Best $300 FID Bench

[Derstig]

Hey guys,

Before you say it, I have searched the google, this forum, and the crossfit forums as well regarding this and did not find a thread that answered my questions. I apologize however if my search wasn't sufficient and feel free to point me in the right direction.

I am building a new gym in my basement and need a decent FID bench. Based on my research, this is what I understand:

* Non commercial benches are not great.
* Commercial benches cost close to $1000 if not more.
* People here suggest using craigslist.
* Non commercial benches that I have read about are as follows : Body Solid, Ironmaster super bench, the new rep fitness FID bench, xmark bench. All these benches are in the $200-300 range (which is my price range).
* Body solid has not so great reviews.
* Iron master is great, but a) it's too tall, b) the seat is not adjustable and is always perpendicular.
* Rep fitness bench is too new and no one knows about it (but of all the 4 brands, I think it is the most promising one).
* Xmark benches have mixed reviews and between way too many model numbers that is so confusing and people complaining that the space between the seat and back pad being too much, it is probably not an ideal choice.

Now given all of this, am I missing anything? I think the rep fitness bench looks like the best $300 bench out there. The only problem is from the pictures it doesn't look like it inclines 90 degrees even though description says it does.

My requirement is:

* FID bench that has an adjustable seat (some of the incline moves require me to move the seat to different angles, for example while doing incline bench press a fully raised seat is fine, but doing seated extended bicep curls that puts too much pressure on my elbows and I'd like to lower the seat 1-2 levels).
* That is NOT 20" or more high.
* I don't need it to carry 1500 lbs, but it should be more than 600 lbs also.
* When I lay down, I don't want my but to get stuck in the space between the two pads (I am 5'11").
* I honestly do not need the leg extension, but it's a nice to have.

I would love to have the rogue one, but it is way out of my price range considering I spent a lot of money already on rogue stuff for the gym.

[Stasher1]

I think you've pretty much summed it up.

Based on the criteria above, I'd probably roll the dice on the Rep Fitness bench.

[jabberwockywbb]

I have a body solid fid46 and it serves it's purpose just fine. The leg attachment is junk and using it for flat benching is a bit of a hassle, but the incline and decline work great. I wish I wouldn't have bought it because I used it as primary bench for a long time, but using it just for dumbbell work and occasional barbell work its fine. Check showmeweights they have several commercial fid benches atm for $150 plus shipping

[Wildtim]

Which Body Solid? The only complaints I have heard re about the gap, and I've heard this complaint about some commercial benches as well. You can learn to deal with it.

If you don't want any gap, the superbench is your best choice. I'm not sure how the seat angle could effect your elbows, so I don't understand this issue.

Basically, you are going to have to narrow it down to specific models from any maker before you can get any useful advice. All the brands you are looking at build quality stuff so capacity shouldn't be an issue. None of the criteria you name allows me to rule out anything from a solid maker.

As far as I'm concerned there is no BEST bench. There are a lot of good ones. Mine for instance has features I might change but its is solid, I own it, it does its job, and it matches all my other equipment so looks good in my gym. This means I see no reason to replace it only to find that another bench has features I might change.....

[Domicron]

i'm curious how many people actually have a problem with pad gap. granted i'm only 5'6 and there are people here much taller than I, but it's not really an issue for me.

[Derstig]

Which Body Solid? The only complaints I have heard re about the gap, and I've heard this complaint about some commercial benches as well. You can learn to deal with it.

If you don't want any gap, the superbench is your best choice. I'm not sure how the seat angle could effect your elbows, so I don't understand this issue.

Basically, you are going to have to narrow it down to specific models from any maker before you can get any useful advice. All the brands you are looking at build quality stuff so capacity shouldn't be an issue. None of the criteria you name allows me to rule out anything from a solid maker.

As far as I'm concerned there is no BEST bench. There are a lot of good ones. Mine for instance has features I might change but its is solid, I own it, it does its job, and it matches all my other equipment so looks good in my gym. This means I see no reason to replace it only to find that another bench has features I might change.....

I was talking about GFID31.

One of the reviews in amazon say "However, the biggest drawback (and others have mentioned this) is the gap between the pads. When I lay on the bench the gap rests right at the top of my butt and feels unnatural. Also, the height of the bench does not allow me to plant my feet the way I'm used to. If you're under 6-0 I could see this being a big issue."

Regarding my elbows/arms, the issue is when I do any kind of incline barbell curl, having a perpendicular seat results in too much pressure in the wrong place, in other words I can't keep good form without risk of injury, I have to always lower the seat a notch or two. Now you could always argue and say reduce the incline angle (or increase it actually) to counter this, but then my arms won't be benefiting from the incline move at all.

[Domicron]

this sounds silly maybe but could a couple blocks to go under your feet for incline curls do the trick?

