REP fitness PR-4100 rack vs Rogue RM8
This is a comparison between the Rep Fitness PR-4100 rack and the Rogue RM8. Follow the links for more details.
Overview and review of the Rogue RM8 Power rack
The Rogue RM8 power rack is the new flagship of the rogue rack portfolio for $7.350. It combines the new LT1, Rhino Belt and RM6 into the Rolls Royce of racks.Here are the pros and cons and alternatives to this beast.
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Overview of the RM8
The
RM8 is the newest edition to the Rogue Monster line up. After publishing the 50cal, Rhino belt squat and a multitude of new bar designs using the Cerakote finish Rogue out it all together and went even bigger. This is the ultimate station to get stronger, especially for anyone who wants to squat heavy up until older age.
As part of the Rogue monster series, you will get the 3x3 Gauge steel with the big bolts. The finish is currently only Cerakote black also I am quite positive that this will change in the foreseeable future. The
RM8 has the following dimensions:
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Length 10’6”
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Width 6’4”
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Width Rack inside 43”
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Height 100.375”
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Footprint 10’6” x 53”
You will basically get an RM6 on steroids with all the plate storage you need and extra functionality to attack your muscles from every angle. Here is the list of items:
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Knurled Socket pull up bar
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Custom Rogue Nameplate
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6 long plate storage pins
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4 short plate storage pins
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Monster Sandwich J Cups
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4 Monster band pegs
The
loadable weight trolleys are two lever arms with the
50cal mechanism. Again Rogue has shown innovation on these. They revised that the original lever arms were cumbersome to adjust and can up with these. Footballers and Rugby players will appreciate the tackling training which can be done with them. Strongman athletes will have a good piece of equipment to simulate car deadlifts or uneven loads. Bodybuilders will have options to simulate all kinds of rowing and pressing machines when combined with an adjustable bench. Finally, powerlifters can use the setup to create a mini monolift.
The pull-up bar with knurling gives you extra grip. It is one of the newer additions to the rack options of Rogue. Still, it is a bar, not a lot to be said about it.
The custom rogue nameplates look cool, but that is about it. It’s a pity that Rogue does not allow the configuration to be changed to a simple cross member. The nameplate renders the beam almost unusable for any attachments. Still, it looks dang cool.
That plate pins are great as they safe you the extra hassle and cost to provide for plate storage. If you have children in your home I recommend getting spring collars to make the plates safe. Some like to put the plate pins as high as possible. I would not do that as the plates will drop from a height into anything below if they come off the rack. Most children won’t be able to move the spring collars, so at least you have some safety.
The band legs can be used to train with the west side method. You attach bands to the pegs and barbell for added resistance. You can see an example of how that works in the two videos below.
Pros of the RM8
The
RM8 is the one-stop-shop for the latest and greatest that Rogue has to offer. The
Rhino belt squat will give you many variations to train while keeping your lower back safe. You can switch from resisted jumps to band assisted squats. The potential is limitless. It is really great to see that products can still be made better in a market which you thought was saturated. If you have the money the Banshee won’t disappoint.
Cons of the RM8
$7000 is a big price tag for a rack. You can get 7
Fortis racks for this price if you were to equip a commercial gym. Another option would be a
monkey rig which gives many more options to run classes of them. This beast is aimed at in e or two people. Of course, you can have more people train at it, but this is definitely the ultimate celebrity or athlete home gym, not the commercial option. Unless you are an NFL team and do not care about multiplying out the 7000 over half the numbers of players you have.
Another con is that for the biggest price tag you get no color option. That is a shame and hopefully changes soon. They probably assemble it by hand and coat it as they don’t have a production line for the
RM8 yet. Stay tuned in this space.
Alternatives to the RM8
There are no alternatives if you want all the best toys of Rogue in one rack. But not everyone has 7000 to spend on a rack. Here are some alternatives to spend your hard-earned money on excellent Rogue equipment:
If you have the same amount of money to spend but also think about how to make that money back in a professional gym setup the
monkey Rig or a monster rig might be a better choice. A Rig leaves you with more options for circuit training and positing people up. You can read more about rigs in my
monkey and
monster rig articles.
If you want to spend money on a very good rack for your home gym you can go for the
RM6 instead. The
RM6 comes with different height and color options and leaves you with more choice rather than the take it or leave it approach of the banshee. If you were to come to money at after stage you can still upgrade with the
Rhino Drop in and the
50cal trolley arms separately. You can learn about the
RM6 in my review.
