As much as I loved my former Concept2 rower (model B), I couldn't pass on this FBMP find. I have used this model rowing machine when I had a membership at a local Planet Fitness, and so I was very familiar with its feel and performance. The "purist" rowers out there may decry that the magnetic resistance of the Matrix rower feels less like real rowing than the beloved Concept2. Having used both machines, I can see a point in the complaint. The initial pull of the Matrix rower - and perhaps any other rower using magnetic resistance - feels slightly harder than the initial pull on an air-resistance rower like Concept2. But there is very little if any noticeable difference in the subsequent portions of the rowing movement as far as I can tell. (Apparently, meatheads are not the only ones who debate the nuances of the "strength curve" or "felt load" of a machine!) The machine itself is "built like a tank" to use an oft-repeated phrase in the gym community. In the context of a home gym, I expect it to last as long as I will. The only downside as far as I can see is the cost, but if you are able to find it for a great price secondhand, as I did, I think it is worth the purchase. NOTE: The rating for the "value" in this review is based on what one would normally pay for this equipment (i.e. its MSRP - around $2400, excluding additional possible fee for shipping), not the value I got through FBMP.

First off, this leg press remains my biggest "free find" on either Craigslist/FBMP to date. Thus, my ranking for the "value" is skewed by this fact - you can't beat FREE! I found it listed on the free section of Craigslist some years ago, and I jumped at the chance to get it. Apparently, I was one of the few who wasn't scared off by the warning in the ad: "You must haul away!" The seller worked at a private gym, which was offloading "out of date" equipment for newer, more attractive pieces. In this case, he told me that they were upgrading to a newer model of leg press that had its own weight stack, rather than being plate-loaded as this dinosaur was. I didn't care. I was getting a freaking commercial leg press for free! I owned a Toyota 4 Runner at the time and the seller was kind enough to disassemble the sled portion (with the weight horns) of the leg press to make transportation easier. But it wasn't EASY. I slid the leg press as far into my car as possible (after the back seats were laid flat etc.), but a good 1/3 of it still "stuck out the back." I didn't have the mind to bring a ratchet or other tie-down straps, so I basically had to rely on the weight of the machine, and the slowness of my driving, to prevent it from sliding back out - with dire consequences. I drove five miles back home with hazard lights on and driving a mere 3 miles per hour on the slow lane. I got lots of nasty stares and honks, as you could imagine. Since acquiring it, I did some research on "Polaris/Iron Co" and there isn't much information online about it. It was apparently once touted as the next big brand of gym equipment after Nautilus, but it never panned out. Whenever I use it, I imagine myself back in time during the "Golden Era" of bodybuilding, when lifters trained hard on equipment built to last, and didn't care about technicalities such as "felt load" or "strength curve." It has helped me to get strong, and as I get older, I will continue to rely on it to keep me strong.

This is yet another purchase I made on the basis of Gym Radar's glowing reviews! I was tired of the DIY set up for chest supported rows and decided it was time to get a specialty bar dedicated for that purpose. Given that it's from Titan, the build quality is surprisingly good. Based on the comments made in the reviews below, there seems to have been an evolution in the bar, e.g. mine weighs just a tad over 50 lbs empty, whereas some reviewers mention the empty bar weighing 60 lbs. The knurling is definitely "there," but by no means aggressive. It feels like what an aggressive knurling would feel like after it's been filled in with thick powder coat. The bar is solid - literally - and will likely survive generations. The special bent handles allow for full ROM during chest supported row movements, which is what I wanted. Whether it will be worth the purchase depends on how much one values chest supported/ seal rows. For this is a "one trick pony," albeit one that performs the trick really well.

