Ativafit Magnetic Rowing Machine Review: Pros, Cons, Cost & More

There’s no other cardio machine that can give you a full-body workout and pro cardio workout at the same time other than a rowing machine, and the great thing is you don’t have to spend a ton of cash to get hold of a decent one.

A magnetic rowing machine like the Ativafit Magnetic Rowing Machine boasts all the essential features you’ll need for a fat-busting rowing workout at home.

I’ve reviewed many products from the guys over at Ativafit, and most of the time, they impress. Bang for your buck they’re right up there with the market leaders in the budget price ranges.

Their magnetic rower is certainly worth some serious consideration, and today we’re taking a look at everything it has to offer, including its drawbacks. At the end of the review, I’ll also compare the Ativafit Magnetic Rower with the best seller in this price bracket, the Sunny Health SF-RW5155, to see how it matches up.

Before we get on with the rest of the review, let’s take a quick look at the Ativafit rowing machine product specs!

Why Do We Like The AtivaFit Magnetic Rowing Machine?

Surprisingly, the Ativafit rower has a few impressive features for a budget rowing machine, the most impressive though has to be its magnetic resistance system.

Magnetic resistance has been around for over a decade now. Still, it’s only in the past few years we’ve seen it filter its way down the price ranges, and we can now reap the benefits of magnetic resistance even on a budget rower like the Ativafit.

Whisper quiet in use

What’s so good about magnetic resistance? Its whisper-quiet in motion! The magnets of the resistance system never have to make contact with the flywheel, which means there’s no friction, and no friction equals no noise or wear and tear.

It’s a maintenance-free quiet resistance system. You can watch TV or listen to music without being disturbed by the sound of the machine.

Smooth belt drive system

Most rowing machines that use a magnetic resistance system also come with a belt drive system. Belt drives are much quieter than the chain drives we see featured with air rowing machines.

Belt drives keep vibration levels to a minimum, allowing for a smooth rowing motion. When you combine a belt drive system with a magnetic resistance system, it results in the quietest combination you’ll find for any rowing machine.

Constant resistance

Magnetic resistance is a constant resistance system, and by that, I mean the strength of resistance isn’t determined by how fast you row like it is with an air or water rower. Instead, magnetic resistance only increases or decreases in strength when you manually select another level of resistance via a tension knob.

Constant resistance has its benefits, such as allowing to choose to row at a slow pace on a high resistance level ‘great for building the legs’ and something impossible with air or water resistance as both use dynamic resistance systems.

8 Levels of resistance

Budget rowing machines like the Ativafit aren’t known for their strong resistance strength, so if you’re a seasoned rower? You may want to look for something more professional.

The Ativafit rowing machine has been designed for beginners and intermediates. Although the resistance isn’t super strong in the upper levels, it is easily strong enough for calorie-burning workouts. You have eight levels with the Ativafit rower. All of them can be selected via a tension knob situated on the rowing machine’s flywheel housing.

Click here to check price of Ativafit Rowing Machine on Amazon

Build Quality – Stability

The Atviafit rower will not last you a lifetime, it’s a $200 rowing machine, and that’s a mistake many people make when buying a low-cost rower like the Ativafit they expect too much. This is a lightweight magnetic rowing machine designed for light to medium cardio workouts. It won’t feel like a heavy-duty rower you might have used in a local gym.

However it does boast a decent steel frame for the price point, and it doesn’t feel cheap when you’re rowing on it like so many budget rowers, and it’s reasonably stable thanks to its wide front stabilizers and low profile design.

Contoured seat to prevent your butt from slipping

Also, we have a contoured seat. A contoured seat is essential to prevent your butt from slipping in the push phase of the rowing stroke. The seat padding is made from high-density foam, this is the good stuff. It’s not too soft to cause stability issues or too hard to be off-putting. It’s just right.

Still, the Ativafit rower just doesn’t have the weight of more expensive machines to keep it firmly planted to the floor, which is why I’d recommend getting hold of a floor mat for this rower.

A $15 floor mat will stop a rower like the Ativafit from sliding around, plus they absorb a lot of the vibration from a rowing workout which can be very handy if you’re using this rowing machine in an apartment and you don’t want to annoy your neighbors.

