is going to be the price. The $549 price tag is going to be appealing to anyone who knows they don’t need the latest connected technology and really just want a solid home workout. Users may want to shop around though as brands like HouseFit can often retail for different prices on different sites. The same goes for shipping options as rates and delivery times may vary by site, although Amazon generally has the fastest free shipping. The HouseFit magnetic rower comes with a limited 1-year warranty that does not specify what or what isn’t covered. Unfortunately, this is fairly common amongst these brands that do not have their own website or dedicated eCommerce platform.
HouseFit Home Magnetic Rowing Machine Pros:
- Price is appealing for users who do not need a fancy machine
- Strong lightweight aluminum rail allows for high maximum user weight capacity
- We love the innovative, compact design that takes up less space than other rowers
- We love the smooth and silent magnetic flywheel that requires minimal maintenance and upkeep
- Convenient transport wheels make moving it a simple task
- Stores vertically to save space when required to
- We love the tension knob that allows uses to manually control their resistance levels
- 14 levels of magnetic resistance
- Rear floor stabilizers add an extra level of stability
HouseFit Home Magnetic Rowing Machine Cons:
- The machine itself is bare bones and basic
- We don’t like the complete lack of technology that seems outdated and inconvenient
- The frame is not foldable which can make storage cumbersome
- We don’t like the lack of clarity with the warranty and no dedicate site for customer support
- We don’t like the multiple reports of assembly issues
- The digital monitor is basic and only used for stat readouts
- No pulse or heart rate monitor compatibility
My Final Verdict
If you are in the market for an indoor magnetic rower without any of the added features like integrated app technology or Bluetooth connectivity, then the HouseFit magnetic rower comes in at a nice price point. With 14 levels of magnetic and fully adjustable resistance, you get a workout experience that is varied and challenging. We love that the HouseFit home rower does not take up as much space with its innovative design and lightweight frame. But for our liking, the issues far outweigh the benefits, especially when you consider that only for $100 more, you can get the Women’s Health/Men’s Health Bluetooth magnetic rower. Ultimately a lack of clarity on a product warranty, no dedicated website, and multiple issues with assembly are just too much for us to ignore. It’s a great price point and you really do get a quality workout experience, but when there are other indoor magnetic rowers under $500 that come with so many more features, it is difficult for us to recommend the HouseFit home magnetic rower to our readers.
Sayed Hamed Hosseiny
Hi, my name is Sayed Hamed Hosseiny. I am a professional health and fitness trainer with nearly 20 years of experience using ellipticals, rowing machines, and spin bikes. I also have my own EU-based Rock Fitness Pro fitness brand where I design, import and sell exercise equipment such as rowing machines and spin bikes. I and writers on my team also often receive fitness equipment to review and evaluate their functionalities and performance from tens of different exercise machines manufacturers. Fitness equipment tips, guides, reviews, and comparisons on this website are my opinion (and opinions of my fitness expert colleagues) based on tens of criteria. I never accept payment to write reviews of products or say positive things about fitness equipment products. If brands are interested to have me review their rowers, ellipticals, or spin bikes, they can get in touch with me via email provided on the contact page and send a sample of their product.
