Used Concept 2 Rowing Machine: Models, Prices, What to Inspect
A used Concept 2 rowing machine holds value better than anything in home fitness. Every model explained, what to inspect, where to buy, and 2026 used prices.
A used Concept 2 rowing machine is the rare piece of home fitness equipment that refuses to lose money. New, a RowErg runs right around a thousand dollars before shipping. On our own marketplace, used ones sell between $675 and $1,465, and most land between $950 and $1,200. A 2017 Model D with a PM5 recently went for $1,025. A 2024 RowErg went for $1,050. Seven years of age difference, twenty five dollars of price difference.
I help people buy and sell large fitness equipment for a living, and I have delivered a lot of rowers. Concept 2 is the one brand where I tell buyers to stop hunting for a bargain and start hunting for a clean machine, because the bargain mostly does not exist. Below: which Concept 2 rowing machine models are actually out there, what separates the Model D from the Model E, why the monitor matters more than the frame, what total meters really tell you (less than you think), where to buy one, and what to inspect before you hand over money.
What a used Concept 2 rower costs right now
A used Concept 2 rowing machine in good condition costs between $900 and $1,200 in most of the country, roughly 90 percent of new. Concept 2 does not discount, does not run holiday sales, and has kept the same core design for two decades, so there is no model-year cliff to fall off of. The actual spread from listings I have handled:
- $675 to $900: older frames, usually 2006 to 2012, often with a PM3 monitor. Mechanically fine. The monitor is the compromise.
- $950 to $1,100: the meat of the market. Model D or RowErg, PM5 monitor, moderate home use.
- $1,150 to $1,465: nearly unused machines, often two or three years old with a few hours on them. People buy these in January and sell them in June.
That top band sounds absurd until you price a new one with shipping and realize you are paying a small premium to skip the wait and get it carried into your basement. One of the machines above had four hours of total use on it. Four hours.
Our used Concept 2 rowers and the broader rowing machine listings are the fastest way to compare real prices instead of guessing.
Model D vs Model E vs RowErg: what actually changes
The Model D and the Model E are the same rowing machine with different legs. Same flywheel, same chain, same damper, same stroke. The E sits higher, weighs more, and has a nicer finish.
The naming got confusing in 2021, when Concept 2 retired the letters. The Model D became the RowErg and the Model E became the RowErg Tall. So a 2019 Model D and a 2023 RowErg are, for buying purposes, the same machine. Sellers still use the old names interchangeably, and listings routinely say “Model D” for a machine built well after the rename.
| Model D / RowErg | Model E / RowErg Tall | |
|---|---|---|
| Seat height | About 14 inches | About 20 inches |
| Weight | Lighter, easier to move alone | Roughly ten pounds heavier |
| Finish | Painted frame | Powder coated, holds up better |
| Monitor arm | Flexible arm, swings out of the way | Fixed rigid arm |
| Storage | Separates into two pieces, no tools | Separates, but bulkier halves |
| Used price | $900 to $1,200 | Usually $100 to $200 more |
| Best for | Most people, most rooms | Bad knees, bad hips, tall rowers |
Buy the E if getting off the floor is hard for you. A 20 inch seat is chair height, so you sit down onto it and stand up off of it like a dining chair. Buy the D for everything else, because it is cheaper, lighter, and far more common, which means more listings to choose from. One thing that trips people up: the E’s rigid monitor arm cannot swing aside, so if you plan to store the machine upright in a closet, measure first.
Every Concept 2 rowing machine model, from the Model A to the RowErg
There have been six Concept 2 rowing machine models since 1981, and only the last three are worth hunting for. Listings use the names loosely, so it helps to know what the letters actually mean before you drive somewhere.
- Model A (1981) and Model B (1986). Bicycle wheel flywheels, no proper monitor on the A. These are collector pieces now. Do not buy one to row on.
