I'm far from an expert (or even decent) rower, but I've used Concept 2s at the gym for years mostly as cross training to complement running. I like them a lot – they're simple and they just work. I've wanted to get a rower at home for awhile without spending a ton, and the advice everyone gives is "Just get a used concept 2 for $500!". Well, that's great if you can actually find one for that price. I suspect most of the people parroting this line haven't actually shopped for one. At least in my area, I haven't seen anything under $700 that wasn't an obvious scam.
I saw a bunch of reviews of the original Merach R50 on youtube. They seemed to agree on most things – mechanically and functionally, its a good approximation of the C2, however the screen is terrible, and the data is not quite right. One review in particular figured out why the data was bad, and that was due to the lack of a real drag factor sensor – instead, it estimates it based on the position of the resistance dial on the flywheel. I noticed that this new "Pro" model now shows drag factor on its data screens, so I when I ordered it I was hoping that this fixed the data accuracy issue. And indeed it did. You can test this by tossing a blanket over the flywheel while rowing – in the old one, your pace will shoot way up. Now it correctly detects the significantly reduced drag factor and drops the pace displayed.
From my limited experience, the paces shown on the R50 Pro are about the same as I would expect on the C2s I've used at the gym with similar effort levels. The PM5 screen on the C2 is still nicer, feature rich and user friendly than this, and it syncs with my Garmin watch in "Indoor Rowing" mode perfectly. The Merach monitor has bluetooth but does not connect to my watch directly – I use a 3rd party app on my phone as a proxy of sorts to get the data to my watch, which works ok. I'd say the Merach seat is more comfortable than the C2. The Merach foot straps are more secure but maybe a bit less comfortable overall. Otherwise, they seem about the same to me.
If price is equal, I'd still get a used Concept 2 over this, but if you can't find one in that price point this is an excellent approximation.
Stanley Ha –
C. McBride –
Reak –
Robert A –
latrell’s grip –
CO Family Man –