Rogue Monster RM-4

[rpark]

Purchased this rack a few weeks ago and thought I'd give my opinion after a few weeks of usage. My main constraint for a rack has been an 83" ceiling in my finished basement. Most other rack manufacturers complained about not being able to cut down a single rack....Rogue is no different... but this is a bolted design that looked easy enough to modify

http://www.roguefitness.com/rm-4-monster-rack.php

Availability, Grade A++
As with most of their manufactured products, the RM-4 was in stock and just required a 4 hour requested window time for local pickup. Ordered on a Thursday & picked up the very next day.

Assembly, Grade A:
First off, the RM-4 measures 90" so I had to cut off approx 8" for clearance. A simple steel blade to my circular saw did the trick in less than 15 minutes. All the hardware was packaged in easy to carry boxes. The hardware to the RM-4 is a massive 1" bolt.... what that means to the installer is.... you better have some combination of 1 1/2" wrenches or sockets. Most hardware stores don't carry that size wrench so you'll be best off knowing a mechanic or the Snap on or Mactool guys in your area. I had a wrench and socket so I was already good to go. Installation instructions were... um... who am I kidding.... I never read instructions. Assembly was straight forward and easy enough to figure out. It was helpful to have a second person hold the uprights until it was assembled enough to stand alone. I'd recommend not tightening the nuts until you have everything completely assembled, just to be safe and keep it square.

The small portion of uprights that I cut off had very little impact on the functionality for my purposes.

Components, Sandwich J cups, Grade B+; Strap Safeties C-; Fat/Skinny combo bar D-, Fat bar A+:
The sandwich J cups have the UHMW plastic sandwiched between the metal. There is UHMW protecting against scratching the rack uprights and a piece of fuzzy velcro on one side as well. The plastic is very slick so some bars slide back and forth without any abrasion. I suspect the more aggressive knurling would act somewhat like a cheese grater over time, but I really haven't seen any wear & tear after a solid month or so of usage. Some people are turned off the the overall depth of the J cup, but honestly in real world usage I just roll the bar to the edge of the cup and line myself up, the depth is really no issue at all to me. The bigger issue with the J cups I think has to do with selection of the safeties. I wouldn't expect any issues with the pin & pipe or monster flip down safeties, but the combination of Sandwich cups & strap safety seems to cause a problem.

The strap safety system is very interesting and I feel very safe if used properly. Similar nylon straps are used to strap down heavy loads for transport on semi-trucks all the time, so I don't think there is any concern with a strap breaking due to weight force on them. The problem I see is specific to flat bench. With the larger sandwich cup (vertically), the strap bracket can only be installed so high before the two brackets collide. Problem for me is that the safety is just high enough to protect me from choking myself..... but just low enough that I'd probably crack my sternum and or ribs on a total failure but still be able to avoid catastrophe. I'm planning on picking up some pin & pipe safeties as well. The flip down safety looks real nice, but I just don't see the value in the price they are asking for those things, and I think you could run into the same issue with the sandwich J cups, basically not be able to place the safety high enough for total protection on flat bench (I may be wrong).

Pull up cross members: The single fat bar is sweet, simple, love it A+. The combo skinny/fat bar doesn't make much sense to me. If you try to use the upper bar, you'll run into the lower bar, using the lower bar is suitable but in my case (and really anyone with a 90" rack) the lower bar just sits so much lower to the ground, you'll be bent kneed the whole time. With the 1" hardware, it's not like you can easily switch the bottom crossmember between fat & skinny. I'd recommend a single skinny and a single fat crossmember for this setup. D- for combo skinny/fat.

Usage, Grade: A- / B+, with a possible A with a change in safeties & cross member:
The rack is solid and well built. Sorry for the guys that complain about "full welds", but the welds on these components are well above adequate. The 1" hardware is OVERKILL, but it is very impressive to look at and use. Even with my low ceilings I can do fat bar pull ups, and every other exercise that I need. I'm sure there are bigger & better racks out there, but needing a custom application, I feel this RM-4 is a solid choice.

Here's a few installation pictures:

[rpark]

[rpark]

Example of how the sandwich J cup is installed as close as possible to the safety strap system.




Just put my hand (which is not small) in for some perspective of the size of this beast

[maltralson]

Nice Review, I just picked up a RM3, and am in the process of putting it together still.

[JB426]

Looks very nice. Thanks for the review and the pics.

[judgecrandall]

Thanks for the review and photos. You really went all out on your setup, it looks awesome. I like the poster in between the gun rack, I almost thought it was a TV for a sec, haha.

[KBKB]

Thanks for posting your RM-4 review. Repped!

[oicok]

sweet setup and nice review!

[jackbravo]

Nice review, and nice job pointing out the difficulties with the tech. Even though I'm dying for a Crowther rack, really I think 5/8" hardware is the sweet spot, with easy to find wrenches and sockets. On the other hand, though 11g is overkill for a home gym, I think I'd still like a 7g to minimize shifting without bolting or adding the storage. I don't know of any company that makes a 7g rack with 5/8" hardware.

