Battife Water Rowing Machine Review: solid walnut classic wood rower

I’m sure many people are wondering if a mid-level solid wood rower like the Battife Water Rowing Machine is a capable alternative to the more expensive WaterRower®?

On the most part, mid-level wood rowers make a great alternative to the S4 WaterRower®; build quality isn’t much lower, and the resistance and drive systems are the same. It’s the monitors that let the majority of mid-level wood rowers down. But that’s the good thing about the Battife Water Rower; it includes one of the best monitors I’ve come across on any wood water rower.

Bang for your buck, the Battife is a winner, and it’s the most impressive under $600 alternative to the WaterRower S4®. And today, I want to take a close look at everything this impressive rower from Battife has to offer.

Before we get on with the rest of the review, let’s take a quick look at the Battife Water Rowing Machine product specs!

Why Do We Like The Battife Water Rowing Machine?

The best feature of this rowing machine has to be its dynamic resistance system. A dynamic resistance system mimics the feel of rowing outdoors. It’s an essential feature if you want that natural feel from a rowing machine at home.

Dynamic resistance systems allow for an infinite amount of resistance levels because, just like rowing on actual water, it’s the pace of your workout that determines resistance strength.

How much water should I fill the tank with?

However, because the Battife is a water rower, we can control overall resistance by filling the water tank with more water.

It’s a good idea to think of the amount of water in your rower’s tank as people in the rowing boat with you. Level 1 is like rowing in a boat on your own, level 3 or 1/4 full is like rowing in a boat with three people, and so on.

If you fill the water tank to the max, which is just under half full, you’ll feel strong resistance from the rowing handle. This is great for shorter, more intense workouts to build and strengthen the upper and lower body muscle groups.

I find filling the water tank to just under 1/4 full for longer workouts provided a medium resistance perfect for a 30-minute rowing session. Still, we should never forget the primary way to control resistance strength is through the pace of your workout; adding extra water will just bump up resistance that bit more.

Smooth maintenance-free belt drive system

I like belt drive systems; they’re much quieter than the noisy chain drive system we see on air rowers, and they require little maintenance. When combined with a silky smooth water-resistance system, you have one of the quietest combinations you’ll find for any rowing machine.

The only sound you’ll hear from this rowing machine is the faint whooshing sound of the paddles pushing through the water in the rower’s tank. It’s a soothing sound, it’s not disturbing and really adds to that natural feel we’re looking for from an indoor rower.

Unboxing & Assembly Video Battife Rower

Click here to check price of Battife Water Rower on Amazon

Is the Battife Stable?

Stability is one of the essential things you consider before buying any piece of home cardio gear. And it’s usually the weight of a cardio machine that determines how stable the rower is going to be when exercising on it.

This isn’t a heavy-duty rower. It weighs around 60lb, which isn’t super light but does give enough weight to help with stability. Also, adding some water to the water tank will give you some additional weight to help keep the rower planted to the floor. (extra 20lb when 1/2 full)

Cheap Rowing Mat

These guys have included four rubber feet to prevent slips, the rubber feet will also protect your floor.

If you live in an apartment, I recommend getting hold of a cheap rowing mat. A rowing mat is a good idea for an apartment as it will absorb most of the vibrations from rowing workouts and again prevent any slips.

Includes a Contoured Seat

A few wood rowers don’t include a contoured seat, which is a mistake because a contoured seat helps with stability. A contoured seat stops your butt from slipping in the push phase of the rowing stroke its an important feature and something you should look for when buying a rowing machine if you want to row with correct form.

Feature Packed Monitor For Price Point

I’ve reviewed a ton of rowing machines over the years, and it’s the air and water rowers that usually suffer from poor monitors. However, lately, we’re just starting to see water rowers include a few more handy features with their monitors.

Okay, we’re not going to find HD screens or VR, but I’m impressed with the Battife monitor for the price. It includes three workout modes and wireless heart rate monitoring, the most accurate way to measure heart rate. Great for those of you who love to train in your chosen heart rate zone, and we have BlueTooth and access to the Fittshow app. Install it on your phone, and the monitor should sync with it.

The app includes a few other nifty features, such as rowing games, more programmed workouts, and racing against friends.

And of course, the monitor tracks all your vital workout stats such as time, strokes per workout, strokes per minute, total strokes, calories burned, distance.

The downside? You have to purchase an HR chest strap separately. They’re around $30 for a decent one.

Any Other Features Worth Mentioning?

One other thing worth mentioning is how this rower stores. There’s no folding feature. Instead, the Battife rower stores vertically, which is better than a folding feature because vertical storage takes up less than 0.3 square meters of space when stored against a wall.

Also, you have transport wheels. Just tilt and roll the rower to move.

And one last feature I really liked about this rower is how smooth the seat glides across the rail, and that’s thanks to the high-grade ball bearings and rollers. The rollers are made from thick rubber, which helps keep noise to a minimum.

30-Minute Assembly

The Battife rowing machine is delivered in two boxes—the front of the rower and its rail. Wood rowers aren’t difficult to assemble, but they are large machines, so you might want someone to give you a hand. 

The drive and resistance systems come pre-assembled so does the water tank. All you’ll need to do is connect the rail to the front of the rower, attach the seat to the rail, attach the footrests, the monitor, and the tablet holder if you purchased that option. It takes around half an hour to assemble detailed instructions are provided, so too are the basic tools.

If you have any trouble, refer to the build video at the start of this review.

Alternative

Runow Water Rowing Machine ($649)

The Runow is another impressive water rowing machine. I reviewed it a few months ago, and I was surprised at just how good it was for the price point. It’s very similar to the Battife rowing machine in that both share the same dynamic resistance system and belt drive system. Both are solid wood rowers. Both include impressive long rails with contoured seats and high-grade rollers.

But they have a few noticeable differences, the main being the Runows weight. It’s more of a heavy-duty option than the Battife. It weighs over 100lb. That extra weight tells us it’s made from quality materials and that it’s going to feel solid when rowing on it. And $649 is an excellent price for a heavy solid oak rowing machine.

However, the Runow water rower monitor isn’t as advanced as the Battife as it doesn’t include any apps or workout programs. However, we still get Wireless heart rate monitoring which is important for many users.

Overall the Runow is an excellent alternative to the Battife if you want something a little more heavy-duty. The monitor lacks slightly, but the build quality makes up for it. It’s undoubtedly a wood rower worth checking out.

To Sum Up

You can’t go wrong with the Battife Water Rowing Machine. These guys got everything right. They didn’t even cut on monitor features like so many other companies do. Build quality isn’t as high as a WaterRower®, but it’s not a mile off. This machine is half the price of an SF4 WaterRower, and to be honest, it won’t feel that much different. If you want that natural feel from a rowing machine and don’t want to spend a ton of cash. A well-built wood water rower like the Battife is your best choice.

What’s best about a rowing machine like the Battife that uses dynamic resistance is that anyone can use it regardless of fitness level. If you’re a beginner, try and watch a couple of youtube videos first to get some tips on your rowing stroke form, and then you can get going on your water rower. It’s that easy.