REP fitness OMNI rack vs TITAN T3 color rack

This is a comparison between the Rep Fitness OMNI rack and the TITAN T3 color rack. Follow the links for more details.

Overview and review T3 Tall power rack color

The TITAN T3 color will put you back about $500. TITAN is well known for their very good prices compared to their competition and will get you started on your home gym. This review was originally posted in “which Titan rack to buy for under $500”

Overview of the T3 tall color power rack

The Titan T3 is probably the best value for money rack you can get from TITAN. It’s main characteristics are the 2x3 steel tubes. There are also 2x2 and 3x3. The T3 offer you 21 different tack positions to live up to your personal body size. The colors you can choose from are:

Royal blue
Fire Red
Envy green
Ghost white

You will get the following features and specifications included with the T3 colored rack:

2" x 3" 11 gauge steel uprights and 5/8" hardware.
1,100 LB rackable capacity
4,400 LB total rack capacity.
1.25" and 2" diameter pull up bars included.
Left and right-handed J-hooks included.
Height: 91 1/8"
Height of Pull Up Bar: 89"
Inside Width: 42 1/8"
Outside Width: 53 1/4"
Inside Depth: 36"
Outside Depth: 44 3/4"
Floor Space: 16.7 square feet
Weight: 270 LB

Pros of the TITAN T3 color

The price of the TITAN line up is usually the biggest factor when someone considers buying them. Especially if you want to buy more than one rack, this is something to seriously consider. For home gyms you might want to pull back from extras you will not use anyway and focus on high quality for the key pieces. These are usually the rack, the bar, and the bench. With the T3 you also go for the middle of the portfolio, which is always a good choice to get good quality at a moderate price.

Cons of the T3 TITAN color

Titan has, unfortunately, built a reputation in the market that the low cost is bought at the price of imperfect finish. When you see your rack as a working tool mainly which will get scratches anyway, this doesn’t matter. But when you opt for a color rack you probably do care about appearances. This can get annoying if the finish of your rack, which you obviously care about, is a bit of Russian roulette. If you go TITAN to save money, you might as well not go for a colored option.

Alternatives to the TITAN T3 color

These are other options for the T3 color:

If you want to leave out the color option you can get the same rack including an Incline bench for the same price. If you are already pinching pennies, why not go all the way?

Another way to go is to save on the color to have more budget for different size options on the T3 and maybe even adding some plate holders. The T3 is available in a short and tall version to adjust the height. For depth, you can choose between 24” and 36”.

If you want to stay within budget but start your gym with 3x3 tubing you can go for the X3 squat stand. This is a good option for big and/or experienced lifters who prefer the freedom and flexibility of a squat stand, yet still, move big weights. I recommend that you have enough space and experience on how to drop weights from a squat position if you opt for a squat stand. Spotter arms are nice with a stand but usually useless. You either miss them on a hardcore drop or the entire unit comes down because you didn’t bolt it to the ground.

The T3 folding rack saves you about $200 on the T3 and can be installed in your garage. If you only train on the weekends or two days a week, this is a good option so that you can still use the garage or basement for your car/ miscellaneous rubbish you think is important ( I have that stuff in my attic). The savings can be put towards a barbell like the blues city or Atlas bar.

Summary for the T3 color

The T3 is a solid rack from TITAN which is lighter than the 3x3 versions on your wallet and a lot lighter compared to other options in the market. Personally, I can’t get my head around the idea of saving on your home gym but then wanting an individual color. With purchasing at TITAN you are at a higher risk compared to other options in the market that you might not be happy with the finish on arrival.

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?