Concept2 Model D Review: Still the Rower to Beat?

The Concept2 Model D, now sold as the RowErg, is the air rowing machine you see in almost every gym, CrossFit box and rowing club in the country, and it is the one serious rowers keep coming back to. It is a full-body air rower with a flywheel that gets harder the faster you pull, paired with the excellent PM5 performance monitor. It suits everyone from a complete beginner who wants one machine they will never outgrow to an experienced rower chasing split times. The headline verdict is simple: it is expensive, but it is as close to a buy-it-for-life rower as you can get, and almost nothing else competes on feel, data and durability.

What it is and who it's for

The Model D is an air resistance rower, which means the resistance comes from a fan flywheel spinning against the air. There are no motors and no electronics in the resistance itself, so the harder and faster you pull, the more it pushes back. That makes it endlessly scalable: the same machine works for a gentle recovery row and a flat-out 500m sprint, which is why it is the default choice for clubs and competition.

A damper lever on the side of the cage adjusts how much air reaches the flywheel, from 1 to 10. This is not really a resistance setting in the way people expect; it changes the feel of the stroke (lower feels like a sleek racing shell, higher feels like a heavier boat), while your actual effort is set by how hard you pull. Most rowers settle around a damper of 3 to 5 for steady work.

Build and feel

This is where the Model D justifies its reputation. The frame is aluminium and steel, the nickel-plated chain runs smoothly, and the whole thing feels planted and rigid even during hard pulls. Owners routinely report units running for ten years or more with little more than the odd chain oil and a wipe of the monorail. That longevity is a big part of the value: spread over a decade of use, the price per session is low.

The 244 cm monorail gives a long, comfortable slide, and the moulded seat sits at a low height, which most people find fine but very tall or less mobile users sometimes find a touch low to get up from (the taller Model E exists for that reason). The handle and ergonomic grip are comfortable enough for long sessions without tearing up your hands. The high maximum user weight means it suits a very wide range of body types.

The PM5 monitor

The PM5 is the part that sets Concept2 apart, and it is the reason the brand is the standard for racing. It shows pace per 500m, watts, stroke rate, distance, time and calories, and the numbers are accurate and comparable from one machine to the next, so a time you set on your rower means the same as one set in a gym. It runs on its own with batteries, so you do not need a phone, and it stores your workouts.

Connectivity is generous: Bluetooth and ANT+ let it pair with heart rate straps and apps, and the free ErgData app plus the online logbook track your history with no monthly fee. That last point matters. Plenty of rivals lock their best features behind a subscription, while Concept2 gives you everything for the price of the machine. The screen itself is not a glossy touchscreen, and it does not stream classes, so if you want a Peloton-style experience this is not it. It is a serious training tool rather than entertainment.

Noise and the honest downsides

The biggest practical drawback is noise. Air rowers are louder than magnetic or water rowers by design, and the Model D makes a clear whooshing sound as the flywheel spins, plus some chain noise. In a house this is no problem, but in a flat the bigger issue is often the seat rolling on the rail, which can transmit through the floor to a neighbour below. If silence is essential, a magnetic rower is a better fit, and we cover those in our guide below.

The other honest points are the price, which sits at a premium over home-focused rowers, and the long footprint when it is set up (you do get most of that space back by standing it upright). The looks are plain and functional rather than the wood-and-water style some buyers want in a living room. None of these are flaws in how it rows; they are trade-offs you accept to get the best rowing feel and data on the market.

Value and the verdict

The Model D is not cheap, and there are perfectly good magnetic rowers for a fraction of the price. But almost no other piece of home cardio kit holds its value the way this one does, second-hand units sell for close to retail, and it is built to outlast several cheaper machines bought one after another. If you will row regularly and want a machine you will never need to upgrade, it is one of the easiest recommendations in home fitness.

If the price is a stretch, or noise rules out an air rower, compare it against the quieter and cheaper options in our best rowing machine UK guide, and browse the rest of our rowing machines reviews to find the right fit.