- Model C (1993). The first machine with the modern shape: enclosed flywheel, nickel plated chain, two piece frame. Still rows fine and Concept 2 still sells parts for it. The catch is the monitor and the frame height. If someone is selling a Model C for $400, it is a real machine, not junk.
- Model D (2003). The big one. Lighter frame, higher seat than the C, flexible monitor arm, and the version that became the default in gyms worldwide. This is what most used listings are.
- Model E (2006). The Model D on taller legs with a powder coated frame and a rigid monitor arm.
- RowErg and RowErg Tall (2021). Not new machines. Concept 2 simply retired the letters, so the Model D became the RowErg and the Model E became the RowErg Tall.
So the practical Concept 2 rowing machine lineup is three deep: C, D, and E, where D and E are just the standard and tall versions of the same thing. The Model C is the only one where the age shows. It sits lower, the monitor is ancient, and the frame does not separate quite as cleanly. Worth about $350 to $550 and worth buying if the price reflects that.
The odd one out is the Dynamic. That is a different machine entirely, built so the flywheel moves and the rower stays put, which mimics the feel of a boat on water. Competitive rowers love them. They run $1,800 to $2,500 used, they take up more room, and they are not a better choice for general fitness. If you are choosing between a Dynamic and a Model D for home use, buy the Model D and put the difference toward anything else.
One more name you will see: the SkiErg and the BikeErg share the same flywheel and PM5 monitor but are not rowers. Sellers sometimes list them under "Concept 2 rower" because that is the phrase people search. Read the photos, not the title.
The PM monitor matters more than the frame
On a used Concept 2 rower, the monitor is the only part that meaningfully ages. There have been three in common circulation: the PM3, the PM4, and the PM5.
The PM5 is the one you want. It has Bluetooth and ANT+, so it talks to heart rate straps and third party apps, and it works with Concept 2’s own ErgData. The PM3 and PM4 predate that. They still count strokes, splits, and watts perfectly well, and if you only care about rowing hard and watching the numbers, a PM3 machine at $800 is a genuinely good buy.
But if you want the machine to sync anywhere, price the upgrade in. Concept 2 sells PM5 retrofit kits that fit back to the Model C, and swapping one is a ten minute job with a screwdriver. Budget a couple hundred dollars for the kit, then decide whether that $800 PM3 machine is still the cheaper path. Often it is not.
The PM5 runs on two D cell batteries and also draws power from the flywheel as you row. If a monitor looks dead on arrival, try fresh batteries before assuming anything is wrong. I have watched a seller drop their asking price twice over a dead battery.
Total meters: what they actually tell you
Total meters are stored on the monitor, not on the frame. It is the single most useful thing to know when buying a used Concept 2 rower, and almost nobody tells you.
It means the number can be wrong in both directions. A replaced monitor shows low meters on an old frame. A swapped-in used monitor shows high meters on a nearly new frame. Neither is necessarily dishonest, and neither is proof of anything.
So treat meters as one data point, not a verdict. Ask the seller to pull it up (it lives in the monitor’s memory menu), then look at physical wear to see whether the story matches: the shine on the chain, the wear on the seat rollers, the grip on the handle. A machine claiming 200,000 meters with a polished chain groove and flattened rollers has been rowed a lot more than that. We recently moved a 2021 Model D with 783,091 meters on the monitor that still graded out as like new, and it sold for $1,494, near the top of the range. Meters did not hurt it at all, because the chain was oiled and the rollers were quiet.
As for limits, there effectively is not one. Boathouses and CrossFit gyms put millions of meters on these and keep them in service for decades. What wears out is the chain, the shock cord, the seat rollers, and the handle grip, and Concept 2 still sells every one of those parts, including for machines built in the 1990s. That parts support is the real reason these hold value, and it is why I would take a well maintained million meter Concept 2 over a neglected 100,000 meter one.
What to inspect on a used Concept 2 rower
Five things, in order of how much they cost to fix.
- Pull the handle slowly, all the way out. It should feel smooth and even, then retract on its own without hesitating or slapping. A handle that returns lazily means a stretched shock cord. Cheap part, easy fix, but it should show up in the price.
