REP fitness OMNI rack vs Rogue RML 690c

This is a comparison between the Rep Fitness OMNI rack and the Rogue Rogue RML 690c. Follow the links for more details.

Overview and review of the Rogue RML 690C Power Rack

Price: 1.750

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 RML 690C rack is a great option for style and storage to build your home gym. See the details in this article.

Most popular Rogue racks in 2020

Attached you find which Rogue racks have been most popular on Marathon-Crossfit.com in terms of views of their reviews and click through rates to Rogue Fitness for purchases. If you want to learn more about the details of the composition of the data you can read the full analyses under what were the most popular Rogue products in 2020.

Overview of the Rogue RML 690C

The Rogue RML690C Rack weighs in at 530LB. It has 76'' of length while being 49'' in width. The height comes in at 90.375''. When you want to place the RML690C into your gym the footprint will be 80''x53''. With this rack, you are getting the little sister of the RM6 rack. It is compatible with the Monster Lite series and gives you a full and half rack to work with. The half rack can either be used for plate storage or have more athletes train in the rack.

The 690C is available in the following colors:

Bright Blue
Bright Green
Burnt Orange
Dark Blue
Dark Red
Gun Metal
Light Gray
Rogue Red
Satin Black
Satin clear
White

In a Semi-Gloss Powdercoat. You have Westside hole spacing at the bottom to have more options for bench pressing setups. Another big advantage of this rack is that it does not need to be bolted to the floor.

The Rogue RML690C is a solid all in one solution for storage and training space for a home gym or in a professional gym to make the best of the space.

How many clients should the Rogue RML690C bring you?

If you think that the Rogue RML 690C will bring you 6 new clients who pay you 50$ on a 1-year retainer it is worth the investment. This will yield 3.600$ net new revenue against an investment of 1.750$. Adjust the numbers for your own gym accordingly.

Pros of the Rogue RML 690C

The Rogue RML 690C is a bit lighter on the budget than its bigger brother the RM6. It still provides storage options and space to train multiple athletes and hold plates at the same time. It comes in different colors to fit your taste or gym setup depending on how you want to express your branding.

Cons of the Rogue RML 690C

The Rogue RML690C might be a bit too big for home setups. There are reports of people who purchased it for personal use and came to the conclusion that the 490 would have more than sufficed. Think about how you will use the additional half rack, as otherwise, it will only be a waste of valuable floor space. You can also not use the RML 690C with the Rhino Drop in, which is one of my personal biggest reasons not to get it.

Alternatives to the Rogue RML 690C

Here are some alternatives for you from Rogue for a budget of 1.750$

1x Rogue RML 490C @1.075$

The RML4 still gives you the option to choose a color of your liking while saving you 700$ USD which can be used towards a barbell and plates on your first purchase for a home gym. For professional uses, you can also fit more 490C into your facilities if you already have solutions for string the plates.

1x Rogue R6 rack @1.495$

If you do not want to compromise on having a full and half rack at your disposal you can go for the R6. The R6 is part of the Infinity series which uses less material to build the racks. It is still more than enough to train heavy in them as the Monster Lite and Monster series bear their names for a reason. With this, you would still be able to sneak in an Ohio Bar while staying under 2.000$.

Conclusion

The Rogue RML 690C is a great option for home gyms or commercial gyms for mere mortals. Be mindful about the space you have before buying the 690 versions of Rogues racks. If you do not know what to do with the half rack at the back, go for something smaller.

Overview and review of the REP fitness OMNI rack

This is an overview of the REP fitness OMNI rack including the pros, cons, and alternatives. This article was originally posted in which rack to buy from REP Fitness. Follow the links for more information.

Overview of the REP OMNI Rack $934

The Rep OMNI rack is a flat foot version of the REP PR-5000 series which has gained quite some popularity recently. It is a solid rack from a vendor who imports their parts rather than making them in the US as Sorinex and Rogue Fitness would. The main difference to the PR-5000 is the flat foot base and the numbering on the uprights. The full specifications of this rack are:

3x3 11-Gauge Steel with 1” diameter holes on upright.
Compatible with most 5000 Series attachments including the Lat/Low Row.
Up to 15 potential configurations when paired with the Omni Plus.
J-cup, color options, and attachments are fully customizable.
A long, flat-footed base helps promote stability, no need to bolt the rack down.
Large stainless steel logo plate for additional rigidity and lateral stability.
Includes: Multi-grip pull-up bar, six-band pegs, and hardware to connect up to six uprights to the base.
Enough hardware will be provided for all possible configurations, which means that extra hardware may be left over after the build.
Lat attachment adds 23" depth to the 4-post half-rack or adds 5" depth to the 6-post power rack is mounted to the interior uprights.

This is a good option when you do not want to bolt down your rack and start with a half rack that you will later upgrade. If you are looking for the most space-efficient option in the market it is probably not the best rack you can get.

Pros of the REP OMNI Rack

The Pros of the OMNI rack are:

Flat foot design
Slightly lower price than their main competitors
Upgrade options

The main point about this rack is the flat foot design which means that you do not need to bolt it to the ground to make it stable. The bottom has quite some weight to it and a bigger footprint than a regular 4 post-half-rack would have. This is great to keep it from tipping over when you only have four posts and want to work with banded resistance on the deadlift, bench press, and squat.

