Rogue Manta Ray Bench Review And Opinions

[Deep-Voiced-One]

Thought I'd give a brief review with a few thoughts and opinions upon lifting with the Manta Ray Bench for a bit now. Assembly was very straight forward (the instructions say two people recommended, but anyone desensitized to assembling equipment on their own you got it). The bench is an absolute tank at beefy 3x4 7 gauge steel and rightfully so for the price tag yet definitely unnecessary as well lol.

The wheels are absolutely silent and the bench is very light when I roll it around the gym and the adjustment points on the ladder design rungs with UHMW on all contact points are rock solid in every position and the 12" wide back pad with the grabber vinyl locks me in nicely on both flat and incline (I've always liked 12" wide pads the most and feel better support on them).

The back of the frame has three holes (two for the wood screws to attach the pad to it and oddly the middle part of the pad doesn't have a pre-drilled hole, perhaps Rogue offers a 14" wide pad in the future for this maybe). The back pad offers much better incline positions than the Adjustable 2.0 in my opinion and the seat pad locks me in better too and are more aligned with the back pad than the previous model.

The Manta Ray Bench has ten back pad positions at 0, 20, 30, 37.5, 45, 52.5, 60, 67.5, 75, 85 degrees and five seat pad positions at -20, 0, 10, 20, 30 (laser cut for reference). It has flat round rubber feet that are nice and flush with the ground yet protected and balanced right and the same protection is used for the back pad that contacts the frame when in the flat position. Another nice feature is the stand to store it upright when not in use which is solid and does not impede/compress the top of the back pad.

The seat pad adjustment handle is knurled steel and the main front foot handle is also steel but smooth with the Rogue logo in white, while the back pad handle which is usable on both sides is just a smooth coated handle (that part should've been knurled too in my opinion from an aesthetics stand point).

As far as firmness goes, the Adjustable 2.0 Bench is more firm like you're laying on a hardwood floor (one of its notable and superior features)...however the Manta Ray Bench is also firm with the grabber vinyl which underneath feels like they may have put a thin layer of foam on top for slight give and for comfort perhaps (definitely not a con and not soft by any means, but worth noting).

I also purchased the foot catch for decline angles which attaches by the pop-pin on the back of the steel frame, I still have more testing to do with the decline angles, but will report back with updates.

Overall I like this bench and have no intention of replacing it, it does much more than the previous model does and does it nicely (that's not taking anything away from the 2.0 which is also a tank itself and can easily be a forever bench too). All the above mentioned, this bench is not for everyone (even questioned if it was for me quite a bit too), especially at its heavy price tag...but if you got the funds and just want it and know you're gonna use and abuse it and all of its features then it's tough to find a higher caliber bench on the market with well thought out features than this one in my opinion. I feel like the Manta Ray Bench and the Irwin Adjustable 1.0 are in a class of their own and would put them in the high end category with favorable key features, also Stray Dog's Adjustable Bench would be another honorable mention.

Here's some pics (I need to take more detailed pics of the bench when I find some time and will edit this post with them soon and other various updates on the bench as I keep lifting with it).

https://imgur.com/a/w9EGl17

Both the Manta Ray Bench and Adjustable 2.0 Bench head to head.

https://imgur.com/a/D5paPoZ

Posted these in the equipment thread, but figured I'd put them here too, again gonna update this thread with more detailed pics soon.

If there's anything else you wanna know about the bench, or any questions feel free to ask.

[HomeGym1980]

I am actually trying to decide between the Irwin, mantaray and alpha bench. These seem to be the top 3 out right now. Possibly the William strength Signature as well. Basment brandon loves his and I EliteFTS sells a version.
Of those 3 How would you rank them and why? Also, do you know of any other benches out their that may be better than these 3? Or are these the best of the best out right now. Thanks in advance.

