Recommend a Power Rack for a $1000

[Paulie_G]

that's interesting because 2" holes with 2" of steel separating them (?) makes it 4" center to center - which means you'll always have to use the multi-bar j-hooks. also if each peg of the multi-rack sits between each hole, the closest they can be is 2" apart (the size of the hole), unless they start covering parts of the hole. it looks like a beast of a rack, but i think that's why it's not popular - it's non-standard hole sizing and spacing (though maybe marketing has some factor). at 2x3" 11g it might a better value than the R3 (since it comes with storage though you lose standard spacing), for 200$ more you get the DH with 3x3" 11g and standard 1" holes with readily available accessories from multiple companies. imo, the DH is the reigning sub-1K champion (unless of course the legend 3133 also comes in under 1K with shipping - I don't know).

if you have time, i'd be interested to see a review after you've used it for a few weeks.

I think you would have to see the rack in person to see what I mean. As I said, I'm not sure of the actual spacing, but it could partly be because the holes are so wide and the hooks are staggered that makes the hole spacing seem better than the standard 2" spacing on my old rack. I'm not really sure. I personally feel that 1" spacing is a bit overkill, but that is just me. As for "always having to use the multi-bar hooks", I'm not sure what you mean. I have 2 sets of these hooks. One set for the front, and one for the rear. One thing I notice is that it is really nice to 4 placements on each hook, so if you can't complete a rep, you can rack it lower if needed. The bar hooks attach and adjust like traditional J-hooks, but are 4x as long.

I will agree that for $1000, the Dark Horse is the best rack in it's price range. However, at just $758 SHIPPED, without custom height, this rack is the best sub-$800 rack on the market, IMO, and I decided the $250 extra and extra 6 weeks for the custom height was not worth the extra money. That money was much better spent on 10 Ivanko OM 45's that I found a week later.

I definitely want the weight storage. Does the $800 include weight storage and shipping or would those be extra? Because that price sounds a little more attractive.

If there is no height adjustment, the price is $758 shipped, including the weight storage.

Thanks for the input to the actual initial thread posting.

I think the non-standard sizing is the biggest draw back to this rack. I had a Streamline 2 x 4 11 guage rack (post were 4 wide and 2 deep). I was never able to find any additional J-Hooks or other accessories that would fit it. It was a great rack, as I'm sure the Promaxima is, but the non standard sizing can be a drawback.

That is the only drawback that I found. Thing is, after evaluating my need for any accessories, I couldn't really think of anything that I would really want or need to it. Things like dip bars? I prefer to have a seperate dip stand, particularly for weighted dips. Anything else I could think of, I think I'd get fabricated anyways.

At the time, it was really a toss up for me. I could have dropped the $1000 on the Dark Horse, or get the Promaxima and save $250. I could justify and afford either. The final factor was how fast Promaxima could get me the rack with a height adjustment. It was less than half the wait as Sorinex.

[Huck43]

The only real accessory I would need is dip bar. However, I would also like to add some hooks on the outside for overhead pressing. Can the 4 in 1 hooks be reversed or would I need some separate ones? Thanks for the info Paulie G!

[Paulie_G]

The only real accessory I would need is dip bar. However, I would also like to add some hooks on the outside for overhead pressing. Can the 4 in 1 hooks be reversed or would I need some separate ones? Thanks for the info Paulie G!

Can be totally reversed, inside or out. I ordered an extra set for $75, for just this kind of purpose. If you want rep contact info, send me a message,

[scottofio]

Weighing in on the overhead pressing for the dark horse. I am 6'2'' and was surprised that I can overhead press inside the rack. Extra J hooks were a down the road purchase for me for that exact reason, but I don't hit the uprights when i overhead press or push press.

I ordered the dip bars from sorinex and they were $132 added on. They sent me the 2x2 steel set instead of the bars for a 3x3 sized rack. I emailed them this morning and within 3 minutes I got a response. they are sending me the correct ones shipped out tomorrow.

To give you an idea of how massive the dip bar is it is 18 inches across at the narrowest and flares out to 26 inches across at the widest. The dip bars stick out 28 inches from the attachment point on the rack. The grip is 2 inches in diameter.

After 2 days with the DH I am extremely pleased and don't think you can go wrong either way. I don't know your height, but as a somewhat tall man I like the fact that when hanging from the pullups I don't have to fold my legs back.

I have owned a Promaxima before and liked the multi-hook for the adjustment it gave, but one thing I didn't like was that I always felt that I had to use the top hook on the multi-hook, because the space for me to rack the bar on a heavy set was smaller between the middle hooks, so I never felt like I could slam the bar back in the rack and not have to worry about controlling it into the J-hook. A couple of times I racked on-top of the hook against the upright of the rack post teetering on the upper lip of the J cup. granted this was an older PL-34A super rack model, they may be different now.

