Water vs Air vs Magnetic Rowing Machines: Which Is Best?
Buy magnetic if noise is your constraint, air if you want performance and comparable data, water if you want responsive resistance with a sound you can live with. Magnetic starts at R4 750, air at R14 996, water at R16 065. All three give you the same low-impact full-body movement.
Resistance type is the first real decision when buying a rower, and it is the one most likely to be made on the wrong basis — usually price alone. The three systems feel genuinely different, and the right one depends far more on where the machine will live than on what it costs.
Everything below refers to machines in our rowing machines range, with current rand prices.
How does air resistance work?
Concept2 RowErg, R19 706 — the reference air rower.
A fan spins as you pull. Air resistance rises with the square of speed, so pulling twice as fast is roughly four times as hard. The machine responds instantly to your effort, exactly as water responds to a blade.
That responsiveness is why air is the competition standard. Every stroke is exactly as hard as you make it, so a training programme written in pace or watts translates directly onto the machine.
The trade-off is noise. A fan moving enough air to resist a strong adult is loud, and it gets louder as you work harder. In a flat or a shared house this is the deciding factor more often than any other.
Air rowers in our range: the Ar9 Air Rower at R14 996, the R8 Air Rower Pro at R16 024, the Force USA R3 at R18 256 and the Concept2 RowErg at R19 706.
How does water resistance work?
Apollo Plus Water Rower, R29 196 — furniture that happens to be equipment.
Paddles turn inside a tank of water. Resistance scales with effort in much the same way air does, but the sound is a swoosh rather than a rush — closer to being on the water, and considerably easier to live with in a shared room.
Water rowers are bought as much for the experience as the training, and there is nothing wrong with that. They tend to be made of wood or finished to look like furniture, which is why so many end up in living rooms rather than garages, and a machine you walk past every day is a machine you use.
The practical costs: they are heavier, the tank needs occasional water treatment to keep it clear, and they cannot be stored quite as compactly as an air rower. You also cannot change resistance instantly — the water level sets the range, and changing it is a job rather than a dial.
Water rowers in our range: the Athletic Water Rower 150RM at R16 065, the Neon Plus Fluid Rower at R21 864 and the Apollo Plus Commercial Water Rower at R29 196.
How does magnetic resistance work?
Tunturi R20, R4 750 — near-silent, and the cheapest real rower we stock.
Magnets act on a metal flywheel without touching it. You select a resistance level and it stays there regardless of how hard you pull. Nothing wears, nothing needs maintenance, and it is near-silent.
That fixed resistance is both the advantage and the limitation. For general fitness it is fine and arguably easier — you set a level and row. For anyone training to a pace it is frustrating, because a hard stroke and an easy stroke at the same setting feel the same, and the data reflects that.
Silence is the reason to choose it. If you row at 5am in a flat with someone sleeping next door, magnetic is not a compromise, it is the only workable option.
Magnetic rowers in our range: the Tunturi R20 at R4 750 and the Tunturi R30 at R6 726, both from the Tunturi range, plus the app-connected Yesoul R1m Plus at R14 138.
What about combination machines?
Magnetic and air together, giving you a base level you set plus responsiveness on top. The Sole SR550 at R26 276 is the one we stock, and it is the sensible answer if you want both.
It is quieter than a pure air rower because the magnetic component carries part of the load, and more responsive than a pure magnetic one because the fan still scales with effort. You pay for that — R26 276 against R14 996 for the Ar9 — but it genuinely solves the problem rather than splitting the difference.
The SR550 rowing machine at R29 876 is the same idea in a different listing. See the Sole Fitness range.
Which is quietest?
Magnetic, clearly. Then water, then air. The gap between magnetic and air is large enough to change when and where you can train, which is why it matters more than most specification comparisons.
| Magnetic | Water | Air | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Noise | Near-silent | Moderate swoosh | Loud, rises with effort |
| Responsive to effort | No | Yes | Yes |
| Maintenance | None | Water treatment | Occasional dusting |
| Storage | Compact | Upright, heavy | Compact, often splits |
| Data comparability | Machine-specific | Machine-specific | Industry standard |
| Entry price | R4 750 | R16 065 | R14 996 |
Prices are correct at the time of writing and include free delivery nationwide.
Which feels most like real rowing?
Water, marginally, then air. Both scale resistance with effort in the way a blade does. Magnetic does not, and experienced rowers notice within a few strokes.
Air is what actual rowing clubs use for indoor training, which is a strong practical endorsement even if water feels more like being on a river. If you row outdoors and want your indoor sessions to transfer, air is the safer choice.
If you have never rowed on water, this distinction will matter far less to you than noise, price and whether the machine fits in your room. Do not let it drive the decision.
Which is best for training to a pace?
Air, and specifically the Concept2 RowErg at R19 706. Its numbers are the industry reference, so a 2:00 split means the same thing on your machine as on anyone else's anywhere in the world.
That comparability is worth real money if you follow online programmes, take part in challenges, or want to benchmark yourself over years. On a proprietary machine your split times only mean something relative to your own history.
The Concept2 SkiErg at R20 075 and the BikeErg at R25 696 use the same monitor family if you want consistent data across formats. See HIIT equipment.
Which needs the least maintenance?
Magnetic — effectively none. Air rowers need occasional dusting of the fan housing. Water rowers need a purification tablet in the tank every few months to keep the water clear.
None of this is onerous, and none of it should decide your purchase on its own. But if the machine is going into a garage or an outbuilding where you would rather not think about it, magnetic is genuinely the least demanding.
Whichever you buy, wipe the rail and seat after each session. Sweat on the rail is what makes a seat run rough, and it is entirely preventable.
The decision, in short
- Noise is your constraint: magnetic. Tunturi R30, R6 726
- Tightest budget: magnetic. Tunturi R20, R4 750
- Best all-round home rower: air. Ar9 Air Rower, R14 996
- Training seriously: air. Concept2 RowErg, R19 706
- It lives in a living room: water. Neon Plus Fluid Rower, R21 864
- Want both quiet and responsive: combination. Sole SR550, R26 276
Tell us where the rower will live, who sleeps nearby and what you are training for, and we will tell you honestly which system fits — including when the R4 750 magnetic machine is genuinely the right answer. We ship free anywhere in South Africa from Gqeberha. Feel is hard to judge from a photo, so if you can try one first, look for a fitness showroom in your city; for buying online, reach out to us.
Browse rowing machines, the wider cardio range, or exercise bikes and treadmills. See also the best rowing machines in South Africa.