Long-Term Rowing Machine Owners - Value Vs Price & Durability

Is the “best rowing machine” just the most expensive one? I keep seeing the same pattern when looking into rowing machines. A few models get recommended over and over, but then someone else comes along and says a much cheaper option has worked perfectly for years. It made me wonder how much of the "best" label is actually about performance versus price. For anyone unfamiliar, a rowing machine is a piece of cardio equipment designed to mimic the motion of rowing on water. People use them for full-body workouts, conditioning, weight loss, endurance training, and general fitness. They seem popular because they combine cardio and strength work in one machine while being relatively low impact on the joints. I've been researching rowing machines pretty heavily lately to put together a guide and some recommendations that are actually useful. I've gone through reviews, comparison articles, YouTube videos, and manufacturer specs, but real user experiences usually reveal things that don't show up in professional reviews. I'd like to hear from people who've spent months or years with these machines so I can make the research more accurate and avoid pointing people toward products that only look good on paper. A few questions: Which rowing machine have you used the longest, and how has it held up? Was there anything that surprised you after owning it for a while, good or bad? Have you used both premium and budget models? Was the difference worth the extra money? Which machines seem overhyped based on your experience? What features sounded important before purchase but ended up not mattering much? Who do you think should avoid certain types of rowing machines altogether? If you could only recommend one machine based on value rather than prestige, what would it be and why? My notes so far: From what I've found, the biggest categories are air, magnetic, water, and hydraulic rowers. Air rowers seem popular among people who want a gym-style feel, while magnetic models are often recommended for quieter home use. Water rowers get praise for their rowing feel and appearance, while hydraulic options seem to be the budget entry point. The things that keep coming up most often are durability, consistency of resistance, comfort during longer sessions, and whether replacement parts are available years later. Marketing tends to focus heavily on screens, subscriptions, and smart features, but many long-term users seem to care more about reliability and overall rowing feel. One mistake I see repeatedly is people focusing on resistance levels and ignoring ergonomics, storage needs, or maintenance requirements. Another pattern is that some of the most recommended machines aren't necessarily the newest ones—they're the models that have proven themselves over time. I'm trying to put together something actually useful and avoid recommending bad products to people based only on marketing or review sites. Would love to hear real experiences before I finalize anything. Anything I'm missing here? Curious what people who've actually used these think.