- Look at the chain. It should be lightly oiled and dark, not dry and orange. Concept 2 asks for oiling every 250 hours of use, and a dry chain is the clearest sign a machine was rowed hard and never maintained. A rusted one tells you what else got skipped.
- Slide the seat the full length of the rail. Listen for grinding, feel for flat spots. Rollers are the most common worn part on a high mileage machine and the most annoying to live with.
- Check the monitor, then the drag factor. Turn it on, confirm no dead display segments, then row ten strokes and find drag factor in the menu. The damper lever from 1 to 10 only changes airflow into the flywheel. Drag factor is the number that actually describes resistance, and if it reads oddly low with the damper wide open, the flywheel housing is packed with dust.
- Separate the frame into two pieces. It should come apart by hand, no tools. If the connection is seized, the machine has probably lived somewhere damp.
What I would not worry about: cosmetic scratches, a faded sticker, a slightly grimy flywheel housing, or an older frame. None of that affects how the machine rows or what it will be worth in three years.
Why a Concept 2 rower barely depreciates
Concept 2 is the only home cardio brand where buying used is not obviously the smart financial move. Ninety percent of new is a rough deal by used equipment standards, and on the machines we handle most, a used Peloton or Hydrow runs a fraction of retail.
Three things drive it. The design has barely changed, so a 2012 machine is not obsolete. Parts exist for everything, so nothing becomes a paperweight. And there is no subscription, so no owner is paying monthly for a reason to quit. Compare that to screen-based rowers, where the membership is exactly why a lot of them get sold. Our Hydrow vs Peloton Row comparison covers that subscription math, and the rowing machine buying guide covers air versus magnetic versus water resistance.
Where to buy a used Concept 2 rowing machine
The best used Concept 2 rowing machine deals come from people who bought one in January and stopped rowing by spring, and those sellers are usually in a hurry. The problem is that a Concept 2 is 8 feet long, so "local pickup only" is doing a lot of work in most listings.
Here is how the options actually compare.
| Where | Typical price | The catch |
|---|---|---|
| Concept 2 direct, new | About $1,100 delivered | No haggling ever, plus a wait and a box to assemble |
| Facebook Marketplace or Craigslist | $700 to $1,200 | You load it, you haul it, and you test it in a stranger's garage |
| CrossFit gym clearouts | $500 to $800 | High meters, hard life, often a PM3 or a cracked monitor arm |
| Estate and moving sales | $400 to $900 | Cash and same-day pickup, and no chance to test it properly |
| Commonplace | $675 to $1,465 | Inspected and delivered, and you test it before you pay |
Gym clearouts are the genuinely cheap route if you know what you are looking at. A boathouse or CrossFit box replacing a rack of ergs will sell them for a few hundred dollars each, and mechanically they are usually fine, because commercial owners oil the chains. Just expect a PM3, a scuffed frame, and a lot of meters.
The thing that kills most private sales is not price. It is the last 30 feet. The machine splits into two pieces without tools, which everyone mentions, but the front half with the flywheel is still heavy and the rail half is still 6 feet long and wants to bang into every doorframe on the way in. If you are buying from two states away, that is the part to solve before you agree on a number.
So should you buy a used Concept 2 rower?
Yes, if you match most of this list:
- You want a machine still worth money in five years and still supported with parts in fifteen.
- You do not want a subscription, and numbers on a small grey screen beat an instructor on a big one.
- You have about 9 feet by 4 feet of floor, or somewhere to stand it upright.
- You care about comparable data. Watts and splits on a Concept 2 mean the same thing on every other Concept 2, which is why competitive rowing standardized on it.
- You would rather pay once than pay monthly.
- You can find one with a PM5, or you have priced the retrofit into your offer.
Skip it if you need a screen and a coach to actually show up and train. That is a real requirement, not a weakness, and a Concept 2 will sit unused in a corner if it is what gets you moving. Buy the machine that matches how you actually behave.
