This post contains affiliate links. As an Amazon Affiliate I earn from qualifying purchases.
A rowing machine is a big investment for your home gym. Spending that kind of money, you want it to be covered well. So what’s the best warranty you can get on a rowing machine? I did some digging and here are the results.
There are big differences in warranty conditions between brands and models. The three models with the best warranty are;
- BodyCraft VR400 & VR500
- Lifespan RW7000
- Body-Solid R300
Some brands or retailers offer extended warranties on these or other models.
To find the exact warranty conditions of these and many more rowing machines, keep reading.
Rowing machine warranty
Before deciding which warranty is the best, let’s look at all of the popular brands and see what they have to offer.
Sometimes the warranty conditions differ between different models of the same brand. That’s why I’ve listed different models on this list. Since this website is about home gyms, the warranty listed is for residential use. If you use the rower in any kind of commercial or institutional setting, the warranty conditions are often different.
The warranty listed below is the manufacturer warranty without any extensions. Your retailer might offer an extended warranty but this isn’t included in the list.
Brand | Model | Warranty |
---|---|---|
LifeSpan | RW7000 | Frame: Lifetime Parts: 5 Years. Labor: 2 Years. |
LifeSpan | RW1000 | Frame: 5 Years. Parts: 2 Years. Labor: 1 Year |
Life Fitness | Row GX | Frame: 5 years. Tank and seals: 3 years. Other parts: 2 years. Labor: 90 days. |
Life Fitness | Row HX | Frame: 5 years. Tank and seals: 3 years. Mechanical parts: 2 years. Console: 1 year. Labor: 1 Year. |
BodyCraft | VR200 | Frame: Lifetime. Parts: 5 years. Wear items: 1 year. Labor: 1 year. |
BodyCraft | VR400 | Frame: Lifetime. Parts: 7 years. Wear items: 1 year. Labor: 2 year. |
BodyCraft | VR500 | Frame: Lifetime. Parts: 7 years. Wear items: 1 year. Labor: 2 year. |
Body-Solid | R300 | Frame: Lifetime. Parts: 5 years. Electronics: 2 years. Wear items: 6 months. Labor: 1 Year. |
Marcy | Turbine | 2 Years |
Marcy | NS-40503RW | 2 Years |
Marcy | ME-1018RE | 2 Years |
Marcy | NS-6002RE | 2 Years |
Marcy | NS-6070RW | 2 Years |
Marcy | NS-6023RW | 2 Years |
Concept2 | Model D | Frame+Frame parts: 5 years. Other parts: 2 years |
Concept2 | Model E | Frame+Frame parts: 5 years. Other parts: 2 years |
Sunny Health | SF-RW5515 | Frame: 3 years. Parts 180 days. |
Sunny Health | SF-RW1205 | Frame: 3 years. Parts 180 days. |
Sunny Health | SF-RW5728 | Frame: 3 years. Parts 180 days. |
Sunny Health | SF-RW5801 | Frame: 3 years. Parts 180 days. |
Sunny Health | SF-RW5639 | Frame: 3 years. Parts 180 days. |
Fitness Reality | 1000 PLUS | 1 Year Limited |
Fitness Reality | 2000F | 1 Year Limited |
Fitness Reality | 3000WR | 3 years |
Fitness Reality | 4000MR | Frame: 5 years. Parts: 3 years. Electronics&Wear items: 2 years. |
ProForm | 440R | Frame: 5 years. Parts & Labor: 90 days. |
ProForm | 750R | Frame: 10 years. Parts & Labor: 1 year |
NordicTrack | RW 200 | Frame: 10 years. Parts: 2 years. Labor: 1 year |
NordicTrack | RW 500 | Frame: 10 years. Parts: 2 years. Labor: 1 year |
NordicTrack | RW 900 | Frame: 10 years. Parts: 2 years. Labor: 1 year |
Schwinn | Crewmaster | Frame: 10 years. Parts: 3 years. Labor: 1 year |
Stamina | X | Frame: 3 years. Parts: 90 days. |
Horizon | Oxford 3 | Frame: Lifetime. Electronics: 2 years. Parts: 1 year. Labor: 1 year |
Horizon | Oxford 6 | Frame: Lifetime. Electronics: 3 years. Parts: 1 year. Labor: 1 year |
ProGear | 750 | 1 Year |
Xterra | ERG200 | Warranty: 1 year. Parts: 1 year |
Xterra | ERG500 | Frame: 5 years. Parts: 2 years. Labor: 90 days |
Xterra | ERG650 | Frame: Lifetime. Parts: 2 years. Labor: 1 year |
Xterra | ERG700 | Frame: Lifetime. Parts: 5 years. Labor: 1 year |
WaterRower | Club | 1 Year |
WaterRower | A1 | 1 Year |
WaterRower | Classic | 1 Year |
WaterRower | M1 | 1 Year |
WaterRower | S1 | 1 Year |
Suggested post: Does rowing on a machine burn belly fat?
Top 3 best rowing machine warranties
Now we have the full list of rowing machine warranties, we can take a look at which rower offers the best warranty.
Of course some brands have a few models, all with the same warranty. In that case just the brand will be mentioned. Only the length and conditions of the warranty have been taken into account. Not price, reliability, design, resistance, etc.
