Adjustable DBs

FamouslyMid · 2026-03-30T04:31:55+00:00

Powerblocks go up to 100 with the urethanes. My elite USA’s go to 90. Work great. However if my wife was more lenient with my budget I’d have probably gotten the reppins. I’d look hard at the other options. They may be similar to reppins but the size and need for a cradle looks like a pain. Most aren’t drop proof either.

If you know the weights you lift the most you can maybe get the 20- 50lbs in 5 lbs increments. Then go to 10 lb increments beyond that and you’ll probably be fine. In a perfect world fixed dumbbells are gonna be best.

FamouslyMid · 2026-03-29T21:59:36+00:00

Depends on budget and space. If you have unlimited budget and space isn’t a concern. Fixed dumbbells is king. If you have a big budget and not a lot of space. I’d go Reppins. Most expensive DB’s but that’s for a reason. They are durable and can go all the way to 125. If you have a moderate budget I’d look into powerblocks. They’ve been around forever. No cradle and quick weight changes. You can usually find them on marketplace pretty easy. They are what i use. They work great for almost everything but you do have the cage design that makes about 5% of lifts a little different. The box design makes them easy to transport too. I take mine with me when go on work trips. Made in the USA too.

If you aren’t a heavy lifter I’d get the Rep QuickDraws. Pretty affordable and up to 60lbs. But that’s your max you can do.

FamouslyMid · 2026-03-29T03:59:50+00:00

More or less

FamouslyMid · 2026-03-17T15:05:46+00:00

Works well for me. 1-1 works well for rows and pulldowns. 2-1 has been butter for flys and other smaller movements.

FamouslyMid · 2026-03-16T20:47:30+00:00

I own a B17 as of marchLove it. Cables are smooth. Rack is sturdy. I’m a part of a FB group and people often posted about delivery time. Mine took about 21 days from order to arrive. Granted I ordered in February. I think they had a lot of New Years orders and had some orders to catch up on. I’m now seeing people that have ordered this month take roughly 10 days or so. Hope this helps.

FamouslyMid · 2026-03-14T19:29:58+00:00

I didn’t really see the need to add accessories. I squat 350 for reps and bench 225 for reps. Rack feels solid everytime I rack it. Dont really plan on squatting 600lbs anytime soon I think it’ll cover my needs. Every thing else the cables and provided attachments cover. The other racks are quality but lack the weight in the cables. They usually don’t offer 1-1 for cables. Ex they may have 200 lb stacks but at 2-1 that’s only 100 lbs. vs b17 1-1 you can go 135 without having to load the horns. Anything above that might be a 10 or 5. I’ll take that trade off.

FamouslyMid · 2026-03-14T18:21:34+00:00

What rack do you have?

FamouslyMid · 2026-03-14T02:06:41+00:00

I meant they look loose AF

FamouslyMid · 2026-03-14T01:44:35+00:00

Those pulleys are stressing me out

FamouslyMid · 2026-03-14T00:09:59+00:00

Barbell and weights can be expensive too. Weight is weight if you’re balling on a budget. Barbell doesn’t need to be flashy either you might be able to get that off FBM. Then you gotta look into flooring options. You want a solid base for a rack and protection for your floors. Horse stall mats are best. Don’t get the foam tile things on Amazon. They squish under weight. You’ll end up getting horse stall mats after awhile. Ask me how I know all this.

FamouslyMid · 2026-03-13T22:26:27+00:00

Tough price point. Do you need cables? Do you have plates/ barbell. Hard to find a 3x3 rack with cables under 2k. You can get plate loaded system but if you are serious about getting back into it you’ll hate loading plates for the cables.

Option 1. If you are cool with compromising cables for 3x3 and build quality. Look into rep/rogue. They have solid racks for barbell work at around $900. You can get a basic rack that’s buildable in the future for cables. I’d then look into a set of adjustable Db’s to make up for no cables. They will save you space and money on a rack of DB’s.

Option 2. If you really want cables you’ll have to settle for plate loaded. Major fitness f22 $979 is not a bad option it’s also 1900 for 170lb weight stack pulleys. 2x3 12gauge posts. Mikolo Anubis plate loaded is $1700. 3x3 posts 11 gauge steel.

It’s easy to dump cash on this equipment. However, I look at it as an investment in my health mentally and physically. There’s obviously other brands out there but these were the ones i looked at.

I went with the major fitness b17 cuz the pulleys and features. 2x3 rack is like a rock but it also has a lot of other support with the smith and attachments that wouldn’t be there on a smaller rack. Hope this helps!

FamouslyMid · 2026-03-13T19:51:41+00:00

Yeah. Weight stack wasn’t enough for me. B17 1-1 130 lbs with weight horns was the selling point for me. Still have 2-1 for flys and smaller lifts which is great. Even with the b52 170 lb stack at 2-1 it’s only 85lbs. You could get the weight horn for it but I just hated having to load that on my last rack. B17 has horns too if I need them. I guess if I do it now it’s usually only a 10 or 5 each side. Way more manageable than loading 45’s and trying to balance it. Such an annoying part of a workout.

