Sunny Health & Fitness SF-RW5623 Air Magnetic Rowing Machine

Unit	Size	Supported weight	Product weight	Resistance	Warranty
Sunny SF-RW5623 Check Discounted Price	L:86" W:19" H:28"	300 lbs	59.5 lbs	Air, Magnetic, 8 levels	Frame: 1 year Parts: 90 days

The SF-RW5623 is one of the newest rowing machines from Sunny Health & Fitness for 2016. It has a frame construction similar to the SF-RW5606 model, but its resistance system combines air and magnetic elements, such as the Marcy NS-6050RE. It’s definitely not a commercial rower, but on the other hand it’s priced for less than $350. It’s a machine with a sturdy construction and provides a level of resistance perfect for beginners and intermediate users. Even though it’s a rather basic rower, there still are many aspects that you may want to know about it. In this review, we’ll try to cover them all.

Technical Details and Specifications

• Assembled dimensions: 86L x 19W x 28H inches (218L x 48W x 71H cm)
• Product weight: 59.5 lbs (27 kg)
• Supported weight: 300 lbs (136 kg)
• Frame: Foldable, steel-made
• Footrests: Pivoting, with straps
• Resistance type: Air and magnetic, 8 levels
• Fitness computer: Time, count, total count, calories, SCAN
• Warranty: Frame 1 year / Parts 90 days

Frame construction and parts

As we’ve mentioned above, the frame of the Sunny SF-RW5623 features a similar construction to the SF-RW5606, combining steel and aluminium elements. The front and rear stabilizers of the machine are steel-made, while the gliding beam is made of extruded aluminium. The frame is sturdy enough to support users up to 300 lbs (136 kg). It’s also quite stable, as it has an extra small foot at the front end of the gliding beam. Plus, the rear base features adjustable stabilizers.

The rower’s frame features a folding design. The aluminium beam with the rear base can fold vertically, being locked into position with a pin. When folded, the machine requires approx 3′ x 2′ (91 x 61 cm) of space. However, when unfolded, it takes quite a bit of space especially lengthwise. It’s 86″ (218 cm) long, and 19″ (48 cm) wide, and it also requires at least 1′ (31 cm) of clearance on each side and at the rear, for safe operation. Due to its length, this rowing machine can accommodate users up to 6’5″ (195 cm) with no problem.

The gliding beam of the rower is not 100% horizontal. It’s set at a soft angle, being a bit higher at the rear than at the front. This means the recovery motion is a notch faster, and the workout for the legs is slightly more challenging than for a rower with a completely horizontal rail. At its highest point, the seat stands at approx. 12″ (30 cm) above floor level. This means it’s not too difficult to take position on the machine, or stand up after you have finished your workout.

The Sunny SF-RW5623 features a padded, contoured, and fairly wide seat, offering optimal comfort. Although it does not integrate air cell cushioning, the padding on it is just enough to alleviate a great deal of the impact on your tail bone and lower back. The seat’s surface offers excellent adherence, and on top of that, its rear edge extends a bit higher than the rest of the surface, preventing the user to slide backwards, off the seat. The seat is equipped with 4 heavy-duty rollers, with sealed ball bearings, offering a smooth glide on rower’s rail.

This Sunny Health and Fitness rowing machine is equipped with a set of large footrests, made of heavy-duty nylon material. They offer a bit of pivoting, not being entirely fixed, which may be a plus for some users. They feature a small heel guard and integrate adjustable straps, to prevent foot slippage during exercising.

Finally, the rower’s pulling handle is a simple, straight bar. It’s covered by a sheet of rubber foam material to prevent hands from sustaining blisters during prolonged sessions. It’s attached to the machine’s resistance system via a heavy-duty, braided nylon strap, designed to resist for at least years of daily usage.