Here is the top 3 (plus 1)
- BodyCraft VR400 & VR500
- Lifespan RW7000
- Body-Solid R300
This is the rower that’s the best option for home gyms! Find out which one it is and why by clicking here.
BodyCraft VR400 & VR500
The first place is shared between two models from BodyCraft. BodyCraft always makes super high quality products and has the warranty to back it up. The VR400 &VR500 are the two most expensive models in their range although they’re not the most expensive rowers you can get.
BodyCraft VR400 &VR500 Residential Warranty;
- Frame: Lifetime
- Parts: 7 Years
- Wear items: 1 Year
- Labor: 2 Years
These rowers have air + magnetic resistance so pretty much everyone can find a resistance setting they’ll be happy with while also providing the natural rowing feeling.
There isn’t really any compromise you have to make with this rower. It’s foldable. You can choose the computer you like best and there is an optional tablet holder so you can watch whatever you want during rowing.
- Super solid construction
- Cool, modern design
- Air + Magnetic resistance
- Folds for compact storage
- Great warranty
Lifespan RW7000
In second place is the Lifespan RW7000. A machine that’s very similar to the number one. It also uses air and magnetic resistance to combine the best of both worlds. It’s not the cheapest but also not the most expensive and it comes with great warranty.
The biggest difference is that you ‘only’ get 5 years of warranty on parts. That’s 2 years shorter than you get with the rowers named above. The other parts are the same so it’s still a really great warranty.
Lifespan RW7000 Residential Warranty;
- Frame: Lifetime
- Parts: 5 Years
- Labor: 2 Years
As said, this machine competes directly with the BodyCraft ones and it shows. It’s very similar in many ways. It basically comes down to your preference.
Body-Solid R300
Finally, we have the Body-Solid R300. Coincidentally, this is another air +magnetic resistance rower that competes in the same price range as the others on this list. One of the advantages of competition is that you get to enjoy a great warranty.
Find out more about rower resistance types in this post.
The big difference here is that labor is only one year and wear items 6 months. That’s partly offset by the 2 year warranty on electronics but that’s not enough to push it up a spot.
Body-Solid R300 Residential warranty;
- Frame: Lifetime
- Parts: 5 Years
- Electronics: 2 Years
- Wear items: 6 months
- Labor: 1 Year
- Solid folding rowing machine
- Air resistance for natural feel
- Includes performance monitor
- 330 lbs. load limit
- Lifetime warranty on frame, 5 years on parts
Missing something?
You might have noticed that the most well-known brands in the rowing machine world, Concept2, is missing. They only offer a 5 year warranty on structural parts and 2 years on wear parts. This is nowhere near as good as the machines mentioned above.
There are two things to keep in mind however;
While the Concept2 rowers aren’t cheap by any means, they’re a bit cheaper than the rowers in the list above except for the VR200. A higher price means the manufacturer can afford to give a better warranty. Hopefully that extra money will also go towards a higher quality product though.
Also, Concept2 rowing machines don’t really lose a lot of value on the second hand market compared to the other ones. That’s partly because they’re really well known but also because they’re good. Many people feel comfortable buying them second hand which means it’s likely you’ll never need the warranty.
Suggested post: 9 Amazing benefits rowing has for your body.
Should you get a rower with good warranty?
If you should pay attention to the warranty you get with a rowing machine depends on how much risk you want to take and how strongly you feel about your other criteria.
Warranty should just be one of the factors you use to decide which rower is best for you. In the first place, it has to be able to provide you with the workout you’re looking for. This means the right type of resistance and movement.
Suggested: Is 30 minutes on a rowing machine enough to see results?
Size and noise are two other considerations that are important to many.
And ultimately price is one of the most important deciding factors for most people. Warranty can be a tie-breaker if you’re stuck on choosing between two different models. It shouldn’t be the starting point of your search though.
The trade-off between price and warranty you have to decide for yourself. If two models are virtually the same but one is cheaper than the other while the other has better warranty, it really depends on how much money you want to save for the extra risk.
Personally I’d expect and want a piece of equipment that costs a significant amount of money like a rowing machine to come with a decent warranty. It just gives that extra peace of mind you need to spend that kind of cash. I also don’t expect something like that to break quickly but it can happen. And if it does, you’ll be happy you chose the model with the better warranty conditions.
Suggested post: Does a rowing machine tone your body?
Related questions
Is rowing machine warranty transferable to a new owner? Some brands have warranty policies that state that only extend to the original owner. Some have a warranty that only takes the purchase date into consideration. If you plan on selling your rowing machine within the warranty period it can be beneficial to get one with transferable warranty to make it easier to sell.
Favorite Cardio Machine Accessories
Check out these accessories that improve a home cardio workout:
- Equipment mat: All cardio equipment should be put on an equipment mat. The Rubber-Cal mat (Amazon) is an affordable yet very high quality choice.
- Interval timer: To time your intervals and workouts, there is no better choice than the GymNext Flex. It’s super easy to use and set up with a phone app.
- Tablet holder: Cardio can be boring. With this tablet holder (Amazon) you can follow along with on-demand workouts or just watch a movie on any cardio machine.
- Heart rate monitor: Monitoring your heart rate is very important while doing cardio. The Polar H10 (Amazon) connects to almost anything you can imagine and is very accurate.
To find which cardio machines I recommend for home gyms, click here.