[radrd]

Great writeup, DVO. I haven't done a detailed specs comparison vs Irwin, but I think the additional angles that your bench offers would make it my pick if I was buying a new bench today. With that said, it will be a real shame if Rogue doesn't come out with a wide pad for it. My Irwin 1.0 with wide pad has been an awesome bench now for over a year and I think I'd only buy it sooner if I could go back in time. A better bench was bound to come along eventually and I can happily live with one less angle on the seat and two fewer on the back given the build quality and enjoyment I get from using it.

[Deep-Voiced-One]

Great writeup, DVO. I haven't done a detailed specs comparison vs Irwin, but I think the additional angles that your bench offers would make it my pick if I was buying a new bench today. With that said, it will be a real shame if Rogue doesn't come out with a wide pad for it. My Irwin 1.0 with wide pad has been an awesome bench now for over a year and I think I'd only buy it sooner if I could go back in time. A better bench was bound to come along eventually and I can happily live with one less angle on the seat and two fewer on the back given the build quality and enjoyment I get from using it.

Thanks and that's always the catch 22 with workout equipment, something new and improved comes to town and us as gear hounds are caught in the conflict of whether we should've waited, or not...then again if we wait for each thing to be improved we would never have a home gym lol. I know for a fact something's gonna be the next best thing and will out shine the Manta Ray and the Irwin, we just gotta know when to walk away.

On the subject of new features, Rogue mentions on the Manta Ray page that new color options will be available in the future (didn't feel like waiting with their turn around time and was good with the MG black stock color) and also agree that if they don't release a 14" wide pad upgrade at a future date then they really missed the mark especially for a ladder style FID.

How's the 14" pad feel on incline barbell bench? I never tried a 14" wide pad, but imagine it would be comfortable since I'm broad shouldered and been rotating in incline barbell bench as my primary bench for a bit these days.

Also, I definitely look forward to your review and some pics of the Irwin bench if you're able to get around to it.

[murphyreedus]

I got my Blackwing yesterday - my first impression is very positive. It'd be cool to have the Manta Ray and Blackwing side-by-side for a comparison (along with the flagship benches from other manufacturers, while I'm dreaming).

[HomeGym1980]

Great writeup, DVO. I haven't done a detailed specs comparison vs Irwin, but I think the additional angles that your bench offers would make it my pick if I was buying a new bench today. With that said, it will be a real shame if Rogue doesn't come out with a wide pad for it. My Irwin 1.0 with wide pad has been an awesome bench now for over a year and I think I'd only buy it sooner if I could go back in time. A better bench was bound to come along eventually and I can happily live with one less angle on the seat and two fewer on the back given the build quality and enjoyment I get from using it.

Why do you consider the rogue better than the Irwin? Because of more adjustability or is the pad genuinly better(not counting width) or other things?

[Deep-Voiced-One]

I got my Blackwing yesterday - my first impression is very positive. It'd be cool to have the Manta Ray and Blackwing side-by-side for a comparison (along with the flagship benches from other manufacturers, while I'm dreaming).

Congrats on the new bench, If you could get a review of it out soon and/or some pics that'd be awesome! What color frame did you get the Blackwing in?

I'd definitely want to see a showdown between all the benches, I feel like they all have their pros and cons to some degree...but generally it's difficult to find much fault in any of these above options. I think Gluck on youtube did a review on both the Manta Ray and Blackwing respectively and did a brief comparison on the two in the Manta Ray video. He also mentioned reviewing the Irwin, or something along the lines of a bench showdown between a bunch of them for a future video (not sure when, but would be cool to see it soon).

[Deep-Voiced-One]

Why do you consider the rogue better than the Irwin? Because of more adjustability or is the pad genuinly better(not counting width) or other things?

Not to speak for radrd, but I think as mentioned above that he's speaking in regards to the additional angles on the Rogue. As for the pad, I have no doubt that the density/firmness of the Irwin along with the grabber vinyl is of the same caliber as the Rogue, everything about the Irwin screams quality and you can't go wrong with either.

