Pull-up bar recommended by TheWirecutter
I don't always agree with TheWirecutter recommendations, but I believe they've found a gem in this pull-up bar. I bought the Perfect Fitness Pro model at MSRP ($34.99). I've been using it for about two weeks now with no complaints. Although other bars may be cheaper (like the Sport Compact model from this same company) I find that the round foam contact creates a point of high pressure that may end up damaging your doorway molding. On the Pro, I'm more confident that the large surface area contacting the molding will better distribute the pressure and prevent any damage. I'll know for sure once I've used this pullup bar longer. I think the $10 premium over other standard doorway pull-up bars is justified by this one point. I don't have to go wrapping the contacts with rags to try to prevent damage, so it's saved me a bit of hassle. The grips over the padding are useful in letting you adopt a grip wider than the doorway. Useful if you have wide shoulders or something. For me personally, the wide grip is a little too wide for me, and I end up gripping the non padded area for my wide grip (I'm 5'10 with average width shoulders/wingspan). Regardless, it's a nice feature for those who need it. There's a storage area in the back for the Allen keys needed to assemble the pull-up bar. Nice touch, but I'm not sure how often I'll be assembling and disassembling this product. The only nitpick I have is that when the bar isn't hooked into the doorway, there's a little bit of left-to-right wobble if you hold onto the curved pieces and shake. It was a little off-putting, but when hooked on the door it feels sturdy as a rock. No flexing or wobbling when I've been using it for the past two weeks. I'm 5'10 and 150lbs for your reference. Other than that, it really functions like any other doorway pull-up bar. Easy to pop off and stow away somewhere. I recommend this bar if you need a really wide grip or are tired of damaging your molding/having to pad other bars! Read more













