Valor Fitness BD-61 Cable Crossover Machine w/LAT Pull Down Bar, Cable Row Machine, and Pull Up Station Home Gym Equipment

So far good. It took me about 5 hours to slowly put together. I had read the other reviews so took my time.TIPS: Definitely go to YouTube and get the videos for how to string the cables. The directions with the package will not help you do that and were not intended too. Don't fully tighten the frame bolts till you get that section together and aligned. Just slide the bolts that hold the pulleys in place for that cable run, don't put the nut on until you know you got all the pulleys and cable runs correct. It's easier to put on the nuts and tighten them down once you know you have them all working correct, do not tighten these to tight as they will bind the pulley.I purchased this unit as I have a very low ceiling and it was the only one I could find to fit in the room. I do like it and find it will be more adaptable than any of the others anyhow. I searched and found a very old used club type weight stack machine for $60 (there are 1000's of them out there, some for free). I cut out the 210 lb weight stack with it's very sturdy rack, cut down the heavy duty metal frame about 3" to fit in right where the current free pulley weight system was. This gives me plenty of weight to use, in my small work out area with no need to store and move free weights around. It works great. Those old systems have club level rollers on the weight stack sliders so it handles the weight and movement well. I found I was a few inches higher on the pulley for the stack, so I just pulled the front bottom cable out to take the slack out. I get full extension on the cable exercises so it had no effect on my usage.After a month of use I like it even more ... feels like a club level workout at home. After 3 months I am really happy with it. I just got rid of my traditional weight machine as I do not need it and after using cables I could feel just how restrictive the movements were. So I am getting some bonus free space in my workout area by adding the cable machine ... it's incredible that they can sell this for the $500 range.

I will review this again in 6 months, but so far so good.Pros:The ability to do lots of exercisesAlthough cheaply made, the handgrips that come with machine work well and the adjustability on them is brilliant.Comes with a curl bar and lat barSturdy enoughThe way the machine is developed seems to hit the muscles in the right spotsSmooth action on pulleysIt seems like the customer service is excellent at valor. I was able to speak to the actual engineer about questions I hadAWESOME DESIGN, GREAT ENGINEERINGConsPulleys are made of a cheap material, but are still built tough. I just hope they last.Weight has to be evenly distributed on the main pulley where the weights go (but you can do one arm exercises no problem, the weight just has to be even on both sides.Some blemishes/irregularities on the fly posts and the action is not as good as it should be, but still works fineOverall, this system is great for the price. Don't let the cons scare you because this machine does everything you need for a great cable crossover. I will review again in 6 months.

I’ve been slowly building up a home garage gym over the past year or so. One of the biggest things I was missing since transitioning from the commercial setting was the cable tower. I feel cable work is a crucial aspect of any routine. I was disappointed to find most options were thousands of dollars. Not exactly enticing for someone building a home gym. I found this product and it seemed to be ideal for someone on a budget. I’ve been using it for about 2 months now, so I feel I can give an honest review.Delivery was reasonably quick. With the help of my wife, I was able to assemble the product over the course of 2 days or so. As someone who isn’t very handy, I found the directions to be extremely lacking, particularly at the part where you’re stringing up the cables. This was very frustrating for me but we managed to sort it out ultimately. I did have one piece that was bent but I managed to make it work. You can clearly see that the quality of the materials matches the price tag, but it’s “good enough” which is expected on a budget product. My finished product does wobble, particularly if I’m doing anything where I pull the weight away from the machine (such as chest flys or standing rows) but I weighed the back legs down with some bags of concrete and it holds fairly well. Unfortunately, I haven’t been able to get the lat pulley to work without grinding. Again, I think this is a result of the confusing directions when stringing the cables. Perhaps someone who is a little more handy can figure it out better than I.Overall, the product does fine and works for the most part. My experience was hurt by the cheap materials and poor directions. If you’re on a budget, this is a reasonable option and it’ll help you round out the home routine. If I could go back, I would probably have saved a bit more and invested in a higher quality product. I would recommend this product to someone on a budget who is committed to building a good home gym without sacrificing this crucial aspect of a good routine.