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Rogue Monster Lat pull down stand alone vs TITAN cable crossover machine

Written by Pascal Landshoeft | Dec 30, 2020 5:00:00 PM

Rogue Monster Lat pull down stand alone vs TITAN cable crossover machine

This is a comparison of the Rogue Monster Lat pull and the TITAN cable crossover machine including pros, cons, and alternatives. Follow the links for more details.

 
 

Overview and review of the TITAN cable crossover machine $459

This is an overview of the TITAN cable crossover machine including pros, cons and alternatives. This article was originally posted in Which gym machine to get from TITAN. Follow the links for additional information.

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Overview of the TITAN Cable Crossover machine

 
The TITAN cable crossover machine is a take on a classic which you will find in most gyms. Usually this is part of a machine with weight stacks and an included pull up bar. This machine is great for cable pulls and chopping movements to strengthen your core and back. You can even use it for chest presses and other pressing exercises, given that you have a bench. The full specifications of this machine are:
 
- Fits and stores easily in your garage. 
- Unit fits in rooms with an 8 ft ceiling. 
- High-quality pulleys and cables used. 
- 4 Weight plate holders measuring 9.75-in each. 
- Includes 2 premium cable handles. 
 
- Footprint: 113-in W x 36-in D. 
- Overall Height: 83.5-in. 
- Clearance Height: 80.5-in. 
- Weight Holder Length: 9.75-in. 
- Weight: 110 lb.
 
This is machine that covers most of your pulley needs in one go if you can fit it into your gym. In my opinion it is still a makeshift and cheap solution to cover this need. If you can afford it, try to go with something more substantial like the TITAN functional trainer or the TITAN lat tower depending on the space you have at your command.
 

Pros of the  TITAN Cable Crossover

 
The pros of the TITAN cable crossover machine are:
 
  • Price
  • Plate loaded
 
This machine is all about getting a pulley system into your gym for a minimal amount of money. Everything about this has been optimized to achieve a low price, while still providing an industrial grate machine. If you want pulleys for your home and do not want to spend a fortune, this is the one to get.
 

Cons of the TITAN Cable crossover

 
 
  • No Pull up bar
  • Low own weight
  • Makeshift solution
 
Most of the Cable crossovers you will find in the industry will come with a pull up bar in the middle. That TITAN to choose to ship this one without a pull up bar already shows you how confident they are that this machine will stand by itself. If you are looking to get a fully functioning home gym for the lowest possible price, try to get a cable crossover machine that includes a pull up bar. If you look for it on Amazon, take a close look into how to anchor it to the ground and how much it weighs.
 
This stations has a low weight without plates and the construction is done in a way that it does not stand that well by itself. Be careful and do not climb on this, especially when there are no weights attached. It might fall over.
 
As with all complex assemblies from TITAN this pulley system makes no exception. The instructions are hard to follow and faulty and the end result does the job, but not very well. This whole station has a bit of a makeshift feeling about it, but you can also not complain a lot for less than $500 for such a big machine.
 

Alternatives to the TITAN Cable crossover

 
 
The TITAN lat tower is a clone of the Rogue lat pull machine. If you want to mainly use your cable crossover full vertical and horizontal pulls than this machine delivers it all. A seat, weight stack, beefy installation and proper pulley system. If you have the money and space beside a rack, this is a great option from TITAN to save money compared to the competition.
 
The TITAN wall mounted pulley tower is another option from TITAN for the low budget brigade. I would recommend this over the cable crossover if you are allowed to drill into the walls of your gym. It costs less, is safer as it is mounted to the wall and you can still use it in a very similar way. The money you save you can invest in a proper pull up station, as this also does not come with this cable crossover.
 

Conclusion to the TITAN Cable Crossover

 
I have to admit that I am not a huge fan of cable crossovers in general and the TITAN does a poor job of being one on top of it. For the low budget you still get an OK machine, but as it most likely to be used in a home gym you can also go for something smaller and really bolt it down. This saves you space and money, and is more secure. If you love cable work, go for the plate loaded functional trainer or the mounted pulley tower instead.

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.

 

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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. 
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