Rogue Monster Rig 2.0 vs TITAN lat tower
This is a comparison of the Rogue Monster Rig and the TITAN lat tower including pros, cons, and alternatives. Follow the links for more details.
Rogue fitness vs TITAN fitness
Rogue Fitness is the current market leader when it comes to a functional home gym and commercial gym equipment. They have one of the widest portfolios including racks, barbells, benches, dumbbells, and apparel for the weekend warrior and dedicated athlete. The biggest downside of Rogue Fitness is their comparatively high prices to the competition.
TITAN Fitness is the clear cost leader when you want to build a home gym on a budget that is still similar to what Rogue offers in function, look, and feel. While you will save about half on the sticker price you will run a higher risk of inconsistencies in quality compared to a purchase from Rogue. The equipment will be safe but is more likely to have blemishes, quality issues with welds or that pieces will not easily fit into place. That makes TITAN a good option for a DIY enthusiast who does not mind tinkering with their equipment, but not the first choice to get the best equipment and treat yourself.
Overview and review of the TITAN Lat tower $1299
This is an overview of the TITAN lat tower including pros, cons and alternatives. This article with originally posted in Which gym machine to get from TITAN. Follow the links for additional information.
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Overview of the TITAN lat tower
The
TITAN lat tower is a low budget clone of the Rogue lat pull. You can increase the weight from 10lbs to 300lbs in increments. With this machine you can train vertical and horizontal pulls to build a bigger back. It includes a seat which is great if you want to go very heavy. If you just get a pulley tower without an attached seat you need an extra bench. This makes the setup awkward, especially when you go heavy. This is a good machine for dedicated powerlifters and bodybuilders who really want to blow up your back. Any commercial gym worth their salt should have at least one of these. A home gym might consider more versatile pulleys to make better use of space. The full specifications of the
TITAN lat tower are:
- Selector style weights from 10 - 300 LB.
- 6 Thigh pad and 8 footplate positions.
- Band pegs for adding resistance bands.
- High quality steel construction and powder coated for a smooth durable finish.
- Lat bar and low pull handle included.
- Floor Dimensions: 41" Wide x 57" Deep
- Overall Height: 87"
- Footplate Dimensions: 17" x 9"
- Lat Bar Width: 42"
- Lat Bar Diameter: 1"
- Low Pull Handle Width: 14"
- Low Pull Handle Diameter: 1"
- Weight: 530 LB
This is a great lat pull machine for this price. Compared to anything you will get on Amazon this thing is sturdy and can take a beast hanging from it going nuts. Compared to direct competitors for a similar machine you save $800. If you are in the market for one of these there is very little not to like about the TITAN lat tower.
Pros of the TITAN Lat tower
-
Price
-
Design
-
Lat bar included
As with anything from TITAN you save considerable money compared to similar products from the competition. The Rogue Lat pull down retails for $2000 and is basically the same machine with some minor differences. If you want to build a great home gym on a budget $800 can go a long way and should not be sneered at.
Even though the design is more or less copied it doesn't make it bad. With this
lat tower you get a rowing machine and a lat pull machine in one. Especially for people who already own a
rack and want to go heavy on developing their back, this is a great machine which covers all of these needs in a compact way.
On top of this the lat bar is included which can cost up to $200 if you source it separately and get a high quality bar.
Cons of the TITAN Lat tower
-
Finish
-
Space requirements
-
Price
As with many TITAN fitness products, TITAN cuts some corners to offer these at half the price of the competition. This is usually reflected in the quality of their staff, manuals and consistency of the finish of their products. As most fitness equipment is not high precision formula 1 gear this is not the end of the world but can get annoying if you are not good at DIY. Compared to Rogue the weights often do not work as smooth, some of the seating positions do not click as well. Its like the difference between an Audi RS4 and a Subaru Impreza. You will get both cars to go fast around corners. The Audi will just be more comfortable and easier to handle for the non professional.
