Cost No Object Machines and Free Weights, the Best of the Best

[HealthNutMD]

This forum is broken... they must be having server issues

[nnclark11]

TOM PLATZis passing on the torch of greatness to you my friend. I hope you enjoy that pullover..........I have one and I love it.

Jesse

Congrats on the pick up of the pullover! I am curious to know what all the rave is about 1st generation pullovers and how different they really are than later plate loaded and selectorized versions. I have tried most version except the first generation and don't find a ton of difference between them.

[matrix563]

Picked up the first Gen Nautilus Pullover, previously owned by Tom Platz.

Looking forward to giving this a cost no object treatment....

is this plate loaded? awesome

[HealthNutMD]

Are they going to fix this server issue, or what? None of the pictures load.

Pullovers are interesting...

The first generation pullover fits like a glove for me... It just happens to be optimized for people 6'0 to 6' 1". This machine feels like someone made a pullover just for me.

It does not have an adjustable seat height, which is fine by me (nothing some booster seats can't handle for shorter people). I actually like the non-adjustable seat, since it is exactly the perfect height, absolutely love that aspect...

In any case, the Nautilus first generation pullover (aluminum cam) is the best pullover I have used to date. I don't mind the slightly aggressive cam, I actually enjoy it. In an ideal world, we would have space for a few pullover machines, each with their unique contributions/abilities. (One of the great things about Strive/Prime is the adjustable cam, although I don't recall their pullover being very good).

I think the Nautilus SP08 and the Nautilus Super Pullover 3 are also great pullovers, but my favorite overall is the First generation pullover with the aluminum cam.

The David Future Line Pullover is something I also wish I could have over: It ended up going to Dave Feather, and I know he really loves it as well. I really love that pullover and would love to have it side by side with my first Generation Nautilus pullover. One of my regrets was not taking that pullover: I passed on it because I already had the Nautilus Power Plus pullover (which was being refurbed by Tim Ryan). Big Feather has a great gem of a pullover.

The Power Plus Pullover I previously owned was 'ok', but the elbow pad angles and the elbows are flared outward in my opinion. The Power plus pullover seems like it was optimized for a 400 lb lineman, meaning it seems too big for almost everyone, even a 350 lb lineman... However, an elbow pad modification could do wonders with the Power Plus Pullover.

I think the David pullover and the Nautilus first generation pullovers have superior elbow positions.

The first generation Nautilus pullover is wonderful, and my overall favorite. That particular David Future Line pullover that is now owned by Big Feather is the best of all of the David pullovers, and I would love to have it as my number 2 pullover. I'd chose an SP08 or Super Pullover 3 as my third pullover... Some people would like the MedX pullover in the mix as well....

I'm looking forward to putting the stainless steel sprockets with the best ball bearings, 40C19 Martin Sprockets, just like the original.

I'm going to put 12" solid Stainless 316 (1.875" diameter) weight horns over top of the original weight horns (which preserves the original) Like a cap over a tooth... They can be taken off.

Hitachi Mega Stainless steel chain, 316 Chain re-directors, 316 Stainless shoulder bolts...

TK Leather pads, with the redesigned elbow pads. We redesigned the elbow pads to be larger, especially in the medial direction.

It will be fun putting in the best deep groove ball bearings I can find... better than needle bearings, less friction. I have a little over 1.25" (about 1.35") outer diameter to work with on the cam and the movement arm... I really enjoyed all of the reading and studying of all bearing types over the last 3 months...

The custom Martin sprockets C19, same as the original C19 Martin sprocket, but with the best integrated Ball bearings and stainless steel... are going to be around 200.00 each. I don't give a squat, I want stainless steel, and stainless steel BB, etc... I want to preserve all original aspects of this machine, simply replace them with the best stainless steel equivalents (and all new).

I'll be working on the side leg curl as well, in about 3 weeks... Assuming I find the machine worthy of refurb. We shall see...