[Derstig]

this sounds silly maybe but could a couple blocks to go under your feet for incline curls do the trick?

Yea I dont want to cut any corners. I spent top dollar (obviously relatively speaking) on everything else to get the best I could get and that's what I want to do here as well. I work out 6 days a week, 1 hour minimum, and I'm heavy OCD. After spending that kind of money, prep, and DIY work in all of this if I have to put blocks under my feet, it will drive me crazy

[Domicron]

i get that.

do you currently have a flat bench? if so, you might consider just saving your money until you can afford a nicer one or find a good deal on a used commercial bench on Craigslist or something.

that's what i wish i had done. i have a so-so FID and i only use it as a flat bench. when i was looking for PowerBlocks i got a set that included the adjustable bench. now i wish i had a flat bench but can't justify it because i have this one that i just leave in it's flat position.

[Mechanon84]

* Rep fitness bench is too new and no one knows about it (but of all the 4 brands, I think it is the most promising one).

A lot of people just got it on sale, regardless. I did and I'm pretty confident in my decision. Probably your best bet at the moment.

Surprisingly, the Fitness Gear Pro utility bench from Dick's gets the nod from a lot of people. I went and checked it out myself, and it's not bad at all. But I still went with my gut and got the REP bench instead.

[Derstig]

i get that.

do you currently have a flat bench? if so, you might consider just saving your money until you can afford a nicer one or find a good deal on a used commercial bench on Craigslist or something.

that's what i wish i had done. i have a so-so FID and i only use it as a flat bench. when i was looking for PowerBlocks i got a set that included the adjustable bench. now i wish i had a flat bench but can't justify it because i have this one that i just leave in it's flat position.

Unfortunately i dont have anything at the moment. I had a cheap one that i wont name and i got rid of it. I do a lot of incline work so for me incline is a must.

I love rogue fid bench, but to be honest with you even if i had money (and i kind of do right now realistically speaking), i dont see myself needing or paying for a $500 bench when i spent $800 for a rack itself or $240 for a barbell. I think $300 is as much as i will ever pay because i dont bench 350 and i never will and i dont do 200 lbs shoulder press and i never will or i dont box squat 500 and i never will in my mind for someone like me the difference between a $300 bench a $500 one or a $900 one will be fairly minimal. I am just not at a point and i dont think i ll ever be there where i can see the benefits of that extra 2% top tier performance.

I think as you go from $100 to $200 and to $300 you see massive improvements in quality stability etc but anything beyond that, its kind of like buying a 100k car that makes 500 hp and than spending 20k to get 100hp more. Will you ever use the extra 100hp? Maybe 5% of it in the highways.

[Derstig]

A lot of people just got it on sale, regardless. I did and I'm pretty confident in my decision. Probably your best bet at the moment.

Surprisingly, the Fitness Gear Pro utility bench from Dick's gets the nod from a lot of people. I went and checked it out myself, and it's not bad at all. But I still went with my gut and got the REP bench instead.

So how do you like it? How much is the gap between the pads? Also can you remove the leg attachment thing? Is the back pad wide enough for bench?

[Ramcharger310]

I would look at the BS SFID325 which can be had for around $300 shipped from Fitness Factory. I was quoted $275 about 6 months ago.

Next I would consider CFF adjustable bench as their is a good review from Snova on it, plus CFF will 99% put it on sale on cyber monday.

[mot1ve]

Golds Gym XRS 20. (It's what I been using forever)

4 incline settings. 2 decline settings.. very sturdy.. and comes with a buncha stuff. Can probably grab it new for 175 - 300$

If you buy it used you can probably get it without the preacher curl and other components that you may or may not need.

[Ramcharger310]

A lot of people just got it on sale, regardless. I did and I'm pretty confident in my decision. Probably your best bet at the moment.

Surprisingly, the Fitness Gear Pro utility bench from Dick's gets the nod from a lot of people. I went and checked it out myself, and it's not bad at all. But I still went with my gut and got the REP bench instead.

I just gave that POS bench away. Go with the Rep Fitness bench over that. Crappy welds, misaligned feet and steel thinner than a soda can. Plus, the way they did the pop pin scares me.

[Derstig]

I would look at the BS SFID325 which can be had for around $300 shipped from Fitness Factory. I was quoted $275 about 6 months ago.

Next I would consider CFF adjustable bench as their is a good review from Snova on it, plus CFF will 99% put it on sale on cyber monday.

The biggest problem i see with BS (and similar ones) is you have no place to secure your feet while doing decline! How are you supposed to not slide down?

CFF looks great (although for over $500 it should come with wheels) but way outside my price range. If cyber monday brings it down to $400s maybe i ll grab it

[obey46]

The only thing about the Rep Fitness Bench/Get Rx'd is that it resembles the Hoist 4165. The seat pad on the Hoist 4165 is that of a trapezoid. So when in the seated position or even flat, your legs spread eagle. Awkward when you wanna knee up some heavy DB's.

