Rogue pegboard vs Rogue Socket pull up bar

This is a comparison of the Rogue Pegboard and the Rogue Socket pull up bar that looks at the pros, cons and alternatives for this product. Follow the links for additional detail.

Overview and review of the Rogue Socket pull up bar

This is an overview of the Rogue Socket pull up bar that looks at the pros, cons and alternatives for this product. Follow the links for additional detail.

Overview of the Rogue Socket pull up bar

Price $135 - $115

The Rogue socket pull up bar is one of the standard check out options on any rack from Rogue. If you buy them separately and do not have sockets yet, make sure that you get the right sockets to attach the bar to your Monster, Monster Lite, or Infinity rack. The socket pull up bar also comes in multiple colors ina cerakote finish. The full specifications of this bar are:

Made in the USA
43” Single Pull-Up Bar - Compatible with Monster Series rigs and racks
7-gauge steel construction
Diameter: 1.125"
Cerakote Color Finish or optional Stainless Steel (at a lower cost)
Optional Smooth or Knurled design
Rogue logo on center of bar (not available on stainless steel version)
Mounting Sockets and Hardware included
Patent Pending Design

This is a great option when you are buying your first rack and want to go with a more Crossfit, rather than a powerlifting deck out for your rack.

Pros of the Rogue Socket pull up bar

The pros of the Rogue Socket pull up bar are:

Easy to install
Color options
Space efficient

When your rack doubles up as a pull-up bar you save a lot of space in your home gym. This socket bar is very easily installed and needs no DIY skills to work. the multiple color options to build some contrast with your rack or the rest of your gym is a nice touch and one of the little details which Rogue makes a market leader, rather than a follower.

Cons of the Rogue socket pull up bar

The cons of the rogue socket pull up bar are:

Attached to the rack
Only straight
Can not be daisy-chained

Bars that are attached to a rack that is not part of a rig are usually not great for muscle-ups or kipping. Even if you bolt down the rack and weigh it down with plates the movement will still go through the entire structure, messing up the flow a little. If you kip a lot and do WODs which include running around a lot, a pull-up station separate from your rack is a better option. In a commercial gym that might want to run classes with up to 20 people doing pull-ups at the same time, the socket bar is also not an option as it needs to be attached to a rack or squat stand. That will drive prices through the roof compared to a daisy chain solution using the P-4 or P6 V system.

Alternatives to the Rogue socket pull up bar

Alternatives to the Rogue socket pull-up bar are:

If you want to facilitate a big group of people for doing pull-ups in parallel you can either use a rogue rig or daisy chain multiple P-4 systems. A rig will provide pull up stations, squat, and bench stations while also making the bars stable enough for kipping pull-ups. The P-4 system will not provide squat or bench stations, but great stability and freedom of movement. If you have space probably make one wall P-4 for pull-ups of any sort while placing 2 - 4 racks at the opposite side of the gym.If your space is very narrow, the rig would be a better option.

The jammer pull up bar is the ultimate home pull up bar. It is easy to install, comes in different colors, and is not as cheap as many of the other pull up bars you find for home use in the market.

The curl pull up bar is a curved version of the socket bar that provides you with more grip options. This is especially a good option if you mainly do straight pull-ups and want to easy on your wrists.

Conclusion for the Rogue Socket pull up bar

The Rogue Socket pull up bar is a great option for your Rogue rack on the purchase when you want to do occasional muscle-ups and some kipping. Hardcore Crossfit fans should invest in a separate pull up station to be flexible and not feel like they bring everything on the rack down with them.

Overview and review of the Rogue pegboard

This is an overview of the Rogue pegboard that looks at the pros, cons and alternatives for this product. Follow the links for additional detail.

Overview of the Rogue Pegboard

Price $375 (Maple) / $275 (Pine) / $175/€202.50 (Pine with no metal plate)

The Rogue Pegboard comes in three variations in the US and one in the EU. The PB1 is the cheapest with no metal plates and extra finish. The PB2 comes in maple or pine with metal plates and Polyurethane finish. This is a good addition to a home gym with high ceilings or any box gym that wants to add some climbing options to their walls.