The J cups on the darkhorse are 8 1/2'' tall and the racking "window" is a full 8 inches, so I can throw the bar up against that 8 inch area without worrying where it's going. I would absolutely recommend getting the UMWH coating for the extra $30 if you go with the DH.

My 3 favorite racks that I could realistically own were the Dark Horse, Texas Strength Systems, Legend and the Promaxima's, and TSS and Legend were probably out b/c of their high shipping cost.

[a7stringkilla]

Im probably gonna be the first one on here to say this, and Im sure Im gonna catch some heat, but...................F(_)CK the Darkhorse and Rogue racks! For a thousand dollars, you could get any used rack that you want. In a couple years, if it even takes that long, noones gonna be mentioning the D.H. and the RWhatever cause there will be something else that came out. Again, $1000.00 will buy any used rack you want.

[LimitStrength]

Im probably gonna be the first one on here to say this, and Im sure Im gonna catch some heat, but...................F(_)CK the Darkhorse and Rogue racks! For a thousand dollars, you could get any used rack that you want. In a couple years, if it even takes that long, noones gonna be mentioning the D.H. and the RWhatever cause there will be something else that came out. Again, $1000.00 will buy any used rack you want.

My issue was finding a used rack that wasn't a weider / parabody piece of crap. I know you got a commercial rack off of an auction site but I feel like it's rather tough to find something not only in your area but also something you can manage to transport to your house. Then beyond that you have to find something that actually has the features you want.

I would rather know 100% about the piece of equipment that one day might save my life rather than buy something more affordable used that I'm not sure of the details on. Plus with my rack and buying new, I got 100% of the features I wanted. Compare this to the $400 Icarian rack I could have got which had 0 of the features I was looking for, but was strong as a house and weighed about 450 lbs.

Yes I could have saved money, but i'm much happier in the long run.

[Navyguy825]

Im probably gonna be the first one on here to say this, and Im sure Im gonna catch some heat, but...................F(_)CK the Darkhorse and Rogue racks! For a thousand dollars, you could get any used rack that you want. In a couple years, if it even takes that long, noones gonna be mentioning the D.H. and the RWhatever cause there will be something else that came out. Again, $1000.00 will buy any used rack you want.

not really, all would come down to finding something locally. only ones that would pop up around me are junk that i dont want to waste money on and regret. 1000 got me something of high quality that i will be happy for a long time.

[Huck43]

I would love to buy used, but everything LimitStrength and Navy said is the problem. Finding a decent rack in my area is the hardest part, let alone finding something that is tailored to my needs. That and given the time to drive out to wherever, disassemble it, and transport it (which I would have to rent to begin with) back doesn't help matters.

I assume the dip handle could be used for neutral grip pull ups as well with the dark horse?

And I am 6'3" so hearing your impressions so far scottofio and the fact that you are tall as well is awesome.

Thanks again for all the help. Dark Horse is definitely looking to be the way to go.

[817boy]

It all depends how your CL market is whether you will find a rack or not

My CL market surprisingly sucks donkey balls. keep in mind i live in the DFW, Tx area (6.5+ million people) and nice racks (legend, elitefts, sorinex, rogue, hammer strength,etc) only come around 2x per year.

almost 2 years ago someone less than 2 miles from my house was selling a Rogue R3, 500lbs olympic weights, homemade DL platform, ironmaster 0-75lb DBs, Legend REVERSE HYPER strap model, Orlando BB home GHR, rogue flat bench, a rogue bar, homemade metal sled, sledghammer/tire combo, Custom DL jack, 70lb kettle bell and 30lb kettle bell, spud inc dip belt, a couple elitefts bands, for $2,200. This was by far the best deal and nicest home gym for sale and it was really close.

I was $500 short and by the time i came up w/ it the guy already sold like half of it so i said screw it and spent the money on my small business (i had at the time).

[scottofio]

As far as the dip bars being neutral grip pullups, you may have a hard time getting the dip bars high enough for that. The holes for the safeties, which the dip bars use go up 72 inches from the ground, so you would be hanging from them with your knees bent 90 degrees. You could, but I have thought about the neutral grips and I will probably wind up getting a swiss bar down the road, and when I'm not swiss-ing the bar for overhead presses and such, I think I will pop it on top of the rack and use it for pullups.

Sorinex offered to do a custom job for me on another piece, so I'm sure they'd do a monkey grip pullup if you asked for a quote. Texas strength systems and black widow training gear, along with edge fitness systems will make custom work for your rack.

