Should You 'Buy Once Cry Once' With Home Gym Equipment?

Discussing when it's better to buy cheap home gym equipment on say Amazon versus more expensive equipment such as Rogue Fitness. I've purchased both cheap and expensive stuff and will continue to do. However, there's some things in retrospect that I wish I considered before I made the purchase. Then there's the factor of an ever evolving fitness product landscape where new equipment or new editions are constantly coming out making many unsure when the and what is the ideal time to buy.

Other stuff in video:

0:00 - Intro
1:55 - Why Cheap is Better
7:31 - Why Quality Matters
11:44 - Don't Get Influenced!

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[gianlucacerri]

I've been watching your channel and purchased several items since discovering the slideboard. Your honest reviews influenced me to buy the Elevate GTS slide board, and I have no regrets. I appreciate your message about not letting reviewers, including yourself, influence purchases. This level of honesty keeps me coming back.

Since I started watching your channel, I've transitioned from a gym membership to a home gym. The first piece of equipment I bought was the Elevate GTS, which was worth every penny. I watched dozens of your videos before making the purchase. The difference between an honest reviewer and just a reviewer is whether they use and recommend what they review. Your reviews are realistic and balanced. For example, your review of the Force USA leg press-hack squat-calf block combo was fact-based, highlighting both positives and negatives. I bought it and love it as my second piece of equipment.

On the other hand, while I love Stevie Richards and appreciate your references to him, his endorsement of the Force USA G20 Pro with lat pulldown attachment led to my third and fourth purchases. Although the G20 Pro is solid, I wish he had mentioned that most attachments are just okay, the quality isn't quite commercial, and some features, like the swinging arm for a punching bag, are gimmicky and unusable. The lat pulldown pulleys make unusual sounds depending on the attachment used, and if you buy their bench, it won't fit under the smith machine for front shoulder presses if you have the lat pulldown attachment. Despite these drawbacks, I can replicate 80% of my gym cable exercises at home, making it a functional piece of equipment. However, given the narrow price difference between the G20 with a lat pulldown and its competition, I wish he had provided a more thorough review.

Your reviews, in contrast, always cover the good, the bad, and the ugly, and I hope you continue this approach. While you advise not to let you influence us, people rely on reviews to make informed purchase decisions.

[mrqualityreviewer]

Honestly my advice would be do your research on products. It’s not always the highest priced item that must be the best by default. Also if you are using your equipment once and awhile vs a heavy user that needs more heavier duty type of product.

[WhoIsJonHarris]

Just cleared out ALL my cheap stuff last week and starting over. Honestly I’m getting more into commercial pieces at this point. Overkill for the home gym maybe. But I’m done “settling” for residential equipment that just halfway sucks or literal garbage.

[reuelrichardson-ncli]

Enjoy your channel. Started watching your total gym videos because my first purchase was a used fit . I learned from you about adding resistance bands to my total gym. Next I picked up a bowflex m 8 stairclimer el optical used like new . Next pull up station. Last a single weight machine that fills in most of the gaps from the total. Gym . My point is I have maybe 1500 in all of it in my 3rd bedroom. And at 72 years old it most of the equipment I will need. You don’t have to spend a fortune to get fit, and loose weight . As to your point the single weight machine was an Amazon purchase I a love using it. This for your reviews. They help alot

[RTB_]

Research, go to the apps and buy in your local area.

I just bought a second X3 system, which included the bar, footplate and four bands for $110. That's a great price. This is the best route if you lack space or are a busy individual.

That said, you can find amazing deals on functional machines, racks and weights.

And if that doesn't work out, you can basically resale it at no lost.

[sobutterysmooth]

I’ve invested dozens of thousands of dollars on countless items for my home gym space. I learned the hard way a few times on a few things, but it’s all trial and error. I would say to go with items that you know you’d use.

Some of the items I never regretted are: Power Rack, specialty barbells/barbells, flywheel training platform, a sliding bench trainer, dumbbells, cardio machines, a good band system, and isometric training systems (Bullworker and Dragon Door have been awesome).

[cardosivadi]

If you want to get a piece of home gym equipment, you should go for the budget option at first just to see how it feels and whether you want to keep using it and maybe upgrade down the line. I did something similar with bands; I first bought a no-name band just to see how they felt and what I could do with them, then bought Serious Steel bands as an upgrade.

[lildrummerboy]

I really really feel like you should search your local marketplace and try to get your hands on an original soloflex. With straps and shock rings. Especially with your creativity. I think you’d enjoy like it.

