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Cardio equipment takes up a lot of space, and not everyone can accommodate full-sized machines. In this review of the WalkingPad WR1 Foldable Water Rower, we will review how this rower is a great solution for those users and a few caveats that come with using such a tiny machine.
Updated: September 12, 2023
Rowers are known for their compact stored footprint since most can be stored vertically. Yet, having an over 6-foot tall piece of equipment in your home can be distracting. Cue WalkingPad. This brand is known and named for its compact treadmill designs, and it has taken the same innovative approach to condensing the rower down to a more reasonable stored size. The WR1 folds twice into almost a cube. This review of the WalkingPad WR1 Foldable Water Rower discusses the practicality and performance of such a unique design.
The WalkingPad WR1 Foldable Water Rower has a wooden frame. Its aesthetic appeal adds to its discreet folding size to create a rower that does not interrupt your space. The WR1 has six rubber feet on each side to lift the rower a little bit off the ground. It is compact, but the frame feels much sturdier than it looks.
The WR1 has a short handle. There are 5 ½ inches of spaces on each side for each hand, but only an inch separates these two sides, making the grip very narrow. All of our testers, regardless of hand size, commented on how small the handle is. It does not make the rower unusable, but it is certainly one area that WalkingPad could improve on the rower. The strap is a bit thinner than other rowers that use a strap. The strap maintains great tension throughout the rowing stroke, so you are assisted back to the catch position.
The WalkingPad WR1 Foldable Water Rower has dual rails. The rails have two hinges along the rails, but when they are pressed down firmly, the seat glides quite smoothly. The seat is a little short, so larger users may not be as comfortable. The width is pretty nice. The seat measures 9 ½ inches long and 14 ½ inches wide.
The rail and seat sit very close to the ground. The top of the seat is only 12 inches high which the rail is only 5 ¾ inches tall. There is no variation in the rail’s height, so you don’t get any assistance from a gently slope returning you to the catch position. Fortunately, the tension in the strap is high, so I didn’t miss this feature. The rubber feet elevate the rower only minimally. Users with mobility or balance restrictions may not find the WR1 to be a comfortable height.
The foot stretchers are not as easy to adjust as some others. It can be difficult to change which notches the foot stretchers are fitted to. They have a pretty standard adjustment where you slide the stretchers up or down to fix them in place. The straps that fit around you feet are Velcro and were easy for me to get in and out of. Despite some difficulty with adjusting the length of the foot stretchers, I was able to get a really good fit.
The footboard is large, considering the overall size of the rower. I wear a women’s size 8B and made good contact with the footboard, but users who have larger feet may find that their heels hang off the edge. The overall foot space is 12 ½” x 4 ½”, but the footboard is an inch shorter (11 ½”) than the maximum adjustable length. The width of the foot placement is about 3 ½ inches, a bit narrower than other rowers. This foot spacing adds to the compact size of the rower and also creates geometry more similar to the outdoor rowing.
The WalkingPad WR1 uses water resistance. The four-bladed fiberglass paddle fan pushes the water around the small reservoir with each rowing stroke. The harder you row, the harder the paddle pushes against the water, creating more resistance. The volume of water, even when the tank is filled, is not as much as you will find on a rower like the Ergatta Rower. The WR1 is better for endurance workouts, because the resistance is not strong enough for harder efforts. Experienced rowers will likely find the rower’s resistance too weak.
The WR1 Rower folds twice for one of the most compact folding designs we have ever seen on a rower. There are two hinges along the rails. The dual rails fold to stack atop the water tank. There is a handle that assists the users in getting the WR1 back into its folded position. The process is pretty fast and convenient.
When the rower is unfolded, there are two knobs near the front of the rails that need to be tightened to keep the rower from moving around when rowing. Make sure to press the rails down all the way so the seat will glide smoothly over the track.
The WalkingPad WR1 Foldable Water Rower is an affordable and compact machine. Thus, it is not surprising that it is quite slim on features. The WR1 is best for users who are not looking for smart features or onboard content. The WR1 is sleek and minimal, and we cannot fault it for that.
The WR1 has a small LCD screen. It shows metrics like calories burned, total time, number of strokes, strokes per minute, and distance rowed. There are no buttons to start or stop the rower. Instead, you begin rowing and stop rowing to record your activity. The screen takes about 3 seconds to pause your metrics without rowing and 5 minutes without use to time out and go dark. There are no onboard workouts to scroll through or settings to change. The WR1 has one of the most minimal consoles we have seen on a rower.
The WalkingPad WR1 has a device holder to compensate for its lack of onboard or subscription training content native to the machine. You can watch entertainment or view training content with the help of the device holder. There is a QR code on the device holder to prompt you to download the KS Fit app. This app is not required for the rower, but WalkingPad encourages its users to try it. The device rack sits just above the handle rack. It is not the most sophisticated of device holders, but it does its job just fine. WalkingPad explicitly states that this holder is only for phones or devices smaller than 8.3 inches. Despite this size restriction, the holder is stable. My phone wobbled slightly but did not fall when I rowed at maximal effort.
The WalkingPad WR1 does not look like the kind of rower that is going to give you a killer workout, but I was impressed. I prefer to row for endurance, including a few harder intervals throughout my routine. The WR1 is not a rower I would use to set a 500m personal record. If you are going for speed or power, a large rowing machine with more powerful resistance is going to be a better fit for you. The WalkingPad WR1 works best for endurance efforts or for beginners.
The WR1 can feel undersized at times. Its handle and seat are rather small, but this is a trade-off for the excellent storability this rowing machine has. I am 5’ 4”, and I felt pretty comfortable on this rower. One of our reviewers over 6 feet also had plenty of room to get a good rowing effort. The WR1’s height could present the most difficulty, as it is so low to the ground. If you have trouble sitting on the floor and getting up, this rower may not be the best fit for you. However, if you are struggling with mobility, the WalkingPad WR1 could be a good way to increase mobility as well as obtain the valuable skill that is getting up and down from the floor. With any exercise know your limits and exercise under supervision or with someone nearby.
The WalkingPad WR1 does not have built-in content of the free or paid variety. Users will have to look elsewhere for training content. The device rack does give you the freedom to train with third-party content accessed through your phone.
If you are looking for content, there are options! Hydrow and iFIT offer rowing content. You do not have to have these brands’ equipment to use their content, but you will have to subscribe and pay a monthly fee to use the content. There are also free rowing apps and YouTube content. If all else fails, the WR1 excels as a manual rower that you can use while watching TV or listening to music.
The WalkingPad WR1 uses a unique folding design to be one of the most compact rowers on the market. The wooden frame of the WR1 helps it blend into your space with a more visually appealing design. The console is very simplistic, and there is no native content for the WR1. The WalkingPad WR1 is a quiet rower that uses water resistance to create a surprisingly smooth rowing workout. It is best for beginners and rowers with small spaces.
