MERACH Rowing Machines for Home: Get Fit Today

Great rower for the price, nearly identical to Concept 2
I’ve done Crossfit off and on for about 15 years now and rowing is one of my very favorite ways to exercise. Due to current life situations and location, we set up a garage gym at home and I was looking for a rower that would not break the bank but give me the same function I was used too. I had previously tried a smaller rower thinking the compact size would be nice, but it did not have enough length for me to use a full stroke. I’m only 5’8” but with long arms and legs and can max the chain out on a Concept 2 when using a full stroke and rowing hard. This has the exact same reach where I am just shy of smacking the handle into the front bar at a full stroke rowing as hard as I can. This is perfect and if the Concept 2 fits you, this one will as well. In fact, nearly every part looks identical between the two.With two exceptions. The foot rest on the Merach is a much stiffer plastic that is a little harder to adjust and not very comfortable on the heel due to being a little too stiff and sharp. Not a deal breaker, but especially since I prefer to workout barefoot, less comfortable. And as others have mentioned, the monitor is different. It has all the functions, I would just greatly prefer to be able to lock the screen onto showing meters/time, or calories/time, etc. Instead, what it does is scroll back and forth through all the metrics every 5 seconds which is a bit annoying as it seems to be always showing whatever one I don’t care about when I glance up at the screen. Again, not a deal breaker for stuff at home, I’m not trying to win anything that 5 seconds would make a difference for, but it is kind of annoying. If Merach offered upgraded foot rests and monitors, I would buy those and add to this machine.Even given those two less than ideal things, it is still a great machine and I am loving using it. It is a surprisingly solid for the price, and truly feels like all the parts came out of the same factory as the more expensive machines with the exception of the two things noted above. It only took a couple minutes to assemble with one person. And yes, you can stand it up to store just like a Concept 2 without taking it apart in the middle. I love rowing with this and am very happy with what I got for the price. I plan to use it for many years and would happily buy again. If you want a very solid rower for a pretty decent price, I would say go for this one with no hesitation.

Great rower
The rower works great, good resistance and operation. Easy assembly, smooth, and built well. I would give it 5 stars if the screen was illuminated, in low light or sun light the screen is difficult to read.

Yes, it is a C*ncept 2 clone, and that’s a good thing!
Purchased the R-11 air rower hoping it would be a good analogue of the rowers that I used a few years ago when Crossfit was part of my fitness journey. Haven’t done much in the intervening years, but as I get older realized I needed to add a low-impact cardio workout to the moving I haven’t been doing enough of lately.When I went looking for a C*ncept 2, I realized pretty quickly that even the used machines were out of any reasonable price range for me, since I wasn’t sure that I’d use the rower any more than I use the (very nice) treadmill we purchased a few years ago.And then lo and behold, I found MERACH offerings that were very close in looks and, once i received the rower I’m so very pleased to report, the FEEL of the C*ncept 2 rower. So much so that my fear of not using it has not only come to pass, but I’m pleased to report that I’m already back to some of my old split times and have managed to pull a 10k with a reasonably good result!Have been getting on the rower almost daily since purchase. It is smooth, reliable, has great action that really propels you to use it, in my experience. I’ve had other, cheaper rowers and cannot recommend spending at least the money that a good MERACH offering will cost you, rather than getting a lesser machine from someone else.With rowing, enjoying the meditative part of the exercise is an important characteristic for me, and the R-11 rower provides that smooth, zen-like whooshing that only a good air rower built like this can do. I’ve tried the “best,” trust me when I say if that’s the experience you’re looking for, you’ve found it in this rower.Metrics are important in this sport, to some, and the ones provided on the display from MERACH are consistent with those from other brands, the app is actually quite good in displaying and retaining ongoing rowing stats similar to the functionality of the C*ncept 2 connected devices. You can row in competition with others, play games, watch video instruction while rowing, etc. etc.Works with Apple+, iFit, some of the other major erg exercise types. I haven’t gotten EXR up and running yet, but it looks compatible there, too. This is a good, straight ahead erg machine.No idea about MERACH parts or service as I haven’t needed anything, but I can bet that they care enough about your experience to be pretty good there, as they provided excellent focus on the design here. Also, it’s very likely that any replacement or upgrade parts you may need or want could be purchased at C*ncept 2, the machines are that close.I’m hoping to try and provide feedback on not just this example, but their water rower as well, as I get back into the sport and fitness aspects of rowing for 50-somethings who suffer from arthritis and need to remain somehow athletic. The R-11 has been a great addition to my life in that way.

Inspect the packaging and rower.
The rower arrived ahead of schedule but the box was a mess. After I put it together I saw that there was a dent in the metal around the fan. It still works and seems to be functioning properly. Packaging appears to be an issue.

Simple assembly. Screen could use a backlight. I use the Merach app on my phone to better see the stats. The app also has useful lessons and challenges. The rower itself feels just right and is very well built.