If you want a quality FID bench made in the USA and it's in your budget go with the Manta Ray, if FID doesn't matter to you and it's in your budget and you want a nice custom color choice then go with the Irwin made from our friends up north in Canada (both origins of where their built are pure quality). Whichever one you choose you can't wrong.

[radrd]

Why do you consider the rogue better than the Irwin? Because of more adjustability or is the pad genuinly better(not counting width) or other things?

Haven't used the Rogue so I can't comment on how the pad compares to Irwin in feel, but the extra angles would put Rogue ahead for me if I were trying to decide which bench to order today.

The Irwin pad feels great BTW. There was only one option when I purchased my bench last year and I don't know how it compares to the two options Garth has now, but he seems to have it dialed in pretty well. It wouldn't be a deciding factor.

[Deep-Voiced-One]

Just talked with Rogue's CS out of curiousity to find out what the 3rd (middle) pre-drilled hole in the frame was for since the Manta Ray's pad only has the 2 pre-drilled holes on the top and bottom section to align with the frame. They told me this is to make the Manta Ray Bench universal with their other pads, then I asked which pads for example and they said both the Thompson Fat Pad and the Rogue Competition Pad (12.5" width) are compatible.

I then asked if the bench could incline with the either pad and the CS rep Jerrett was very honest in saying that the seat pad would have to stay flat to incline it due to the height and that those pads are better utilized as flat bench pads.

Prior to this discussion, I suggested they make a 14" wide pad for the Manta Ray Bench and asked if they planned to which there was no word on it as of yet...but Jerrett liked the idea and sent me a link to their suggestions page to which I mentioned it to the Rogue team if they hadn't considered it already, figured I'd push it along...give the people what they want lol.

[murphyreedus]

Congrats on the new bench, If you could get a review of it out soon and/or some pics that'd be awesome! What color frame did you get the Blackwing in?

I'd definitely want to see a showdown between all the benches, I feel like they all have their pros and cons to some degree...but generally it's difficult to find much fault in any of these above options. I think Gluck on youtube did a review on both the Manta Ray and Blackwing respectively and did a brief comparison on the two in the Manta Ray video. He also mentioned reviewing the Irwin, or something along the lines of a bench showdown between a bunch of them for a future video (not sure when, but would be cool to see it soon).

Blue frame with wide pad. I've only used it once so far, but it's at least as stable as my Dynamic adjustable ladder bench, and actually feels more stable than my FB-5000 in the flat position. The leg roller attachment worked well for incline sit-ups, too (Gluck poked at it a bit in his Manta Ray comparison, but I like it). No complaints so far.

[HomeGym1980]

Not to speak for radrd, but I think as mentioned above that he's speaking in regards to the additional angles on the Rogue. As for the pad, I have no doubt that the density/firmness of the Irwin along with the grabber vinyl is of the same caliber as the Rogue, everything about the Irwin screams quality and you can't go wrong with either.

If you want a quality FID bench made in the USA and it's in your budget go with the Manta Ray, if FID doesn't matter to you and it's in your budget and you want a nice custom color choice then go with the Irwin made from our friends up north in Canada (both origins of where their built are pure quality). Whichever one you choose you can't wrong.

Your opinion is valued highly as well. What would say if I don't need decline nor care about customization. Which would you say, from what you have seen/read/etc is the better bench?

[HomeGym1980]

Haven't used the Rogue so I can't comment on how the pad compares to Irwin in feel, but the extra angles would put Rogue ahead for me if I were trying to decide which bench to order today.

The Irwin pad feels great BTW. There was only one option when I purchased my bench last year and I don't know how it compares to the two options Garth has now, but he seems to have it dialed in pretty well. It wouldn't be a deciding factor.

Thanks for your input. Its hard to decide between the 2. Similar priced, but yes the extra rogue angles is a nice benefit.