I don't like Nautilus gen 1 machines that replace chains and sprockets with Kevlar belts or cable/pulleys. I believe that the best stainless steel chain (Hitachi Mega chain) with teflon, and sprockets with ball bearings maintains the original design 100%. It is much more costly to go this route, but worth it in my opinion. Only in this method can you maintain 100% same as original design, but with lower friction. For instance, when I was at Flanagan's Gym, he had 2 of those gen 1 pullovers side-by-side... one with kevlar belt and the other with chain... I preferred the latter. I also believe he did not change out the brass bushings for bearings.

The stainless steel chain with Teflon stays nice forever, with no grease... does not attract dirt either. Combining that chain with sprockets that have ball bearings is simply awesome. You can argue that kevlar belt will achieve a slightly lower friction than chain, but at this point you are sacrificing original design in my opinion. The nicest aspect of using the best chain and ball bearings is that you vastly reduce the friction of the original design, but maintain 100% of the original design.

[44Juice]

Hello to all,

I have been able to use the Panatta machines from our last order for a while now. I would like to take a few lines to write on a couple of pieces.

First, thanks to HealthnutMD for taking the time to travel and test machine across the globe. Without his efforts many of us would not be afforded the chance to purchase the various brands of machines, or upgrade some of our existing machines for better models.

First machine for review is the ab isolator. Excellent machine (tower bench). This piece has a stable footing, so a person feels safe while performing crunches/hanging situps. Even with additional weight like holding an olympic plate while crunching the machine is stable.

The roller pad on the foot brace is thick (about 10" thick) which makes it comfortable during use. How this roller pad would withstand a public gym use would be interesting to know (since my gym is a home gym) and see if wear and tear would affect thickness.

Another feature I like on this piece is the foot plate. It is large which allows a person to safely stand and support your body while positioning for entry or exit of this piece. The foot plate is large enough that you can place an olympic plate on it and it will not affect foot placement while entering or exiting the machine.

The grip handle are long so very easy to grip from any position of the movement.

Foot steps are wide enough which allows for climbing into the machine.

The angled thick pad for back support is great. The new version brings an adjustable (3 position) which is enticing to me. Thinking of purchasing this new version soon.

The only challenge of this piece is its height. It's roughly 6' high and if your ceiling is low it may be a problem if you're trying to stand on the footplate. A minimum of 8' ceiling is recommended for this piece.

The next piece to be reviewed is the Rear Deltoid machine. Perhaps one the most neglected muscles during workouts. While a behind the neck press works all three delt heads many people like to isolate the different heads during their workout.

I have been able to try various rear delt machines. Seated rear delt (Life Fitness, Icarian, Hoist, and nautilus). This movement works well. However, its can cause people to separate back from back pad when using heavier weight resistance. This movement is my least favorite.

Lying rear delt movement (hammer strength) is a fairly better moment to isolate the rear delt. Of course home personal use of this machine is better than a public gym where who knows whose face was on it before--in my opinion. This movement feels more isolated than the above seated position. This movement is also accomplished with a bench (flat or adjustable) and dumbbells. Which is great if space is an issue (as it is for many of us).

My favorite position for working rear delts is seated while slightly angled forward using dumbbells. I've always wanted a machine for this movement and could not find one. Until i saw Panatta had one. Since review on this machine was scarce I took a risk on purchasing it and I'm glad it paid off.

This machine is isolateral. It also has a thick chest support pad which feels comfortable during use. The machine also has storage posts for your weights. Each arm can hold 240 pounds of weight. This is more than enough for the movement.

Another benefit which I like of this piece is the roller pads for your elbows. Machines with handles involve the forearms and hands gripping. Much like dumbbells require balancing. With this machine hands and forearms are free which allows for a more isolated movement. The only challenge on this machine is if you worked triceps the day before or 2 days before and experience DOMS (Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness) the rollers can be a bit painful on your sore triceps. The trick here is to keep the roller on your elbow. The pads are great because they will not roll during this movement.

In my opinion this machine is by far the best of its kind. A staple that should be in any gym.

I have other machines from this company that I will review at a later date.
Thanks for your time

[HealthNutMD]

Phil has the newest design, they had just completed the re-design, shown here:






Anyone know why the BB.COM server has not been displaying photos for about 3 weeks now? That is a long time to leave a problem...

