TITAN Max adjustable FID bench vs Reflex flat bench

This is a comparison between the TITAN Max adjustable FID bench and Reflex flat bench including pros, cons, and alternatives. This article was originally posted in Which TITAN bench to get? Follow the links for details.

Overview and review of the Reflex flat bench

The Reflex flat bench arm kit comes in at $1674 and is a great addition to your existing gym to widen the possible exercises you can do. This article was originally published in "Which bench to get to from Rogue".

What else to consider from Rogue

Overview of the Reflex Flat bench

The reflex flat bench is the sturdy design of the reflex line applied to a regular flat bench setup. You will get a solid piece of equipment with little moving parts apart from the barbell. This is a good setup for your big athletes who are moving big weights. The specifications of the Reflex flat bench are:

Combination of 3×3 11ga. & 3/16-walled fully Welded Tubular steel construction.
Powder Coated finish.
Plastic lined weight bar saddles.
Adjustable Saddles w/ 11 positions.
Weight storage.
7 position adjustable safeties.
Weight storage.
1in high-density foam pad.
Weight 167 - 470LB
Length 60” - 70”
Width 48”
Height 58” - 64”

The reflex flat bench will stay where you place it and go nowhere. This is especially good when you want to ensure the same setup each and every time you bench.

Pros of the Reflex Flat bench

A sturdy setup that keeps you safe, even when moving big weights around. Can also be used as central plate storage in the middle of multiple racks.

Cons of the Reflex Flat bench

Single-purpose use and not a lot of flexibility to change. Needs more floor space than other solutions you might come up with for the bench press.

Alternatives to the Reflex Flat bench

Alternatives to the reflex flat bench are

The reflex competition bench comes in only slightly more expensive than the flat bench version. In return, you get an IPF approved machine to practice for the real thing. Of you are considering a bench press setup like this you might as well spend the few extra to get the competition version.

The reflex decline bench press is the piece of equipment that I would get if I had the floor space left. Out of the different bench press variations, the decline is the one I feel most uncomfortable with when done on a free-standing bench. The reflex decline would address this.

The AB3 bench is Rogues portable bench which can be used for flat, incline and decline setups. As it is on rolls it might not be as stable as the Reflex series, but if you are not a beast, this will be more than sufficient to get your work done.

Summary for the Reflex Flat bench

The reflex Olympic flat bench is not something I personally would consider. I would either go for the decline or competition bench press if I was in the market for a bench machine.

Overview and review of the TITAN Max adjustable FID bench

This is an overview of the TITAN Max adjustable bench FID including pros, cons, and alternatives. This article was originally posted in Which TITAN bench to get? Follow the links for details.

Overview of the TITAN max adjustable FID bench

Price:$449

The Max adjustable FID bench is the most versatile bench TITAN has to offer. With over 70 different positions to work from you can do your incline, decline, and flat bench presses. This is a bench that can also be used for decline bench presses as it comes with the necessary foot attachment to keep you safe. This also leaves you with more options for sit-ups and other core workouts on this bench. The full specs of this bench are:

Heavy-duty construction
Double frame for extra stability
Wheels and handle in front for easy transportation
10 Bench pad position from horizontal to vertical
7 Head/Seat positions to suit a variety of workouts
Removable foot roller attachment included
For indoor use
Footprint: 70-in x 23.5-in.
Head/Seat Pad Dimensions: 13.5-in L x 8-in x 11-in W.
Bench Pad Dimensions: 36-in. L x 11-in W.
Gap Pad Dimensions: 5.5-in L x 11-in W.
Foot Roller Length: 7-in.
Foot Roller Diameter: 4-in.
Weight Capacity: 600 lb.
Product Weight: 92 lb.

This is a top-notch bench for anyone who is out to build an elite home gym. It will also find its way into some professional establishments to be used in free weight areas.

Pros of the TITAN Max adjustable FID bench

Pros of the TITAN Max adjustable FID bench are:

Incline and Decline positions
Low price
Easy to transport

This is a bench that can be used for the full range of incline and decline positions for your workouts. As such it is very versatile compared to normal flat benches or incline benches. It is built sturdy and will take a beating.

As with all TITAN products, the price comes in at about half of the competition from Rogue and Eleiko, who are currently the market leaders for free weight equipment. Especially if you are buying in large quantities or need to build a semi-professional gym on a tight budget, cutting costs in things like benches, plates and dumbbells can be a good way of achieving your goals.

Attaching a pair of wheels to high-end benches has become standard in the industry to make them easy to transport. Still, not every model and vendor provides this. Especially in a gym set up with many clients where you expect the bench to be moved a lot, this is something to consider.

Cons of the TITAN Max adjustable FID bench

The cons of the TITAN Max adjustable bench are:

Finish
Price
Size

The finish is something that haunts most TITAN products. You have to cut some corners to get to half the price of your competition. The best way to do that is by saving labor costs or extra machinery in finishing your product. Therefore, TITAN products are more likely to have problems with their powder coatings, fit of nuts and bolts, and movement in hinges. Most of the time these shortcomings are fixable with sandpaper, grease, or some other DIY skill, but it gives things a little bit more of a makeshift feel. The adjustable bench is no exception.

The price of the Max adjustable bench is pretty high compared to other benches you can get from TITAN. This also applies to every other vendor when you get a bench that does incline and decline variations. It seems like the decline benches always cost about twice what an incline bench costs. So if you are being honest with yourself, how many decline exercises do you actually do? Does this justify shelling out twice the money for the bench or could you get other equipment for the money saved, that gets you to your goals quicker? If you buy the Max Incline bench you save yourself $200. For that amount of money, you can get a massage gun to recover quicker. That will probably have more impact on your performance than the odd 3x12 decline bench once a week.

A decline bench always needs an extra attachment so that you can strap your feet in. This makes the bench longer, which can get problematic in tight spaces in home gyms. Taking the attachment on and off to move the bench can be annoying and finally, you end up with an incline bench that you paid twice the money for, because you just could not be bothered to get the attachment on and off.

Alternatives to the TITAN Max adjustable FID bench

The TITAN combo rack comes in at $999 and also includes a very sturdy bench. If you are a powerlifter trying to get ready form home for your next competition, then this might be the right road to travel down. Still, this is rather a niche product compared to the other benches from TITAN.

The hefty bench is the right option if you have a massive upper body and a big bench press to back it up, but do not want to invest in a combo rack. This bench is half the price of the Max adjustable FID bench and comes with an extra thick and wide padding. If you flat bench press heavy on a regular basis, this might be a better option for your home gym than the Max adjustable FID.

The single post FID bench is the incline version from FID that only goes up and not down. It also comes without a foot attachment. For most home users it would recommend this one over the Max adjustable FID bench unless you already hang upside down quite a bit in your current workout routines.

Conclusion for the TITAN Max adjustable FID bench

The max adjustable FID bench is good for a home gym, when the owner is into mobility and rehab. For this, the many options to adjust height and angles are of advantage. For a professional gym, it is also wise to maybe have one or two of these decline benches around, depending on how many clients and what other equipment you have. It is not an item I would recommend to buy in bulk. In most scenarios, an incline bench will suffice and cover the most needs at a reasonable price. Decline bench presses are programmed very little and can usually easily be supplemented with other exercises that can be done on an incline bench to attack the lower pecs.