NordicTrack RW600

Real-World Performance

The NordicTrack RW600 is built around the iFit experience. Its 7-inch HD touchscreen streams over 17,000 on-demand and studio classes, and the standout feature is that iFit trainers can auto-adjust the rower's resistance during a class, so when the coach calls for a harder push, the machine responds without you touching a thing. Treadmill Review Guru, which scored it 80 out of 100, described it as using quiet and powerful magnetic resistance for training with iFit coaches on the touchscreen.

The 26 levels of silent magnetic resistance are paired with what BarBend called an inertia-enhanced flywheel that moves efficiently with each stroke, giving enough range to challenge a rider day in and day out. The feel is smoother and quieter than an air rower, though it lacks the automatic effort-scaling of an air flywheel, you select a level rather than having resistance build with harder pulls. AllRowers called the overall package a surprising amount of features for a base-model rower and a great deal for the price.

In practice the RW600 plays best as a guided-workout machine rather than a freeform rower. Following an iFit class, where the trainer changes the resistance for you, the experience feels purposeful and engaging; rowing on your own against a fixed level is competent but unremarkable. The quiet magnetic system is the standout for shared spaces, you can row a full class without a fan's whoosh filling the room, which is exactly the appeal for buyers who ruled out the louder air rowers.

Build Quality and Design

The RW600 weighs 129 pounds and measures 82.5 inches long, a more compact in-use footprint than the 96-to-99-inch air rowers, and it folds with NordicTrack's SpaceSaver design for storage. The 7-inch touchscreen tilts to improve the viewing angle but does not pivot, and Treadmill Review Guru noted the screen size is not the best for viewing, it is the smallest display in NordicTrack's rower lineup.

The weight capacity is 250 pounds, half that of the Rogue Echo Rower, which signals a consumer-grade rather than competition-grade build. NordicTrack backs the frame for 10 years but parts for only two and labor for one. BarBend rated durability just 3 out of 5, reflecting a known concern: NordicTrack magnetic rowers have a mixed reliability record, with reports of belt and console issues over time.

Out of the box the RW600 is fairly substantial to assemble and position given its 129-pound weight, though once placed it folds upward to reclaim floor space. The seat and handle are comfortable for typical home sessions, and the inertia-enhanced flywheel keeps the catch and recovery smooth. Reviewers note the screen, while small at 7 inches, is bright and responsive enough to follow a class, even if larger NordicTrack rowers offer a more immersive display. The overall fit and finish read as solidly mid-range, neither premium nor cheap, appropriate for a rower whose value proposition is the software experience rather than the hardware itself.

Setup and Software

The RW600's value is inseparable from iFit. The subscription unlocks the class library, the auto-adjusting workouts, and the scenic rows that make the touchscreen worthwhile; without it, the rower is a basic magnetic machine with an expensive screen. That ongoing fee is the central trade-off of buying into the NordicTrack ecosystem, and Treadmill Review Guru emphasized that iFit is incredibly important when working out on the RW600.

For buyers who genuinely use guided classes, the engagement is real, BarBend's tester enjoyed the energetic trainers and music. For buyers who would let the subscription lapse, the machine loses most of its appeal, and a subscription-free rower or a cheaper magnetic rower would serve better. The decision hinges entirely on whether you will use, and keep paying for, iFit.

Where It Falls Short

The subscription dependence is the biggest caveat: the RW600's headline features are locked behind a recurring iFit fee, so the true cost of ownership keeps climbing after purchase, unlike the one-and-done subscription-free rowers here. The 250-pound weight capacity is also low, ruling out heavier users and signaling a lighter-duty build.

Durability is the other concern. BarBend's 3-out-of-5 durability score reflects NordicTrack's mixed track record with magnetic rowers, where belt failures and console malfunctions have been reported over months of use. The 7-inch screen, while functional, is small for immersive classes. These factors keep the RW600 in third: it is the best screen-driven rower here, but it asks buyers to accept ongoing cost and a less robust build. The screen also does not pivot to follow off-machine cross-training the way larger NordicTrack rowers' displays do, so the iFit content is best consumed seated on the rower itself rather than during floor exercises between rowing intervals.

Who It's Best For

The NordicTrack RW600 is the right rower for someone who is motivated by instructor-led classes, scenic virtual rows, and gamified engagement, and who is committed to an iFit subscription. The auto-adjusting resistance and energetic trainers make workouts feel like a class rather than a chore, which for many people is the difference between using the machine and not.

It is the wrong choice for a serious rower who wants durability and accurate data, where the Rogue Echo Rower dominates, or for a budget buyer who wants to avoid subscriptions entirely, where the Sunny SF-RW5515 fits. Buy the RW600 specifically for the screen and the classes, because that is where all its value lives.

Value at This Price

At $999 the RW600 is priced like a premium rower but built like a consumer one, with much of its value contingent on an iFit subscription. For buyers who will use iFit heavily, the class library and auto-adjusting workouts can justify the cost, especially against the price of boutique rowing studio memberships. AllRowers called it a great deal for the price on a features-per-dollar basis.

The value math is less favorable for anyone who would not keep paying for iFit. Stripped of the subscription, a $999 magnetic rower with a 250-pound capacity and a 3-out-of-5 durability rating is hard to justify against the subscription-free, far more durable air rowers in this guide. Be honest about whether you will use the classes before buying, because the iFit experience is the entire reason to choose this rower over a cheaper or tougher alternative. Used as intended, with an active subscription and a genuine appetite for guided workouts, it can absolutely justify its price; used as a plain rower, it cannot.

How It Compares to Alternatives

The RW600 is built around iFit, a quiet magnetic rower with an integrated 7-inch touchscreen and trainer-led video classes. Against the air rowers, the Rogue Echo Rower and XTERRA ERG700, the RW600 trades durability and accurate, subscription-free data for quiet operation and trainer-led video classes. It is quieter than both but carries half the capacity of the Rogue and a weaker durability record.

Against the budget Sunny SF-RW5515, the RW600 offers vastly more engagement and a touchscreen, but at four times the price and with an ongoing subscription the Sunny does not require. The RW600's place in this ranking comes down to a single question: it is the best screen-and-classes rower under $1000, but it asks the buyer to commit to iFit and accept a lighter-duty build, which is why it lands third behind the two air-rower workhorses.