Comments on: Universal Five-Position Weight Bench

By: Defaultgen

Defaultgen — Thu, 17 Jul 2014 08:39:46 +0000

Fantastic value bench For only ~$100, I don’t know if you can do better. I heard bad things about the cheapo Apex bench and wanted something that wouldn’t kill me. It was between this or the Bowflex benches. Since I hear bad things all the time about Bowflex products and they’re all horrendously overpriced, I went with this one.Pros:- Sturdy (430lb weight limit). No qualms about stepping on this holding dumbbells.- Very comfortable. Wide enough for an average person to lie down comfortably. Good height and length. Foam is dense but not hard and the surface feels VERY nice to the touch. Higher quality than I’d expect from a $100 bench.- Easy enough assemblyNeutral:- Item is slightly different than bench pictured. There is no rounded cushioning under your knees, it’s just a flat cushion. It also appears to be lower than the one pictured.- I’m 5’11″ and the top of the bench hits my very upper neck. If supporting your head is important, be weary…

By: J. S. Carr

J. S. Carr — Thu, 17 Jul 2014 08:19:18 +0000

Lots of pros, correct weight limit, and decline “secret” A weight bench is a simple enough thing but the exact details of making a good one are very important. Universal / Nautilus studied each one and really got it right with this one. I looked at many benches around this price point and felt like they all fell short somehow and I looked at more expensive benches thinking you get what you pay for and a more expensive bench must be better, but Universal really knocked this one out of the park and got it right. If you use dumbbells and maybe situps (no barbell*) this bench has everything you need and nothing you don’t (which would mean excess size and weight!). Speaking of which, if you don’t want the leg supports the bench is designed and painted such that you can leave that off and it looks equally sharp.*see edit/update at the bottomPros:Solid- when the box for this bench showed up I was surprised at how light the box was. It actually had me worried as I’ve tried out benches that felt…