Serious home system
I recently purchased this system through Amazon. I work out at home in the AM before work. I was looking for a Smith machine so that I could lift heavy in the basement without the danger presented by free weights w/o a spotter. You'll find Smith machines cheaper than the Caribou but they fit in the category of "home gym" equipment. Commercial machines are generally a lot more expensive than the Caribou. I settled on Caribou because of the solid construction and flexibility to add on features later as my needs demand (such as a pec deck cable cross dip station).
The system delivers in 5 boxes weighing 485# (2 or 3 are more than 100#). I broke the heavy boxes down before taking the equipment to the basement. There are a lot of parts. This is not a hard machine to assemble but it took me 2.5 hours by myself. (I'm handy. Two people would have made the job a little easier but this is not hard to put together alone.)
The system is solid. 300# is easily handled. I don't have need for more but I'd bet another 200# is well within the range of this system.
My only complaint is that the system is a little small. You cannot use the supplied bench with the back upright to support shoulder presses (the bench cannot slide deeply enough into the rack to do that). I do shoulder presses without the bench back raised. The lat pull down and chinning bar are also lower than I'd like (I'm 6'2"). But I compensate by doing pull downs kneeling on the floor and chinning with legs bent 90 degrees at the knees. Frankly a bigger machine would have a hard time fitting into a home so I think this is why the dimensions are what they are. (This is the reason for four vice five stars.) However for bench presses and squats this is a full sized olympic system.
Finally this system doesn't come with weights. I recommend you either buy these used off eBay/Craigs List or look for a deal at Sports Authority. The money you pay to deliver the weights will probably exceed the cost of the weights themselves. (I got a 300# set including an olympic bar for $140 from Sports Authority. Beat that if you can!)
If you're serious about getting/staying in shape at home you cannot go wrong with this system. More detail ...
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