This Echelon Row S review looks past the screen first. The Row S is a magnetic rower with 32 resistance levels you change from buttons on the handlebar, a 22-inch HD screen that rotates for floor workouts, and a frame that folds and rolls on wheels. It is 81 inches long and rated for 300 lb.
It ranks #3 in our best rowing machine with screen guide. The question that decides it is the membership: the Amazon listing only mentions a 30-day trial, and Echelon’s own manual and site say a plan is required. This review explains what you get, what owners report and which screen rowers to compare it with.
Echelon Row S Review: The Short Answer
Our verdict
FitScore 58.9/100
Echelon Row S
Buy it if you want class-led rowing on a big rotating screen in a frame that folds away, and you plan to keep an Echelon membership. Skip it if you want to row without a plan, train by split times or watts, or are well above 300 lb.
- Magnetic, 32 levels, handlebar controls
- 22-in rotating HD screen
- Folds, built-in wheels
Best Usage
- Instructor-led rowing classes
- Floor workouts on the same screen
- Quiet sessions in shared rooms
Best For
- Echelon members
- Rooms where it folds away
- Changing resistance mid-stroke
Not For
- Rowing without a membership
- Split and watts training
- Users above 300 lb
Key Specs
- Resistance: Magnetic, 32 levels
- Max user weight: 300 lb
- Size in use: 81 × 24 in
- Screen: 22-in rotating HD
- Warranty: 1 year
Pros
- 22-inch screen that rotates
- 32 magnetic levels on the handlebar
- Folds and rolls on wheels
Cons
- Membership required, per Echelon
- Owners report software freezes
- 1-year warranty
Echelon Row S Specs at a Glance
| Spec | Echelon Row S | What it means for you |
|---|---|---|
| Resistance | Magnetic | A magnetic brake: quiet, with set levels rather than a fan that reacts to how hard you pull. |
| Resistance levels | 32 levels | Many small steps, changed from Bluetooth buttons on the handlebar without stopping. |
| Max user weight | 300 lb | The listing gives 300 lb in its text and 350 lb in its table; we keep the lower figure. |
| Fit (rail / inseam / height) | Not stated on the listing | Neither Amazon nor Echelon states the rail length or the tallest user, so tall rowers cannot check the fit in advance. |
| Length × width (in use) | 81 × 24 in | Close to 7 feet long; leave room behind the seat and beside the handle. |
| Storage | Folds | The frame folds; the listing does not give the folded size. |
| Product weight | 123 lb | Heavy for a rower, which keeps it steady; the built-in wheels do the moving. |
| Monitor and metrics | 22-in touchscreen; time, distance, calories | The listing names few metrics and no 500 m split or watts. |
| Bluetooth and apps | Bluetooth; Echelon | Bluetooth runs the handlebar resistance controls and links to the Echelon app. |
| Subscription | Required | Echelon says a membership is required; the Amazon listing only mentions the 30-day trial. |
| Warranty | 1 year frame, 1 year parts | One year from Echelon, the shortest term among the screen rowers in our guide. |
Check Amazon for current pricing and availability.
Values come from the Echelon Row S Amazon US listing (checked November 2026). The membership line comes from Echelon’s owner’s manual and site, because the listing is silent on it. Neither source states the rail length, the tallest user, the seat height, heart rate support or the folded size, so they are left out.
Before you order, search the CPSC recall database for the Echelon Row S and its brand: the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission lists rowing machine recalls and the fix offered.
The CDC physical activity guidelines for adults recommend at least 150 minutes of moderate aerobic activity a week, and steady rowing sessions count toward it. In a study of 107 adults aged 20 to 74, rowing on an ergometer used more energy than cycling at the same power output.
Echelon Row S FitScore
FitScore rates each rowing machine on its published specs, weighted for one buying intent (how we score). The Echelon Row S ranks in our best rowing machine with screen guide, where it is #3 with the same score, so this review uses that guide’s weights. Features count most (25%), then performance and durability (20% each), comfort (15%), practicality (10%), affordability and noise (5% each). Someone who wants a screen rower buys it for the screen and the classes, so the screen, the apps and the data come first.
