Overview and review of the Rogue Monster Lat pull down stand alone

Price: 2.950

This review was originally posted in the longer article "Which strength equipment to buy from rogue" in which you can read about 25 products of Rogue which cost more than 1.000$. The Rogue Monster lat pull down will create more bats in your gym. See the details in this article.

Most popular Rogue accessory in 2020

This is an overview of the most popular Rogue accessory on Marathon-Crossfit.com in 2020 based on views of the reviews and click throughs to the Rogue fitness shop for purchases. If want to know more about the details on how this data was collected you can read what were the most popular rogue products in 2020.

These were the most popular accessories from Rogue on Marathon-CrossFit.com. The ranking is as followed:

The LT1 50 cal lever arm had a huge surge in interest this year. It can be used to turn your rack into multiple different gym machines by attaching arms to it. The secret sauce is a pop and lock system to adjust the height which has been inspired by the 50 cal machine gun. These are a little pricey as you can get a full rack for the same price, but they are worth it if you compare it to getting all of the separate machines instead. If you are considering these, you are probably a Rogue fanboy/girl anyway and the price won’t be what matters most to you. You can read the full review of the Rogue LT1 50 cal lever arm by following this link.

The Rhino belt squat could also be classified as a rack or gym machine. For this popularity contest, I chose to enter it in accessories as it also can be bought as a drop in unit to an RM6 rack. I am surprised that it wasn’t more popular on Marathon-CrossFit.com as it is a great machine, especially for anyone who wants to build massive legs without wrecking their backs. You can read the full review of the Rogue Rhino belt squat via this link.

The flip-down safeties are an accessory you can get for the Rogue Monster racks instead of safety pins. The big pros of the flip-down safeties are that they are way easier to set up than pins and also have holes in them for attachments. If you are in a cramped space or hate to fiddle safety pins in the right holes in the rack then these are for you. Combined with a Rogue utility seat they can provide a lot of variation to your training. You can read the full review of the flip-down safeties via this link.

The squat max MD surprised me in its popularity. Probably there are fewer reviews out there compared to the Rhino belt squat and therefore Marathon-CrossFit.com got a bigger cut of the overall search volume. The Squat Max MD is cheaper than the Rhino and also closer to free weight training as it does not work with a pulley. This makes it a better option for strongman competitors while also leaving more money in the bank. The only downside is the higher platform that you have to step into. You can read the full review of the Squat Max MD by following this link.

The last accessory on the list is the Rogue Monster slinger which I personally would not recommend. Rogue put this out to monetize on people who already have a Rogue rack and have no space for a lat pull. The monster slinger is basically the pulley system that is being used on the newer lat pull towers from Rogue. While this is sound commercial thinking, Rogue did not pay enough attention to detail on how someone would actually use this pulley she attached to the rack. It’s a nice toy to get but for the money, I think you are better off getting a couple of strongman sandbags or a pair of loadable dumbbells from Rogue. They are fun and you will get some tricep activation out of them too. You can follow this link to read the full review of the Rogue Monster slinger.

Overview of the Rogue Monster Lat pull down

The Monster Lat pulldown Standalone is a lat pulldown machine for the expert athlete. As with all Rogue equipment this machine is built like a tank. The lat pulldown machine is a great example of how Rogue takes pride in what they do and takes their customer feedback series.

If you read between the lines you can see that the pulley, the bar, cable, and Steel eye were not up to Rogue's standards in the V1 of this machine. All of these parts have been consequently brought in-house and are not bought from 3rd parties anymore. These things are normal when new production lines are being built, a new market is tested and new processes build around them.

At least Rogue took the right learnings from this and perfected their Rhino launch. The prone leg curl and the ISO leg press have not gotten a V2 overhaul yet whereas the Lat pull down has. Be aware of this when you buy from Rogue. I am positive they will accommodate valid feedback, especially on big orders. If you buy for your home gym, maybe wait on the leg press and curl until there is more feedback available or find a gym nearby to test them.

The Rogue Lat pulldown weighs 605lb and offers up to 300lb resistance in plates in 10lb increments. It has a footprint of 40'' by 60''. It is 60'' long, 40'' wide and 96'' high. The steel notes are 3x3 11-gauge steel just like the rest of the Rogue Monster series.

Pros of the Rogue Monster lat pull down

This lat pulldown is also a rowing machine so you get two for the price of one. The difference to many other rowing machines is that Rogue came up with an idea that does not make the bench longer. By positioning a footrest under the seat this lat pulldown machine turns into a rowing machine without adding extra length.

Another big pro is that this machine allows the use of bands with the lat pull. This is very unique and I have not seen many machines like this. Especially when you have experienced athletes you will appreciate that you can work with bands.

Cons of the Rogue Monster Lat pull down

A lat pulldown is a big machine. It will take up quite a bit of space where a pull-up bar might create a similar effect. Especially in a home gym scenario, you might be better off getting dumbbells and a pull-up bar which takes up less floor space. As with other machines, the pulley system takes maintenance. Oiling this system and keeping it in check might not be for everyone.

How many clients do you need for the lat pull down?

If you think that the Lat pulldown will bring you 10 new clients who pay you 50$ on a 1-year retainer it is worth the investment. This will yield 6.000$ net new revenue against an investment of 2.950$. Adjust the numbers for your own gym accordingly.

Alternatives to the Lat pull down from Rogue

Here are some alternatives to the Rogue lat pull down

1x Rhino belt Squat Rack @ 2750$

The Rhino belt including the half rack will give you a better pulley system and the necessary rack to play around with it. It will not exactly be the same and the workarounds might be not ideal, however, it is possible. I would also be very surprised if Rogue did not capitalize on the opportunity to deliver a system that combines the RM6 and Rhino to a fully built all-purpose gym station. Stay tuned for that one.

1x Monster Lite Rig @ 2.495$

A monster lite rig will provide you with

4 Squat/ Bench Stations
8 Pull up Stations

For less than the price for one lat pulldown machine. If you are aiming to open a small CrossFit gym this is the way to go. This also shows you that Rogue still has to work on optimizing their costs on building machines. The upshot is that you will get a machine that is fully made in the US. If you work for the government this might even be a requirement for purchase.

Conclusion

The Rogue Monster lat pull down is a very solid machine for your gym. If you do not want to compromise and attract the biggest and best athletes to your gym, this is the one to go for.