One story that stuck with me: a mom bought a rower for her teenage son, and there was a hiccup with the order on our end. We fixed it at no charge and made it right. Rowers get bought for kids and for knees more than anything else, and both of those buyers want the same thing, which is that it works when it shows up.
A Concept 2 weighs about 60 pounds and splits into two pieces, but it is still 8 feet long and awkward on stairs. Our drivers pick it up from the seller, run a 30 to 50 point inspection, and bring it to you, so nobody meets a stranger in a parking lot. You get 60 minutes with it in your home before you pay: row on it, check the monitor, slide the seat, pull the handle. If it is not what was described, you do not pay. Everything carries a 60 day warranty. Details on how our pickup and delivery works.
Frequently asked questions
Is a used Concept 2 rower worth it?
Usually yes, but for a different reason than most used equipment. You are not saving 50 percent. You are paying roughly 90 percent of new to skip shipping, skip assembly, and get it in the room today, and you are buying into a machine that will hold that value when you resell it.
How many meters is too many on a used Concept 2?
There is no real ceiling. Gyms run these into the millions of meters. Judge maintenance instead: an oiled chain, quiet seat rollers, and a handle that snaps back cleanly matter far more than the number on the monitor, which lives on the monitor and can be swapped.
What is the difference between a Concept 2 Model D and a RowErg?
Nothing meaningful. Concept 2 renamed the Model D to RowErg in 2021 and the Model E to RowErg Tall. The machine is the same, and sellers use both names loosely.
Can I upgrade an old PM3 to a PM5?
Yes. Concept 2 sells retrofit kits that fit back to the Model C, and the swap takes about ten minutes with a screwdriver. Price the kit into your offer before you decide an older machine is the cheaper option, because often the gap closes entirely.
Model D or Model E for bad knees?
Model E. The 20 inch seat is chair height, so you are not lowering yourself to the floor and pushing back up off of it. It is the single best reason to pay the premium.
Does a Concept 2 need a subscription?
No. The monitor works fully on its own with no account and no fee. ErgData and the online logbook are free, and third party apps are optional if you have a PM5.
What is the difference between a Concept 2 Model C and a Model D?
Height and monitor, mostly. The Model D sits higher, weighs less, and has a flexible monitor arm that swings aside. The Model C rows nearly the same and Concept 2 still sells parts for it, so a cheap Model C is a real machine, not junk. Pay $350 to $550 for one, not Model D money.
Is the Concept 2 Dynamic worth it for home use?
Probably not. The Dynamic lets the flywheel move instead of the rower, which feels closer to a real boat and is why competitive crews use them. For general fitness it costs $1,800 to $2,500 used, needs more floor, and does not make you fitter than a Model D.
Where can I find a used Concept 2 rowing machine near me?
Gym and boathouse clearouts are the cheapest source if you can live with a PM3 and high meters. Private listings are the most common. The constraint is never the price, it is that the machine is 8 feet long, so sort out how it gets into the room before you agree on a number. We list inspected rowers with delivery included.
How much space does a Concept 2 rowing machine need?
About 9 feet by 4 feet to row in, and roughly 8 feet of length on the floor. Stood on end in the storage position it takes a footprint closer to 2 feet by 3 feet and stands about 5 feet 5 inches tall, so a closet or a corner works. Measure your ceiling if the floor is not level.
How much does a Concept 2 rowing machine weigh?
About 57 pounds for a Model D and roughly ten pounds more for a Model E. It splits into two pieces by hand with no tools, but the front half carries the flywheel and the rail half is still 6 feet long and awkward on stairs.
If you have a Concept 2 sitting unused, this is the best resale market in home fitness and you are probably underestimating what it is worth. List it with us and our team handles pickup, payment, and the buyer. You get paid before the machine leaves your house.
Buying instead? Browse the rowers we have inspected and ready, or read our roundup of the best used rowing machine options if you are still choosing between a Concept 2, a Hydrow, and a water rower.