FitScore for Rowing Machines With Screen
How this FitScore was calculated
This FitScore combines 7 category scores using the weights of the buying intent above.
- Performance (69): 32 magnetic levels, held back by a monitor with no listed 500 m split or watts.
- Durability (55): a 300-lb rating and an alloy steel frame, with a 1-year warranty.
- Comfort (37): a smooth magnetic stroke, but no rail length or user height stated, so the fit part scores zero.
- Practicality (69): it folds and rolls on built-in wheels, at 81 inches long and 123 lb.
- Features (60): a 22-inch screen, Bluetooth and the Echelon app; heart rate support and a device holder are not listed.
- Affordability (33): lowered because Echelon requires a membership. Noise scores 100: magnetic resistance is the quietest type.
Design and Build Quality
The Row S sits on an alloy steel frame with a single rail, 81 inches long, 24 inches wide and 48 inches tall at the screen. At 123 lb it is one of the heavier rowers in our data, which helps it stay planted during hard strokes.
Owners on Amazon generally describe the build as solid and the stroke as smooth. The listing gives two weight ratings, 300 lb in the text and 350 lb in the table; we use 300 lb, the prudent figure, everywhere on our site.
Bottom line: a heavy, steady frame for a folding rower.
Resistance and Rowing Feel
Resistance is magnetic, with 32 levels. The detail owners mention most is where you change it: Bluetooth buttons on the handlebar, so you can follow a coach’s cue without reaching for the screen or breaking your stroke.
Magnetic resistance feels even from catch to finish and makes little sound. It does not build with effort the way a fan or a water tank does, so the level you pick sets the load. For class-led rowing that is an advantage: the instructor calls a level, you press a button.
Bottom line: smooth, quiet resistance you change on the handlebar.
Screen and Membership: What Works Without It
The 22-inch HD screen rotates, so you can turn it toward the floor for yoga or strength sessions, and a built-in soundbar plays the class. The Amazon listing says a 30-day membership with live and on-demand classes is included, and that one membership covers up to 5 users.
The listing does not say what happens after the trial, so we checked Echelon itself. Its Row-s manual has you choose a monthly, 1-year or 2-year plan and sign in after assembly, and its site says a Premier membership is required with any Echelon equipment purchase. Plan on paying for one: the Row S is built around Echelon classes, not around a standalone console.
Bottom line: plan on a membership; the screen is built for Echelon classes.
Monitor Data and Connectivity
The listing names few metrics and no 500 m split or watts, the numbers rowers use to pace intervals and compare sessions over months. Heart rate support is not listed either.
Bluetooth links the handlebar controls and the Echelon app. There is no device holder on the listing, since the screen takes that place. Some owners report that the metrics froze during workouts or became unreliable after a software update, so the software matters as much as the hardware here.
Bottom line: class-led, light on pace data.
What Owners Report
Across the Amazon reviews of this exact model, owners like the build quality, the smooth stroke, the large screen and the resistance buttons on the handlebar.
The recurring complaint is the software: several owners describe frozen metrics, a firmware update that made the power readings unusable, and screens that failed. Amazon’s own summary calls reliability mixed, and assembly experiences vary from simple to frustrating. Keep the box and test the screen, the Bluetooth buttons and every level during the return window.
Bottom line: well built, with software that some owners struggle with.
Footprint, Storage and Noise
In use it needs about 81 × 24 inches of floor, plus room to step on and off. The frame folds and rolls on built-in wheels, though the listing does not give the folded size. If floor space is the main limit, our best rowing machine for small spaces guide covers shorter rowers.
Magnetic resistance is the quietest type we score, so early or late sessions in a shared home are realistic. The soundbar is the loudest part, and headphones fix that.
Bottom line: quiet, and it folds away on wheels.