As REP imports their material they can get away with lower costs for racks that compare in quality to the market leader Rogue Fitness. This means you get a similar quality rack for a lower price. This is one of the most appealing aspects of the REP fitness as they generally seem to do a better job on quality control than TITAN fitness but use overseas to keep costs down.

This is probably the best rack from REP fitness you can get, if you do not want to bolt down your rack but have big plans for it in the future. You will basically get a PR-5000 with a flat foot design and can add to the base to your heart's contempt with further uprights.

Cons of the REP OMNI Rack

The cons of the OMNI rack are:

Space requirements
Numbering on uprights
Website ordering system

The flat foot base of the OMNI rack is laid out to accommodate a six-post design. While this makes it one of the few flat foot designs in the market for a six-post rack, it eats up too much space in a home gym with limited space. If you want to optimize for space a folding rack or a regular half-rack are the better options.

The numbering on the uprights does not go through every hole. While this saves cost in production it is a little inconsequential for ease of use. Either have no numbers to maximize my savings or number all holes to maximize the ease of use. This is especially true if you are buying in a commercial setting rather than a home gym.

Ordering an OMNI rack is a little tricky and I wouldn't recommend it for first-time rack buyers. With these modular systems, it is better to really have an idea of the dimensions and accessories you are buying before configuring it. Compared to their main competitor rogue the configuration system on the website is also not as easy to use. But that is just my personal taste.

Alternatives to the REP OMNI Rack

Alternatives to the REP Omni rack are:

This selection of racks is based in 3x3 11 Gauge steel uprights to avoid presenting too many options to you. If you want to save more money you can also look into 2x3 Gauge uprights. The smaller you are and the lighter the weights you move, the more likely it is that you should try to save some money for your home gym by going with a smaller frame. Commercial buyers should go as big as they possibly can on their budget based on insurance questions and that you can not predict as well who will use your equipment.

If you stick with the idea of "I want a Rogue quality rack at the lowest possible price" then the REP-PR 5000 and the REP PR-4100 are two other options to consider. The REP PR-5000 has been hailed as one of the best, if not the best, rack for home gym users based on its good value for money. You can configure it as a 4 post or 6 post rack. The main difference to the OMNI rack is that it does not come with a flat foot design. The REP PR-4100 would be the folding rack option from REP Fitness. This is a good way to go if you still want to park your car in your garage when you are not training.

If you are toying with the idea of a flat foot 6 post rack the OMNI rack is one of the few, if not the only option out there. Another option would be the RM6 rack from Rogue which needs to be bolted to the ground. Go with the RM6 if you are planning to get a belt squat, as currently, the Rhino Drop-in is the superior option to the belt squats from REP Fitness. The Rogue RM3 is the half rack option from Rogue with 3x3 Gauge steel. If you have the budget for an Omni rack you can probably also afford the RM3. With the RM3 you are saving footprint compared to the OMNI rack, as it comes with four uprights without a flat foot design. The uprights will also have all the holes numbered instead of just a few on the OMNI rack. With this rack, you will be buying from the current market leader in home gym equipment in terms of quality and units sold. Rogue also goes to lengths to make sure that their product is as American as possible by sourcing metal and staff locally and keeping production lines in Ohio. This comes at a higher price than their competitors to the consumer. The Rogue RM3W is the folding variation of the RM3. If you want the best and can afford it and you are not that much into the flat foot idea, this can be a good route to explore.

The TITAN series rack is the flagship of the TITAN rack lineup. This is TITAN's go at being like Rogue Fitness. You will also get a 3x3 11 Gauge steel uprights setting, but this is a full rack, rather than a half rack. If you were toying with the idea of a full rack that does not need to be bolted to the ground, then this might be the right option for you. If you want a 3x3 folding rack then the X-3 from TITAN would be the right choice. TITAN is known to undercut most of the other vendors on the market considerably when you compare like for like. This is why I am presenting you with their top-line rack as an alternative to the OMNI rack. The downside of TITAN is that the same to have the most incidents with quality issues between Rogue, REP Fitness, and TITAN fitness. This makes sense as you need to cut some corners to undercut everyone else in the market. If you don't mind a potential risk of minor blemishes, some inconsistency in paint, or on the drilling of the holes, then TITAN is right for you. A good option for the DIY enthusiast who wants to save money for a new drill to fix their rack setup and then have it for other home projects.

Conclusion for the REP OMNI Rack

The REP OMNI rack is in my opinion the REP fitness approach to tailoring their portfolio to universities. This is the right rack for the strength coach that does not want to explain to the dean why he has to drill holes into the resurfaced gym floor that was paid out of taxpayer's money. The same goes for someone who is renting a mansion and wants to put a six-post rack into it without damaging the 100-year-old original floor. For anyone who can drill into the floor or just uses a rack without bolting it to the ground, I think it is not the ideal option. Why create an unnecessary unused footprint in your limited home gym space for a half-rack?