If you are a powerlifter or an advanced trainer looking for a highly stable, strong, and reliable power rack on a budget, you have very few options to choose from. Most of the options are from Rogue or Rep Fitness but if you are looking for squat racks besides Rogue, Ethos has a few decent options for you.
Ethos power racks are semi-commercial and commercial-grade products, mostly suited for athletes and powerlifters who are in a lookout for a good quality product at an affordable price range. With a high-quality frame and an extremely stable structure, they are probably one of the most well-built squat racks for home gyms. However, they have their own set of flaws and those flaws could be deal breakers.
Read below our detailed review of the Ethos power rack 1.0 to find out more about its build quality, flaws, and where it stands when compared with other competitive products.
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Quick Review Summary
The Ethos Power Rack 1.0 is a commercial-grade full rack suitable for intermediate and advanced trainers. It has a 3” X3” 11 gauge steel frame that can handle more than 1000lbs of weight. The uprights and base are connected with triangular gussets. Plus the gussets have feet that extend beyond the frame. These features provide exceptional stability to the rack, making it suitable for high-performance activities.
The rack is 85” high, which is enough for most people but if you are into calisthenic workouts, you should go with taller racks such as Rogue RML-3 Monster Lite Rack or Rep Fitness SR 4000 Rack. Also, Ethos power racks have non-standard hole sizes, so you will have to buy accessories only from the same manufacturer.
Nevertheless, it is a good product for its price but you can find numerous cheaper alternatives.
Pros
- Ensures high level of stability even when not bolted to the floor
- Comes with a multi-grip monkey bar, a pullup bar, and spotter arms
Cons
- Doesn’t have resistance bands pegs
- Doesn’t have any option to add landmine attachment
- Has non-standard hole size so you can’t easily find compatible attachments
- Taller, better racks available in this price range
Rating
We are giving this a rating of 4.0 out of 5.0.
Full Review
Now on to our full review.
Features and specifications of Ethos Power Rack 1.0
- Dimension- 59” deep 58” wide and 85” tall
- Weight- 278lbs
- Weight-bearing capacity- 1000lbs
- Comes with a pair of j-hooks, spotter arms, and safety catches
- Made with 11 gauge steel
- Frame size is 3” X3”
- Warranty information not provided by seller
Ethos power rack 1.0 is exceptionally stable, even when you don’t bolt it down to the floor
Look at the image above.
Unlike other squat racks and power cages, the Ethos Power Rack 1.0 doesn’t have just uprights connected to the base with some bolts. The manufacturer has made an extra investment to add triangular gussets, which also have a few inches long feet. These extra supports help eliminate the chances of wobbling. Numerous buyers have stated that this Ethos squat rack is extremely stable and can be trusted for calisthenic exercises.
This additional stability helps justify its high price. Not many squat racks and power cages offer such exceptionally trustworthy stability. Even good-quality products such as Titan T-2 Series Power Rack and Rep Fitness PR-1100 Squat Rack wobble. You need to anchor them or at least weigh them down.
The manufacturer hasn’t provided any floor anchoring options
We would have loved pre-drilled holes and the necessary hardware. Even though the rack is stable, bolting it down to the floor or the weightlifting platform gives us some extra peace of mind.
Weight horns are missing too
These are very basic features and they don’t even cost a lot. But, they are a great thing to have. You can use them for organizing your plates as well as for weighing down the rack to achieve extra stability.
No option to attach landmine attachment or resistance bands
That’s a minor issue but at a high price point, we did expect a product that lets us accessorize it as much as possible.
But, don’t worry. Products like Hulkfit Landmine Attachment can be bolted to the floor, wall, or a weightlifting platform.
By the way, here is an informational article on how to build a weightlifting platform at home.
Ethos power rack 1.0 is more expensive than other competitive products
Its closest competitor is the Rogue RML-3 Monster Lite Rack, which is also made of 11 gauge steel and has a 3”X3” frame. This power rack from Rogue Fitness needs to be bolted down to the floor and this helps eliminate any chances of wobbling. Rogue Fitness SML (Monster Light) Series Half Racks can also be counted as a competitor but they are half racks. Yet, they are also commercial-grade products meant for heavy use.
At the time of writing this article, the Rogue racks listed above were sold between $500 to $800 depending upon the model you choose. The Ethos Power rack 1.0 was sold at $800.
Now, if we have to make a choice, we would rather spend $800 for Rogue squat racks because they are sold by an American company.
We don’t really know who is the manufacturer of Ethos power racks but we are pretty sure that they are manufactured overseas, just like Titan Fitness products and numerous other affordable ranges of home gym equipment.
Now, this could be an issue because we don’t think the manufacturers of Ethos power racks would have a very professional customer service team. If you have a query, you might have to wait for days to get a response. That’s where Rogue wins.
You can go through this Reddit thread where buyers have clearly stated that they would rather go with Rogue squat racks because they are much cheaper plus you can reach out to the manufacturer any time.
But, Ethos power rack 1.0 has more accessories than the competitive products
It has spotter arms, safety catches, multi-grip pull up bar, and a standard pull up bar. Rogue usually only offers j-hooks. The Rogue Monster Lite series do not even have a pullup bar because they have independent frames. If you go with them, you will have to buy a doorway pull-up bar separately.
So, Ethos power rack is more versatile than Rogue but then, you have TDS Power Rack and Fitness Reality 810XLT Power Rack that are also as versatile as the Ethos racks and yet they are much cheaper (but definitely not better).
Ethos power rack 1.0 has a non-standard hole size
That's the only genuine complaint that we have against Ethos. The holes have a diameter of 5/8″, which is much less than the 1” standard hole sizing. If you ever want to replace the j-hooks or buy a pair of dip handles you will have a hard time finding them unless you want to buy them from Ethos Itself. This is not fair. Ethos should have chosen standard sizing instead of restricting the buyers.
Rating
We are giving this a rating of 4.0 out of 5.0.
Wrap Up
As obvious from our detailed Ethos power rack 1.0 review above, it is a great rack with exceptional stability and durability. If you are into competitive sports or already lifting more than 400lbs of weight, it is definitely a good option to go with. But, if you are a recreational trainer like us who has no intentions of training like a hulk, you might want to go with more affordable, reasonably-good options such as Sunny Health & Fitness Power Cage SF-XF9931 or the Valor Fitness BD-7 Power Rack.
We hope this article helps you make an informed decision. Keep reading our website for more such genuine product reviews and informational guides.