Should You Buy Budget Home Gym Equipment？

Shopping for a home gym is like standing at a crossroads. On the left, it’s to “Buy once, cry once!”, while on the right, it’s for “cheap and cheerful!”

What’s your decision on the home gym haul. To budget, or no budget?

I see you’re caught in a dilemma.

To decide which way to go, first off, you need to know your direction——your training goals. Surely, we all have different training goals and different training modes, but deep down, we all want the same thing--a multifunctional piece of equipment, with which we can do a full-body workout every day. A power cage is one such piece of equipment. It is also an essential part of most training regimens.

In the current fitness equipment market, the price point of the same product can vary astonishingly mainly due to their different materials, brands, and patents.

In the home gym market of North America, the price of a Power Cage ranges from $300-$3,000. As I said, a lot of people stand at a crossroads.

Some turn left. They choose to buy the premium. Others turn right, which is quite understandable since not everyone can afford as much as $3,000 only for a power cage.

In fact, most of the people turn right. They choose to buy some budget home gym machines, and they’re serious about it.

They do research, compare different brands and products, and alas, they find the one that suits them most on a budget. But budget home gym will not be perfect. Sometimes people hesitate before buying budget home gym equipment because they’re worried about the safety of the so-called cost-effective equipment. 

Budget home gym v.s. nonbudget home gym

Nonbudget home gym pros & cons

Pros:

1. Durable and safe

A Nonbudget home gym stands for durability and safety, like a commercial gym. This expensive quality equipment requires a substantially higher initial investment, but more often than not, they are well worth in terms of performance, features, reliability, and safety.

2. Brand means taste

Buying with the brand is common. Good brands will never cheat you, and they are often equal to good taste.

3. You can sell your second-hand equipment

Unlike the budget ones, a piece of expensive brand fitness equipment sells a good price on the Second-Hand Shopping Sites. You can sell it on eBay when you get tired of it.

Cons:

1. Way too expensive

You may think that the only con for a nonbudget home gym is expensive. Well, it is, and it is a big one. If you want every piece of equipment to be first-notch, you’ll soon find out building a home gym is a particularly long and tiresome process. After all, money doesn't grow on trees.

2. You pay for the brand more than the product

Brands have built trust and reputation, and that is why the same product from different brands can have a huge price gap.

3. It may be “overqualified”

Nonbudget home gym equipment is normally for professional athletes or those who have been dedicated to working out for years. If you’re only a beginner or a novice, equipment of entry-level may suit you better. 

Budget home gym pros & cons

Pros:

1. You can finish building your home gym sooner

Waiting is always an exhausting thing. You want to see your home gym complete, with all the essentials. Building a budget home gym helps realize your dream sooner.

2. You’re more likely to buy the right thing for you

When you’re not following the brand and the trend, you will think about what’s best for you. You will do some research before hitting the bottom of purchase, and that’s why you’re more likely to get the right thing when shopping for a budget home gym.

3. Good budget home gym equipment is out there

Without a famous brand, you will pay more attention to the product itself. And some companies sell quality budget home gym equipment. They use the same materials and some parts even come from the same factory as the nonbudget home gym equipment.

Cons:

1. You may make the wrong choice

I’m not saying all the budget home gym equipment is good. If you haven’t done proper research and focused too much on the cheap price, you may end up buying yourself a bunch of junk.

2. Budget equipment often means compromised quality

Well, you get what you pay for. You can not expect the budget home gym equipment can be as durable and good as the nonbudget ones.

Influencer’s Review on Buying a Budget Power Cage For Home Gym

With the pro and con list, you may already have your view now. Buying a budget home gym gives you more flexibility.

I don't know what kind of research you're doing, but I will search some garage gym reviews on YouTube. Some of them share excellent ideas of the budget home gym i. Recently, NoFate247 uploaded a video to review the RitFit 1000LB Power Cage and share his garage gym ideas. Let’s take a look. 

In this video, NoFate247 cites the example of the RitFit power rack to share his view on a budget home gym.

He lists some advantages of the RitFit power rack.

1. It has many accessories and attachments, including the landmine, cable lat pulldown machine, additional weight storage, etc. The pulley system is very smooth. It’s like all-in-one equipment.
2. Its height is 85 inches, which suits most American rooms and garages.
3. Its weight capacity is as much as that of some nonbudget power cage, which is 1000lb.
4. It is budget-friendly and surpasses other power cages at the same price in the market.

Besides, he sheds some light on how to pick the right Power Cage

1. Material is very important. Make sure it’s made of steel.
2. Weight capacity should be tailored to your PR. In today's market, the Power Cages tend to have a maximum weight capacity of 2000lbs with 11 gauge steel. If your PR is 500-800lb, a power rack with a 2000lb weight capacity is totally unnecessary. You should get what you need.
3. Space and height are also crucial. You need to be sure that the machine can fit your room/garage.

Summary

Ok, let’s cap things off. Should you buy budget home gym equipment?

With all things considered, my answer is yes. You only need to do proper research before hitting the purchase button, comparing the materials, weight capacity, height, and other elements of different products.

At the end of the video, NoFate247 highly recommends that everyone who wants to build a home gym should start from the entry point, which is, getting the home gym essentials on a budget, something like a RitFit Power Cage, and then you can slowly upgrade your home gym according to your workout scheme.

It’s all about making trade-offs. My friend Sheryl is a fitness fanatic. When I was asking for her advice on this, she said, “I choose to buy a budget power cage, simply because I want more than the cage."

"Say I have $2000 to invest in my home gym. And I spend 3/4 on a power cage, then I only have 1/4 for things like dumbbells, workout benches, pull-up bars, and others. Then I’ll have to compromise the quality of the dumbbells, and the benches, etc. "

"On the other way around, if I spend 1/4 or more on a Power Cage, which of course should be nice, I could buy some wall balls. I could buy the bumper plates because I want to protect my floor. And I can even buy a Plyo Box.” 

Well, she totally got a point here and I chose to follow suit. 

Buying a nice Power Cage at about $700 is a good way to start. Hope you can build your best budget home gym shortly!!