[Deep-Voiced-One]

Your opinion is valued highly as well. What would say if I don't need decline nor care about customization. Which would you say, from what you have seen/read/etc is the better bench?

I think at this point it boils down to which you like best, so far the two features Rogue doesn't currently offer as of yet is the 14" fat pad (if that matters to you, to me the 12" pad width is perfect as is and I only might swap the pad out for a 14" wide if it's ever available and if I'm convinced enough that I would ever benefit from it...then again, thankfully my shoulders feel good so I may never even find the appeal of getting it).

The Rogue is TBA on when other colors will actually be available and Irwin has a bunch of custom powdercoats if aesthetics are another option that appeals to you, but with Rogue you have the FID angles (although you have to pay more to add the foot catch), all said neither one is going to invoke buyer's remorse trust me.

[HomeGym1980]

I think at this point it boils down to which you like best, so far the two features Rogue doesn't currently offer as of yet is the 14" fat pad (if that matters to you, to me the 12" pad width is perfect as is and I only might swap the pad out for a 14" wide if it's ever available and if I'm convinced enough that I would ever benefit from it...then again, thankfully my shoulders feel good so I may never even find the appeal of getting it).

The Rogue is TBA on when other colors will actually be available and Irwin has a bunch of custom powdercoats if aesthetics are another option that appeals to you, but with Rogue you have the FID angles (although you have to pay more to add the foot catch), all said neither one is going to invoke buyer's remorse trust me.

Thanks a lot my man. you were very helpful.

[Deep-Voiced-One]

Repetitive AI comments from our friend's post above and one of the other posts sounded oddly familiar to my boy radrd's previous post, but I guess imitation's the sincerest form of flattery lol.

[radrd]

Repetitive AI comments from our friend's post above and one of the other posts sounded oddly familiar to my boy radrd's previous post, but I guess imitation's the sincerest form of flattery lol.

Lol always happy to contribute to the betterment or downfall of society. Will be interesting to see where we'll let AI take us. It's a brave new world.

[C123C]

I think at this point it boils down to which you like best, so far the two features Rogue doesn't currently offer as of yet is the 14" fat pad (if that matters to you, to me the 12" pad width is perfect as is and I only might swap the pad out for a 14" wide if it's ever available and if I'm convinced enough that I would ever benefit from it...then again, thankfully my shoulders feel good so I may never even find the appeal of getting it).

The Rogue is TBA on when other colors will actually be available and Irwin has a bunch of custom powdercoats if aesthetics are another option that appeals to you, but with Rogue you have the FID angles (although you have to pay more to add the foot catch), all said neither one is going to invoke buyer's remorse trust me.

I just watched Coop's review on this bench last night randomly and he also mentions desire to have a 14" pad on this adjustable. My thought is this...I highly suspect this would be undesirable. I have 2 benches currently (3 if you count the one with the Inspire FTX). One is a Thompson Fat Pad 14" on one of Mech's custom frames as Rogue didn't make their monster bench the right height for that pad and a 21" bench from memory was just stupid. This works great and is my dedicated flat bench for that exercise. I also have a Rogue Adjustable 1.0 which is somewhere between 11-12". I use this obviously for incline or seated mil barbell work but also for dumbbells. I'm mainly a barbell guy but when you are moving to DB and other variant lifts I love a nice wide pad (skinny old commercial pads I can hardly balance my shoulder blades on for support) but I think any wider than 12" may start restricting range of motion on those other lifts, particularly dumbbell work. I'm 6'3" and pretty broad so if I'm saying this I'd imagine those with smaller structures it's going to be worse.

For a home gym single bench I think a nice 11-12" pad is perfect all around. 14" flat bench is a luxury but nice addition (it's also not standard if you compete but for older dudes it's nice on the shoulders for support). A 14" adjustable is fine for flat but might not be desirable for other angles and for dumbbells even less so. This makes it less a one stop shop and either a 2-3 bench solution.

My thoughts anyway but I'm pretty leery and think it's more of an issue.