[HealthNutMD]

With another Panatta order taking place, I figured I would do a quick, 1 year follow up in case anyone is on the fence about getting in on this order. Firstly, thanks to Chris who is heading this up again. I am getting two more pieces on this order, the high row and the vertical chest and without a doubt I'm sure I will love both. I love every single piece that I got from the last order and wouldn't sell any of them (unless of course it was for a huge profit). I've had several messages on here asking for my favorite pieces. This was tough but if I had to put an order of what I couldn't live without, it would go as follows: Deltoid press, super incline bench, ab crunch, super horizontal bench, tricep extension, lat pulldown. I absolutely couldn't imagine getting rid of the deltoid press or super incline bench. These are like the Rogers power squat pro for me, absolutely staple pieces.

Quick summary of each machine:
You can go ridiculously heavy on the deltoid press, I have seen my bench go up and shoulders feel great. The super incline bench actually took me a little while to find the perfect sweet spot with the height and grip width but it has been incorporated in my chest workout every week. I also really love the super horizontal as well, but for me personally I flat bench press every time and usually when I'm done with that, I mix in a lot of inclines so it doesn't get used as much. That is not meant to be a knock on it, just personal preference. I use the ab machine everytime I do abs, you can literally touch your head to your knees, its comfortable and actually very inexpensive. The tricep machine gets used a lot but again I use free weights mostly and this gets used more for burnouts but the foot assist and grip on the attachment are unbelievable. Finally, the lat pulldown, the biggest benefit to this vs using a traditional cable, is the ability to get so much more of a squeeze plus it has so many different grips.

Summary of the Panatta machines, these are extremely well built, heavy duty, beautiful, well designed machines. You can't go wrong with purchasing any of the ones that I have. The ROM is crazy on all of them, there is no way someone could complain about it. Also, the "gas assist" when starting the exercise is priceless with a home gym. If anyone has any questions, wants to see some more photos, etc just pm me or Chris has my number if anyone wants to text me.

I'll have to summarize the Panatta pieces, and all of the other pieces which are best of the best per manufacturer...

[HealthNutMD]

I agree with LSBKED's assessment of the Panatta equipment. I own the Super Incline, Deltoid Press, Ab Isolator, and the Preacher/spider curl bench. Very pleased with all the pieces in terms of quality, looks, and especially the way they feel and hammer the intended body part being targeted. I also purchased various cable attachments and highly recommend all of those especially the Combo Dual Handgrips. These are the most comfortable "D" type handgrips I've ever used.

The current order Chris is facilitating...and thanks to Chris by the way... I'm getting another pair of the Dual Handgrips because I loved the first pair so much, the Multipurpose Seated Bench with custom foot plate. I have a great Icarian Seated Bench but the Panatta has 3 different adjustment points. Plus they agreed to add a foot plate to it!

I also ordered close to 1700 pounds of various weight plates. What caught my eye about these was they have rubber rims, custom colors, and the most important thing for me was they have built in grip holes that are adjacent to one another like Iron Grip plates do instead of staggered like I've seen some other brands. I also ordered the new version of the tricep push down bar. This version has a rotating sleeve whereas the older version didn't.

On future orders I'm considering the High Row machine and Ab Machine LSBKED mentioned.

The Panatta equipment is awesome stuff and working with Chris has awesome as well. I recommend the Panatta equipment highly. The only regret I have is that I don't have more room in my basement to hold more pieces of it! You have to own this equipment to really appreciate it!

I'll have to repost a pic of that bench since it was last posted in July... and make a list of the best Panatta pieces.

[HealthNutMD]

Some pics of MedX when picking up the Torso Flexion last week. Ocala is about 4 hours drive.

[HealthNutMD]

New Torso Flexion with extra 100 lb stack:

[Renzinho]

New Torso Flexion with extra 100 lb stack:

Healthnut, have you tried this piece in comparance: http://www.atlantisstrength.com/en/product/knee-raise/

[HealthNutMD]

Healthnut, have you tried this piece in comparance: http://www.atlantisstrength.com/en/product/knee-raise/

I have not.... I don't think it is comparable though

[qaz123]

New Torso Flexion with extra 100 lb stack:

So does MedX actually still make equipment from scratch or just refurb their old stuff?

