The damper set does not control resistance!
The damper is the lever on the side of the flywheel housing, or fan cage, that controls how much air flows into the cage. You can set the damper lever to a particular value from 1–10, indicating how much air is drawn into the cage on each stroke:
* Higher damper settings allow more air into the flywheel housing. The more air, the more work it takes to spin the flywheel against the air. More air also slows the flywheel down faster on the recovery (Drag) , requiring more work to accelerate it on the next stroke.
* Lower damper settings allow less air into the flywheel housing, making it easier to spin the flywheel.
The recent world record for 2000m is 5 : 49 sec’s set by an athlete posting 1:26 500m splits at 4.5 on the damper – what level do you use?
https://www.youtube.com/master trainer explains damper
Damper setting is similar to bicycle gearing: it affects how rowing feels but does not directly affect the resistance. A lower damper setting on the indoor rower is comparable to easier gears on a bike.
Damper Setting is Not…Many people confuse damper setting with intensity level or resistance. Instead, the intensity of your workout is controlled by how much you use your legs, back and arms to move the handle—in other words, how hard you pull.
This is true regardless of where the damper lever is set: the harder you pull, the more resistance you will feel. Because our indoor rowers use wind resistance (which is generated by the spinning flywheel), the faster you get the wheel spinning, the more resistance there will be.
Drag Factor: How True Effort is Calculated. You might be tempted to think that rowing on the highest setting will result in your best score. This is where the Performance Monitor comes in.
Between each stroke, the PM measures how much your flywheel is slowing down to determine how sleek or slow your “boat” is. This rate of deceleration is called the drag factor. On your next stroke, the PM uses the drag factor to determine from flywheel speed how much work you are doing. In this way, your true effort is calculated regardless of damper setting.
Is the Rower beside you easier- faster?
Different indoor rowers can have different drag factor ranges. A damper setting of 3 on your home machine may feel like 4 on the machine at the gym. Differences in air temperature, elevation—even how much lint is caught in the flywheel housing—can all affect the drag factor from machine to machine. When using different machines, you may need to adjust the damper setting to achieve the drag factor and feel you prefer.
The most common mistake is Damper Setting too high.
With a little experimentation, you will find the damper setting and drag factor that work best for you. We recommend starting out using a damper setting of 3–5. Really focus on technique, and as you improve, you may find that a lower damper setting gives you the best workout and results. Resist setting the damper lever too high; this can exhaust your muscles before you reap the full cardiovascular benefit rowing provides.
The Performance Monitor will give you immediate accurate feedback on each stroke so that you can monitor your performance and determine where you get your best results.
You can also vary your damper setting to achieve different types of workouts. In general, lower damper settings are best for aerobic workouts, while higher damper settings make rowing more of a strength workout.
Source: Concept2.com