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So I bought this rack on Amazon because I was curious of the quality and the full name of it is the Sunny Health & Fitness Power Zone Squat Stand Rack Power Cage. Now, with a name like that, youâd expect it to be a piece of crap but I was pleasantly surprised it is not bad especially when you consider the price point which is anywhere from $250-$300 from what Iâve seen. I think I got it around $260.
Hole Spacing
The hole spacing as you can see is not amazing. Itâs 3-inch, I believe so 3â from one center of one hole to the center of the next hole. You can check our full written review for much more detailed information and the kind of specs of this rack.
Safety Bar
The safety bars you get with this are also not bad. You see theyâve got the rubberized kind of protector thatâs screwed in there to protect your bar and the safety bars themselves from scuffing up. And theyâre pretty heavy and now, if I have to criticize them, they are a little short, I would say, so they are probably best for benching only. Maybe you can dump a squat on there, maybe. And they also have this locking feature that is interesting, Iâve never seen that before. I can see that being annoying and not being used.
J-Hooks
The J-hooks are pretty decent for an entry level squat rack, they also have the protective screwed on kind of coating there to protect your bar and rack from dancing and theyâre in decent size.
Shipping
And of course, the great thing about this rack is that you can buy it from Amazon so shipping was cheap, free and quite fast at 3-5 days for a heavier item like this. And the great thing about Amazon also is that you can return things although itâs harder to return a large item like this but it is possible with UPS pick-up.
Pull-up Bar
The pull-up bar was angled and which is another great thing for an entry level rack like this. Definitely tall enough for a person of my height, 6â2â, to kind of pull from comfortably. And now, on the side of the rack, it also has these resistance band posts which are great for attaching your resistance bands to and having a firm anchor point to then do various resistance band exercises or putting them on the bar to kind of add some interesting and different types of resistance to the workout
Weight Horns
It also has two weight horns at the back which are in a fantastic position to not only kind of store your weights but also to add some extra weight and some sturdiness to the rack since you can easily add on several 45s back there and make the rack altogether much much more sturdy which is a great feature for this half rack that are more prone to being unstable when compared to a full rack with four posts.
Summary
In summary, this is a great half rack for its price and if I think if you have a little more budget, say a $100-$150 more, then there are some better options out there that can definitely hold more weight and maybe last you longer as far as the quality and just the amount of add ons you can add to them. And the one Iâm thinking about is probably the Titan Half Rack. You can check my website in order to kind of see more about that or I may also put a link in this video.
But if you have all the more budget, that can be a great option. Now this is, for the price point, this is kind of hard to beat especially if you donât have a lot of space. You got everything you need except that one big criticism which is safety bars are not quite long enough for me. I would like to use them for squatting but other than that, I think itâs a great fantastic for a portable half rack or squat stand that you can get from Amazon for free shipping and you know, without having to worry about not be able to return it because you can easily do so even large items with Amazon. So yeah, all in all, Iâm giving it a 4/5. I think it’s a great option.
Quick Review Summary for people in a hurry
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Rating: 4/5
Name: Sunny Health & Fitness Power Zone Squat Stand Rack Power Cage SF-XF9931
Recommendation: Suitable for intermediate and advanced trainers who are used to practising with heavy weights. It is a basic rack and the hole size is non-standard, so you may not find suitable accessories such as dip bars.
Pros: 805 lbs weight-bearing capacity, angled pullbar up, comes with spotter arms and j-hooks, good stability with options of weighing it or anchoring it to the floor, easy assembly
Cons: Poor customer support team, poor shipping and handling, non-standard hole size.
Scroll below to read our full written review or click the buttons below to check pricing now:
Full Written Review:
Sunny Health and Fitness isnât as popular a brand as Titan or CAP but this almost-two decade old company manufactures good quality home gym and light-commercial gym equipment at pretty genuine prices. We highly recommend their under-desk elliptical and mini stepper for busy people who cannot spare an hour or half for working out their muscles. Recently, we ordered their SF-XF9931 squat rack and we are happy to acknowledge that we are very satisfied with our purchase. It is a bargain buy for people who want a durable and stable full rack below $250.
The SF-XF9931 Sunny Health & Fitness power zone squat cage is meant for intermediate and advanced trainers. Although being a very basic full squat rack, its heavy-duty frame and powerful weight-bearing capacity give it an edge over the other popular squat cages in its price range. After using it for about 8 weeks, we are confident that stability wonât be an issue if you use it within its weight limit.
In this blog, we will provide you with a detailed review of Sunny Health & Fitness SF-XF9931 Power Zone squat cage. We have strived hard to provide you with all the necessary details that you may require to make an informed buying decision. We hope you find it helpful.
To begin with, let’s look at some of its key features.
Features and Specifications of Sunny Health & Fitness Power Zone Squat Cage
- Dimensions: 38 x 53 x 87 inches
- Weight-bearing capacity: 805lbs
- Material: steel (the manufacturer hasnât mentioned the steel gauge but we guess it is 11 gauge)
- The pullup bar is angled for narrow grip and wide grip. It has 8 grip different positions and can be reversed to provide you with a comfortable position for pull ups.
- Sunny Health & Fitness power cage comes with a pair of spotter arms and a pair of j-hooks.
- There are weight storage pegs on both sides of the frame.
- There are six resistance band pins; 3 on each side.
