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Powerlifting homegym: Barbarian Power Cage with Lat Pulley, ATX Ram Bar, Heavy Duty Multi Bench (1 bezoeker)

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Power cage review

Delivery: only one working day after payment was received. Everything well packaged and protected. Delivery a bit late but not a real problem. Delivery guy was super nice and helped me move the stuff inside my garage. I’m still waiting for the 50mm adaptators for the lat pulley (but it works just fine without) since they were out of stock.

Assembling: It took me 3h30 to assemble the whole thing (bench, cage, lat pulley etc). The help of a friend was welcome, it made things much more easy. I would have saved at least half an hour using a ratched or some electrical tool since they were so many bolts. The assembly was already a workout itself since the cage is pretty heavy (180kg with latpulley). You don’t need a engeneering degree to put it together but more accurate plans would have been welcome (not as bad as ikea).

The cage itself: The pictures on the website make it look pretty average but in reality, this thing is a BEAST! I have putted over 220kg on it and it doesn’t move a cm when racking. Looks super strong and stable... And Is strong and stable. The base is pretty wide and deep so it shouldn’t cause any problems unless you squat extra wide or like to pull wide sumo inside the cage. The connection piece at the end of the cage is a bit further than the side support so it doesnt get in your way (feets) when racking and unracking. It is also a great support for your feets when using the pulley for rows. The cage is just high enough for me to perfom OHP (i’m 1,8m) but if you are taller you can simply put the hooks on the oustide and/or buy the external safety spotters. The coating is nice and shinny but scratches come easely (but who cares it’s a cage not a fashion piece). I like the engraved numbering on each side so it is easy to set up the spotters and the hooks. The hooks are solid and protected with a thick layer of hard rubber (good for your bar knurling). They catch the bar nicely but like in a other review, when racking the weight, the bar has a tendency to roll a little (1/4 of a spin) to go the bottom of the hooks. It is not a real problem since it’s only when racking (which means the bar is already safe). Unracking feels very natural. The safety spotters also are strong and stable. Easy to set (numbering helps a lot). These were one of my main buying points since i train heavy and alone most of the time. They are protected with a 1cm layer of rubber so it should protect your bar and the knurl better then the regular metal tubes you see on cheap racks. Since the spotters are square and not round i feel they offer more surface when catching the bar so the pressure is spread over a greater surface and therefor less chances of bending and damage on the knurling (but do not drop a bar unless you have to!!!). The holes spacings are not super close to each others but it is fine for me. They are holes at the bottom for band pegs if you like westside stuff but not at the top (but you can attach bands easely anyway). The pullup monkey bar is great!! Good grip, good diameter and stable (so if you like to do pullups like you are having a seizure aka crossfit go ahead!! The rack won’t shake). The fat pullup bar is a little too low and harder to use if you have the pulley attachment. But it is a nice extra. The dip bars are awesome, large diameter, you can choose the widht. A bit slippery so i’ve putted some grip tape on it. But for the rest they are perfect.

If i had to change one thing it would be the coating but all in all it is built like a tank, super stable and it can take a lot of weight. I don’t think i will have to buy a new one in the next 100 years :-). You can buy a rack for about half the price like a bodysolid, powertec but it won’t feel as sturdy and reliable as the barabarian. So if you are pushing in the 220 kg and more or plan on doing so... This is for you! Especialy if you work out alone and need something reliable and safe. “to buy poor quality you have to be rich”.

Pulley: easy to put together. Is strong and you can load it up pretty high (180kg). I like the fact that there is a direct force transfer (1/1). If you mind loading and deloading the plates, i would suggest you to buy the weight stack. The trolley itself is pretty heavy (feels like 5-7kg) and sturdy. Great quality. Feels good when doing rows, lat pulldowns, triceps,... The only problem is that the trolley doenst move very smoothly when there is no, or little weight on it. Once you slap more then 15kg on it, it feels as good as a pulley at a commercial gym. Offers a good range of motion.