[radrd]

FWiW I'm not particularly broad-shouldered and like dumbbell bench presses just fine on the 14" pad. Though I think it might not be great for chest-supported DB rows. Never even tried because my IM SB Pro is so great for them. I do like having both narrow and wide options. 12" is probably right for a single-bench gym.

[Deep-Voiced-One]

I just watched Coop's review on this bench last night randomly and he also mentions desire to have a 14" pad on this adjustable. My thought is this...I highly suspect this would be undesirable. I have 2 benches currently (3 if you count the one with the Inspire FTX). One is a Thompson Fat Pad 14" on one of Mech's custom frames as Rogue didn't make their monster bench the right height for that pad and a 21" bench from memory was just stupid. This works great and is my dedicated flat bench for that exercise. I also have a Rogue Adjustable 1.0 which is somewhere between 11-12". I use this obviously for incline or seated mil barbell work but also for dumbbells. I'm mainly a barbell guy but when you are moving to DB and other variant lifts I love a nice wide pad (skinny old commercial pads I can hardly balance my shoulder blades on for support) but I think any wider than 12" may start restricting range of motion on those other lifts, particularly dumbbell work. I'm 6'3" and pretty broad so if I'm saying this I'd imagine those with smaller structures it's going to be worse.

For a home gym single bench I think a nice 11-12" pad is perfect all around. 14" flat bench is a luxury but nice addition (it's also not standard if you compete but for older dudes it's nice on the shoulders for support). A 14" adjustable is fine for flat but might not be desirable for other angles and for dumbbells even less so. This makes it less a one stop shop and either a 2-3 bench solution.

My thoughts anyway but I'm pretty leery and think it's more of an issue.

I remember quite a ways back when you gave me some insight on the earlier version of the Rogue Adjustable Bench when I was looking at the 2.0 version (which I eventually got a while back) great bench and has served me well, the firmness on that bench is unmatched. I liked the 11.25" width way more than the narrower offerings on a lot of the benches at that time...believe it, or not I even found the 2.0 just slightly narrow as I benched with it (not bad by any means, but a bit noticeable), but the 12" width is the sweet spot for me (I feel more locked in evenly on it).

I agree that 14" width might be pushing it (especially on barbell incline bench), I personally rather have something that accomplishes multiple uses on an adjustable bench without compromise and I think the 12" width covers that quite well and the grabber vinyl is really nice to have. Rogue undoubtedly got it right with the Manta Ray Bench.

If someone has this bench and wants to transform it into an exclusive flat bench (or is a monster sized human being that could compensate for the pad width at any angle) then I think the 14" pad width offering should be there without adding the unneeded height that the Thompson Fat Pad does and also due to the fact that this is Rogue's new premium offering.

[Deep-Voiced-One]

Thought I'd send an update picture of the Manta Ray stored vertically...I didn't even know the Rogue logo was also on the bottom of the handle...

https://imgur.com/a/AKTumzr

[C123C]

FWiW I'm not particularly broad-shouldered and like dumbbell bench presses just fine on the 14" pad. Though I think it might not be great for chest-supported DB rows. Never even tried because my IM SB Pro is so great for them. I do like having both narrow and wide options. 12" is probably right for a single-bench gym.

Interesting in flat position but do you have an incline option on the 14" pad. I have no idea but this is really where my concern would be in that once the bench is angled, you need some clearance and a 14" pad would get in the way. Might be unfounded, like I said, but I have a feeling there's a reason we don't see real wide pads on adjustables as eventually you wind up with floor press issues. That said, 14" is awesome for flat - I could like with only the adjustable, which I love, but this is a really nice luxury.

[radrd]

Interesting in flat position but do you have an incline option on the 14" pad. I have no idea but this is really where my concern would be in that once the bench is angled, you need some clearance and a 14" pad would get in the way. Might be unfounded, like I said, but I have a feeling there's a reason we don't see real wide pads on adjustables as eventually you wind up with floor press issues. That said, 14" is awesome for flat - I could like with only the adjustable, which I love, but this is a really nice luxury.

