The Commander

At a glance, it's a brilliant design with everything you'd want in a split squat stand. It offers multiple height adjustments, stows away with a small footprint, and is made with quality steel from a reputable premium manufacturer. The only immediately noticeable downside was its price tag, but as a less price sensitive buyer I didn't mind paying for a piece that would drastically improve a frequently programmed movement like split squats... or so I thought. Unfortunately the Commander suffers from two major flaws. First, is its ease of setup. For any space saving, collapsible piece, you have to consider the time and effort required for setup. Because the Commander is so heavy due to its 3x3" tube HSS construction and multiple components, it's a pain to pull out for use. This issue is compounded when you need to detach and reattach the crossbar, swivel the stand, and remove/insert magpins while balancing the heavy unit. Once unfolded it's also difficult to move into the perfect position before you start performing Bulgarian Split Squats... but this isn't the worst part. The second, and most fatal flaw of this piece is the kickstand/leg design. Because the Commander has a T-shaped base when deployed, it easily tips under heavy load. The whole point of a Split Squat Stand is to provide real-leg stability during split squats so you can focus on generating force via your front leg. In order to counter the inevitable tilt, I will rotate the unit 180 degrees to align my back foot with the heavier/stable end of the stand. This improves the stability under load, but because of the heft of the unit, it is especially difficult to achieve consistent positioning from set to set when you are constantly rotating it into place. Some other critiques include the need to buy a separate pad and MagPins, but I didn't factor these into my rating.