First and foremost, this was a great purchase. The rig is built like a tank. I read a ton of reviews on pull up bars, of which there are a handful available. I picked the Valor for a couple of reasons, mainly multi position hand grips and distance off the wall. It's 30" off the wall, comparable with the more expensive models of other brands and far enough for kipping pull ups or muscle ups. The grip size seems ideal - I was worried it would be too small but it's really perfect, comparable to what's in a gym. Apparently Valor has read prior reviews because every concern listed here appears to have been addressed, or was unfounded to begin with. The packaging was bomb-proof, inside and out. The stickers on the side have been replaced with thicker plates/3 dimensional logo adhesive. The spacing is perfect - centers right at 48", in the middle of studs. The hardware was packaged together - nothing missing. I used some aftermarket materials to mount. I bought 2 5' pieces of 1x6, which frankly helped with mounting. I marked 6" in from the sides, then every 16". I drilled my pilot holes in the board, then found a stud, attached the upper board to the wall through one of the middle holes, leveled and attached through the other middle hole. I already had pilot holes for the braces. I drilled pilot holes into the studs through these holes to make sure I was in the studs and to ease the process of attaching side pieces. I bought 4" 3/8 lag bolts and washers - I think it came with 3" bolts. I figured going through 3/4 board plus another 1/2" of sheet rock merited a longer screw; plus, I'm a heavy guy. I hung both support arms (with lowers connected) and tightened 90%. I then attached the span across, about 50% tightened. The span will be 4" higher than top bolts. To get the right height, I measured on the wall to the top of my finger tips flat footed and used that as the height of the top of my 1x6. At this point, the bottom braces are leaning against sheet rock. I slid the other 1x6 under them; you'll already have pilot holes drilled 6" from both edges. Align pilot holes with lower brace holes (the lower braces should be tightened 100% to uppers right from the get go) and drill pilot holes into studs, then sink your lag bolts in. Now go back through and finish tighten every bolt 100%. Took me about an hour and a half without these instructions. Hopefully with this, it's a 45 minute job. I used a socket wrench to fully tighten to make sure I didn't strip out the studs. Easy mounting, sturdy design, great for pull-ups and supporting TRX or similar products from. I'd highly recommend. Read more
This is first class. The design and the multiple hand grips made my decision, and the fact that Amazon shipped it. The original packaging was good and in tact, but Amazon put the icing on the cake when they put the whole thing, chin up bar and it's original packaging in their own box. There was not a scratch or a dent on Amazon's box. Inside the box was the chin up parts, diagram and hardware which was vacuum sealed to stay in place. Like others wrote, I bought a ten foot 2x8 board and had it cut in to two 5ft. pieces. I also bought 41/2" hex head lag screws to secure the chin up bar to the 2x8 board through the dry wall and studs in my garage, using a ratchet to secure. Solid as a rock. Of course I secured the boards to the wall with more lag screws. This unit is secure, the grip is perfect and it's on the wall rather than the ceiling. I would also like to add that my decision was a decision of safety. I felt that this was the safest of the chin up bars. This is made of 2" square steel tubing and although I am not an engineer I think the weight distribution put into the bottom bar is the key. Also you have the choice of which way you face while using the bar. You are not so close to the wall to the point your body may touch the wall. Read more
Don’t use the hardware that came with it. Do yourself a favor and get some heavy duty lags from the local hardware shop. The hardware that comes with this is weak and brittle. It didn’t take much for me to snap the off in the wall, and then have to reposition the whole thing so that I could drill a new hole. Other than that it has been great. It has nice texture and is very sturdy. Read more
The bar came in excellent condition and with all he parts needed to assemble. I, however, had to get different screws as I was putting the bar in a solid concrete wall. The bar is super sturdy and I love it. I love that it allows me to play with my pull-ups and chin-ups. I can go close-gripped, wide or super wide on my pull-ups. I can have my hands facing me, diagonal or facing each other in a chin-up if I feel really good, I can switch on the fly between styles and not worry that the thing will fall on me or with me. My only gripe (and it's minor enough not to bump it down to 4/5 stars) is the rough texture. Feels galvanized and although it sitely helps with me to sustain my grip it messes my palms (especially when I find myself squeezing harder to sustain my grip with sweaty hands. Read more
This thing is incredible! You could hang a freakin' tank from it! I absolutely love it. It was far more rugged and heavy duty than I expected. All of the different hand grip options provide opportunities for a ton of different work outs, and they're great for hanging rings, ropes and bands from. If you bought a second one and mounted it upside down it could also make a great rack for step-ups, medicine ball, Kettlebell & maybe even dumbbell storage! Get One! It's well worth the money! Read more
Very sturdy, solid and versatile. I’m 6’2 @ 255 lbs and this doesn’t even creak while using it. Original mounting hardware (lag bolts) a bit small - quick trip to the hardware store for an upgrade recommended. Read more