[deadwoodgregg]

Medx still makes equipment. The majority is the medical lines. I have been there several times and they are good people. Very helpful each time. They even let me search through their discontinued parts bins.

[HealthNutMD]

Yes, very helpful as Gregg says. I picked up some rubber stops, frame end caps, etc... those 1.5" x 3" end caps are used by original nautilus, hammer, etc... they have a great assortment of rubber stops and parts. I even picked up rubber stops that were used on the Gen 1 nautilus plate loaded pullover....

I tried my best to convince them to make the Avenger Row... lots of interesting stories are told when talking about that... I still think they should make the Avenger row again, and charge 5500. Apparently their "Obsolete" room was stolen from, which included the plans...

[HealthNutMD]

Are they going to fix the server issues with displaying the pictures?

[HealthNutMD]

The deadline to join the next Panatta group order is Either going to be March 17th or March 24th at the latest....

[SamMcGuckin]

Atlantis have redesigned some of their precision series and added a couple of new pieces in case you were interested. Nothing too interesting though.

[Don3056]

The deadline to join the next Panatta group order is Either going to be March 17th or March 24th at the latest....

Can I get a price for the Panatta Super incline Press and Verical Ab crunch. I would like to place an order if possible. Sorry new to forum.

[HealthNutMD]

Atlantis have redesigned some of their precision series and added a couple of new pieces in case you were interested. Nothing too interesting though.

Yes, Atlantis just uploaded 36 new videos in their you tube channel. Unfortunately, I do not see a single machine of interest. I'm afraid these are more of a cost savings re-design than anything else. The days of Atlantis releasing cost no object designs, or at least something truly new or innovative seem long gone. They just love using those footplates everywhere, building machines from a limited erector-set kit, or a LEGO kit. I understand the need for cost reduction, especially when competing with Life Fitness, Techno Gym, and Matrix... However, in doing so, Atlantis ends up becoming no different than those generic companies.

The days of Atlantis coming out with those bad ass benches, bad ass dumbbell spot benches, and other truly desireable products is gone... forever as far as I can tell. I'll always be interested to go to Altantis Gym in Laval Quebec just to try and find one hidden gem, but the future looks bleak. That was Atlantis Strength's big 'happening' for the near future, and I don't see a single new machine of interest. The redesign style just doesn't look special, and no doubt was to try and save cost while coming up with a new look, serving both purposes.

Anyway, its just a shame that Atlantis future looks so 'dead' in regards to 'cost no object' or 'best of the best' type of designs.

So disappointing that Life Fitness, Matrix, and Technogym have squeezed the Life out of the commercial gym market.... no wonder everyone hates machines these days.






Seems like the only person opining the best gyms these days are in KUWAIT and ***** these days. OXYGEN GYM is by far the best commercial gym in the world, and hopefully they can expand into the United States, or, someone will follow their business model. Or Dave Feather can open up a chain of gyms. The business model for commercial gyms seems too tough these days in the USA, but I would hope that someone here in the USA can follow the OXYGEN gym model.







They have a nice mix of equipment, but could have done an even better job... nonetheless, a great example of a gym who provides a great mix of equipment. They could use some more machines on the cost no object list, but they do have a great mix, including Panatta.

[HealthNutMD]

On a great note, I talked with Prime yesterday. They have a new 10,000 sq foot showroom, about 1 hour 20 min north of Pittsburgh. They also have their new website up and running:

http://primefitnessusa.com/


The also told me they will NOT phase out the Legacy line, it is here to stay.

Check out their new website. I plan on visiting them sometime within the next 3-4 months.















Prime says they are putting the PRIME-RO-T8 handles on the row machines and all machines that can take advantage of these new handles.


http://primefitnessusa.com/product/prime-ro-t8-handles/


I have a pair coming in... I know a couple people here also have these ordered.




Whats the deal with the server problems? No pictures displaying for over a month.... Do we need to move this thread to a different forum?