Setup, Warranty and Support
The Row S is sold on Amazon by Echelon Fitness Marketplace, so returns and support go through Echelon. Coverage is a 1-year warranty from Echelon, the shortest among the screen rowers in our guide.
Register the rower, create the account you will need for classes, and run a full session on several levels early on, so any software or screen issue shows up while you can still return it.
Bottom line: short coverage: test everything in the first weeks.
Echelon Row S vs Rivals
Here is how the Echelon Row S compares with three other rowers from our best rowing machine with screen guide, using the same FitScore weights.
| Comparehead to head | THIS REVIEW | Alternative 1 | Alternative 2 | Alternative 3 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Resistance (type, levels) | Magnetic, 32 levels | Air + Magnetic | Air, 10 levels | Magnetic, 26 levels |
| Max user weight | 300 lb | 507 lb | 440 lb | 300 lb |
| Fit (rail / inseam / height) | Not stated on the listing | Users up to 6 ft 8 in | 53.5-in rail; users up to 6 ft 11 in | Not stated on the listing |
| Length × width (in use) | 81 × 24 in | 84 × 27 in | 95 × 24 in | 81.3 × 24.8 in |
| Storage | Folds | Stands upright | Folds and stands upright, about 55.7 × 22.4 in of floor | Not stated on the listing |
| Monitor and metrics | 22-in touchscreen; time, distance, calories | 22-in touchscreen; time, distance, strokes, calories, heart rate | Not stated on the listing | 10-in touchscreen; distance |
| Warranty | 1 year frame, 1 year parts | 10 years frame, 1 year parts | 1 year frame, 1 year parts | 10 years frame, 2 years parts, 1 year labor |
| Check Price | Check Price on Amazon | Check Price on Amazon | Check Price on Amazon | Check Price on Amazon |
Alternatives to the Echelon Row S
Membership optional: Choose the Aviron Strong Series Rower if you want a 22-inch touchscreen without a required plan. It combines air and magnetic resistance, is rated for 507 lb and users up to 6 ft 8 in, and carries a 10-year frame warranty. It ranks #1 in the screen guide.
Watch your own video: Choose the Merach NovaRow R50 Aura if you would rather mirror your phone or tablet on a 15.6-inch screen. It is an air rower with 10 levels, a 53.5-inch rail, and it folds and stands upright.
Long frame warranty: Choose the NordicTrack RW700 Rower if you already use iFIT. It has 26 magnetic levels, a 10-inch tilting touchscreen and a 10-year frame warranty; iFIT content needs an iFIT Pro membership.
Final Verdict
The Echelon Row S is the rower to check if you want Echelon classes on a large rotating screen in a frame that folds away. Its handlebar resistance buttons, quiet magnetic stroke and wheels suit a shared home. The trade-offs are a required membership, little pace data, a 1-year warranty and software that some owners report freezing. If you want a screen rower without a plan, read our Aviron Strong Series review; if you want another membership-led screen rower, with electromagnetic drag, read our Hydrow Wave review.
Echelon Row S FAQ
Plan on one. The Amazon listing only says a 30-day membership is included. Echelon’s owner’s manual has you choose a monthly, 1-year or 2-year plan and sign in after assembly, and its site says a Premier membership is required with any Echelon equipment purchase.
Use 300 lb. The Amazon listing states a 300-lb weight limit in its text and 350 lb in its technical table; we keep the lower figure.
Yes. The frame folds and has built-in wheels, per the listing. The folded size is not given. In use it measures 81 × 24 × 48 inches and weighs 123 lb.
It has 32 magnetic resistance levels, which you change with Bluetooth buttons on the handlebar during the stroke.
Neither the Amazon listing nor Echelon states the rail length or a maximum user height. If you are tall, compare it with rowers that publish their fit, such as the Aviron Strong Series (up to 6 ft 8 in).
The listing gives a full 1-year warranty from Echelon. It is sold by Echelon Fitness Marketplace, so warranty claims go through Echelon.
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