Compared to a
functional trainer or
rack, the
TITAN lat tower takes up approximately the same amount of floor space, while giving you less versatility. If you are mainly concerned with space constraints, a
lat tower is not a great choice. It is a better choice then many other machines but is inferior to a
functional trainer or
rack depending on your preferences in training style.
At a price point of $1299 the
TITAN lat tower is still a considerable investment for a machine that is mainly geared toward accessory exercises. For less money you can get a concept 2 rower or Spin bike and make your gym more functional overall.
Alternatives to the TITAN lat tower
The
plate loadable lat tower is another option from TITAN which saves you $800 if you already own
plates compared to the
Lat tower. If you have a home gym and already own a
rack with weights and do not mind some DIY and a little more setup, the
plate loadable lat tower is a great alternative to the
TITAN lat tower. It will be more prone to break and have a more makeshift feel about it overall, but it keeps another $800 in your pocket to take your partner out or invest in more equipment.
The
TITAN plate loadable crossover machine costs less and leaves you with more options to use two pulleys with
plates. If you have the space in your gym and you do not want to go heavy on vertical pulls this is an option. I am personally not a fan of
cable crossovers unless for chops for your core, but if you are not a free weight fanatic like me, this might be for you.
The
wall mounted pulley tower is the ultimate budget option for vertical pulls from TITAN this comes in at under $200 to train your back and lats. It will need more DIY skills as it needs to be drilled into a sturdy wall. Avoid plaster walls with this one. It will do the job, but the cables are very exposed and easily tangled. Good for beginners, but if you already are 300lbs of fine muscle, do not get a machine that barely weighs more than your daughter and maybe even less than your partner (75lb).
The
TITAN functional trainer is probably the better option if you are worried about space and do not want to go super heavy on your pulls. This machine is a fully functioning gym itself, even though some of the setups, especially for squats, can be awkward. It takes up the same amount of space as the
Lat tower. If you go for the
plate loadable version it even costs less than the
lat tower, assuming you already have
plates. Otherwise you would have to factor their purchase into the overall costs.
Conclusion for the TITAN Lat tower
The
TITAN lat tower is a great option for the home gym of the dedicated Arnold or Ed Coan in wait. It is also a great option for commercial gyms that are looking for good,sturdy equipment that will take beating at a reasonable price. Anyone who needs to optimize for space should stay away from this as a
functional trainer or
rack would be a better option. If budget is not of concern, the Rogue lat pull will be more refined option but only if your of the mindset to only get the best in class or $800 is only spare change to you. This is a great buy for anyone who means business, has space, and still wants to protect their wallet.
Overview and review of the Rogue Monster Rig 2.0
Price: 1.845 - 6.095$
This review was originally posted in the longer article "Which strength equipment to buy from rogue" in in which you can read about 25 products of Rogue which cost more than 1.000$. The Rogue Monster Rig 2.0 can be a good start to build your first commercial gym. See the details in this article.
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Overview of the Rogue Monster Rig
The concept behind the
rigs is the backbone of any CrossFit "box" gym. This design is genius in its adaptability and flexibility. As with all highly flexible and adaptable systems, this makes the purchase process a bit more complicated. Before you
buy a rig, make sure you have measured your gym, made some reasonable assumptions about your potential clients, or even better asked them directly. You can spend thousands of Dollars on attachments and space, that your clients might not even use and you, therefore, don't need.
The constant factors in the
Monster Rig built are the width, height, steel notes, and built pattern. The
Rogue Monster rig is 6' wide and 9' high. The steel nodes come in 3x3 11- Gauge steel. The
rigs will be built in a 4-6-4 pattern,
which means that the squat/bench stations are 4' wide while there is 6' space between the stations. The main variations are the length and edition of the
Rogue Monster Rig. The editions are from lowest to highest price:
- Base 2.0 Edition
- Standard 2.0 Edition
- Racked 2.0 Edition
The base version has the lowest cost, The construction gets its stability from double
pull up bars. If you have no clients who want to do muscle ups and you do not want options to place rogue accessories up high for climbing exercises this is the way to go. If you want to be able to do muscle ups ask rogue whether you can swap the double bars to
dirty south bars. This provides the double beam while moving the
pull-up bars out to be able to do muscle ups. The standard Edition might be more cost effective for this purpose.
