TITAN Max adjustable FID bench vs Rogue AB2

This is a comparison between the TITAN Max adjustable FID bench and Rogue AB2 including pros, cons, and alternatives. This article was originally posted in Which TITAN bench to get? Follow the links for 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 Ab2 Adjustable bench

The AB-2 bench comes in at $815 and is a great addition to your existing gym to widen the possible exercises you can do. This article was originally published in "Which bench to get to from Rogue".

Overview of the AB2 Adjustable bench

The Rogue AB2 bench comes from the designers of the Nebula 1080 bench which has been on an established reference in the fitness industry. The Ab2 includes 6 different seat settings and nine back positions. This makes it a strong piece of equipment for any home gym which needs versatility and space-efficient setup. The specifications of the Rogue AB2 bench are:

Adapted from the Nebula 1080 "Awesome" Utility Bench
Weight: 94LB
Length: 52"
Pad Width: 12"
Height: 18"
Footprint: 51 1/4" x 22 1/2"
Steel: 2 x 2" and 3 x 3" 11-Gauge Steel
6 Adjustable Seat Settings
9 Adjustable Back Pad Settings (from flat bench to 78 degrees upright)

This is the upmarket version from Rogue if you do not want to do decline bench presses.

Pros of the AB2 Adjustable bench

The AB2 has a pin design which keeps the bench firmly in place. It is heavy duty and well made and gives you more options than the cheaper versions from Rogue.

Cons of the AB2 Adjustable bench

$815 can still be a hefty price tag for a bench. As you are not buying any kind of structure with this and probably did not consider yourself that much of a beast to look into the Reflex options, you might as well want to save a little more on the bench itself. This bench has the price of a rack.

Alternatives to the AB2 Adjustable bench

Alternatives to the AB2 are

The AB3 is the weapon of choice if you need a bench that can be moved around and used for incline, decline, and flat bench press setups. It comes in at a slightly higher price tag than the AB2 and makes more sense in my opinion if you are looking for a high-end bench.

The Rogue Adjustable bench 2.0 would probably my personal choice for a bench from Rogue. This is the middle priced bench which covers any need you might have. Production costs are lower compared to the AB2 as not as many holes need to be drilled. It still does the same with fewer options to adjust the bench. To be honest, in practice you will most likely only use one incline, one decline, and the flat position anyway.

The Rogue Flat utility bench would be my tool of choice if I had to equip an entire gym with Rogue benches. They have multiple options for customization and are only a fraction of the cost f the AB2 and AB3. You basically get 4 of these four one AB2.

Overview and review of the TITAN Max adjustable FID bench

This is an overview of the TITAN Max adjustable bench FID including pros, cons, and alternatives. This article was originally posted in Which TITAN bench to get? Follow the links for details.

Overview of the TITAN max adjustable FID bench

Price:$449

The Max adjustable FID bench is the most versatile bench TITAN has to offer. With over 70 different positions to work from you can do your incline, decline, and flat bench presses. This is a bench that can also be used for decline bench presses as it comes with the necessary foot attachment to keep you safe. This also leaves you with more options for sit-ups and other core workouts on this bench. The full specs of this bench are:

Heavy-duty construction
Double frame for extra stability
Wheels and handle in front for easy transportation
10 Bench pad position from horizontal to vertical
7 Head/Seat positions to suit a variety of workouts
Removable foot roller attachment included
For indoor use
Footprint: 70-in x 23.5-in.
Head/Seat Pad Dimensions: 13.5-in L x 8-in x 11-in W.
Bench Pad Dimensions: 36-in. L x 11-in W.
Gap Pad Dimensions: 5.5-in L x 11-in W.
Foot Roller Length: 7-in.
Foot Roller Diameter: 4-in.
Weight Capacity: 600 lb.
Product Weight: 92 lb.

This is a top-notch bench for anyone who is out to build an elite home gym. It will also find its way into some professional establishments to be used in free weight areas.

Pros of the TITAN Max adjustable FID bench

Pros of the TITAN Max adjustable FID bench are:

Incline and Decline positions
Low price
Easy to transport

This is a bench that can be used for the full range of incline and decline positions for your workouts. As such it is very versatile compared to normal flat benches or incline benches. It is built sturdy and will take a beating.

As with all TITAN products, the price comes in at about half of the competition from Rogue and Eleiko, who are currently the market leaders for free weight equipment. Especially if you are buying in large quantities or need to build a semi-professional gym on a tight budget, cutting costs in things like benches, plates and dumbbells can be a good way of achieving your goals.

Attaching a pair of wheels to high-end benches has become standard in the industry to make them easy to transport. Still, not every model and vendor provides this. Especially in a gym set up with many clients where you expect the bench to be moved a lot, this is something to consider.

Cons of the TITAN Max adjustable FID bench

The cons of the TITAN Max adjustable bench are:

Finish
Price
Size

The finish is something that haunts most TITAN products. You have to cut some corners to get to half the price of your competition. The best way to do that is by saving labor costs or extra machinery in finishing your product. Therefore, TITAN products are more likely to have problems with their powder coatings, fit of nuts and bolts, and movement in hinges. Most of the time these shortcomings are fixable with sandpaper, grease, or some other DIY skill, but it gives things a little bit more of a makeshift feel. The adjustable bench is no exception.

The price of the Max adjustable bench is pretty high compared to other benches you can get from TITAN. This also applies to every other vendor when you get a bench that does incline and decline variations. It seems like the decline benches always cost about twice what an incline bench costs. So if you are being honest with yourself, how many decline exercises do you actually do? Does this justify shelling out twice the money for the bench or could you get other equipment for the money saved, that gets you to your goals quicker? If you buy the Max Incline bench you save yourself $200. For that amount of money, you can get a massage gun to recover quicker. That will probably have more impact on your performance than the odd 3x12 decline bench once a week.

A decline bench always needs an extra attachment so that you can strap your feet in. This makes the bench longer, which can get problematic in tight spaces in home gyms. Taking the attachment on and off to move the bench can be annoying and finally, you end up with an incline bench that you paid twice the money for, because you just could not be bothered to get the attachment on and off.

Alternatives to the TITAN Max adjustable FID bench

The TITAN combo rack comes in at $999 and also includes a very sturdy bench. If you are a powerlifter trying to get ready form home for your next competition, then this might be the right road to travel down. Still, this is rather a niche product compared to the other benches from TITAN.

The hefty bench is the right option if you have a massive upper body and a big bench press to back it up, but do not want to invest in a combo rack. This bench is half the price of the Max adjustable FID bench and comes with an extra thick and wide padding. If you flat bench press heavy on a regular basis, this might be a better option for your home gym than the Max adjustable FID.

The single post FID bench is the incline version from FID that only goes up and not down. It also comes without a foot attachment. For most home users it would recommend this one over the Max adjustable FID bench unless you already hang upside down quite a bit in your current workout routines.

Conclusion for the TITAN Max adjustable FID bench

The max adjustable FID bench is good for a home gym, when the owner is into mobility and rehab. For this, the many options to adjust height and angles are of advantage. For a professional gym, it is also wise to maybe have one or two of these decline benches around, depending on how many clients and what other equipment you have. It is not an item I would recommend to buy in bulk. In most scenarios, an incline bench will suffice and cover the most needs at a reasonable price. Decline bench presses are programmed very little and can usually easily be supplemented with other exercises that can be done on an incline bench to attack the lower pecs.