equipment question

Jay Ashman · 12-16-2009, 05:57 AM

although I know exactly what equipment I want to get to outfit myself, I am looking for a good deal for the basics. I looked on craigslist and its a pain in the ass to outfit a small facility that way; so....

out of the two companies that are well-known, which one do you think is a better deal for what I need? Rogue or Again Faster.

Keep in mind I am not just looking for CrossFit stuff. I also do sports training for FB and baseball players and I plan on getting USAW Club Coach Certified in the future so I can teach basic oly lifts (I am in no means an expert, but if I am going to teach those lifts I want to be able to ensure I am decent at instructing them).

Any advice as to where to get the basics from would be appreciated.

I live a few miles from NY Barbell on Long Island but I can't trust their equipment for heavy usage.

Garrett Smith · 12-16-2009, 07:18 AM

Have you looked to Muscledriver.com and becoming an affiliate of them to get some $$ back?

Jon Gilson does great customer service, but him and Rogue are a bit too heavy on the Kool-Aid support for my business.

You'd likely get a lot more feedback on this at the CF board...

Gant Grimes · 12-16-2009, 07:18 AM

Muscledriver.

Edit: Ha! Beat me to it.

Jay Ashman · 12-16-2009, 09:44 AM

I'm looking for feedback here, I know what the CF board will say but since a lot of you guys use other avenues for equipment I was curious as to what you felt was the best deal for what I need.

Garrett Smith · 12-16-2009, 11:49 AM

Muscledriver

...did we say Muscledriver??? :-)

Jay Ashman · 12-16-2009, 03:54 PM

haha, thanks Garrett, I may have missed that

Arden Cogar Jr. · 01-09-2010, 05:48 AM

Jay,
Are you outfitting a home gym or an affiliate?

The above is spot on. The best I've found for bumper prices is Rubberman. They run some cheap sales every so often. I've since upgarded to Werksan - which would be like comparing a Mercedes to a Yugo (Werksan to Kraiburg), but that's because i've fallen in love with OL.

On Bars - go Pendlay's HDs. They are not quaranteed for life, but they are meant to be dropped. I'm not so sure about the other stuff I've seen out there.

On kettlebells - definitely Muscle Driver. Best prices you can find on decent bells.

Stall Mats - Tractor Supply.

I could go on and on. I've got everything I need now in my home gym, but I do want to get a few more Werksan Training Plates - 10s and 15s. Once I can snatch comfortably snatch all the Reds I have (4 of them - 120), then i'll stop pussy footing around with all the little plates. But until then, I'm a pussy and I like looking at a bar with 4 or 5 plates on it.

All the best,
Arden

Clay Jones · 01-21-2010, 09:42 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jay Ashman

I live a few miles from NY Barbell on Long Island but I can't trust their equipment for heavy usage.

Their squat stands are pretty OK, I'm pretty sure Bugener uses them. Mine have held up well, but then I'm a facility of one.

Blair Lowe · 01-21-2010, 11:03 PM

For KB, take a look @ http://www.board.crossfit.com/showth...ght=kettlebell

Michael McKenna · 01-22-2010, 06:31 AM

Muscledriver has some great deals on bumpers, but since you live in Long Island, you might want to buy from Werksan, drive down to Moorestown to pick the stuff up, and take an Olympic lifting workout or two down at the trianing center in Moorestown. It gives you an excuse to come down there. I suggest going on a Saturday, since many lifters form all over the area often go there on Saturdays. if you let me know when you're going, I'll try to come up with friend or two. You can also try out the equipment there- they have samson bars, york bars, elieko bars, and werksan bars there.

As for bumpers, and for starting a facility, go for the 10s and 15s in composite bumpers. You can get 2x as many for the same price, and if the bar is being used with only a single pair 10s or 15s on it, the wider bumpers will help absorb some impact on the bar; if you want to use bumpers on an axle, the composite bumpers will fit better on most axles than will the truer expensive bumpers (the ends of many axles are 2 inches; the certified and trianing bumpers are 1.97 inches, and it does make a difference). Get nicer 20s and 25s. I think the Werksan black training set is nice (under their training sets, not composite/ rubber). I have those same plates and they've held up for years.

For kbs, try to avoid the shipping hell. If you buy in bulk from, say, Power Systems or someone, ask for a quote. I had a quote a few years ago that would have saved me $300, but I bought other stuff instead.

Bars do make a difference; I'd go for the nicest bar you can get. The Pendlay HD bars I've never tried out, but I have used the older Pendlays, and they're fine. Not as nice as Werksan or Eleiko, but you can get two for the price of 1.

Older York bars are great; their elite bars from the late 90s are some of the best value you can get if you can find one used. Not many people are selling them, though.

The Samson bars Werksan has are nice, too. I really dig them. Again, as far as value goes, two for the price of one nicer bar.