The standard edition comes in at a slightly higher cost. For this, you get the second generation of the
rigs. Rogue changed their
pull up bars so that muscle ups are possible and there's more support where the bars attach to the
beams of the rig. The upper construction has also been optimized that it can take more accessories. This leaves you with more options for upgrades and more stability, as the upper construction is now sturdier. The base and standard edition are optimized for Crossfit as you can move around the ground more freely. For gyms focused on weight training & powerlifting, you might want more stability and beams.
The
Racked Edition of the Rig adds considerable cost. In return, you will get more rack space. Each bench/squat station now basically turns into an
RM6 rack with one full rack in front and a
half rack in the back. The
half racks could be filled with
Rhino belt squat machines. This setup also enables band work in and outside of the
rack and opens more storage options for
plates. The downside is that this setup is suboptimal for CrossFit gyms. There is too much going on on the ground to freely move around.
The Rogue Monster RIg is available in 4 different lengths which are
- 10'
- 2 Squat/Bench Stations
- 6 Pull-up Stations
- 14'
- 4 Squat/Bench stations
- 8 Pull up stations
- 20'
- 4 Squat/Bench Stations
- 12 Pull up Stations
- 24'
- 6 Squat/Bench stations
- 14 Pull up Stations
The more clients you want to serve in parallel the longer
the rig should be. Choose wisely between the setups especially on your first purchase. Remember that you can always buy more at a later stage. You can even make it a business goal to be able to justify to
make your Rig longer based on growing numbers in classes.
Pros of the Rogue Monster Rig
The Rigs are highly modular and versatile. You can find an option for almost any budget and can do a multitude of exercises in them. The general feedback in the market is that Rogue comes in at a higher price and delivers with solid builds. You can also see how Rogue incorporated client feedback and
kept improving their RIgs based on it. Buying anything out of the
Monster series also protects your investment for the future. Most upgrades are first released for
Monster and are only later made available for
Monster lite if it all.
Cons of the Rogue Monster Rig
How many clients should the Monster Rig 2.0 bring you?
Your first
monster Rig purchase will be very important. If you are at this juncture take a really hard look at your business plan.
- How many people live in the area?
- How many people are already on your books?
- What kind of training do they like?
- Are there other gyms in the area?
- What kind of equipment do they have?
- What do you like?
- What do you dislike?
- What kind of equipment do you have yourself?
- Is it compatible with the Rogue Monster Rig?
- How much space do you have?
- Where are the doors?
- Where are major obstructions?
- Where will you store equipment?
Just to name a few. It is easy to get excited about Rogue's great equipment and get carried away. If you are flush with cash have fun. If you are cash-stricken do multiple iterations of the planning process and reflect with others over it to get the optimum for your dime.
If you think that the
Monster Rig will bring you 7 to 21 new clients who pay you 50$ on a 1-year retainer it is worth the investment. This will yield 4.200$ to 12.600$ in net new revenue against an investment of 1.895$ to 6.095$. Adjust the numbers for your own gym accordingly. If this Rogue is being bought for opening the doors also factor in running costs like electricity, insurance, staff education, and labor.
Alternatives to the Monster Monster Rig
For this, I will go with the average between of 1.895 and 6.095 which computes to 4.995$.
This is the minimum configuration of the little brother of the
Monster Rig.
- Base Edition
- Rig length 10'
The main difference are the holes
which have been drilled into the material. This means that usually more accessories work with the
Monster than with the
Monster lite. Most rogue material is overbuilt for the purpose. I would not worry too much about stability and safety between the
Monster Lite and
Monster versions.
Conclusion
The Rogue Monster Rig 2.0 is an uncompromising start to your new gym. Even the biggest athletes will be able to brutalize it without significant impact or movement in the structure. If you have the money and want to build the best of the best, this is the way to go.