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Robert Capers photo
China, Beijing
1 Level
701 Review
52 Karma

Review on Complete Home Gym Package: 1000LBS Power Cage, Weight Bench, Barbell Set W/ Olympic Barbell - RitFit Garage & Home Gym by Robert Capers

Revainrating 4 out of 5

Great all-in-one package with a few minor annoyances

Let me start by saying this gym package is a great price for everything you get. It assembles fairly easily, and all the parts/pieces are straightforward so the lacking instructions aren't too much of a hinderance. I was able to assemble this by myself with some creative use of zip ties to temporarily hold pieces in place at one end while I fastened the other end. The instructions aren't so much "lacking" as they are poorly diagramed. Some pieces aren't shown consistently in some pictures, and the drawings typically show the entire rack at a very small scale instead of showing just the areas you're working on, so it can be hard to see what goes where. But like I said, it's mostly logical and consistent where everything goes, so it wasn't too bad.There are a few little annoyances I've found with this rack, however. First and foremost, the weight holders are placed far too close to the rear posts of the cage. This is shown in one picture - you can see that even with a 35lb plate on the barbell, it overlaps the single 25lb weight on the upper storage peg. Because of this, you're unable to keep more than one or two plates on that top peg, otherwise you wouldn't be able to rack the barbell when benching.Second, the included bench can't be placed anywhere inside the rack when doing inclined bench press because the legs are too long. I have tried orienting the bench both directions with the barbell on both the front and rear posts, but because of the placement of the bottom cross bar in the rear of the rack, the bench cannot slide far enough forward or backwards to perform this lift. This means I have to rack the barbell on the front of the cage, rendering the safety bars useless. The entire reason I have this cage is so I can lift safely by myself without a spotter, but there will be a few lifts where this just isn't possible. It's also annoying to move the barbell from the inside of the cage to the outside front since it's obviously much wider than the cage posts.Third, the foot plate at the bottom of the cable assembly is very narrow. I usually keep my feet about shoulder-width apart when doing cable rows, but this plate is too small for that. It's not comfortable, but it's not a deal-breaker.Lastly, the cable assembly could use some better-quality parts. Specifically the plastic inserts which go between the sliding weight-holding assembly and the rail it moves on. They are there to reduce friction between the metal parts, but they fall off very easily. I added some lubricant to make sure things slide smoothly, which helps, but it was a bit disappointing to see this was the cheapest part on the entire rack. Again, not a deal-breaker, but this was something I'd expect to see on a much cheaper cage.The last point I'll make isn't so much a complaint, but more of an observation. The included bench in this kit doesn't have wheels, so moving it is just a bit more difficult than I'd prefer, but it's light enough that it doesn't really matter. I'm also not a huge fan of the adjustment knob, since you have to completely unscrew it, then pull it out to adjust the bench, then screw it back in. Something that has a spring-loaded pull/push mechanism would've been nicer in my opinion.All in all, I don't think this cage/rack can be beaten by anything in the same price range. It looks great, feels solid, and accomplishes about 95% of what the average home gym user needs. It comes with a ton of accessories and parts, and is definitely a great foundation for anybody looking to build their own home gym. I would just plan on getting a separate rack for holding weight plates and probably skip installing the top pegs on this rack since they're basically useless, but other than that, it's a great purchase.

Pros
  • Durable construction ensures long-lasting use and reliability
Cons
  • Can be monotonous to use the same equipment day after day