Saw the Body Solid GFID71 in person and it's a stout bench. I believe it ran fairly high w/ the pad (20" ?)

The DSG FID isn't a bad starter and could serve as a DB bench when you find your true bench. Lettuce be cereal, I'm sure there's a lot of us with 2 or more benches . Here's a link to a review: http://tinyurl.com/q89qmaw

There are a handful of guys who purchased commercial benches new, but there's a lot of us who scored them through CL for a quarter of the price or less.

[Derstig]

The only thing about the Rep Fitness Bench/Get Rx'd is that it resembles the Hoist 4165. The seat pad on the Hoist 4165 is that of a trapezoid. So when in the seated position or even flat, your legs spread eagle. Awkward when you wanna knee up some heavy DB's.

Saw the Body Solid GFID31 in person and it's a stout bench. I believe it ran fairly high w/ the pad (20" ?)

The DSG FID isn't a bad starter and could serve as a DB bench when you find your true bench. Lettuce be cereal, I'm sure there's a lot of us with 2 or more benches . Here's a link to a review:

There are a handful of guys who purchased commercial benches new, but there's a lot of us who scored them through CL for a quarter of the price or less.

What are some of the commercial brands I should look for in CL?

[Peter_Klim]

I ordered the 20" HIGH IRONMASTER!! LOL!

I know you don't want that one. I got it for 10% off yesterday (you can still get it for 7% off), with the crunch setup attachment.

When this thing declines, it can REALLY does decline! Not like most that do about what, 10 degrees? And using the attachment you won't fall off.

Gap? what gap?

I also like that the seat is always going to be 90 degrees with the backrest.

The 20" height is what most short people, and even average height people like you (5'11") an I (6' 0") "could" have a problem with. But at ~$300 or even up to over $800, no adjustable bench will give you absolutely everything anyone would want. I would say you would have to get at least 2 benches - an FID and a flat bench.

Depending on leg size, shoe heel size and azz size, it could work for one person and not for the same person of the same height. Since I know no 1 bench will be perfect, my plan if it does not work out it to build a nice little wooden/rubber plated platform that I can just drop the front foot of the bench into so that my feet can remain flat with no need to arch my back (so in the same position as a 17" bench). This shouldn't take long to design and build, and yes, no one should need to build an accessory to make it perfect. But no one builds a perfect bench (especially at $300 or so)...unless maybe you are a builder yourself. You don't really need to build and accessory. You could used blocks of would or plates like someone wrote instead. But I am pretty anal (no homo) so I'll build it exactly as I want it. Then again, I (you) might not even need to worry about the height until I try it out. For this one shortcoming, there reviews for this bench is incredibly good! I'm very picky, and I've been researching benches for over a month.

For ME, this seems to be the one! Oh, and even my 4'11" GF wants me to get it so she can use it too! I wish you luck!

[mot1ve]

What are some of the commercial brands I should look for in CL?

I feel like you totally ignored my suggestion man. It's an amazing bench and great price. Very easy to maneuver unlike some other benches .Sturdy.. Versatile..Feels nice and Looks nice too ..

[obey46]

What are some of the commercial brands I should look for in CL?

There's quite a lot and I know i'm going to miss some good ones. Sometimes you will have to make the trek out of your city to score it.

Cybex
Lifefitness
Legend
Hammer Strength
Icarian
Precor
Body masters
Atlantis
Hoist
Tuff Stuff
Powerlift

Then you got retailers like EliteFTS and Rogue.

[Stasher1]

I feel like you totally ignored my suggestion man. It's an amazing bench and great price. Very easy to maneuver unlike some other benches .Sturdy.. Versatile..Feels nice and Looks nice too ..

Sorry dude, but nobody here is going to take any Gold's Gym product seriously. It's all junk, the entire lineup.

[Ramcharger310]

I feel like you totally ignored my suggestion man. It's an amazing bench and great price. Very easy to maneuver unlike some other benches .Sturdy.. Versatile..Feels nice and Looks nice too ..

I ignored your post and repped Stasher1.

[Ramcharger310]

What are some of the commercial brands I should look for in CL?

Here you go...

I am also in the market for bench around $300 as well. The only difference is the decline is not important to me.