The
RM4 fortis is the best rack option from Rogue under 1.000. If you wanted to equip a commercial gym with seven racks rather than one rolls Royce that is the option to go for. The
RM4 is still a great rack and your customers will be happy.
3WC is a rack option which can fold in and be snug against the wall. This way it is an ideal setup for a garage gym when you still want to park your car. It also comes in at around $500.
Summary of the RM8
The
RM8 is the best to be had from Rogue. You can use the
Rhino when your lower back is at you or do resisted pull-ups while the rest of the rack offers everything for plate storage to a pull-up station. Of course, it is over the top, but that’s the whole point.
Overview and review of the REP fitness PR-4100 rack
This is an overview of the REP fitness PR-4100 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.
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Overview of the REP PR-4100 Rack $429
The
REP PR-4100 is the folding version of the
PR-4000 rack that outbid the REP fitness rack product line. With this rack, you get two uprights, and the cross-members you need to build a rack that can be bolted to the wall with a folding mechanism. This is the ideal rack for a garage gym in which you still want to park or a floor space that should be transformed into a yoga or playroom after the use of the rack. Some of the specifications for this rack are:
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Choose between 21.5" or 41" depth (from wall to the front outside of upright).
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(1) pair of plastic-lined J-cups.
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(1) easy-to-adjust 1.25" pull-up bar.
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5/8" diameter hardware.
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1" hole spacing in benching area.
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2" hole spacing above and below bench area.
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Uprights: 11-gauge steel, 3x3", 92" tall.
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21.5" Dims: 18.5" inside length x 42.5" inside width.
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41" Dims: 38" inside length x 42.5" inside width.
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48.5" overall width.
This is a solid option to get a lower-cost folding rack of good quality. Especially with folding racks it nightmare sense to invest a few extra dollars as the folding action needs more attentional detail in production than a simple four post rack.
Pros of the REP PR-4100 Rack
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Space efficient
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Budget efficient
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Reliable brand
The biggest plus of folding racks is that they can get out of the way when they are not needed anymore. If you only have one occasional user of the rack in the house O would seriously consider a folding rack.
The
PR-4100 is good on your purse from two perspectives. You are getting your rack from a company that imports their products from China and you are buying a product that uses less metal than a
PR-4000 or
PR-5000. This makes the
PR 4100 a smart buy. Especially if you are not planning on many upgrades and attachments.
Compared to Amazon resellers or TITAN fitness you will buy from a young brand that is still bending over backward to grow its customer base. You will get good, reliable service with this rack in most cases, that is why the price is a little higher than sourcing from Amazon or from TITAN.
Cons of the REP PR-4100 Rack
As this is a folding rack with smaller holes on 3x3 uprights your use of attachments will be very limited. Personally, I think the most you can really get out of a folding rack is a dip station and not much else, but that is just me.
If you buy from REP Fitness your rack will be produced and packaged in China and then send to a warehouse in the US. If that rubs your patriotic streak up the wrong way you have to buy from Rogue Fitness instead and pay the extra money American Labour costs.
My biggest con for a folding rack is that you still have to come up with some solution for storing your plates as you can not do it on the rack. Unless you keep it permanently in place which defeats the purpose. There are good wall storage solutions for plates but those involve more DIY.
Alternatives to the REP PR-4100 Rack
The Rogue RML3WC is what comes closest out of the Rogue fitness portfolio to you the
PR-4100. It has the same uprights with only slightly different drillings for the holes. Some say that the folding action on the RML3WC is a little smoother but that also hugely depends on where it is being installed and who did the job.
The
TITAN X3 folding rack is TITAN’s 3x3 upright folding rack. This is the best option for a low price while still having some proper customer support with it. Other options are Amazon resellers who just stuck produce to flip it for a small
margin in bulk.
The
REP SR 4000 is an alternative option if you believe in squat stands with a big base for stabilizing. I personally don’t but if you think that is a good idea the
SR 4000 is excellent value for money.
Conclusion for the REP PR-4100 Rack
I personally think folding racks are a great idea for home gyms that need to co promise. If you use your garage as a mechanic/workshop in parallel or own a fancy Sunday car, this is the right option for you.