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Rogue Monster Lat pull down stand alone vs TITAN plate loadable tower V2

Written by Pascal Landshoeft | Jan 1, 2021 5:00:00 PM

Rogue Monster Lat pull down stand alone vs TITAN plate loadable tower V2

This is a comparison of the Rogue Monster Lat pull and the TITAN plate loadable tower V2 including pros, cons, and alternatives. Follow the links for more details.

 

Overview and review of the TITAN Plate loadable tower V2 $409

This is an overview of the TITAN Plate loadable tower V2 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 loadable lat tower

 
The TITAN plate loadable lat tower is a solid budget option for a lat tower. It stands by itself and is stable to use. It shops with the lat bar and row handle included which makes it a complete solution. There is not a lot you can do wring with this one if you want a lat pull tower on a budget. The full specifications of the TITAN plate loadable lat tower are:
 
- Dual 13-inch weight posts fit Olympic weight plates
- Four adjustable positions for the thigh pads will fit athletes of all body types
- A durable steel frame and powder-coated paint job deliver a sleek look that will last for years to come
- Four Bolt down holes give you the option for permanent mounting in your home or garage gym
- Includes lat bar and low row handle
 
- Overall Height: 84-in.
- Overall Depth: 56.5-in.
- Overall Width: 48-in.
- Loadable Sleeve Length: 13-in.
- Lat Handle Length: 37.5-in.
- Low Row Handle Length: 15-in.
 
This is a great budget option for any home gym or Iron den where people know what they are doing. It can even be used in a commercial with less experienced clients, as the plate loading mechanism is not as exposed as with other TITAN machines.
 

Pros of the TITAN loadable lat tower

 
The pros of the TITAN loadable lat tower are:
 
  • Price
  • Handles included
  • Stable design
 
One of the main arguments to go for TITAN products is the low price for industrial grade gym machine. The TITAN plate loaded lat tower makes no exception to this rule. For me, it is one of the better machines you can get from TITAN as it is stable and the pulley work is not as exposed as for the Cable crossover machine.
 
Another bonus is that the lat bar and row handle are also included in the price tag. You can shell out up to $200 for these items each depending  on where you get them.
 
This whole machine is more stable than some of the other TITAN machines in the lower price range. I would definitely get this any day over the Cable crossover machine from TITAN.
 

Cons of the TITAN loadable lat tower

 
 
  • Plate loaded
  • No push movements
  • Build for normal humans, not superhumans
 
Plate loaded machines are great when you are the only user or this is not a lot of people around who frequent the machines. If you run a gym with peak times and people falling over each other, than you want the weights on the machine rather than separately on a plate tree.
 
The TITAN plate loaded lat tower is designed for pulling motions only. You can not adjust the pulley to make push movements possible. This lmits the range of exercises you can do with this machine. This becomes especially relevant when this is the only machine you intend to buy for your home gym. Here the functional trainer from TITAN might be the better choice.
 
As with all TITAN machines they have been produced with the average human in mind to save costs. Other vendors like Eleiko and Rogue think of the biggest possible human who could use their machines and build their machines around that. If you are 6 foot tall and weigh more than 250 pounds you might not like the seat on this or even rock the entire machine when you do your berserker mode pulls.
 

Alternatives to the TITAN loadable lat tower

 
 
The TITAN lat tower is a clone of the Rogue lat pull at a substantial lower cost. This is the lat pull machine to get for the commercial gym that puts the machine through a lot of abuse or the home gym fanatic who listens to heavy metal while pulling 300 pounds for sets of 20.
 
The TITAN wall mounted pulley is in my opinion one of the best options for a budget focused home gym to get all of their pulling needs covered. It is safer then some of the other makeshift machines from TITAN and costs less. The only downside is that it does not come with a seat and needs to be drilled into the wall to work.
 
The TITAN plate loadable functional trainer is the optimal compromise between budget and functionality, especially for the home gym. The pulley work as a little too exposed for most commercial scenarios and plate loading also does not help the case here.But in a home gym where you already own the plates and want to cover all of your accessory this is ideal.
 

Conclusion for the TITAN plate loadable lat tower

 
The TITAN plate loadable lat tower is a great option for the home gym owned by the average joe, as long as space allows for it. A professional gym might be better off with the functional trainer. If you lack space in your home gym for a while park of machines you might want to consider the plate loaded functional trainer as it eats up similar space, but offers more options on exercises.

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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