ROWBRO:

A Compact Indoor Rower that Fits in Every Home

key advantages

  • Lightweight and Compact
  • Sets-up and Stows easily
  • Experience Silent

campaign
status

Live

estimated
delivery

October 2023

Categories

Cool Tech

Most popular Perk

Ultimate Early Bird

Included items:

  • ROWBRO
  • Standard Size Pull-up Bar
  • Smartphone/Tablet Holder
  • 1 Year Warranty
  • Hex Key for Secure Installation

Limited time offer

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$ 327

Wouldn’t it be great if you could get an entire full body gym workout in the comfort of your home? Indoor rowing machines are one of the best forms of cardio that engage over 85% of your muscles. It knocks out cardio and strength training in one simple session. 

There is just one problem with rowing machines – they are very loud! If you have ever been to a gym, the whirr of the indoor rowing machine really can cause a commotion. 

If you ever wanted an indoor rowing machine at home it would have to be somewhere that the air flow from the fan wouldn’t send papers and dust flying everywhere. Creating a home gym isn’t as easy as we imagined. 

In this review we will be going over the ROWBRO, a compact indoor rower that fits in every home, to see if you really can utilize one of the best cardio and strength exercises in the comfort of your own home. 

The Product

Innovation

Is this a truly new product that you can’t find on the market? Or this is a product that defines an entirely new product category. In some cases, combining several features into one or introducing a new feature to an old product is also considered an innovation.

Row Machines are nothing new. You sit on a sliding seat and pull the handle that spins a fan to create resistance and you row, row, row your boat, gently down the stream. ROWBRO isn’t reinventing the indoor row machine, it is just a redesign that minimizes sound and space taken up. 

ROWBRO uses a magnetic resistance system, which isn’t breaking news but it is much quieter than those that use water and air, while still providing proper resistance. 

One of its greatest selling points is that it is completely portable. Just how is it portable and stable? Instead of using a raised static track, a single track is folded onto the floor and the rolling seat is placed on top. The main unit is placed in a door frame and is held in place by a handy adjustable bar that can fit into any doorway. 

It looks super simple to set up and stow away, so you could easily knock out a workout and get back to your day without having to dedicate a whole room to exercise. 

ROWBRO even goes a step ahead with their minimalism and doesn’t even include a screen. They did us all a favor and made it Bluetooth-compatible, so you can just use your own tablet or phone with the ROWBRO app. This makes it not only cheaper but also keeps all of your info in one place. 

ROWBRO isn’t really a leap into the future but is definitely a step in the right direction. They didn’t reinvent the indoor rowing machine but made it much more approachable for people who can’t commit to having a stationary rowing machine in their homes.

Product Innovation Score
7 /10

Competitiveness

How much better is it than the competition? Is it faster? Bigger? Cooler? More affordable? There needs to be a solid reason why you should back this project over any other.

RowbroShareVGOMerach
Price$329 (early bird) $599 (retail)$325$419
Weight25 LBS 11KG 62 LBS 28 KG 62 LBS 28 KG
Stowed Size12x12x15 (in) 30x30x30 (cm)39x20x52 (in) 99x51x132 (cm) 19x68x25 (in) 48x172x64 (cm)
APP
Resistance Levels10816

ROWBRO is second to none when it comes to being portable, lightweight, and easily stowed. The best the competition can do is have a folding mechanism in the frame and be pushed against the wall. 

Both the ShareVGO and Merach offer a quiet workout and an app to view your progress but the ROWBRO app offers much more in detail information about your overall workout and doesn’t just relay time and the force you are pulling with. You can compete with yourself and track your progress over time, which will be sure to keep up with your workout routine, instead of letting your workout equipment turn into a drying rack.

The competition has more resistance levels but honestly, this isn’t weight lifting, three modes are plenty for most people who don’t plan on becoming professional rowers. 

Overall the ROWBRO focuses on portability, which it dominates the competition in, but lacks in having to set up, while it still is easy, and having to work out near a door frame.

Product Competitiveness Score
35 /40

The Team

Reliability

How capable is the team? Have they developed something like this before? Do they have crowdfunding experience? Manufacturing experience? A lot of campaigns fail to deliver their product because they don’t know what they’re doing.

This is ROWBRO’s first project and the bros behind it have definitely taken a back seat. The ROWBROS are based in Switzerland and have teamed up with BUSSE, a German Design +Engineering firm. On BUSSE’s official page there is an article about their partnership with ROWBRO so we do know a reputable firm is behind the product.

The manufacturing is going to be all done in Europe so you can expect it to have a much higher quality due to stricter industry restrictions.

Team Reliability Score
20 /30

Attitude

How transparent are the campaigners? Do they give their backers valuable updates on their progress? Do they engage with their backers? Crowdfunding is all about community, sharing information, and building meaningful relationships with the people who fund your project.

They have been posting updates on feedback from backers. You can find different videos and photos of tests that they are running as well as new additions and tinkering on the rowing machine. They have improved their traction pad and made their seat more ergonomic as mentioned in their last update and it got positive feedback. They also made some safety improvements by adding a brake for the seat to make it easier to get off and on. 

There is definitely someone behind the wheel of this campaign steering it in the right direction and answering concerns of the project.

The demo videos look great and it is clear that there is a product ready that works and is ready to be manufactured.

Team Attitude Score
18 /20

Conclusion

If the one thing stopping you from getting a full body workout is a lack of space in your home, you should get excited about ROWBRO. It isn’t going to change the way you exercise, but it will definitely get you to actually exercise more. Something doesn’t have to break new grounds to be great. 

Are you ready to row?

TIW Total Score

ROWBRO:
Innovation
7
Competitiveness
35
Reliability
20
Attitude
18
80/100
ROWBRO:

Limited time offer

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