[kbdub]

Awesome setup!

[deadwoodgregg]

WOW!! Really nice setup rpark. Your basement gym is superb.

[MNRider008]

Wow that is a sweet looking rack. I really like the monster j-cup design rogue came out with. Seems like they would last a lifetime!

[Shoua]

Thanks for the review.

Regarding the straps, if you raised the end that is in the front vertical post higher and left the end that is under the J-cups at the same height, would you still be able to get full ROM?

[RemainDieHard]

I'm in love with those J hooks!

How are the safety straps better than traditional safeties?

[2MoreRepz]

Those J-Cups are sweet. The tips of my Sorinex j-cups aren't lined with UHMW and it drives me nuts. My bar always rolls to the end and is against the metal instead of the UHMW.

[Terpgym]

Nice review, and nice job pointing out the difficulties with the tech. Even though I'm dying for a Crowther rack, really I think 5/8" hardware is the sweet spot, with easy to find wrenches and sockets. On the other hand, though 11g is overkill for a home gym, I think I'd still like a 7g to minimize shifting without bolting or adding the storage. I don't know of any company that makes a 7g rack with 5/8" hardware.

I think Crepinsek might- he has a 7 gauge rack option.
http://1500lb.com/sumopowerracks.html
https://i1.ytimg.com/vi/fyvn8wBlykI/hqdefault.jpg

[Terpgym]

Love the Rogue rack- it looks awesome. The bench looks awesome too.

[GarageIron]

Beautiful setup! Thanks for the review. Will rep after this post.

I really like the sandwich style jhooks also. I tend to have a wide grip on the bar when squatting and also have to to weary of my fingers when racking. These look like they buy you an inch or so of extra finger space. One small improvement in my view would be to use counter sunk screws for the sandwich on the inside of the hook, just to prevent dinging your hand on one. I'm also becoming more of a fan of the "V" style profile of some of the other commercial hooks out there that put the bar at rest in one place rather than allowing it to roll.

As mentioned above, the standard Sorinex and Rogue UHMW hooks have you roll the bar to the lip of the hook which (especially if you have a Texas power bar) just grinds the steel and a small surface of the UHMW.

Could you grab a pic of one of the holes in the rack to demonstrate the steel depth?

[rpark]

Thanks for thee replies. To answer a few questions:
You can raise the opposite strap bracket..... To an extent, and get full rom, but still not "perfect", but I may be able to live with it.

The benefit that sold me on the straps was 1) watching the sarin ex you tube vid on the function of the straps, and 2) much easier on my shiny new eleiko bar. Not all that concerned with myself but the 24, 17, & 14 year olds don't hold my same sense of carefulness..... So I really wanted to avoid slamming the bar on unprotected steel safeties.

Another sexy feature of the J cups.... It sure looks like it'd be easy enough for rogue to sell replacement UHMW inserts, as they just slip in and secure with a couple bolts..... For those worried about the cheese grater effect (I'm not concerned), its a nice little piece of mind that you won't waste money on the upgrade and not be able to maintain it after wear & tear.

[MensaTarzan]

Congrats on the rack and great looking gym!! (repped for the review).

How do you like the ab straps, I'm thinking of getting a pair? Thumbs up, thumbs down? Or go with another manufacturer?

[Maluket]

Huh, I'd never considered that when you have a big rack with a lot of room in it, you can just put some weight horns down at the bottom without them being in the way. I'm a little short on space, so you've given me something to consider - once I'm no longer poor from having bought way more equipment this year than I was budgeted for.

[KJ4GR]

I got my RM4 about 6 weeks ago. I ended up sending the Rogue safety straps back and upgraded to the square safety since I heard the pipe/pin had its flaws also. I don't understand the Rogue straps, you have to disconnect the lynch pin > pull out the hitch pin > drop the strap > move the bracket > re-attach the strap > push the hitch pin back in> put the lynch pin back in. Then times that by 4X for all the brackets just to move them. I am gonna use the square spotters for a Utility Seat Rack Attachment that I will build myself so I will get some use from them. I have heard people complain that the Monster 1" pipe/pin safety are way to heavy and take some time to adjust also. I am sure a solid 1" metal rod that is over 4 feet long has a good amount of weight to it and might be a challenge trying to line up and hold the pipe in place while trying to line up the pin with the other hand. That might be a workout all within itself (LOL).

I contacted Sorinex and they said their straps for the base camp will work with the RM4 so I ordered them. No bad blood against Rogue, but I feel that if I am paying $2000 for a "top of the line" rack, it should come with a top notch strap system.