Basic but Easy To Use Monitor

We can’t expect advanced monitors with HD screens and tons of workout programs in this price range. All low-cost rowers are equipped with basic monitors, which isn’t always a bad thing as they’re nice and easy to set up and use.

Still, even though the Ativafit monitor is basic, it’s better than most I’ve seen in the under $250 price bracket as it includes goal setting. We usually only see this feature on rowers costing over $300, so it was a nice surprise to see it featured on the Ativiafit. You can set workout goals based on time, calories burned, or distance.

Also, the screen is quite large, making it easy to read, and it displays up to 6 workouts stats simultaneously, much better than having to switch between them to view separately.

The downsides? There’s no way to monitor heart rate, and the screen isn’t backlit, which makes it hard to read in low light conditions, but overall an impressive, easy-to-use monitor for this price range. Thumbs up.

Compact Rower With a Fairly Short Rail

One of the advantages of owning a compact rower like the Ativafit is they don’t take up too much room. Also, they’re light and easy to move around, but the drawback of the smaller rowers is they have short rails.

The Ativiafit max user height is about 6’1″, and with a max capacity of only 220lb, it’s not a good choice for larger users.

Any Other Features Worth a Mention?

Most magnetic rowing machines come with a folding system, which is a handy space-saving design as it halves the overall footprint of the rower. The Atviafit is one of the first magnetic rowing machines I’ve seen designed to be stored vertically rather than folded.

I prefer vertical storage as it saves more space than a folding system. The Atviafit takes up just 0.2 square meters of space when stored against a wall.

Also, we have transport wheels built in the front stabilizer bar, just tilt and roll to store.

Angled rail will intensify the push phase of the rowing stroke

Another feature I like about this rower is its angled rail. An angled rail will intensify the push phase of the rowing stroke ‘great for the building the legs’ and speeds up the recovery phase, plus it puts you in the best position to row from.

Easy Assembly 30 Minutes

This is a light rowing machine, so should only need one person for assembly. The complicated stuff like the resistance and drive systems already come pre-assembled.

All you’ll need to do is connect the rail to the front part of the rower, attach the seat to the rail, attach the footrests, stabilizer bars, and monitor. It shouldn’t take any longer than 30-40 minutes. All tools for the job and illustrated instructions are provided.

Alternative

Sunny SF-RW5155 Magnetic Rowing Machine

Sunny Health & Fitness has been specializing in low-cost cardio gear for over two decades, these guys build some of the best rowers on the market, and the SF-RW5155 is their flagship low-cost rowing machine.

The Sunny SF-RW5155 is quite similar to the Ativafit. Both rowers offer eight levels of smooth magnetic resistance, both include the maintenance-free belt drive system, and both rowers are designed for beginners and intermediates.

I wanted to show you the Sunny rowing machine because it has a longer rail. It can accommodate users up to 6’5″, boasting one of the longest rails in the price range, and it has a max capacity of 280lb, so it’s an excellent choice for larger users on a tight budget.

The Sunny SF-RW5155 has been around for a few years, and it’s now the best selling budget rowing machine. It’s well built with an impressive weight of nearly 60lb, which tells us the quality of build materials is high, and its sturdy.

Users still praise the Sunny rower years after owning it; it’s that good. Many users say how strong the resistance feels comparing it to machines they have used in their local gyms; this is unheard of for a budget magnetic rower and is another reason it sells so well.

However, the Sunny costs $50 more than the Ativafit, but it’s worth it, especially if you’re a taller user looking for a low-cost rower with a long rail.

To Sum Up

The Atviafit Rowing Machine is impressive; there’s nothing else on the market that can deliver a full-body workout and a pro-level cardio workout for under $200 other than a well-built, low-cost rower like the Ativafit.

Ativafit got all the essentials right with this rower. The rowing motion is smooth thanks to the magnetic resistance and belt drive systems, the seat is contoured and uses the correct type of padding, and I like the monitor, which is rare in this price bracket as most are useless.

If you need a quiet cardio machine to burn off some unwanted calories while increasing your fitness levels? You won’t be disappointed with the Ativafit Magnetic Rowing Machine. It’s a great choice for a first rower.