By Paul Kendrick, Cardio & Endurance Editor · Updated 19 September 2026
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YOSUDA is one of the better-known budget brands on Amazon UK, mostly for its spin bikes, and we've already reviewed its folding wooden water rower. This is its cheaper magnetic machine: 16 levels, a steel frame, Bluetooth and a monitor that shows pace, for around £160.
It's a decent first rower. The brand's history counts for something at this price, where plenty of listings come from brands with no history at all, but the machine itself is ordinary in a couple of places that matter.
How we review
We wrote this review from YOSUDA's Amazon UK listing and product images, the dimensions Amazon holds for the item, and our wider knowledge of belt-driven magnetic rowers. We haven't rowed on this model. The listing has only around 7 ratings, so there's no real evidence yet on how it lasts.
Buy it if you're under about 6ft, want a quiet magnetic rower for steady cardio and would rather spend £160 with a brand that has sold fitness kit in the UK for years than £140 with one you've never heard of. It shows pace and stroke rate, which means you can follow a proper plan.
Taller rowers and anyone wanting a longer warranty should look elsewhere. The Flesar rower costs about £30 more and comes with 24 months of cover and a 160kg rating. At the very bottom of the market, the Dripex magnetic rower is a touch cheaper again but has no split on its monitor.
| Resistance | Magnetic, 16 levels, up to 323N (manufacturer figure) |
|---|---|
| Flywheel | About 5.4kg (12lb) |
| Monitor | LCD: time, distance, calories, pace, stroke rate |
| Connectivity | Bluetooth, app not named |
| User height | 135cm to 188cm (4ft 5in to 6ft 2in) |
| User weight | 159kg (350lb) |
| Dimensions | About 147 x 45 x 63cm |
| Machine weight | About 19.5kg |
| Assembly | Six main parts, around 25 minutes |
| Warranty | One year |
YOSUDA puts a number on the top setting, 72lbs or 323N, which most budget brands don't bother with. It's useful for one thing, which is showing that level 16 is genuinely heavy. It isn't useful for comparing machines, because nobody publishes how they measured it, and a rower's feel depends on flywheel weight and gearing as well as peak drag.
The resistance comes from a magnetic brake acting on a 5.4kg flywheel, and 16 steps give you enough room to warm up, row steady and push some intervals. Heavy isn't better, though. A 2026 EMG study on a water rower found muscle activity changed little across the first three resistance settings and only jumped at the maximum, while staying under 40 percent of maximal effort throughout (Sensors, 2026). Rowing is endurance work, and our guide to rowing machine resistance levels explains how to pick a setting you can hold.
YOSUDA lists time, distance, calories, pace and stroke rate. Pace is the one that makes the difference, since almost every structured rowing session, including our rowing machine HIIT workouts, is written around your 500m split and strokes per minute. Plenty of rowers at this price show only time, count and calories. Take the calorie readout as a rough guide on any budget machine.
The Bluetooth connection is less clear. The listing says it pairs with "compatible fitness apps" without naming one, so don't buy it for a specific app until the seller confirms which.
The frame uses 5mm steel and is rated to 159kg. YOSUDA gives the user range as 4ft 5in to 6ft 2in, and at about 147cm long the machine is compact, shorter than the Superun at 161.8cm. That's good news for a small room and bad news for long legs. If you're near 6ft 2in, the seat may stop before your knees fully straighten, which shortens the drive and tends to round your back at the catch. Low back pain is the most common complaint among rowers (International Journal of Sports Physical Therapy scoping review, 2023), so fit isn't a detail.
The listing doesn't mention folding or standing it on end. Plan for a permanent spot around 147 by 45cm.
Rowing is low-impact cardio that works your legs hardest, then your back and arms. Our rowing machine muscles worked guide breaks down each phase. The NHS recommends 150 minutes of moderate activity a week, and five 30-minute rows at a conversational pace will cover it.
Check the YOSUDA price on Amazonaround £160It's a good entry-level rower. For around £160 you get 16 magnetic resistance levels, a 5.4kg flywheel, a monitor that shows pace and stroke rate, Bluetooth and a 159kg user limit. The listing only has a handful of ratings, and the warranty is a single year, so it's a budget buy rather than a long-term investment.
YOSUDA quotes up to 72lbs, or 323 newtons, of magnetic resistance at the top setting. That's the brand's own figure and brands measure it differently, so use it to compare levels on this machine rather than against other rowers. Most people will do their best training in the lower half of the range.
The listing says it connects over Bluetooth to compatible fitness apps but doesn't name one. Check with the seller before buying if app workouts are the reason you want it, and treat the built-in monitor as the main way you'll track sessions.
YOSUDA says it suits users from 4ft 5in to 6ft 2in, roughly 135cm to 188cm. The whole machine is about 147cm long, which is short, so rowers at the top of that range may find the seat runs out of track before their legs straighten.
About 25 minutes, according to YOSUDA. It arrives in six main parts with an instruction manual, and the finished machine weighs about 19.5kg, so one person can build and move it.
An honest Flesar rowing machine review: 16 magnetic levels, Kinomap and FitShow support, dual rails, a 160kg limit and the short 101cm rail that tall rowers need to know about.
An honest TOUSAINS ER7 rowing machine review: a self-powered monitor, 32 magnetic levels, a folding double rail and a 180kg rating, plus why we doubt the 210cm height claim.
Our Jupgod rowing machine review covers the £60 hydraulic lever rower: how the 12-level cylinder feels, why the listing contradicts itself on levels and weight limit, and who should buy it.
An honest MERACH rowing machine review of the 16-level magnetic rower: its quiet resistance, dual rails, app, folding frame, weight limit and who this home rower suits.
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