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16 of 16 found the following review helpful:
good bench Mar 06, 2008
By D. Ng
"digdug"
Pro's:
- really solid bench, is quite heavy and sturdy
- wheels allow relatively easy mobility
- 8 adjustable positions from decline, to flat, to almost upright
- leg extension with handles that can allow you to lay on your stomach to work your hamstrings
- good for sit-ups, especially from the decline position
- padding is quite thick and solid, yet comfortable
- the back pad is almost 3 ft. so ample space
- all the screws, nuts, bolts, washers are clearly labeled and separated to make for an organized assembly
Cons:
- the pads were a hassle to fit, the screws weren't drilled in the exact place so some adjustments were necessary
- this thing is massive, definitely not a space saver
- sits up pretty high off the ground (I'm 5'10 and in the lower positions my feet barely touch the ground, I end up resting them on the U-bar)
- in the flat position, there's a 3-inch gap between the seat and back pads, it takes some wiggling to find a comfortable position which is not so easy when you're holding heavier weight over your chest
- bench can not go into a perfect 90-degree angle, it's more like 100 at "upright"
I was looking for one bench to do decline, flat, and upright. It's not completely upright, which isn't such a big deal but having it not be so comfortable flat is a disappointment. Having the leg extension though makes up for the shortcoming as it makes the bench more versatile. Having the back pad so long though makes it difficult to do tricep extensions sitting upright. However doing them while sitting on a ball is better for you anyway. Paid $200 with free shipping off Amazon.
8 of 8 found the following review helpful:
 Solid Piece Mar 18, 2008
By Joseph J. Ruppel
"Dukedrone"
I bought this and the box came within a few days. I opened it up to find out that this was a box that had been opened previously and a few pieces were mising. Don't know who exactly to blame on that (Body Solid or Amazon) but I was extremely disappointed by this. I called Body-Solid and they sent out the missing parts immediately.
Once I had all parts assembly was not too bad but took a little while. I could see it being tough for the not-so-handy types, or the guys who get almost all the way through a project and notice they forgot a bolt from step 1 (I would be that category).
The bench is rock solid. My buddy and I are big dudes and we lift big weights. We got this bench to replace our old one which may not have been up to the task to support our lifting. This monster is more than able. Comes complete too with handles for leg excersizes and the leg developer locks in place to hold your feet when you do declines. This is a serious bench and a great addition to any serious lifter's gym.
5 of 5 found the following review helpful:
 warranty issues, very difficult to assemble Jun 20, 2010
By sandwichtyme
The warranty must be returned within 10 days of purchase - this is absurd. This includes the 5+ days it will take to ship the bench out to you, so if you are very lucky you will have time to both notice this fine print and also return the warranty by overnight mail. further, there is no indication anywhere as to which number the "Serial Number" is on the bench. There are 3 different ID codes on the bench, none of them marked. This is all irrelevant for me as I didn't even notice that the warranty can only be valid if returned within 10 days from the date of purchase - I didn't have time to assemble this until a week after receiving it, so I definitely didn't bother sending the warranty in late. Note that this bench doesn't come with all the tools necessary to build it (you need 2 large wrenches or better yet locking pliers to build this).
There were a dozen or so large scratches on my equipment. The parts seemed to all be there, though the brass washers which are supposed to be on nearly every hole on the frame were missing from 2 spots, and some of the others fell off constantly - very annoying.
The seat pads are ridiculous - they didn't align with the frame for me, so I could only screw in one side of the pads. I know I assembled the frame right so the problem is not on my end.
They should also make it more of a point/in larger font etc to state that you should only tighten all bolts at the very end - instead, they state this in a single sentence in 10pt font, in gray on a white background (a lot of the crucial steps are inexplicably in light gray text on a white background - hard to read).
So it works well, but there are serious flaws to the product (largest being the warranty hoops you must jump through) and I'm not surprised they just dropped the price by $100.
Unless you live 100's of miles from a sporting goods/dept. store or can cope with the above, I recommend going to a store like that and buying a unit that is pre-assembled and that you can try out first.
4 of 4 found the following review helpful:
Eventually Perfect Oct 29, 2008
By E. Brown
"EB"
PROS:
Sturdy & heavy-duty.
Comes w/ wheels
Very well-padded & the handles behind the seatback are a nice touch.
Warranty
CONS
Big & heavy (which is also a plus)
Assembly. Many write-ups complain of seatback holes not lined up with the apparatus. Depending on how poorly lined-up they are, this can be a real issue. My unit simply would not fit. After going back and forth w/Body-Solid, I had to report them to the Better Business Bureau for them to finally send me another seatback free of charge. This was rather frustrating after the excitement of getting it and the time spent assembling it. For such a well-made product, it's a shame they can't get the easy part right.
When the unit is put together w/ proper-fitting parts, it's the absolute best. The only reason I rate it 4/5 is because, after a number of similar complaints, they won't fix the unnecessary problem.
4 of 4 found the following review helpful:
 FID 46 Oct 06, 2008
By B. Jones
Good bench, Very poor packing, Item missing parts and finish was scratched to heck! Looks to be an open box that someone couldn't figure out how to put it together and sent back! Very unhappy with this purchase.
See all 19 customer reviews on Amazon.com
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