A fine, basic bench for a home gym, plus excellent customer service
I've owned this bench for a little over a month. Well, clarifying: I've owned one of their benches for that amount of time, but I've had the replacement for the original for about three weeks. More on that below. But the main point is, I'm 100% satisfied with the replacement, and 110% satisfied with the company's customer service that PROMPTLY and generously resolved a problem with the original bench. The bench is small (good for my small apartment) and very basic design (which I like) while being fully functional for my needs, well built, well made, and all for an especially good price. I would purchase this item again and recommend that others do also. For reference, I'm male, 74, very active (exercise over the course of hours per day in my well-equipped home gym), 145 lbs and 5'9". I wanted a basic bench -- nothing fancy -- but well built, with good reviews. It needed to be small because I live in a 480 sf apartment with very little regular "furniture" (no couch or easy chair, but a hammock and LOTS of exercise and camping gear). After reading a lot of reviews, I purchased this one a little over a month ago. (April, 2025). It shipped very quickly, then traveled across the US (from coast to coast) via Fed Ex. When the original arrived, I noticed that the box had been crushed in in the middle of one side. I immediately removed the bench, which ships fully assembled but folded up very small (as it is capable of). Upon unfolding it, and experimenting with adjustments (which were immediately intuitive and easy), I noticed that the bench appeared to be in excellent condition EXCEPT that the seat was crushed in/down on one side, about the right most 1/3. It was as if the padding had been left out of that side. Sitting on it was not comfortable. Thinking it had shipped with something heavy on top of the box (which had been crushed in approximately that spot), I let is sit over night, thinking the padding/foam would expand. It did not. So the next day, I sent an email to the company, in part because it was included on a little card in the box, one of those "thanks for buying our bench ... our goal is your satisfaction ... if there's a problem, shoot us an email." So I did, and included a full description (similar to above) with pictures of the seat illustrating how it was crushed, along with an image of the full bench showing its name. I told them I did not want to return it -- the box was destroyed by shipping -- but could unscrew the seat and send it back for replacement. I got a response within hours, same day. The rep was exceedingly kind and understanding. S/he said no problem, don't send it back, we'll just send you a new bench gratis. "Dispose" of the old one responsibly. The new bench shipped out the next day, and arrived undamaged. All padding is very good. Very comfortable. Adjustments are easy (I can even adjust back angle while sitting) and quick, the results secure; it feels very stable. I put an extra long (king size) pillow case over the back, but only because I often exercise shirtless and prefer cotton to plastic on my skin. I've been using it daily now for three weeks. Multiple times per day. (I don't do one long session, but multiple short sessions per day.) It's set up in my "living room" (main exercise area) facing windows looking out onto a 30 acre woodland canopy (I'm on the 2nd floor), with my TV to one side. I can sit and do all manner of exercises (mainly dumbbell and kettlebell for me) in comfort while viewing nature and/or the news of the day. Is it the same quality as a bench in a gym? Of course not. Are there "better" benches out there for a home gym? Sure, I guess. But do I wish I had something different that this one? No. It meets all my needs well. I could fold it up easily for storage, but I don't. It's set up so that I must pass it on the way to the kitchen, so I have no excuses. It's a good bench. I recommend it. Read more
