Sunny Health and Fitness Phantom Water Rower Review (Model SF-RW5910)
Sunny Health and Fitness is a popular brand of home fitness equipment that specializes in the entry-level market. The Phantom SF-RW5910 water rower is the improved version of the Sunny Health and Fitness SF-RW5713 with a bottle holder holder, device holder, and folding frame. It is a highly rated rowing machine that provides surprising value at its price point. Die-hard rowing fans love water resistance rowers because the feel of the flywheel in the water tank most closely replicates rowing an actual boat. When you first sit on the Phantom SF-RW5910 rower, the thing that stands out the most is how sturdy the solid steel frame is. It’s easy to understand why the Phantom water rower can withstand a maximum weight of 300 lbs, which is considered standard for the indoor rower market. If you need a machine that can accommodate a little more weight, I recommend trying a wood-framed water rowing machine like the HouseFit wooden water rowing machine which can accommodate up to 350 lbs.
Live in an apartment, or a house where space is at a premium? You are going to love the Sunny Health and FItness Phantom water rower. First, the frame is completely foldable, which makes hiding the machine away after a workout surprisingly easy! Second, the machine itself has dimensions of 81.5” L x 21.25” W x 39.5” H, which makes it a very reasonably sized rowing machine compared to its rivals. Finally, at just 88.2 lbs, the Phantom water rower can be easily moved around, especially with the built-in transport wheels.
Sunny Health and Fitness has added some interesting features to the Phantom water rower, which begins with the 60 degree tilt on the water tank and flywheel. The belief is that the 16-blade hydro resistance flywheel inside the tank provides more consistent resistance and a much better and realistic rowing experience overall. You may notice that unlike magnetic resistance rowing machines, water rowers do not provide an exact number of resistance levels. That is because water rowing machines do not have the ability to manually adjust the resistance outside of adding or removing water from the tank. Ultimately this is up to personal preference although I know a lot of rowing enthusiasts swear by the water resistance rower over any other type of resistance.
Like with most Sunny Health and Fitness models, the Phantom SF-RW5910 is light on technology. In fact, you can say that outside of the fairly run of the mill performance monitor, there is zero connected technology on this machine. The multifunctional performance monitor still helps users manage key stats like time, distance, strokes, total strokes, strokes per minute, and calories burned, but there is a noticeable absence of a Bluetooth connection for device integration. But hey, at the price point you are paying for the Phantom water rower, you can’t expect the latest technology. If you’re like me and you love integrating your smartphone or following along to a live class, I would suggest taking a look at the Battife water rower which comes with both Bluetooth connectivity and a Hi-Performance monitor to utilize with the FitShow app.
Don’t worry if you’re not a handy person, because assembly of the Sunny Health and Fitness Phantom water rower is simple, with easy to follow instructions and even a link to a YouTube video for a visual walkthrough. There are also downloadable PDFs for the assembly guide available right on the Sunny Health and Fitness website in case you need it. You can purchase the Phantom water rower on the Sunny Health and Fitness website or through a third party site like Amazon, where shipping is actually faster than if you were to order it directly from the site. Sunny Health and Fitness ships via the courier of their choice and only to the 48 continental states, but the site states an expectation of 6-7 business days. In my experience, it’s usually just faster and easier to follow if you order it through Amazon.
In the end, if you are looking at Sunny Health and Fitness rowing machines, you are looking for a good value that allows you to get a solid workout at home. At a price of $600, the Phantom water rower is an excellent value from one of the most widely known brands in the fitness equipment world. The one drawback with Sunny Health and Fitness is that the company is prone to giving a weak warranty on its product. To me, this says the company is not backing its products with full confidence which could have a negative effect on the customer. For the Phantom water rower, expect only a 3-year warranty on the frame and 180-days for other parts and components. That is the one issue I always have whenever I review a Sunny Health and Fitness machine, but please don’t let that take away from the performance and quality of the Phantom water rower.
Sunny Health and Fitness Phantom Water Rower Pros
- Great, affordable price tag for a quality machine
- Solid steel frame that can accommodate up to 300 lbs
- Foldable frame for hiding the machine away between use
- 60 degree tilt on the water tank allows for a more consistent resistance
- 16-hydro blades of resistance inside the water tank
- Padded handlebar and cushioned seat for long, intense workouts
- Easy assembly with detailed instructions
- Fast shipping through Amazon or direct from the website
Sunny Health and Fitness Phantom Water Rower Cons
- Lack of technology aside from the basic LCD monitor
- Terrible warranty compared to Extra Fitness and many other brands
- No manual resistance adjustment, aside from adding or removing water
- No Bluetooth or WiFi connectivity
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.
