When you think about at-home interactive gym equipment, Peloton is one of the first companies that will likely spring to mind. It's been in the game a while and playing it well too. Until a couple of years ago, there was only a spin bike on offer. And while now there is a treadmill and a rower, there was a company that beat Peloton to the punch when it came to an interactive rower: Hydrow.
Hydrow launched the original Hydrow rower in 2021, offering a connected at-home rowing experience with a similar business model to Peloton. It was good, but it was a bulky bit of kit. Then, in 2022, the company followed up the original Hydrow with the Hydrow Wave, which is not only 30 per cent lighter and smaller than the original, but it comes in a range of colour options too. Should you buy it though and is it worth its price tag?
Hydrow Wave
I love the Hydrow Wave for the same reason I love Peloton - it makes it so incredibly simple to do exercise. The workouts could be mixed up a little and I'd love to see the ability to make music more of a focus, but overall, the Hydrow Wave is a fantastic compact connected rower that's well worthy of your attention.
- Compact design
- Upright storage
- Huge range of content
- Simple and easy to use
- Not as engaging as some competitor offerings
- Non-pivoting screen
- Expensive monthly membership
- No Apple GymKit
Slimline design
The beauty of the Hydrow Wave is that, for a rowing machine, it's pretty slim and streamlined in its design, measuring 2040 x 490 x 1100mm and weighing 46.3kg. As I mentioned, compared to the original Hydrow rowing machine, the Hydrow Wave is 30 per cent lighter and smaller, which is quite significant if you're restricted in space - and let's face it, most of us are. I had the black model in for review, though there are a number of colour options on offer, which I love. It means that if the only place you have to put the Hydrow Wave is your living room for example, then you can make a statement with it rather than trying to make it blend in.
The Wave's design is very linear with straight lines and a streamlined finish. There's a good amount of cutouts and space in between various elements of the frame too, which makes it seem slimmer and smaller than it perhaps is in reality. It looks good, better than any standard rowing machine I've used at home or at the gym, though a little more plasticky in its overall finish than the likes of Peloton's machines.
The Wave helpfully tips on its ends however, allowing it to be rolled on its small wheels and stored upright and out of the way. You'll need to make sure you have at least 2080mm of ceiling height to accommodate it and you might want to consider buying the separate Vertical Anchor that lets you attach it to a wall, though the Wave will stand upright without that. If you have little humans though and the Wave is stored in a room they can access, buying that Anchor is something I'd recommend to be safe. It's easy to tip up, with a small pin that you remove and then replace to fold the screen in.
When not stored upright, the Wave is slim and slender and not too dissimilar from the original Hydrow Rower setup. The seat and slide system isn't quite as comprehensive - nor as comfortable or smooth - and the display is smaller and it doesn't tilt or pivot, so there are a couple of compromises in the smaller body. That said, the screen is more than sufficient for what you need, and the seat and slide system are still great too. You will just need to keep in mind that the display is fixed, which might impact taller users, while the fact that it doesn't pivot means if you are doing any of the other workouts offered by Hydrow, you'll need to do it next to the Wave so you can see the screen rather than to the side.
Workouts and features
Speaking of workouts, once the Wave is all setup, you'll need to setup a Hydrow account and sign up for a monthly membership - much like you have to do with Peloton too. This gives you access to not only the huge range of on-demand and live rowing workouts with a range of instructors and fitness levels on offer, but other workouts too, from circuit training to Pilates and strength classes.
There are training programmes available too - again like Peloton (are you sensing a trend here?) - and there is also the option to just row, which doesn't involve an instructor but does allow you to row virtually in one of the many stunning environments that have been filmed by the Hydrow team.
If you do choose a workout with a Hydrow instructor, they deliver excellent pointers to help you make sure you are using the machine properly and getting the most out of your rowing workout. Rowing is an incredible workout (if you do it right) but it's easy to get your form wrong, so having constant reminders from the instructor on the 16-inch, Full HD screen to check your form is a great way to minimise the risk of injury.
Naturally, as you might expect, every time you take a seat on the Hydrow Wave and turn on that display - which is responsive in use - you will be greeted with a range of workouts that you might like based on what you have previously done. Meanwhile, during a workout, a range of metrics appear on the screen, including a live leaderboard so you can compete with other Hydrow members, perhaps encouraging you to push a little harder. The live leaderboards let you see others performing the same workout as you in real time, though it doesn't seem to matter how much effort you put in, it is incredibly difficult to get anywhere near the top.
Performance
The same reason I go back to my Peloton bike day-after-day is the same reason I jump on the Hydrow Wave - it is so incredibly easy to get moving that it's more difficult to come up with a reason not to do a workout than it is to do one. This is to its credit, because anything that makes you want to exercise gets a plus in my book. Hydrow's video library is constantly expanding too, so there is always something new or different to try, whether that's a different instructor, different location or different difficulty.
The only real complaint I have with the Hydrow workouts are that they are a little samey. Now, this is the same for Peloton in that they are filmed in a similar way - Peloton in a studio, Hydrow on a beautiful waterway with an instructor talking to the camera at the front. But Peloton workouts just have a little more oomph about them.
They are punchier, more engaging overall and generally make you want to push harder or beat your previous score, moreso than I found with the Wave. That could be because there is a bigger focus on music in Peloton workouts compared to it taking more of a backseat on Hydrow, or it could be that the leaderboards are more engaging because there are more members.
Now don't get me wrong, spinning or running are naturally faster than rowing, but there's definitely extra motivation with Peloton workouts when the beat drops for example, rather than an overall more chilled vibe on Hydrow.
It's also quite fiddly to adjust the resistance on the Wave, which I suppose also falls within my criticism of it perhaps not pushing me enough. The workouts centre on the instructor talking through the workout, offering some form guidance and then you attempt to match power or stroke rate - which appear via the metrics on the screen. You can adjust resistance through the on-screen menu, but it is recommended that you don't as the Wave is designed to perfectly replicate rowing on water. You also won't find the same resistance options as you would find on a basic magnetic resistance machine, so it's harder to go super hard on specific workouts, like you might want to at times.
This is, of course, all personal preference though, and ultimately, it boils down to what you want from your workouts. I find the rowing workouts on Peloton and Apple Fitness+ more engaging for example, but the Hydrow workouts are undeniably beautiful thanks to their filming locations - plus the tuition on form is genuinely useful. The monthly membership is expensive ($44/£44 per month) but you get plenty for it thanks to the ever-expanding library of content and that's something that really goes in Hydrow's favour, as it does Peloton's. I love that I can track progress too and try to beat my previous record on workouts, keeping me wanting to improve my overall rowing fitness and form with every workout.
Verdict
The Hydrow Wave is smaller and lighter than the original Hydrow Rower and I am a huge fan of its more compact and slimline design. The colour options are great, it's comfortable to use - even if it's not as comfortable as it's bigger brother - and the ability to store it upright is genuinely useful and very easy to do.
I'd like to have seen a bigger and more premium display - or at least one that moves in some way for more versatility - and I think the workouts could be more engaging, but there is a plethora of content on offer, stunning scenery and great form tuition that helps you get the most out of rowing overall.
I love the Hydrow Wave for the same reason I love Peloton - it makes it so incredibly simple to do exercise. The workouts could be mixed up a little and I'd love to see the ability to make music more of a focus when you want to dig deeper, but overall, the Hydrow Wave is a fantastic compact connected rower that's well worthy of your attention.