The full specifications read as follows:

Made in the USA
Wood Board available in Pine or Maple
95.625” tall x 11.75” wide x 1.5” thick
35 Staggered Holes
2 Pegs / Dowel Rods: Unfinished Hickory – 6.5” long, 1.19” diameter
6 Counter Bored Mounting Holes
Mounting Hardware NOT Included

If you have a big gym and want to work with pegboards a few more of these can create some interesting courses along a wall that is otherwise bare and has little to no training use. It will also train upper body strength in more various ways than just a pull-up bar. Still, this is not the only option from Rogue to get some climbing options into your gym.

Pros of the Rogue pegboard

The pros of the Rogue pegboard are:

Versatile
Mixes things up
Good quality wood
Simple

This is a great training tool that has been around for decades in numerous variations. Especially if your ceilings are high and you can afford to place 3 - 8 of these across the wall, it can make for some fun challenges. You can weigh up the pros and cons compared to an actual climbing wall, but that either needs more elbow grease by yourself or costs more to be installed by a professional company. This is a good little change to pull-ups and muscle-ups which also trains the eye to hand coordination. Instructors will not have to explain a lot for this training tool, so a good thing to buy when you have a spare wall that is unused in your facility or barn/garage gym.

Cons of the Rogue pegboard

Needs high ceiling
Needs professional installation
Injury risk
Pegs are separate

The pegboard will have its best effect when you can install it somewhere between 180cms to 200cms height. Basically you want people to have to stretch their arms at least a little to reach the lowest pegs to get the best training effect. This is bad news for most home gym owners unless they live in a palace. If the pegboard is installed with the top on eye level you will have to start from a seated position to climb. This puts you quite far away from the wall and becomes very challenging. In this setup, you will most likely end up using the pegboard as a storage unit rather than for its original intent.

If you know your way around a drill and a wall, you are more than welcome to put your faith into installing the pegboard in a secure way. If you are not, you will have to get a professional in for the installation. Especially when your walls are concrete, this is not the easiest piece of equipment to buy from Rogue to install. The highest anchors will be 3 - 5 meters up the wall if you want to get the most out of the pegboard.

Compared to regular pull up systems the injury risk is also higher. You will be higher up. The nature of the climbing makes it more dangerous and you can also fall from higher up or scrape along the wall. Make sure, that you also get some mats under the pegboard. Especially if you run a professional gym and you might be open to a court case if you do not provide proper mats under the pegboard.

The last problem are the pegs themselves. This is not a big problem in a home gym, but in a professional gym, these tend to get lost or misplaced. Make sure you get a couple of spare ones on your original order and always get some new when you are notified that the pegs are lost. Otherwise, your fancy climbing wall becomes unusable until the new pegs are delivered.

Alternatives to the pegboard

Alternatives to the pegboard are:

The Rogue monkey rig is a fully functioning gym for multiple athletes at the same time. It is based on a monster lite rig which has been combined with monkey bars to also provide a climbing experience. If you have the ceiling for pegboards to make sense, chances are high that you can also fit a monkey rig into your facility. The biggest downside to the monkey rig is the price. In return, you get a climbing tool that is more accessible for beginners, bears lower injury risk, and leaves you open for more options. If you are currently in the market to build a gym in which you can also climb, this is a good bet. Especially when you are starting from scratch.

If you already have a Rogue Rig or daisy-chained multiple Rogue power racks together, then the Climbing hold cross members can be a good option. These will require less elbow grease to be installed and will also cost less than the pegboard. Further advantages are lower injury risk and no problems with lost pegs. The downside is that climbing on these will not be as rewarding and thrilling than racing up and down the pegboard.

Rogue climbing ropes are a cheap option to get upper body strength covered in your box. If your ceilings are high this is probably the cheapest way to get a lot of vertical climbing mileage in. It is low maintenance and time tested tool to develop grip and arm strength. The only downside is that ropes need to be free-swinging and therefore take up more space than the pegboard to achieve a similar training result. You will also need a bit of craftsmanship to secure them to the ceiling.

Summary for the Rogue pegboard

The Rogue pegboard is a great climbing tool, especially if you have space for multiple across a large wall. Most home gym owners will probably struggle to find a proper space to install it unless they have a massive house or very high ceilings. For this price and you can also get a pull-up bar and a small kettlebell. This might leave you with more options for a starting home gym. For a professional gym this can make the difference between average and great on the fun scale.