Yes, both flat and incline feel good. The Irwin is a FID bench. Just did incline DB bench this week and it felt great. I've done incline bench with my Rogue multi-grip bar as well and it was a good experience.

[C123C]

I remember quite a ways back when you gave me some insight on the earlier version of the Rogue Adjustable Bench when I was looking at the 2.0 version (which I eventually got a while back) great bench and has served me well, the firmness on that bench is unmatched. I liked the 11.25" width way more than the narrower offerings on a lot of the benches at that time...believe it, or not I even found the 2.0 just slightly narrow as I benched with it (not bad by any means, but a bit noticeable), but the 12" width is the sweet spot for me (I feel more locked in evenly on it).

I agree that 14" width might be pushing it (especially on barbell incline bench), I personally rather have something that accomplishes multiple uses on an adjustable bench without compromise and I think the 12" width covers that quite well and the grabber vinyl is really nice to have. Rogue undoubtedly got it right with the Manta Ray Bench.

If someone has this bench and wants to transform it into an exclusive flat bench (or is a monster sized human being that could compensate for the pad width at any angle) then I think the 14" pad width offering should be there without adding the unneeded height that the Thompson Fat Pad does and also due to the fact that this is Rogue's new premium offering.

Something in me wants to swap out my adjustable 1.0 for a newer fancier version (like most here I'm still an equipment addict at heart!) but I simply can't find any real reason. It's actually why I watched the Manta Ray video. They don't get enough credit for their bench pads and design. 1.0 is no frills but rock solid and quality where it matters. I only use the settings it has anyway (incline, slight incline - rare for me, military, and flat). I struggle 1-2x a year on this but can never justify even the mental time I spend no less any buy/sell effort or cash outlay.

[Deep-Voiced-One]

Something in me wants to swap out my adjustable 1.0 for a newer fancier version (like most here I'm still an equipment addict at heart!) but I simply can't find any real reason. It's actually why I watched the Manta Ray video. They don't get enough credit for their bench pads and design. 1.0 is no frills but rock solid and quality where it matters. I only use the settings it has anyway (incline, slight incline - rare for me, military, and flat). I struggle 1-2x a year on this but can never justify even the mental time I spend no less any buy/sell effort or cash outlay.

It's a pricey bench no doubt, but the upgrades are extremely nice on this bench right down to the wheels. I think a few questions would be...

1. Does a 12" wide pad make a difference to you to bench on compared to the 11.25" on the previous models?

2. Do you mind a firm pad with a bit of give from a thin layer of soft foam support on top?

(Coming from the Adjustable 2.0 which is extremely firm like benching from a hardwood floor and I'm sure the 1.0 version is similar). I personally like both styles, the Manta Ray just gives a little bit of comfort with no give underneath in my opinion.

3. Does grabber vinyl appeal to you when staying tight on bench, or can you do with any standard vinyl?

4. Does adjusting a back pad and seat pad to get a more precise incline matter to you?

The 30° on the 2.0 to me felt more front delt emphasis, the 20° incline is my favorite angle to incline bench from. The Manta Ray has both 20° and 30° incline angles and five seat pad angles to zero in on the angle(s) more when pitting it up against the 2.0 which had a very subtle seat pad angle.

5. Do you think you might ever utilize declines on the bench?

I'm sure there's a few more from an aesthetics, safety feature and compatibility standpoint, but those are some of the main ones that I think would help with the decision on whether to make the jump, or not.

[Duplicitous]

Thanks for the review. It looks like a fantastic bench, but I would have a hard time forking over that much for a bench. Then again, right now I have no idea what my future holds as my back is seriously f'd up and I can't even lift 20 lbs, so I wouldn't spend $200 on a bench atm. :/

[Deep-Voiced-One]

Thanks for the review. It looks like a fantastic bench, but I would have a hard time forking over that much for a bench. Then again, right now I have no idea what my future holds as my back is seriously f'd up and I can't even lift 20 lbs, so I wouldn't spend $200 on a bench atm. :/

Sorry to hear that brother, wishing a speedy recovery and back at the iron again.