[chrisdonnell]

Depends on budget if you have the money should get the best not always most expensive. I got Rep PR4000 with dual atheans, Rogue Ohio bar, USA olympic thin plates, Titan squat max md, rep's open trap bar, rogue kabukki transformer squat bar 6 positions, rep's cambered bar my favorite bar and xmark leg curl/extension and wish I'd spent more to get selectorized model changing weights sucks but the one time I cheaped out regret it!

[maxthenova]

Great video, especially for those who are starting out and might be overwhelmed with the options out there. I actually have the same CAP rack you mentioned that I just leave outside and use as an outdoor pullup bar. Another point is that the used market especially for high quality weight equipment like Rogue is quite good, so doesn't loose a lot of value if well taken care of.

[ListenHereOldMan]

i bought a set of cheap plastic adjustable dumbbells off Amazon last Black Friday, and after a lot of thought, ended up pre-ordering the Rep x Pepin's... kind of absurd but i think I'm in this for the long haul, and i just HATE those damn plastic weights, not looking fwd to waiting til September, I hope they release early...
i went ahead and ordered a set of Rubberbanditz on your recommendation, and the j bryant bar, which will hopefully hold me over til the new dumbbells arrive, since my current set maxes out at 25lbs
really great channel, been a big help. thx much!

[MrMCSS]

Great video. I'm definitely in the camp of buying quality equipment so I usually don't scrimp on that, especially if I feel it may fail and hurt me. As far as buy once, cry once, I get bored too easily using the same equipment long term, so I have to change things up to stay interested. I've been working out since I was about 16 and I'm not 57 so my motivation is not what it once was, so I have to find ways to stay motivated and changing up equipment is one of those ways.
My problem is that I usually don't sell any of my workout stuff because I know eventually, I will circle back around to it but in doing so, I'm pretty much out of room and some stuff I can't even use at the moment because there is too much in the way. I'm a sucker for trying out new stuff that comes to the market so that doesn't help the situation.

[taylorpark]

Personally I love both methods and think everyone can do a bit of both.

I think buying budget items helps keep the wallet happy and allows you to gain needed or wanted equipment sooner (for those that arent starting off with a large budget). Also knowing lesser quality items helps you REALLY appreciate high quality items, which is fun in my opinion.

Buy once, cry once is often best if you already have the space and money ready to go and you have high standards for your equipment and know you'll use it.

If I had a home and the space and money ready for my home gym, ofcourse I'd pull the trigger, but since I'm in an apartment for now I stick to snaller items I can fit in my tiny gym space. The 4ft barbell has been a game changer for me, I can do deadlifts, squats, bent over rows, etc in my tiny space and I buy the weight plates as I grow with my space. One day when I have a full sized power rack I'll get a 7ft barbell and a nice one but for now I love my small 4ft barbell (500lb capacity is more than enough for now). Same reason I love the Total Gym, its not the nicest of machines but it perfect for my needs for now and eventually I might outgrow it and have other machines replace it, but for now I love it.

I think going with whatever your needs are and learning to appreciate what you have and upgrading later is a fun and rewarding journey.

[DaviWalt]

You got a lot of new toys since I’ve been gone! I joined the Air Force and missed all of these changes to your gym. I can’t believe you got rid of the ER King. That was a good value buy but I can understand needing to make room for other pieces of equipment🇺🇸

[josephvendetti]

Great content and views Mike, thank you.

[dmar]

only advantage of buying "name brand" stuff is you will have a better resale chance if you want to upgrade. Vs practically giving it away to get it to sell

[.MikeCheck]

My geographic location prevents me from ordering anything from Rep, Titan, Vulcan, Fringe, etc since they do not ship to my location. And those that do ship to me, shipping almost costs as much as the actual product. So for now, Amazon is my go to for equipment. I’ve been happy with my generic choices so far and the amount of $$ I’ve saved. Thanks for the opening the topic!

[real]

Great video. Are you ever going to do a video on Bodycraft equipment. I've had two of their machines really well made decent price. The older ones used are pretty cheap money as low as four or five hundred dollars.

[peterminton]

Hi Mike, I think to Torroband resistance bands are the heaviest rated band on the market . They are expensive but, really well worth the rise . They are still cheap compared to buying some weights . Put those Torrobands with the flexicon machine and that's one awesome set-up . The flexicon machine from the video I watched is both a cardio and a weight lifting machine in one . I was so impressed by it, I think is awesome . Definitely a great winning combination the flexicon and torroband bands .

[loulopez]

Like the old saying goes, most pieces of exercise equipment end up being coat racks. I use everything I have and it works.