As to the $1000 new rack vs. any used rack. I had a hoist smith + gunrack half cage (not safe enough), bought for $450 with 400 pounds of weights and a bar and bench, Sold smith/rack, 200 pounds of weights + crappy powerblock bench I had for $925 ($475 profit). Bought a tuffstuff cage
(not tough enough ironically) with bench, bar and another 350 pounds of weights for $325, sold bench and rack alone for $700 ($375 profit). Bought a Promaxima PL 34A super rack with promaxima bench (7 gauge safeties, not precise enough) for $700 and sold it for $1000 ($300 profit).
Sold some rusty dumbbells I picked up for $15 for sold $80, + free db rack for $150

Total $1365 profit.
Bought my 90 pound powerblocks for $200, ironmaster bench and 75 pound dumbbells for $425, Dark horse with dip bar for $1132, and roman chair (soon to be upgraded to Glute Ham) for $30. Total $1787.

Total cost of my gym $422.

That's why I can order a new rack . A sorinex base camp just popped up in Hudson valley, NY today for $850, I live in central Texas. If I can't get to it, it don't mean sheit.

[817boy]

As far as the dip bars being neutral grip pullups, you may have a hard time getting the dip bars high enough for that. The holes for the safeties, which the dip bars use go up 72 inches from the ground, so you would be hanging from them with your knees bent 90 degrees. You could, but I have thought about the neutral grips and I will probably wind up getting a swiss bar down the road, and when I'm not swiss-ing the bar for overhead presses and such, I think I will pop it on top of the rack and use it for pullups.

Sorinex offered to do a custom job for me on another piece, so I'm sure they'd do a monkey grip pullup if you asked for a quote. Texas strength systems and black widow training gear, along with edge fitness systems will make custom work for your rack.

As to the $1000 new rack vs. any used rack. I had a hoist smith + gunrack half cage (not safe enough), bought for $450 with 400 pounds of weights and a bar and bench, Sold smith/rack, 200 pounds of weights + crappy powerblock bench I had for $925 ($475 profit). Bought a tuffstuff cage
(not tough enough ironically) with bench, bar and another 350 pounds of weights for $325, sold bench and rack alone for $700 ($375 profit). Bought a Promaxima PL 34A super rack with promaxima bench (7 gauge safeties, not precise enough) for $700 and sold it for $1000 ($300 profit).
Sold some rusty dumbbells I picked up for $15 for sold $80, + free db rack for $150

Total $1365 profit.
Bought my 90 pound powerblocks for $200, ironmaster bench and 75 pound dumbbells for $425, Dark horse with dip bar for $1132, and roman chair (soon to be upgraded to Glute Ham) for $30. Total $1787.

Total cost of my gym $422.

That's why I can order a new rack . A sorinex base camp just popped up in Hudson valley, NY today for $850, I live in central Texas. If I can't get to it, it don't mean sheit.

Good job flipping equipment. One guy in my CL market does this, i notice this because i see something i like and the next day he post it up and he uses his photobucket account to show you what he has and what he is selling them for. for example He bus a lat pull machines for around $60-$100 and sells it for $100-$150. I believe he is a retired veteran.

If you are in Texas and looking for a rack, check out TexasStrengthSystems based out of san antonio
or SNP equipment based out of Dallas. He makes equipment very similar to Elitefts

[Paulie_G]

I would love to buy used, but everything LimitStrength and Navy said is the problem. Finding a decent rack in my area is the hardest part, let alone finding something that is tailored to my needs. That and given the time to drive out to wherever, disassemble it, and transport it (which I would have to rent to begin with) back doesn't help matters.

I assume the dip handle could be used for neutral grip pull ups as well with the dark horse?

And I am 6'3" so hearing your impressions so far scottofio and the fact that you are tall as well is awesome.

Thanks again for all the help. Dark Horse is definitely looking to be the way to go.

Did you decide against the Promaxima? If so, how come? Just curious....

[Huck43]

Mostly because I have not received any reply to several emails.

[Huck43]

I have another question while I wait to hear back on some quotes from a couple places. Flooring. My workout equipment will be in my garage. Is it wise to put down some rubber tile flooring or is this not necessary? If yes, what would you recommend that is fairly cheap? I do have a fairly large section of carpet that I pulled up from a room when I changed it to some laminate flooring as well as the padding (though I assume this would not be good to include). Would the carpet be okay to use? Or should I look into some rubber tiling or simply stick with the bare concrete? Thanks.

[scottofio]

cheapest way to go that is bomb-proof is horse stall mats from tractor supply company. I bought two @ $40 per mat and they are 4x6. My cage and bench fit on it with some room to spare. they are 3/4 inch thick and you can drop heavy deadlifts on them no problem, and they are made to have horses walking on them day in and day out, so from what I have read, they never wear out.