The ones I am looking at:

Body Solid (For all new BodySolid items, contact Fitness Factory for best pricing.)
SFID325 (Really liking this one. High end of the budget.)
FID46
FID100
GFID71 (Size wise, it's Donald Trump "HUUUUUUGE")
GFID31 ( The GFID71's lil' brother.)
GFID225 (Low end of budget, good weight capacity, folds nicely)

Other brands as mentioned in earlier posts:
Ironmaster Superbench (Tons of utility and a buttload of attachments. If it wasn't so tall, I would have bought it already)
Rep Fitness Bench (Hoist knockoff)
Bodycraft F320
Powertec Utility Bench (not as good reviews as Ironmaster)
York ST 0-90
Powerblock Sport Bench ( Cheap. Has useful attachments similar to the Ironmaster)

Used market
Hoist, Hoist, Hoist...love the way those benches look.
Cybex
Bodymasters
Precor/Icarian
Hammer Strength
Legend
EliteFTS
Nebula
Atlantis

What I have right now is an EliteFTS flat bench and POS Dick's Sporting Goods Pro Utility bench. It was recommended in a thread in this forum but it turned out be a poorly welded misaligned tinfoil bench. My gf uses it solely because of how easy it is to move.

Bench - good one for around $250-$300=http://forum.bodybuilding.com/showthread.php?t=169131343&highlight=peter_klim

[Stasher1]

There's quite a lot and I know i'm going to miss some good ones. Sometimes you will have to make the trek out of your city to score it.

Cybex
Lifefitness
Legend
Hammer Strength
Icarian
Precor
Body masters
Atlantis
Hoist
Tuff Stuff
Powerlift

Then you got retailers like EliteFTS and Rogue.

Promaxima
Magnum
Nebula
Trotter
Quantum
Maxicam
Star trac
Flex

[Mechanon84]

So how do you like it? How much is the gap between the pads? Also can you remove the leg attachment thing? Is the back pad wide enough for bench?

I'll let you know when I get it. I'm hoping to be able to remove the leg attachment thing. If not, I'll probably do it somehow anyway since I don't plan to use it for decline work. I'm able to retract my scapula pretty well so I don't need a very wide bench, but again, I'll have a full review in a month or so.

I just gave that POS bench away. Go with the Rep Fitness bench over that. Crappy welds, misaligned feet and steel thinner than a soda can. Plus, the way they did the pop pin scares me.

The threaded bushing? I thought it was odd, but I understood it. actually seemed like a good way to snug everything up and take any side to side slop out of the back pad. The biggest thing I saw that might have bothered me was the back pad hinge. I think that could have been put together a little tighter. I might have opened the holes up and put a correctly sized bolt through there to really stiffen it. But yeah, decided against it anyway even at like $120.

[FoolsErrand]

I feel like you totally ignored my suggestion man. It's an amazing bench and great price. Very easy to maneuver unlike some other benches .Sturdy.. Versatile..Feels nice and Looks nice too ..

This is the model I was gung-ho to buy...then I joined this forum.

Cutting through everything else, there's one big problem with this bench and the rack you can get with it. 600 lb. limit. That's total weight, user and bar. Which is pretty low compared to all the other racks already mentioned.

One of the first things I learned when reading this forum: Don't buy something you want now. Buy something you'd still want after using it a year from now.

[Domicron]

I feel like you totally ignored my suggestion man. It's an amazing bench and great price. Very easy to maneuver unlike some other benches .Sturdy.. Versatile..Feels nice and Looks nice too ..

Its a forum and its not your money, never take it personally that no one takes your advice.


Especially when it's ****ty advice.

Op im looking at a craigslist ad whwre someones got 2 thiusand dollar commercial benches listed for 150 each. See what we mean by trying to go the used route?

You might not be able to wait, so in the meantime, dicks sporting goods has their rack for 150 shipped. The value is there imo. Go with that til you find better

[Derstig]

So a few points I want to raise here :

- rep fitness bench is a "hoise knock off" : i have now seen this remark in multiple threads. I understand yes it looks like it. But how is this a bad thing i m sorry? Then 90% of the racks out there are rogue knock off so lets not buy those either

- with the iron master super bench, for $289 + $39 (shipping) = $328, do you realize that you dont even get wheels and a leg stand which are both extras for $25 and $57 (plus their own shipping (so call it $100 even). All in all, IM is a $428 bench, over $110 more expensive than the rep fitness AND its 21" tall which to me is a big problem. You may be able to bench press on it, but between a 17.5" bench and a 21" bench, put the same people on those benches, and unless you are taller than 6'2", 99% of the people will have a better form with the 17.5" bench. Not to mention, close to $500, i might as well get the rogue bench at $525! I think its insane how much IM costs with its tall height. There is a reason why competitive benches are always under 18". I understand that many people got IM because rep wasnt available until recently but now that it is, i dont see why people would choose IM over it.

What about xmark's offerings in the same $250-$300 price range?

[FoolsErrand]

So a few points I want to raise here :

- with the iron master super bench..

You're forgetting that some of us deal with smaller rooms. The pull-up part starts at 78" which is ideal for those of us who don't have ceiling space. Instead of having a separate piece of equipment to do pull-ups/dips, you use the attachments. I can see a lot of college students who drive to get to college finding this a simple thing to transport.