Bar: ATX RAM BAR. Until now... As good in real life as on paper. Looks good (i know it is not a fashion show...). The spin is decent so for powerlifting, strongman and crossfit but i would advice buying one with a better spin if you plan on doing oly only. The knurling is great (i can throw my straps away i think). The bar stays in your hands like they are glued to it but it is not too aggressive. The center knurling is also good and helps a lot when doing squats. I have done some squats (220kg) and there was no wobbling or whip. The same with deadlifts, very little whip. You have to get to the 250kg zone to start to see a little bit of a bend when pulling. Very stiff and solid bar. The sleeves have a anti-slip layer, so the clips and the weights stay in place. I strongly advice to protect it against humidity!!! I think it is the best buy for a bar on the market for price and quality. So unless you are an elite powerlifter that has a total in the 2000lb (and i doubt it), you should maybe spend the extra money on special bars but you won’t find a better bar at a better price.

Adjustable bench: heavy duty adjustable bench: Assembly: easy, there was some rust on some of the parts... The bench is ok but doesn’t feel as strong as the rest of the material. The gap between the articulated pads is pretty big and they are not perfectly aligned. The padding is nice, hard, and of decent quality. They are pretty wide but i like it that way. Easy to move around with the wheels and the handle. The locking mechanism in the small pad is sometimes hard to put and the one for the main pad doens’t always locks into place since the pieces are not aligned (so always double check before any exercice). There is a lot of movement and defects in it causing instability but it gets the job done for a home amateur usage. If i was to buy a bench again i would spend the extra money and buy the one from the barbarian line and so should any serious lifter do. Don’t get me wrong, the bench is ok but compared to the cage and the bar, it looks kind of cheap.


This is my review on the material i bought from fitness-seller. Great costumer service!! Sorry for my bad english. I’m very satisfied, especially with the rack and the ram bar. I will keep you posted if any change of opinion occurs with a long term use.
 
Thank you for this in-depth review. I'm glad that you are happy with your order!

Perhaps you can show some photos of your setup? It's always interesting to see our customers' homegyms :)

Regarding the plans which were not accurate: did you download the assembly plans from our website? Because those are quite detailed. Or did you use the technical drawing instead of the assembly plans?

Good luck with your training! :flex:
 
Laatst bewerkt:
pics are coming soon (but gotta do exams first). I used the download sheets on the website. They are ok you just have to figure out which rings for the bolts are the best because it is a bit hard to see on the plans. But like i said it's not that hard and you don't need a degree in arhctecure or engeneering ^^. In the end it took me only 3h30 to put the bench, the rack, the pulley and all the rest together andit would have saved me more time if i had a ratchet or a drill to put the bolts faster.
 
pics are coming soon (but gotta do exams first). I used the download sheets on the website. They are ok you just have to figure out which rings for the bolts are the best because it is a bit hard to see on the plans. But like i said it's not that hard and you don't need a degree in arhctecure or engeneering ^^. In the end it took me only 3h30 to put the bench, the rack, the pulley and all the rest together andit would have saved me more time if i had a ratchet or a drill to put the bolts faster.
I understand now. All bolts, rings and nuts are numbered in the assembly plans, but you'll need to pay attention to use the correct bolts on the correct parts.
Especially when there are a lot of different sized bolts it's easy to use the wrong one. Sometimes this still even happens to me ;)

Yes, a ratchet wrench is a huge timesaver when assembling this type of equipment. Good advice :D
 
Laatst bewerkt:
correction on the lat pulley, i have loosened some of the bolts that were too tight and now it works perfectly! as good as a commercial grade pulley :-)
 
Pics of the home gym

J'ai pas encore eu des masses de temps pour tout installer donc améliorations à venir. Le deadlift jack et le rangement son fait maisonet marche super bien.

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correction on the lat pulley, i have loosened some of the bolts that were too tight and now it works perfectly! as good as a commercial grade pulley :-)

Glad to hear that the advice helped :)

Thank you for including photos!
 
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