Rogue Monster Slinger vs Rogue Flip down safeties

This is a comparison between Rogue Slinger and Rogue flip down safeties including pros, cons, and alternatives. The Original was published in which accessory equipment to get for your rogue rack. Follow the links for details

Overview and review of the Rogue Flip down safeties

The Flip down safety comes in at $385 and is a great addition to your existing rack to widen the possible exercises you can do. This article was originally published in "which accessory equipment to get for your rogue rack".

Overview of the Flipdown safeties

The rogue flip down safeties are the rolls Royce of the safety pins you can get from Rogue. They are easy to adjust in height and provide a better platform for your rack pulls and pin pulls than safety pins or belts. They can be combined with the utility seat and LT1 50 cal short arms to create many different applications. The full set includes:

Made in Columbus, Ohio
Sold in Pairs
3 x 3" 11-Gauge Steel
Holes 2” on center
Protective UHMW plastic to protect the bar
Easy slide-in and lock-down installation
Includes (2) Monster Hitchpins
Can also be used as a pulling platform
Color: Black
Length 43”
Width 3”

If you want to secure yourself in a rack with style this is the way to go.

Pros of the flipdown safeties

The flip-down safeties will take many beatings before they break. While the safety pins will warp slightly after a full drop of a weight, the flip-down safeties will stand tall. For pin squats and rack pulls they will also provide a better and more stable platform than pins and belts.

Cons of the flipdown safeties

The flip down safeties are more expensive and weigh more than the safety belts and pins. This can be of disadvantage when you have to buy multiple units or have many beginners working out at your gym.

Alternatives to the flipdown safeties

Alternatives to the flip-down safeties are

Most rogue racks ship with safety pins as a standard. Pay attention to the detailed descriptions and if you are in doubt ask their customer support before the purchase.

Safety belts are another variation on pins. Their advantage is that they will not warp when you drop a weight from a high height in them. I personally find them hard to adjust for pin squats and rack pulls and prefer the pins or flip down safeties.

Summary of the Flipdown safeties

The flip-down safeties are a great investment, especially if you do not have to but multiple racks and can use the budget for yourself only.

Overview and review Monster Slinger

The Rogue Monster Slinger is a compromise between a full lat pull or a makeshift solution for your Rogue rack.

The Rogue slinger is an attachment to turn your existing rogue into a lat pulldown and ranges from $225 to $290 depending on which version you are getting. The slinger can be used with a resistance band or plate loaded option. This is an item where you have to pay special attention to the details to get the right fit. The specifications are:

(2) Slinger Mounting Plates
(2) 6" Cable Pulleys
(1) 1/4" MIL Spec Cable with Rogue made hardware
(1) Slinger Extension Strap - for 100” and 108” units
(1) Slinger Band Sheath - 1000D Cordura
(2) Carabiners
(2) Black Zinc 1" Monster Bolt Assemblies
(2) Rubber Grommets for protecting the cable

This is a cost-efficient solution for a lat pulldown which is not completely makeshift. Rogue was smart by marketing its pulley system as a separate product while they are working on a bigger range of machines with a reflex for commercial gyms. Keep in mind that this is not as tidy a solution as a proper lat pull and will have some downsides when you use it.

Pros of the Rogue Slinger

The pros of the Rogue slinger are

The price
Space
The value for money

The Rogue slingers price and space requirements are superior to a full lat pull machine which is ten times the cost. If you already have a rogue rack, the slinger is an easy addition to add pulley work to your exercise regimen without breaking the bank or a wall in your home gym.

Cons of the Rogue Slinger

Cons of the Rogue slinger are:

Limited weight options
Storage when not used
Exposed mechanics

The Rogue slinger is better than bands for resistance, but will not beat a traditional weight stack in terms of ease of use and amount of resistance provided.

The slinger can be annoying when you are not using it. Rogue did not think about where the cables while going when you are not using the slinger. A cheaper pulley system will be easier to remove and get out of the way fast, but also be less stable when used. Rogue has the Spud Inc. pulley system in its shop which would fit that bill.

Alternatives to the slinger

The Rogue lat pull-down will put you back around $2000. With this, you get a full stand-alone lat pull and rowing machine including the weights. The Rogue lat pull is available as an attachment to Rogue Monster racks or stand-alone. The weight stacks and mechanics are quite exposed, but storing nothing will get in the way. Compared to the slinger it is a lot more space and money to be invested for faster and more convenient training at higher resistance.

The Rogue LP2 is the next generation of Rogue lat pull machines which combines the pulley from the slinger with the components from the lat pull down from Rogue. This machine will put you back around $3000 and will be the right choice for a commercial setting as it exposes the weight stacks and mechanics less compared to the lat pull. For any home gym, you would be overshooting the target in my opinion with this machine.

The spud inc pulley system is a little cheaper than the slinger. It is easier to install and remove from the rack than the slinger but therefore also less stable. The spud inc is the right choice of you want o transport your lat pull often or get it out if the way faster. In return, you will not go crazy on weights with this one.

Summary of the slinger

The Rogue slinger is a good solution if you already own a rogue rack. If you do not have space or money for a lat pull go for the slinger. Otherwise, invest in a proper lat pull to be proud and train without annoying cables in your way.