[Huck43]

cheapest way to go that is bomb-proof is horse stall mats from tractor supply company. I bought two @ $40 per mat and they are 4x6. My cage and bench fit on it with some room to spare. they are 3/4 inch thick and you can drop heavy deadlifts on them no problem, and they are made to have horses walking on them day in and day out, so from what I have read, they never wear out.

Thanks for the recommendation. They look like a great, fairly cheap, alternative. Did you have to put anything under them or do they hold there place on there own?

EDIT: How is the odor? Did you do anything to help eliminate it? Do you know approximately how long it takes to remove?

[scottofio]

the tractor supply company I went to stored them outside, they had an odor for about a day or two, but not too bad, just smelled like rubber. They are 100 pounds each, so once they are down they don't move.

[817boy]

the tractor supply company I went to stored them outside, they had an odor for about a day or two, but not too bad, just smelled like rubber. They are 100 pounds each, so once they are down they don't move.

I have to reposition the ones under my rack about once every 4 months,

I have to reposition the ones where I DL on every week (after my DL session) if i dont they move a inch a week and next thing i know i have a huge crack in between the mats.

[Huck43]

Well I called promaxima about what they had to offer and pricing isn't much lower than the darkhorse at over $900 shipped for the fw163. However, they had some special going on the PL340 for like $1275 after tax/shipping which seems like a decent deal though it is a half rack (wouldn't really mind it that much though).

Dark horse is looking to be the only real option left.

[jackbravo]

well-- you can get the EliteFTS "old school" rack with storage for 900 + 200 shipping, but the problem it's 3" spaced holes. They have the non-storage variety for 650.

[Navyguy825]

get that dark horse man, quicker you order the sooner you will have it and start enjoying it =D

[daveo2]

check out www . idealsports . ca

[jackbravo]

dude....i just reread your original post. you're not squatting. imo- if you're not squatting, a half rack with spotters, or even just a bench with spotters will be more than enough. no need to spend 1K.



also: can someone who bought the legend 3133 directly let us know how much it was after shipping?

[Huck43]

dude....i just reread your original post. you're not squatting. imo- if you're not squatting, a half rack with spotters, or even just a bench with spotters will be more than enough. no need to spend 1K.



also: can someone who bought the legend 3133 directly let us know how much it was after shipping?

I was quoted $1240 after shipping on the 3133.

And I realize a heavy duty unit is more than I need, but they are the only ones that have features that I want (mainly plate storage). That and I don't want to upgrade ever again.

How do you think the promaxima pl340 is? Searching the forums, I found the pl360 (which I would prefer since it is the full rack version) was $800 before shipping/tax at one point, but that was 2 years ago. Do you know how often these sales on some of there higher end equipment occurs? If I could get the pl360 for the pl340 price I was quoted, I would have pulled the trigger already.

[scottofio]

Just my 2 cents here. I would probably go with a less heavy duty rack from promaxima than the pl360. Not to say it isn't a badass rack, but it's more for gym, multiuser abuse, all day everyday. The only issue I'd have (which is a fairly minor annoyance) is that the safety adjustments will be in about 3 or 3.5 inch increments. I used to have the promaxima PL 34A super rack and it was stout as **** but when I benched I had to go get some plywood to put under my bench to raise me up to the correct height, otherwise the safety would be to high for full rep range, or too low and not do jack in case of a failed rep. It could be that you can put the safeties in upside down and make smaller increments, but I would check.



Heavyduty home use like texas strength system, sorinex, rogue all have user friendly settings, and nice little items that show polish and thoughtful design towards our target market. Promaxima one that Paulie was talking about also won't have the 3 inch adjustments. If you are fine with 3 inch I'd go with the elite old school or http://www.flexcart.com/members/elit...d=391&pid=3234 would fit the bill, give you a full rack and do what you'd need it to for cheaper than the PL360 or PL340.

[Baptizer]

I decided to go with the Dark Horse (without plate storage). Does anyone have an actual link to this product? I simply cannot find it on their website unfortunately.

[817boy]

I decided to go with the Dark Horse (without plate storage). Does anyone have an actual link to this product? I simply cannot find it on their website unfortunately.

contact sorinex, i hear they are fast at replying to emails.

[Navyguy825]

I decided to go with the Dark Horse (without plate storage). Does anyone have an actual link to this product? I simply cannot find it on their website unfortunately.

The option for it without the storage isn't on the site yet from what I recall

[GarageIron]

contact sorinex, i hear they are fast at replying to emails.

email dan@sorinex.com He always gets back to me very quickly.

[Huck43]

I am actually considering this unit as well:

wrightexercise.com/wright-fw026-laser-half-rack-p-863. html

Store is local so I am going to pop in there as they supposedly have some old new stock for about that same price.