For my set of fixed metal hex dumbbells, I have a three-tiered rack that stores the 10 lb - 50 lb pair (increasing in 5 lb increments). But I was left with an odd assortment of heavier dumbbells that simply lay on the floor. And that bothered me, so I went looking on FBMP for a deal on a suitable rack. This DIY fabrication caught my eye and I waited until the price dropped from the initial $50 to $20, at which point I contacted the seller. She seemed ecstatic that someone - finally - was going to take it off her hands. But she sent me a warning message that, "It is very heavy and I can't help you move it." No problem, I thought. I lift heavy things in my gym so I can lift heavy things outside the gym. When I saw it in person, however, I was shocked at how "beefy" or "heavy duty" it looked - and felt. I tried to pick it up with one arm, and I failed the lift! The woman's son - a big strapping lad around 6 ft 4 in tall and weighing about 250 lbs - was nearby and I gave him a look that said, "Can you help me carry this, bro?" She seemed to have read my mind, because she told me, "Sorry that my son can't help you lift it. He has a hernia." Damn my bad luck! I asked her who made it or where she found it, and she replied that her husband welded it. From the way she looked as she said "husband," I got a sense that they may not be together anymore, so I didn't ask for more details. I just told her that "he built a monster." She forced a smile. The time came for me to summon my inner Tom Haviland and I Zercher carried the rack to my car about 25 yards - the longest 25 yards of my life! I loaded it into my SUV with another herculean effort. When I brought it into my garage, the straggler dumbbells I had fit perfectly within the rack. Despite this, I'm docking couple of stars for performance because you actually have to be pretty strong to load or unload dumbbells onto or from it! At least my heavier dumbbells now have a home, and I have an interesting conversation starter.

This is my promised review of the Ritfit mini deadlift jack. After using it for two deadlift sessions, I already love this jack. For a mini deadlift jack in the style of KB's Genesis jack - which many are starting to emulate - it is surprisingly stable. I think that's due to its heft (about 4 lbs) and the width of its foot (4 inches wide). I also have AbMat x KB's Evo jack, and it tended to sway laterally when plates are loaded, especially at heavier weights. The foot of the Ritfit jack is 1.5 inches wider than Evo's and - as many men can vouch for - that extra inch and a half makes a huge difference in performance. The welds look clean and solid, and I have no doubt about its stated weight capacity of 660 lbs (that is per side). There the obligatory UHMW on every point where the bar will make contact with the jack. For around 40 dollars, shipping included on Amazon Prime, there's probably not a better mini deadlift jack out there on the market today.

Due to the limitation of space, I recently sold off my full deadlift jack from Titan Fitness and replaced it with two mini jacks: this one, and the one from Ritfit (a review of that one forthcoming). Though extremely light weight (baby!), this jack is very tough. I jacked up five 45lb plates per side with ease. After the test, there was hardly an indent left on the"hook" portion of the jack from the knurling of my deadlift bar. Whatever the "specialized molded composite material" happens to be, it is very strong, and I suspect it will last a long time (though that remains to be confirmed over time). Also, the jack simply looks beautiful, being one seamlessly molded piece. The only issue I had with the jack is that, due to the narrow footprint, it tended to move laterally as I loaded more plates. As such, I would be careful when loading the plates so as not to topple it sideways. (This is a feature that full deadlift jacks have over these mini jacks!)

Spud Inc solidifies their justly famous reputation for me with this strap. I have Titan economy "reverse hyper" (economy H-PND) and it comes with a strap that makes the experience of using it less pleasant. It tends to dig into one's ankles during use and I've sort of learned to associate that as part of doing the exercise. However, after replacing that default strap with Spud Inc's, I can say that the quality of the strap makes a huge difference in the quality of the movement. As a result, the machine functions less as a table these days and more for its intended purpose. If you have a Titan "reverse hyper," ditch its strap and upgrade to Spud's!

This is another purchase I made based on glowing Gym Radar reviews. I've had it for two weeks now and it has become my "daily driver" in terms of collars. There's very little I can fault it for in terms of design and function. It has a wicked "snap back" effect when unlocking, so be careful that you don't have fingers in the way of the clamp. I've seen reviews that its magnet is too weak, but I find mine to be pretty strong (maybe it's been upgraded since those reviews?). I do wish that the magnets were placed inside the collars rather than at the edge, so that it can stick snugly to my iron plates - but this is a very minor complaint. It clamps tight enough so that it can be used on specialty bars (e.g. with 1.9" diameter), which was a nice bonus. Highly recommended!