Over the many years I’ve been doing reviews, I’ve tried and tested rowers that have all promised to replicate the feeling of rowing on what is the gold standard in rowers – the Concept2 Model D. For various reason, but the main one for a crossfitter being that you don’t ever want to feel like you’re cheating a workout by having your rowing efforts easier than it typically would be on a Model D. Many have tried, but none have really come close…
Until now…
Enter the Merach NovaRow R50 – easily the best budget alternative to the Concept2 Model D. Not only is it a much cheaper rower, it also nearly mimics the Model D in it’s use and calculations.
At first glance, you’d be hard pressed to tell the rower apart from a Model D. The design and dimensions are nearly identical all the way from the chain to the flywheel design. Assembling the NovaRow R50 is a breeze and if you’ve ever put a Concept2 rower together, you’ll be familiar with the process because it’s the exact same. Assemble the feet, attach the slide to the flywheel and put on the monitor, that’s it.
When set up, you’ll find the body construction of the rower to be almost the same. The frame uses a sturdy alloy steel for the majority of it’s housing and while it generally feels the same, the weight of the NovaRow R50 ends up actually being heavier than the Concept2 at 72lbs vs 57lbs. Slightly less maneuverable but the weight makes the machine more sturdy under hard use. The slide on the Merach is also slightly longer making it a little more suitable for taller athletes; not a problem that I personally have, unfortunately. You’ll also find that sitting on the seat is a more pleasant experience as the Merach seat is actually cushioned, but offers the same dimensions as the Concept2. Personally, I prefer the more supportive seat but this is all preference. Also the handle design, while very similar in it’s shape, is covered with a more rough texture rubber versus the smoother, tacky rubber that Concept2 uses. Both have open holes in the middle of the handle for one handed operation for adaptive athletes.
The actual feel of rowing is also nearly the same, if you were to row on the Merach blindfolded, you’d be hard pressed to tell the difference between it and the Concept2. Both use nickel plated chains and the pull is just as smooth, yet maybe a slight bit more tensioned in the return compared to my used Model D. As far as adjustments go, the Merach also uses 10 steps on its 32 blade flywheel construction, which is the same as Concept2. Many other rowers I’ve tried in the past have also had a similar looking adjustment, but nothing has come as close as the Merach in terms of how those adjustments feel relative to the Model D. I always row between 5-6 and to me, it feels pretty much identical.
But what about the results it produces? You guessed it, pretty much the same. I have to say “pretty much” because while the readout was very close, it wasn’t exactly the same. Realistically speaking though, while I tried my best to keep my row efforts the same when comparing the two, it’s virtually impossible to get the same results. In every test, the NovaRow R50 was slower and produced less calories, but not by much at all. About 5 seconds slower and 3 calories per 500m effort was the difference I was getting. That’s pretty similar to the results I was finding between the Concept2 and the Rogue Echo Rower; the latter also being recently standardized into Crossfit and is also a slightly harder machine. As long as I know I’m getting similar results and not getting overworked or “cheating” because the machine is easier, I’m good with that.
Now for some differences that I was not too keen on – the main one being the display. The readout is clean and somewhat easy to follow, produces the same statistics as the PM5, but every 5 seconds it changes from one set of details to another set. This can make it somewhat difficult to hold a pace if you’re looking at your split times, wattage and strokes per minute. There is a USB input on the top of the display so hopefully this can be changed in a firmware update. The footholds, while they work fine don’t match up to the Concept2’s adjustments. You can get them similar, but for me, doing so made the strap cover my toes and not my midfoot. The strap is wider and uses velcro to secure itself down – it a more secure strap overall, but getting in and out of it requires more time and effort than the buckle on the Concept2. Not something I’d find favorable during a WOD.
If we’re looking at the package in a whole, what it offers vs it’s negatives relative to the price it costs, I think it’s easy to forgive the cons the NovaRow R50 may have. It retails at $699 normally but can be had at $599 currently and even cheaper than that if you use the code they provided me (AMRAP25 which only works on Merach’s website). This is the closest thing you’re going to get to a Concept2 Model D at a fraction of the cost; it’s even more similar than the Rogue Echo Rower. The main reason you’d want to spend the extra bit on a Concept2 or Rogue is really only if you’re someone that competes in Crossfit and wants your scores to count when the Crossfit Open comes around. For those garage athletes, gym owners, or even Hyrox athletes – you can train with full confidence on the Merach NovaRow R50 and know that you’re getting almost the same experience as a Concept2.
Pros:
- Near identical hardware replica of the Concept2
- Statistics line up close enough to be usable for Crossfit.
- $699 price tag, but can be had for close to $500.
Cons:
- Monitor display switching makes holding paces difficult.
- Can’t be used for sanctioned Crossfit events.
- Footholds can be hard to adjust and the strap requires too much work to get in/out of.
Code AMRAP25 (works for all rowers, bikes, treadmills, ellipticals only on Merachfit.com)
NovaRow R50 on Amazon: https://amzn.to/3DGY903
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