[rpark]

Just had a local gym open up (took over space of a defunct gym) and upgraded to a lot of rogue stuff, but I've seen pics of quite a bit of Prime selectorized and a few plate loaded machines (along with the standard cybex and a few atlantis). I might go over sometime to check them out as long as they don't give me a big hassle about joining.

[deadwoodgregg]

I talked with Prime yesterday. They have a new 10,000 sq foot showroom, about 1 hour 20 min north of Pittsburgh. I plan on visiting them sometime within the next 3-4 months.

Not sure where the showroom is located, but the manufacturing facility is north of Oil City. Two long buildings right off the road. The one closest to the road is a powder coat facility and the one behind is Prime. I went there to pick up my pullover.

Look forward to see pics of your pullover

http://forum.bodybuilding.com/showth...hp?t=172301613

[HealthNutMD]

Look forward to see pics of your pullover

[a7stringkilla]

I guess the ROT-8s are flying off of the shelves. I spoke with a rep 3 weeks ago to buy a black pair, and he said that theyre out of stock and cant keep them in stock. He said theyll be in on or around the 10th of this month, so Ill be getting some shipped to me once they come in.

[HealthNutMD]

http://forum.bodybuilding.com/showth...hp?t=172301613

Looks awesome! I forget how that pullover feels. The straight high back reminds me a lot of the Nautilus SP08 which also brings a nice variation to the table. I very much look forward to demoing this pullover again, knowing what I have learned since the last time I demoed it...

[ydmora]

They have a nice mix of equipment, but could have done an even better job... nonetheless, a great example of a gym who provides a great mix of equipment. They could use some more machines on the cost no object list, but they do have a great mix, including Panatta.

Wow, that gym reminds me of the 1990's when I used to work out at Golds Gym (Miami).....Back when men wanted to be men, and didn't mind crippling themselves using awesome equipment (Which Back then was Hammer Strength).

Jesse

[ydmora]

Just had a local gym open up (took over space of a defunct gym) and upgraded to a lot of rogue stuff, but I've seen pics of quite a bit of Prime selectorized and a few plate loaded machines (along with the standard cybex and a few atlantis). I might go over sometime to check them out as long as they don't give me a big hassle about joining.

Go into that gym and take pics. Share those with us here. A lot of us here have bought machines to escape the LIVING DEAD gyms that have spawned up everywhere in this country.

Jesse

[ydmora]

I guess the ROT-8s are flying off of the shelves. I spoke with a rep 3 weeks ago to buy a black pair, and he said that theyre out of stock and cant keep them in stock. He said theyll be in on or around the 10th of this month, so Ill be getting some shipped to me once they come in.

Can you put up a pic of these grips?

I want to see what you guys are talking about. Are they grips you can use on other machines?

Jesse

[ydmora]

Looks awesome! I forget how that pullover feels. The straight high back reminds me a lot of the Nautilus SP08 which also brings a nice variation to the table. I very much look forward to demoing this pullover again, knowing what I have learned since the last time I demoed it...

Dude, the movement arm looks right. Remember when I told you the major screw up committed by Nautilus after the SP08? Where they just came in exaggerated a slant on the metal plate that serves as the elbow pad base? This machine goes back to basics and respects the anatomy of the user. The movement arm here perfectly tracks the movement of your upper extremity and avoids inserting any vectors of force that would serve to place pressure on the sensitive construction of the shoulder workbox (i.e. the bursaes and ligaments). I give them kudos on that. However, the cam is not exaggerated enough. It appears that the setting made most obvious is the top setting, as it is the outer shell (the one we see). With that being said, I do not see how it can be a better overall experience than the Nautilus PLPO, other than these creature comforts of having ball bearings from factory, having a nearby adjustable/selectorized weight stack...etc. If you seriously think of getting this piece, I suggest you have it compete as your second pullover with the DAVID Future Line Pullover. Since I have not seen the cam on this modern DAVID then I will reserve my comments on it. You know damn well that the 1985 DAVID Pullover we tried out was a piece of crap. Lets just hope the modern one followed a pattern of "descent with [SERIOUS] modification".

Jesse