Shadow Forge

Shadow Forge

Member Since 9/5/2026

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Shadow Forge's Reviews (14)

(4.33)
9/6/2026
One of the most versatile machines on the market and I can see why everyone loves it. I know it’s advertised as being able to do a ton of different movements, but for me the two that are really worth doing are lateral raises and chest flies. Both feel really good and you can get a great stretch. My biggest complaint is on the lateral raise setup. I wish they had cuffs attached to the handles, or at least offered some kind of cuff mod, so you didn’t have to rely so much on your grip during the movement. Other than that, this is a really good machine and definitely earns its reputation.
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(2.67)
9/6/2026
This thing felt flimsy as hell to me. The biggest issue is it absolutely wrecked my shoulders for a few months. It wasn’t some sharp pain from one bad rep either. It felt more like constant stress from the position the machine puts you in, and both shoulders eventually got bad enough that I couldn’t do any pressing movements. Part of that is probably on me because I was always trying to get as much ROM as possible, but I’ve also never had that kind of shoulder pain from any other chest machine I’ve used. It is pretty cheap and fairly versatile for a home gym, so I can see why people buy it. But it also takes up a ton of space for what it is. Because of how it felt and the fact that I ended up getting injured while using it, I have to put it in D tier.
Performance
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(4)
9/6/2026
These are probably the best adjustable dumbbells on the market right now. Love the knurling, they feel super solid, and the cage honestly doesn’t bother me nearly as much as I thought it would. My biggest issues are with the adjustment system. First, no matter how I set the plates, probably 3 out of 10 times when I put the dumbbell back into the cradle the plates don’t line up perfectly and get stuck. Super annoying. Second, the adjustment sliders feel and sound really satisfying, but it’s harder than it should be to quickly tell what weight you’re actually on. I’ve caught myself having one side heavier or lighter than the other more than once, which just adds extra time between sets. If REP fixes those two things, these are S tier for me. As they are now, I’m somewhere between B and A tier.
Performance
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(4.67)
9/6/2026
This one is interesting to me because at one point basically every big gym influencer was raving about it, so I went in with a ton of expectations. Naturally I was a little disappointed the first time I used it. After having it for a while though, I’ve definitely come around on it. For me the adjustable chest pad is almost a must. Without it I couldn’t get enough ROM, and once you add it the machine becomes way more versatile. I also actually like the standard handles it comes with because they’re easy to strap into. This might be one of the most versatile row machines out there. Depending on seat height, chest pad position, and how you set yourself up, you can bias the lats, mid back, upper back, etc. It’s basically a Swiss Army knife of row machines. The one thing that bugs me is the resistance right at the start of the movement. It’s insanely hard to get moving from the fully stretched position. I use a rubber block to slightly change the starting position and it makes a huge difference. Nothing about the machine individually feels S tier to me. Most of the different setups feel somewhere between B and A tier, but because it can do so many things really well, the overall machine gets an A tier from me.
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(5)
9/6/2026
The Atlantis Hack Squat Pro is still best in class for me, but this is a really close second. The footprint is smaller and once you get the back pad mod, you get a lot of the same adjustability as the Atlantis. The footplate is adjustable, feels really sturdy, and both the flat and angled back pad setups feel great. It’s also a pretty versatile machine. You can set it up more like a traditional hack squat or use it in a way that feels closer to a leg press depending on your setup. I also love that you can reverse band it and control how much assistance you want coming out of the bottom. Makes it really easy to change how the movement feels without taking away from the load through the rest of the rep. The bearings are super smooth and the whole thing is built like a tank. S tier for me.
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