Powertec WB-MS Workbench Multi System

I purchased this system from a big-box sporting goods store. The installation instructions stink. Some bags of bolts, nuts, etc. appear to be mislabeled, but in the instructions it says those numbers are to help THEM, not YOU, so you have to ignore the part numbers on the bags. Gee, thanks! The instructions manual's illustrations were typically very crowded and it was often very difficult to see everything you were supposed to do. No real written instructions, just illustrations. It took close to 6 hours to assemble it, but I bet the second time would be under 4 hours. The instructions, though lousy, were not a major source of dissatisfaction.After getting it set up, my son's girlfriend tried out the ab crunch station. She probably had about 30 pounds on it and the weld on the pivot arm was breaking! My new gym ... broken almost immediately. I emailed tech support on a Sunday and they responded the next day. They wanted some additional information, which I supplied. About two weeks later, I received the replacement part. I had to do a good bit of disassembly to get the part replaced. Once installed, it felt very flimsy ... not nice and sturdy like the showroom model. A while later, I revisited the store. The showroom model pivot arm was MUCH better designed and MUCH beefier! No wonder!I took photos and described the problem to Powertec in email. They ignored the email ... no response. I've sent several more ... same result. I guess I'm stuck with a crappy system. I'll most likely use it for 80+ days, then return it to the Big-Box store (90 day return policy). One other difference between the showroom model and my model: there is an eyelet on each end of a horizontal bar used to attach the chain for triceps pulldowns on the showroom model, making access very easy. My model has one eyelet right in the middle of the bar, forcing me to stretch out over the ab crunch seat ... not a comfortable situation.This COULD be a nice gym. It probably WAS nice before Powertec cheapened the design. The part that really burns me up is the (lack of) tech support. Ignore customer complaints, PAY THE PRICE! ZERO STARS! CAVEAT EMPTOR!

If you are serious with working out this machine is not for you. The machine looks bad and I loved the color but that was about what I liked. The range of motion is limited and will not work your muscles correctly. Each exersice attachment will not do the job right. There are better machines out there, just do your homework before commiting to this System it will be well worth it.

It wasn't as heavy duty as I thought. This will be used every day by 50-80 men. Not going to last that long.

Solid Bench. Assembly wasn't nearly as difficult as many have claimed. Expect to spend a few hours on it though.

I bought the POWERTEC MULTI GYM roughly a month ago (and paid for assembly), and LOVE it. It's very well made, able to handle quite a bit of weight, and give you smooth, stable motion which is generally not available on most home gyms.POSITIVES: The SQUAT motion is nice once you get used to leaning back a bit... Good CALF RAISE stretch... The BENCH PRESS is fully adjustable and gives you a nice smooth motion all the way from decline through a steep INCLINE PRESS... The seat can be shifted back for back support on a MILITARY/OVERHEAD PRESS, but I personally prefer using the bench flat doing overhead presses without back support. I like the feel of the incline press and overhead/military press better than the equipment I've used at the gym I've gone to for years. The LAT PULLDOWN feels great and is very smooth (and can handle over 400lbs)... One thing that really convinced me to buy this gym was the PRIECHER CURL movement, which gives me good resistance through the full range of motion, is fully adjustable, and has a much better feel than any other home gym I've tried (even better than the professional level bicep machines at my regular gym)... The attached bicep grip works great, but if you want to "change it up" for a different feel, you can attach the tricep pushdown bar and chain to it. I've even used the priecher curl machine to do free weight priecher curls by adjusting the pad up, and resting the free weight bar back on the weights for the curl machine (hard to describe, but works/feels very good).NEGATIVES: The LEG EXTENTION is basically useless as it doesn't go back far enough to give you a decent stretch... The AB CRUNCH SETUP is awkward and basically useless... While the ROW pad attachment and grip may look "cool", the lack of stretch and awkward/uneven resistance through the motion make it basically useless (at least to me). The TRICEP PUSHDOWN bar/attachment (which gets attached to the lap pulldown) functions and feels okay (at best) as it's a bit awkward and the resistance varies throughout the movement... BUT WITH ALL OF THAT BEING SAID, the positives so far outweigh the negatives (especially in comparison to other home gyms I've tried) that I still believe this is an amazing home gym, and probably the best home gym "out there", especially at this price point.THINGS YOU SHOULD KNOW... Be prepared to spend some decent money on olympic free weight plates, as it's really quite a pain to have to keep loading and unloading... and moving 45s back and forth between the stations. I've already bought 600lbs worth, and will probably end up buying some more. As assembly (which I paid someone to do) is a bear, it would be very difficult and/or costly to move this should you decide to relocate...OVERALL, this is a great, high quality home gym... The squat, bench press, military press, lap pulldown, and curl motions are second to none, especially for a home gym. It's able to comfortably handle a lot of weight, and is very comparable (in my opinion) to "gym quality" equipment.

I will NEVER purchase another piece of equipment from Powertec again! First off, they have a decent rep in the industry. Now that they have that rep, like other reviewers have stated, they've been cheapening equipment and parts. My machine had many pieces significantly welded asymetrically, which is VERY dangerous and can seriously injure you! Welding also cracking in some places after minimal use!! What appauled me the most was the customer service. This stuff, surprise surprise is made overseas, so I gave powertec the benefit of the doubt that it wasn't their fault, although there is better quality control w other companies. Customer service ignored my emails, then when I called a week later and spoke to THE ONLY PERSON WORKING THERE they gave me the run around!!! Seriously, one person? Complaint went to "management" and again I was ignored. BEST case scenario I would have had to pay out of my own pocket to return item to them, THEN incur another 20% restocking fee!! On a faulty cheap item!!!!Believe me folks, steer clear of this company. Cheap products that the company will not stand by!