Evan
12 de enero de 2026
Fantastic machine for the price
I am so happy with this purchase! It came in 7 separate boxes, all with individual tracking numbers assigned. Mine all stayed together in shipping so everything arrived on the same day, which was actually a week earlier than originally estimated so that was a great surprise. The setup itself went surprisingly smooth. I did the vast majority of it by myself with my wife only helping in the very early stages with stabilization so I didn’t have to flip the whole thing around multiple times as I was assembling the upright posts. 2 people would make it go much faster and a little easier but it’s totally doable by yourself. I would HIGHLY suggest watching the video they provide with the QR code on the front of the manual at least once before you start. I didn’t do that and when I referenced the video later on to get some clarification on a step, I caught a mistake I’d made just prior because I didn’t notice a minor detail in the picture instructions but it was made clear in the video. It was totally my error though, no fault to the instructions. All of the pieces fit together perfectly and I didn’t have to force anything together to get bolts to fit. As far as the machine itself it’s important to remember that this is a budget model. I got it on sale for right about $1,250. So it’s important not to compare this to $6,000 models which will obviously be better. For the price I paid I am absolutely thrilled by the quality. It has all of the functional upgrades of the B52 (the more premium flagship version available on Major Fitness’s website) while losing a few minor quality of life improvements to keep the price low. To me, the trade off is 100% worth the difference in price. The smith machine is incredibly smooth, and the safety catches have plenty of slots. I have had issues on other machines, especially with bench press, where the catch is either way too high or way too low and for this machine it had a slot that was just right. The lowest setting is juuust a little too high for full ROM on deadlifts but should be plenty for barbell rows. The highest hook put the bar at about chin height for me, which is obviously not ideal for walking around the machine so I took the idea from another reviewer and created my own storage hooks at the very top. I used two of the accessory hooks and ran them through the hole for the resistance band peg and it is the perfect height and size to hold the smith bar while it’s not in use. I would not recommend using that hook for any sort of weight or racking during exercise but it’s perfect for storing the empty bar. (Photos attached). The cables were very easy to run and the video instructions made it super straightforward. The aluminum pulleys are very impressive and the pulleys move like butter. One thing I did notice is that the carriage has a “twist to loosen and then pull to adjust” label but it doesn’t seem like tightening the twist actually serves any purpose. I can pull the lock and adjust the height up and down even when that knob is fully tightened down. Not a big deal or anything as it’s still locked in but just weird that it seems like tightening it should prevent it from being adjusted. The weight plates are concrete filled plastic plates so definitely need to be mindful of slamming them from up high and damaging the plastic, but I am not overly concerned. A few downsides that I have noticed: Although the rack feels very sturdy, the steel is a little bit on the thinner side. It does still seem to be plenty sturdy for the weights I will be using. The only reason I noticed it was a bit thin was that while tightening the bolts with my impact drill, a few spots sucked the metal inward around the bolt a little bit, so just be careful not to go too crazy over tightening. You will absolutely need power tools though or at bare minimum a ratchet set. I can’t imagine trying to assemble this just with the two little wrenches they included. I noticed a few blemishes on the rack when I unpacked it, not sure if it was from shipping or from the factory though, the boxes were pretty beat up when they arrived. Although I can understand it is a little challenging to handle 120lb boxes like they’re fragile. The blemishes are all pretty minor overall and the deepest gouge is hidden at the bottom so not the end of the world. The biggest legitimate flaw and gripe I have though is purely cosmetic. The Major Fitness logo that looks like a sturdy metal plate in the product photos? That’s a flimsy vinyl banner that sags at the top and looks like garbage. Even if you try to pull it tight while attaching the screws it will still sag. Even so much that the bag for the banner specifically warns you that it will wrinkle once it is hung up. Is it worth paying an extra $1000 for their other models that seem to use the metal plate? Absolutely not. But it’s still a little silly looking with the cloth banner. Of course you do have the option to simply skip hanging it up too if it bugs you. Overall I am super happy with the purchase and I am looking forward to more workouts with it! Read moreVer másVer menos
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