Bowflex Weight Bench Series - Adjustable Strength Training Bench for Home Gym Workouts | Perfect for Dumbbell Press, Incline Exercises & Full-Body Fitness Routines

Purchased this bench as part of the beginnings of putting together a home gym. We're short on space, so it was important that it had a small footprint. Assembly was relatively straightforward, and if you can put together a small Lego set then this should be a breeze for you. Total assembly took about 30 minutes, and you'll want a knife or a pair of scissors to work through the packaging. Allen keys to assemble everything are included. During assembly, the "heavy-duty-ness" of the frame was apparent, and I wouldn't hesitate to load this bench up with the recommended max weight (person plus weights) of 600 pounds. Once assembled and flat, it does take up some real estate; in the stowed position, that's cut down to about 1/3rd.In the fully declined position with seat lifted, decline sit-ups feel just right with the ankle bar. The flat position is rock-solid when doing bench presses, and it's very nice to have several options for incline. The mechanism for raising/lowering the bench is a spring loaded "pull pin" type which allows the upright support arm to glide easily up and down the floor leg - no grinding or scraping sensations. Once your desired position is selected, you can allow the pin to pop in place which fully secures the back rest. Optionally, you can twist the same handle to lock the support arm and leg together to eliminate any play between them. The seat has two position options, flat of course, and then raised. In the raised position, it's high enough to fully prevent sliding down the seat when doing incline work but not so high as to be distracting. With the seat raised, it's also set at the same angle as the backrest when fully lowered, providing for a great base for decline work or for decline crunches/sit-ups. The seat mechanism is simple. Lift the seat up to lock it into the up position. Lift a small red lever to allow the seat to drop back down to the flat position. The rounded edge of the seat has plenty of flex to it, almost like I'm sitting down in my favorite recliner at first. I worry that this flex may lead to long term wear and tear issues, but without knowing the internal design of the cushion (no, I'm not tearing it apart) I have no evidence to suggest that my worries are true. The ankle holders are foam, not super soft, and they seem like they'll hold up for a good while - time will tell on both items.The ankle holder folds up for storage, but the mechanism which allows it to fold up also allows for some free play. You can get it to rattle quite a bit and make some noise if you grab it and shake it, though good security of the mechanism is apparent, and I expect it to be very reliable.The feet of the bench are adjustable, so if you don't have a perfectly flat floor, it will allow you to compensate. Some have indicated that the gap between the back rest and the seat is very wide. There is truth to that; the gap is 4" when the bench is fully flat and 2" at a 45 degree incline and raised seat. At a 90 degree incline, the back meets the seat. It would have been possible for Bowflex to eliminate this gap, but it would have required a much more complex mechanism resulting in either a higher cost or a lower quality product. To be honest, I find that my butt rests perfectly in the gap on a flat bench when my ankles are under the ankle supports which allows the back rest to provide support to the arch of my back, sort of like how a good car seat provides just that little bit of much needed support. Because the seat is roomy though, there is some space to move around a little bit, perhaps to locate the gap directly under the arch of my back, but there was no way that I could completely eliminate the feeling of the gap. The best that I could actually come to getting a "gapless" sensation was to actually lie on the bench backwards with my head on the seat and spanning the gap with my neck, though even that wasn't perfect. If you require a bench with minimal gap, definitely look elsewhere.Beyond that, the quality of the material looks solid, and I'm not worried that I'll damage the upholstery. It also looks very sharp. Oh, when it's on the casters, it doesn't *quite* fit through a standard 30" doorway unless the door opens a full 180 degrees. The total width of those legs is probably 28 1/4" wide. If you can turn it and pick it up though, not a problem.Well made and does the job wellASSEMBLY========Assembly time took just over 45 minutes and illustrations were clear. Assembly was easy and straight-forward. Only issue with assembly was that one of the leg cushions were a little too snug and I had to keep on twisting and turning it to get it to slide into the pole, but eventually I got it to go in with a lot of twisting. Bolt holes all lined up nicely and inserted quickly. Assembly tip: when assembling the frame to the board it is easiest if you turn the boards upside down and then place the frame on top of it instead of placing the board on top of the frame, just easier to align holes that way.QUALITY=======Supporting staples on the underside of the boards seemed to be clustered closer in some regions while other regions a bit farther apart than what I would have preferred. I would have like to see more staples used to support the vinyl to the board. Not really a big deal though as it probably looks good enough for now, maybe I'll dig out my staple gun and add a few more for extra measure.While other reviewers noted tears in the vinyl or other folds in the corner, my boards and vinyl were in pristine condition, no rips, tears or folds.The vinyl is nice material because it wipes clean easy but again I worry about long term durability. My previous bench was by Weider and it had some type of really durable molded firm rubber/foam material for the boards so never had to worry about vinyl coming loose or ripping, wish Bowflex made this bench with that same material (maybe version 2.0 :)).The ease of changing from incline/decline/flat positions is very quick and smooth, a real pleasure to use. The engineering quality there is top notch, bravo. My old bench had a metal rod I had to pull out and insert into the frame and ohhh what a pain because it would never line up right and I would have to pull the bench board on a slight