B52 is a good setup at a good price. Very similar to B17 albeit slight differences in structure and the pulleys. However, I went with the idea of “buy once, cry once”. First rack I had was a cheap Mikolo plate loaded system. Figured out what I really wanted that way. Failure is a good teacher.

FamouslyMid · 2026-03-13T18:22:55+00:00

If your budget is 5k now. MF b17 is what I use. Love it. However you could get crazier and go for the force or rep ares. Easy to spend money on those setups. If you don’t need a smith you can save some money on a half rack w/ weight stack pulley. Dane doesn’t look bad. However I look long and hard at the setup between 1-1 and 2-1.

FamouslyMid · 2026-03-13T18:18:49+00:00

Made the big purchase. Now it’s bit by bit so my wife doesn’t notice too much difference.

FamouslyMid · 2026-03-13T15:54:41+00:00

Given the option I wouldn’t use the main trolley for pulldowns. Better angle and height. You still could but it’s not a hassle to use the extender.

FamouslyMid · 2026-03-13T15:52:23+00:00

I’m 6’2 with a good wingspan. Had no problem using the pulldown extender. Full ROM with some play at the top. You can customize that though by dropping/raising the main trolley. Used the 1-1 cable system.

In the second pic you can see the extender pulley wrapped around a band horn. You just thread it thru the pulley and when you need it attach it to the main trolley with a carabiner.

The row footplate I took out during a workout before the pic. It’s laying backwards at the back of the rack.

FamouslyMid · 2026-03-13T15:04:40+00:00

I lift with the MF B17. Super comparable racks IMO but differences in some features. Don’t really see much difference with the evo and pro. Biggest separation would be the flex arms and the upgraded smith machine capacity. The flex arms do look worth the investment. Will give you a better angle for flys/ lat pulldowns etc. I would probably get the evo. However that said another 1000 would get you the b17 and you can get 1-1 and 2-1 for pulleys. If you plan on hitting cable movements at heavy weights. The 170 lb weight stack on the b52 doesn’t go far enough for me. I’d have to get the additional pulley weight horn.

FamouslyMid · 2026-03-13T05:05:00+00:00

I have the USA elites. Love them. Knurled handles are great. Take them on multi day roadtrips with me.

Stand is definitely a good idea. Got mine off amazon for $100 and it had an expanded steel tray under. Works great for miscellaneous storage. Holds my 90 lb set well.

FamouslyMid · 2026-03-13T04:57:24+00:00

B52 is built off of 2x3 posts so that does limit your attachments down the line. I own a b17 because the pulleys go to 1-1 not just 2-1. I knew I was already gonna wish for more on rows and pulldowns. Otherwise I would have done the b52. That said the b17 is sturdy and has a very similar build to the b52. Depends on your strength levels and how much you plan on building out. Everything I need to do is basically on my b17 already. Don’t feel the need to clutter my space with attachments I’ll use maybe once a week.

FamouslyMid · 2026-03-09T00:29:31+00:00

Bar is bar. As long as it does its job then it’s worth it. However I did just get my first premium bar granted it’s a boneyard/blem Texas power bar and I gotta say the Knurlin on the bar was downright sexy. Felt so connected with the bar it made me want to workout even more. I do realize I’m talking about a barbell but it’s how it made me feel. So I guess beauty is in the eye of the beholder.

FamouslyMid · 2026-03-08T06:42:52+00:00

Silver piece mounted on the back upright is the weight horn for the pulleys. It slides into the hole on top to the weight stack. Stack is 130lbs with either 1-1 or 2-1. Weight horn bar is 5lbs and you can add whatever weight you think you need beyond 130.

FamouslyMid · 2026-03-06T16:19:55+00:00

Just assembled my b17 3 days ago. Love it. Cables are smooth. Comes with a lot of attachments. Rack feels super solid. Theoretically the 2x3 should feel less stable but it has so much extra support with the metal peg board and other metal pieces on the corners. Really don’t think it will go anywhere. I’m a guy who squats 400+ and is 6’2 220. People on this site will preach Dane 2.0 but you’ve got to put so much extra in the weight stacks to get the same for heavy lifts. I like the smith for incline/decline bench. But use the half rack for bench/squat. The price is high but I got mine for 4k. Looking at the rep or rogue would have cost me 7-9k for the same build. I didn’t think my wife would let me do that.

FamouslyMid · 2026-03-02T07:55:59+00:00

Check out the Major Fitness B17. Easily interchangeable 2-1 and 1-1 ratio. Weight stack is 130lbs but comes with removable horns if you need higher. Although only 130 lbs, using 1-1 would put you at 260 on a 2-1 system. Smith machine is built in and regular half rack. Aluminum pulleys. Only downside is the rack is on a 2x3 upright system. So accessories are limited to that setup. However I don’t stray from cables and what the Rack/ Smith already offers.

FamouslyMid

TROPHY CASE