The price is definitely not justifiable to everyone's wallet (I questioned often whether, or not to get one myself). There was a lot of upgrades on it that looked favorable to me and so I went for it (whether I condone others getting it themselves is up for debate primarily due to the high price tag).

The two things I can confirm though is that the upgraded improvements are definitely present with the Manta Ray (upgrading from the Adjustable 2.0 which again is an absolute tank of a bench itself) and that this is it for me when it comes to any other adjustable bench offerings.

[Duplicitous]

Sorry to hear that brother, wishing a speedy recovery and back at the iron again.

The price is definitely not justifiable to everyone's wallet (I questioned often whether, or not to get one myself). There was a lot of upgrades on it that looked favorable to me and so I went for it (whether I condone others getting it themselves is up for debate primarily due to the high price tag).

The two things I can confirm though is that the upgraded improvements are definitely present with the Manta Ray (upgrading from the Adjustable 2.0 which again is an absolute tank of a bench itself) and that this is it for me when it comes to any other adjustable bench offerings.

Thanks. Hoping I can recover. No one seems sure as of yet.

Do you do any ab work on the decline? The decline was my major disappointment with the Prime adjustable. The leg roller is designed for a short person so at steep angles I always slid out of it unless forcefully locking myself in with my shins, which takes the focus off the abs. Ultimately, I decided to just keep my dedicated decline. If I could find an FID that could actually replace that and the Prime I wouldn't mind the space savings.

[Deep-Voiced-One]

Thanks. Hoping I can recover. No one seems sure as of yet.

Do you do any ab work on the decline? The decline was my major disappointment with the Prime adjustable. The leg roller is designed for a short person so at steep angles I always slid out of it unless forcefully locking myself in with my shins, which takes the focus off the abs. Ultimately, I decided to just keep my dedicated decline. If I could find an FID that could actually replace that and the Prime I wouldn't mind the space savings.

I actually haven't tried the leg catch attachment yet (been busy), but I will soon and I'll update you on how the movements feel on it. I could probably find some time tomorrow to test it out.

[HomeGym1980]

I just watched Coop's review on this bench last night randomly and he also mentions desire to have a 14" pad on this adjustable. My thought is this...I highly suspect this would be undesirable. I have 2 benches currently (3 if you count the one with the Inspire FTX). One is a Thompson Fat Pad 14" on one of Mech's custom frames as Rogue didn't make their monster bench the right height for that pad and a 21" bench from memory was just stupid. This works great and is my dedicated flat bench for that exercise. I also have a Rogue Adjustable 1.0 which is somewhere between 11-12". I use this obviously for incline or seated mil barbell work but also for dumbbells. I'm mainly a barbell guy but when you are moving to DB and other variant lifts I love a nice wide pad (skinny old commercial pads I can hardly balance my shoulder blades on for support) but I think any wider than 12" may start restricting range of motion on those other lifts, particularly dumbbell work. I'm 6'3" and pretty broad so if I'm saying this I'd imagine those with smaller structures it's going to be worse.

For a home gym single bench I think a nice 11-12" pad is perfect all around. 14" flat bench is a luxury but nice addition (it's also not standard if you compete but for older dudes it's nice on the shoulders for support). A 14" adjustable is fine for flat but might not be desirable for other angles and for dumbbells even less so. This makes it less a one stop shop and either a 2-3 bench solution.

My thoughts anyway but I'm pretty leery and think it's more of an issue.

So you think the ideal bench set up would be to have a 14 inch flat then a 11-12 inch adjustable for incline/decline work? Or do you think it would be even better to have a 14 inch incline as well?