Resistance system

As the title suggests, this Sunny Health & Fitness rower combines air and magnetic resistance. It’s equipped with a flywheel fan that generates the air resistance, but its overall resistance can be adjusted via a magnetic element. The flywheel fan provides a dynamic response for every stroke. Differently put, if you pull harder and faster, the flywheel fan will generate more resistance. Conversely, the overall resistance can be adjusted via the magnetic element, which is connected to the dial under the console. By turning the dial, the magnet increases or decreases the amount of drag. There are 8 tension levels specified on the dial, and there’s quite a significant difference between the 1 and 8 settings.

Evidently, since it’s a rowing machine with air resistance, the fan does generate a certain amount of noise. It’s not extremely loud, but in case you want to watch TV while rowing, you might have to turn the volume up a bit.

Now, as a general idea, the maximum resistance provided by this Sunny rowing machine can be classified as medium. It’s not exactly the best choice for a professional rower athlete. But, for anyone who wants to follow a daily cardio training routine which focuses on multiple groups of muscles, the resistance provided is more than sufficient.

One last aspect that also requires mentioning here, regards the PVC casing of the fan. Its top part integrates an air vent through which you can direct the air flow from the fan at yourself, for a bit of cooling during your workout.

Fitness meter

Evidently, since it’s a budget rowing machine, the Sunny SF-RW5623 is equipped with a basic fitness meter. It’s basically the same meter as the one supplied with the SF-RW5515 magnetic rower. This unit can track your workout time, stroke count, total stroke count and calories burned. Distance is not covered by this fitness meter. However, as a general idea, it’s considered that 1 stroke is equal to 1 and 1/2 meters.

The unit has a SCAN function which rotates the values on the display, showing each one for a few seconds. However, the SCAN function can be disabled, and you can choose only one of the values to be displayed on screen. It features 3 buttons: SET, RESET and MODE. MODE is used to scroll through the values, SET is used to select one to keep on your screen, or select the SCAN mode, and RESET obviously resets all the values to zero.

The meter enters sleep mode after several minutes of inactivity on the rower, but does remember the total stroke count, in case you haven’t reset it. And finally, the unit uses 2-AA type batteries.

Assembly and Maintenance

There are actually only four steps for the assembly of this Sunny rowing machine: connecting the rail to the main frame, adding the seat, then the rear stabilizer and finally the footrests. The whole task shouldn’t take more than 30-40 min. The manual supplied provides pretty clear step-by-step assembly instructions, and the tools required are also included.

In terms of maintenance, you don’t actually have to worry about the “insides” of the machine. They come pre-lubricated from the factory, and should remain that way for a long period of use. The main aspect to have in mind for maintenance and prolonging the life of the machine, is keeping the gliding rail free of sand, dirt or small objects that may cause nicks in it, or damage the rollers.

The Pros

• Sturdy and stable construction, supporting up to 300 lbs (136 kg) of user weight;
• Folding frame, offering space-saving possibilities when the machine is not in use;
• Elegant design;
• Padded, contoured seat;
• Pedals with heel guards and straps, offering excellent possibilities to secure your feet for your exercise;
• 8 levels of magnetic resistance;
• Air resistance for a dynamic rowing response, and a more natural feel;
• Fitness meter included;
• Smooth operation, and quiet enough for apartment use;
• Easy to assemble;
• Easy to handle and relocate;
• Little maintenance required.

The Cons

• Takes quite a bit of space, length-wise, when fully extended, which may be a problem for a small room.

Summary

The Sunny Health & Fitness SF-RW5623 is a rowing machine with combined air and magnetic resistance. Its air resistance system generates a dynamic rowing response and a natural rowing feel, while the magnetic mechanism allows you to adjust the overall resistance. It features a solid frame, with a folding design. It’s gliding rail is made of extruded aluminium, providing a smooth glide for the seat. It’s not exactly a machine recommended to pro athletes, but it’s an excellent choice for beginners and intermediate users. It’s great for cardio training, it puts focus on your core, arms and leg muscles, and 30 minutes spent on it can help you burn up to 400 calories. And finally, it’s not a commercial grade machine, but considering that it costs less than $350, we can safely say that it does provide excellent value for the price.