Here is a video of the Sorinex straps, they were $300 shipped

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=om_OYytzqqI

[judgecrandall]

I got my RM4 about 6 weeks ago. I ended up sending the Rogue safety straps back and upgraded to the square safety since I heard the pipe/pin had its flaws also. I don't understand the Rogue straps, you have to disconnect the lynch pin > pull out the hitch pin > drop the strap > move the bracket > re-attach the strap > push the hitch pin back in> put the lynch pin back in. Then times that by 4X for all the brackets just to move them. I am gonna use the square spotters for a Utility Seat Rack Attachment that I will build myself so I will get some use from them. I have heard people complain that the Monster 1" pipe/pin safety are way to heavy and take some time to adjust also. I am sure a solid 1" metal rod that is over 4 feet long has a good amount of weight to it and might be a challenge trying to line up and hold the pipe in place while trying to line up the pin with the other hand. That might be a workout all within itself (LOL).

I contacted Sorinex and they said their straps for the base camp will work with the RM4 so I ordered them. No bad blood against Rogue, but I feel that if I am paying $2000 for a "top of the line" rack, it should come with a top notch strap system.

Here is a video of the Sorinex straps, they were $300 shipped

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=om_OYytzqqI

Thanks for the info, if I ever decide to get straps, I'll have to get them from Sorinex. The way the Rogue straps attach to the rack always seemed weird to me, but I never really thought about it. Now I know why. It's too bad the strap systems cost so much, it seems like they should cost less than other types of safeties (or am I just being a cheappass )?

Thanks for thee replies. To answer a few questions:
You can raise the opposite strap bracket..... To an extent, and get full rom, but still not "perfect", but I may be able to live with it.

The benefit that sold me on the straps was 1) watching the sarin ex you tube vid on the function of the straps, and 2) much easier on my shiny new eleiko bar. Not all that concerned with myself but the 24, 17, & 14 year olds don't hold my same sense of carefulness..... So I really wanted to avoid slamming the bar on unprotected steel safeties.

Another sexy feature of the J cups.... It sure looks like it'd be easy enough for rogue to sell replacement UHMW inserts, as they just slip in and secure with a couple bolts..... For those worried about the cheese grater effect (I'm not concerned), its a nice little piece of mind that you won't waste money on the upgrade and not be able to maintain it after wear & tear.

Protecting the bar is one of the reasons I've always been interested in the strap safeties. The other benefit that I see is that they're quieter than other types of safeties, which can be a big deal in a home gym.

[TheAmericano]

nice, op do I spy an earthquake bar?

[jackbravo]

I think Crepinsek might- he has a 7 gauge rack option.
http://1500lb.com/sumopowerracks.html
https://i1.ytimg.com/vi/fyvn8wBlykI/hqdefault.jpg

that's interesting. i hadn't considered those racks. it's hard to tell from the site exactly what kind of rack you're getting. i like the 0.5" increment adjustment- thats unique.

[Maluket]

I contacted Sorinex and they said their straps for the base camp will work with the RM4 so I ordered them.

Awesome! I've always liked the design of the Sorinex straps, but thought a Base Camp was overkill. Sorinex Straps with a Rogue rack sounds promising.

[matrix563]

is that the rogue 1080? very nice . they don't sell a multigrip pullup for the rm4? did you get 2 sets of monster jcups? . shipping seems very reasonable for the rogue rack.

[Jetigen]

Does Roque sell these band pegs separately? I can't seem to find them on their website.

[rpark]

Try to get answers to the other questions:

Ab straps: Yes the Spud Inc ab straps are nice, very comfortable.... so much so that I'm considering dumping my Vertical Knee Raise / Dip so I can find another piece in it's place (after testing out the dip attachment, I think I'll get it as well).

Weight Storage: I wasn't sure if it would work, but sure enough adding the storage pins is super convenient.

Strap System: I think the Sorinex bracket would alleviate the issue with the flat bench completely. It looks as though it would mount just enough higher and close enough to the J cups. I may just try that out.

Earthquake bar: Yes that's an Earthquake bar (or bandbell bar). Only used it a couple of times, but will say that the videos aren't lying. You can try to keep it stable, but it's still going to shake. Can't vouch for the long term benefits yet, but I am hoping to help out an injured shoulder.

Rogue bench: Yes it's the Rogue Nebula 1080

Multigrip pull up: Yes the do sell a multi grip pull up, but with my ceilings I don't think it's feasible. It might fit, but not with full range of motion. I may have one of my shop guys fabricate one for me that goes straight across between the cross members, rather than angling up like the Rogue version.

J Cups: Yes two sets of J Cups. Also below is a picture of where my hand lines up with my index finger on the bar for wide bench position. It's definitely close, but counter sinking the J cup nuts might help a little, but I haven't bashed my hand yet in a couple months.

Index finger lined up on bar line


Without hand


Close up of hole to show thickness of steel


Close up of J Cup

[rpark]

Does Roque sell these band pegs separately? I can't seem to find them on their website.

Yes, not sure which section but I just put band pegs in the search. They have both monster 1" and standard 5/8"

http://www.roguefitness.com/monster-...egs-4-pack.php