Yeah seems like a lot of people do. Rowing technique actually takes quite a while to hone, and it is difficult to transmit a lot of power without good technique so people often crank it to max to feel like they are working hard. In reality rowing is more of an endurance sport and rowers will often sit at low intensity for 30-60mins on the machine at a steady pace to build conditioning, endurance, and cardio.
Rowing machines are good for all round fitness, but correct technique is non-intuitive and takes a long time to learn. Done correctly it will build core strength, legs and shoulders. But most importantly cardiovascular fitness. It is low impact so it should be fine on your knees as long as you aren't splaying your legs apart on the drive. I would personally recommend an exercise bike / spin bike in place of a cheap rowing machine for cardio especially if you can't be bothered with the technical aspects. Just sit on the bike, watch tv, get your heart rate above 130bpm for an hour, easy peasy.