- There are 18 height adjustment holes. The spacing between them is 3â.
- The frame is powder-coated to prevent rusting and damage.
- Fits 7 feet olympic bars.
Detailed Review of Sunny Health & Fitness Power Zone Squat Cage
Built quality
It is a well-built squat rack. As you can watch in the above video, the steel is thick and the welds are well done. We donât know the exact steel gauge but it wouldnât be more than 11 gauge.
FYI: The higher the steel gauge, the fragile the steel will be. So, something made of 11 gauge steel is stronger than the one made of 14 gauge steel.
The frame is held together with the help of big bolts. The j-hooks and spotter arms are well-padded, so your barbellâs knurling wonât get damaged.
Making height adjustments for the spotter arms and j-hooks is quick and easy. The spotter arms have safety latches, so you can trust them with heavy weights. In case you miss, they are going to catch the barbell and maintain the stability of the frame, keeping you and your home gym safe from injuries and damage.
The weight pegs too have safety clips, so the plates wonât slip out accidentally. Some buyers have suggested that these posts should have had a slight upward tilt but we have been using it for weeks and we donât really see an issue with the current design.
Hole spacing
As mentioned above, the space between two holes is 3â. The westside hole spacing (which is the industry standard) is 1â. While most buyers havenât mentioned any issue with the 3â spacing, we would like to tell you that it could become too much if you are lifting heavy weights. Imagine how challenging it can be to balance yourself and go 3â down or up with about 700lbs on your shoulder.
If you are not planning to lift a lot of weight or if you are confident and comfortable with your weights, this shouldnât be a problem. A very few products adhere to westside hole spacing patterns. Most products usually have 2â and 3â hole spacing. For example; the CAP Barbell Full Cage Power Rack has 4â hole spacing and has a weight-bearing capacity of 750lbs. The TDS power rack has a weight capacity of 1000lbs and has a hole spacing of 2â. Both of them are suitable for powerlifters.
You donât really need a power rack with 1â hole spacing unless you are lifting heavy. Yet, you must understand that the Sunny Health & Fitness power cage has 3â spacing and you would have to go slow with heavy weights.
Stability
Sunny Health & Fitness rack weighs 83lbs, which is decent enough to make it stay in place on its own. But, if you are using heavy weights or if you are kipping, it will wobble a bit. The wobbling wonât be too much to make you feel unsafe but it will still divert your attention a bit until you get used to it. This is a fairly common issue with every rack, no matter how expensive it is. All racks wobble but they donât really fall off unless you use them very roughly. You need to be gentle when re-racking; thatâs it. Moreover, you can bolt the rack to the floor or weigh it down with weight plates or sandbags.
Overall, stability isnât an issue with Sunny Health & Fitness power cage.
Assembly
Assembly is easy but we suggest you use your own tools instead of the ones provided. Sunny Health & Fitness has done an amazing job in writing detailed assembling instructions. They are pretty easy to follow. Even people who hate DIYing would be able to put this together alone in less than 2 hours (depending on your skills). All the holes line up properly, so assembly is even easier.
Packaging, shipping, and delivery
Buyers have confirmed that each piece of Sunny Health and Fitness Power cage comes wrapped thoroughly in plastic and cardboard to avoid any damage that could happen due to poor shipping and handling. And yet, many buyers have complained about bent pieces and broken parts which are mostly due to poor handling. Many of them had to return the product. They have left low ratings even though, in their reviews, they have admitted that this power cage is âbuilt like a bestâ. The seller needs to seriously consider using another shipping partner.
Pros:
- Sunny Health & Fitness SF-XF9931 power cage comes with its own spotter arms. You donât have to buy them separately. Most other racks do not come with spotter arms.
- The pullup bar can be reversed i.e. dropped down, so even short people would be able to grab it easily instead of using a bench or stepper.
- The powder coating on the frame is very well done and no buyer had complained about the paint chipping issue.
- It is impossible to find such a well-built and well-equipped power cage in the price range in which this product is available. It’s a bargain buy.
Cons:
- Some buyers have stated that Sunny Health & Fitness has an almost non-existent customer support team. Buyers didnât get any reply after sending multiple emails over a month. If you received a package with missing parts or if you have any query, it could be frustrating to contact the company. The only hassle-free option will be to return it within its return period.
- The holes of this power cage are not of standard size. They are a bit smaller, which is why it is almost impossible to find accessories such as dip bars. If you donât care about accessories and need this only for pushups, benches, and squats, this shouldnât be an issue.
- As mentioned above, shipping issues are severe with this brand and chances are that you may receive a bent or damaged part. Such issues are mostly cosmetic but if a specific part is severely damaged, you may have to return it.
- Some buyers have stated that the pullup bar is not knurled. It can get slippery if you have sweaty hands. This isnât a deal-breaker issue though.
Our Rating: 4/5
Our Verdict:
When we ordered Sunny Health & Fitness squat rack, we didnât expect much from it. To our surprise, it turned out to be an exceptionally good product for its price. No wonder why more than 90% of buyers have rated it 5 stars and above.
Honestly, we would have rated it a bit more (and the rack truly deserves it). But, bad shipping and handling is a serious issue that the manufacturer needs to address on a priority basis. Thankfully, our package arrived in a good condition, but many buyers had to return their order because the parts were severely bent.
Well, donât let the shipping issue affect your buying decision. You can anyway return it.