angle to get it to line up and then the rod would make a metal-to-metal screach sound (think of running finger nails across chalk-board) when I pulled the tightly position support rod out to change to incline... none of that with the Bowflex design, there is no pins or rods to pull out, simply lift board and swing support arm. Very very nice and quick.FEATURES========The four positions (90 degree, 45 degree, 0 degree, and -10 degree) are plenty enough for my workouts and probably for the majority of other lifters. I wouldn't spend the extra money for the 5.1 bench, just no need for the extra positions as the 3.1 model is more than sufficient.This bench has a 90 degree position and that is extremely helpful in doing seated overhead presses because it provides strong and high support for the back, something my older bench didn't have. I like this feature alot.The decline angle seems sufficient but I would have preferred a bit more of a steeper decline for doing my sit-ups. That brings me to the next feature the leg holder/support.The leg holder/support comes with this bench and can be easily detached by removing the support pin. I am disappointed with the engineering / positioning of the leg support. It seems to have been an after-thought feature that was thrown together at the last minute by Bowflex. It is just not comfortable as other reviewers on here have already mentioned. This is really unfortunate because it would have been a really nice feature if it was executed better (maybe improved in version 2.0?). The problem is that the leg support makes it really uncomfortable on your legs when you perform sit-ups on this model. I have tried various positioning of the leg support (tried putting pad closer to ankles, closer to calfs) and all of them have been uncomfortable. Even though it is uncomfortable to use I think it is still bearable to use the leg support for sit-ups (it also becomes annoying/irritating after using it for a while). Now I am an ectomorph and real skinny at the moment so I can imagine that a heavier individual would probably be even more uncomfortable in using the leg support for sit-ups.The wheels is an okay feature I guess but really how often do you need to roll around your bench. Even if you do have to move it, you can just as well lift it up (it is about 55-65 pounds). One nice feature to have for those living in very limited space would have been a fold-up version where the frame and legs fold for real compact storage and sliding under the bed or tossing in the closet (maybe version 2.0).The overall aesthetics of the bench is nice, sexy. I like the touch of red near the top of the board.OVERALL=======This is a very nice bench but with a few of the above suggestions this could turn from very nice to perfect. This is a good value for the money, get this bench you won't be disappointed. And last but not least don't waste your money on the 5.1 model.I do like this bench alot. It meets my needs for dumbbell lifts. It was easy to put together and easy to put at different positions for different lifts. I have one concern and one complaint.My concern is that the seat of the bench will wear out at the end after doing decline sit ups on it. It feels like it has a lot of give to it on the back side of my knees when I come up for a sit up. Doesn't feel very well reinforced. I'll be doing most of my ab workouts off of this for that reason.My complaint is the same as everyone elses': The gap betwen the back rest and seat is really large and can seem uncomfortable when laying flat for dumbbell bench and overhead dumbbell pull overs. I'm learning to live with it but I feel like they could have added a removable fill in pad here very easily.I did get fro a sale price of 200.00. So, for the money I paid, It's a good bench.This is my first weight bench so I don't have anything to compare with, but I'm pleased with the build quality and its easy to operate (change angles). The seat cushion only has a thin bar supporting it underneath so avoid this area for step-ups. Overall happy with my purchase but I do think its expensive for what it is.Not difficult to assemble, just follow the instructions, all tools included. Great weight - almost 30kg - which means it stays put when using, just keep it on level ground/floor. I put a rug under it for extra measure.Product is easy to assemble. However the seat and legs are not great. Front legs not in an ideal position as too widePros: Good fitness bench for general use. There is a bit of wobbliness as some mentioned but it's tolerable and it generally goes away once you sit on it with some weight. Once assembled it takes up about 2x5 ft of space. The frame is solid metal and nicely painted/finished so there weren't any sharp edges. Everything came nicely wrapped and packaged with appropriate cushion.Cons: Overall the quality is okay but felt a bit more "sloppy" than I expected from a brand-name company like Bowflex.- As some mentioned, there seems to be some quality control issues with the welds. There are 2 metal beams supporting the bottom seat cushion, and on my unit one of them weren't welded properly so it slanted inwards slightly (they're supposed to be parallel); as a result I was only able to get 3 of the 4 screws in to secure the seat cushion. These issues are just luck of the draw, but judging by the number of other reviews bringing it up, it really does seem like they need to put more effort into quality control.- The seat and faux leather wrapping feels cheap and didn't give me the impression they'd last long past the 1-year upholstery warranty.- In case it matters for some people, the package came unsealed with only plastic bands keeping the box closed, which seems a bit unusual, but there wasn't any damage and all the parts were there.This bench is made of solid materials; it does not feel cheep and has held up well so far after several weeks of use.It has three height settings and for most will get the job done. At $200 CAD, it is a fair product you will not be dissapointed with.The only issue with this model is the incline is far to upright. It is too upright to do incline dumbbell press or to perform bench dumbbell rows. There is a model which has 5 height settings, however it comes with a higher price tag.This bench will suit most people's needs, but if you are looking into investing in a permanent at home gym- skip this one.