Customer Reviews

Marcy Diamond MD 857 Olympic Surge Bench

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This is a solid product and I like it a lot. The only complaint I have is that the squat rack in the back is definately for a taller person, but I just turned the top front rack holders around to use in the back. I'm only 5'6" so getting the bar back up on the squat supports was a bit difficult, but once I turned the front ones around it was much easier. I like the versitility that it offers in that regard too. Overall a very solid product.

I am very happy with this bench. Very sturdy and easy to put together. I gave it 4 out of 5 stars because some of the peices of the kit had paint chips and dings. Probably from shipping. Other than that I am pleased with this purchase.

I received this bench on 7/18/11. I finally had the time to put it together yesterday. It came in two boxes. One large box and one smaller box that contained the hardware, i.e. nuts and bolts. The nuts, bolts, and other hardware are clearly marked on the package and in the instruction manual, which was very helpful. The bench parts themselves were not marked with a letter or number, but the illustrations in the instruction manual were so detailed that finding which part you needed was a breeze. I had NO problems with hole alignment. It took me about 3 hours to put together by myself, but I always go slow and methodical when assembling anything so someone else might not take as long. There are 4 allen wrenches included. I don't know why all the bolts couldn't be constructed to use the same size wrench. There was one wrench that you never use. You will need either a socket or an adjustable wrench to tighten the nuts and washers down. I used a socket and it was easy to assemble everything tight. There's one philips head screw that assembles to a spring inside a pin that holds leg extension in place for doing abdominal exercises, so you'll need a screw driver. Like others have posted there was some minor scratches on some of the parts and one square tube piece was bent at the end, but easily fixed with a pair of pliers. Overall I'm very pleased with my purchase and would recommend it to anyone.

I reviewed many weight bench sets prior to purchasing this one. It is everything I expected and more. The seat cushions are well padded and their is plenty of sitting room so you don't feel crammed. There are several height positions for the bar which is a very nice feature. There are three positions for the seat back. The leg assembly is solid and smooth and permits quite a large amount of weight to be added for a solid quad or hamstring workout. There are bar holders on the back side for squat exercises. The bar holders are fairly wide and would recommend the 84" length bar but a 72" bar fits and works just fine too, just a pretty close fit for the bar collars when placing on the bar holders. The Roman Curl attachment has multiple adjustments options and is easy to take on and off. Beware that it will take 90 minutes to assemble for two people (highly recommended) or 3+ hours if your by yourself. Overall a very very nice set. Highly recommended.

After using a BowFlex for 4 years (and struggling to see the benefits of it), I chose to purchase this bench a year ago. I've been quite impressed with its design and functionality since I made the switch. I also bought a 300 pound olympic barbell set to go along with this bench, and the bench compliments the barbell set very nicely. I honestly wish I would've purchased this bench years ago. Using the new set, I've seen noticeable results in my workouts and it has made the entire workout experience MUCH better than it was with the BowFlex.

The setup took me a few hours to do (your setup time will vary depending on how handy you are - and I'm not very handy).

The only downside I can think of, is that the metal plates on each of the two stands are made of plastic (it looks like metal from the picture). This is purely an aesthetic thing and has absolutely no effect on the actual use of the bench. Nevertheless, the plastic pieces on my bench have almost completely worn off after a year because the barbell always rubs against it after I put it back on the stand. Not a huge deal (I may just take them off eventually), but if I had to point out one "con", that would be it. Everything else works very well.

YES - I would recommend this bench. It gets and A+ in my book.

Product seems to be of very good construction and functionality for the price (about $200).

Product came with a hole alignment issue on 2 major frame pieces. They wouldn't bolt together. It took a little over 2 weeks and a lot of effort to get resolved, but ultimately it did. Also seems to have hole alignment problem for a minor pin placement feature and there are some cosmetic scratches likely due to packaging (non-padded poly bags).

My bench arrived in a "box" that was completely destroyed. Both ends of the box were torn open. The weight rests weren't even in the box. I had to call the manufacturer and have them send me new weight rests. Not to mention that the bench was dinged up and had chips in the paint, and the seat cushion had a tear in it.. I don't know if this was because of shipping, or if this was on Amazon.. The UPS delivery man was even aggravated and upset about the condition of the box and told me to let him know if any parts were missing.

But on to the bench -- it is SOLID. It took two UPS guys to get it off the truck.. Always a good sign. It is well-built. As stated in some other reviews, it does take some time to assemble, but who cares! This thing is gonna last for a LONG time. I'm excited about using this thing! It even has a squat rack. Like I said before.. This thing is SOLID. I know it's gonna do its' job every time I use it. Great product, in spite of the few problems I had.

I recently ordered this gym and I am a relative newcomer. I am also 6'3" tall. The bench is perfect for my height. The only issues I have are 1) The seat is a bit wobbly, however you become accustomed to it fast 2) I was missing one of the foam rolls. I called the manufacturer and she stated I would receive another one within 7-10 days. Except for these two exceptions, this bench is pretty darn good.

So I've answered a few questions here and there on other people's review, so I figured I would start my own.

I bought this weight bench mainly because I wanted to workout in peace and avoid any gym environment.

Assembly took me about three hours, but that's because I did it on my own. That being said, I would recommend two people carrying it out for safety purposes.

The box came with everything I needed, so I was happy that it was complete. Also, it did not come damaged like other reviewers have said, so I guess I got lucky in that regard too.

I like the flexibility of the catches because you can put them along different heights of the unit and are reversible. The one exception is that the catches at the very top (facing on the opposite side in the picture), in that they are restricted to that height (but are reversible too). The catches themselves come in two types. I use the short ones as the primary catches, but the longer ones for safety purposes (particularly when doing bench presses).

One part that's annoying involves the weight storage units. These come standard with the 1-inch holes, so you have to put in an adapter to make it 2-inches. Don't worry- the adapter comes with the unit, but it almost always slips out when removing the last weight. I guess I could put glue on it to make it stick, but I just haven't taken the time. The good news is that if you have some 1-inch weights around- you could use them here.

Another thing worth mentioning is the seat. So the seat itself moves along the bar (front to back), so it's flexible in that way (so I can go from bench press to should press). The problem is that this flexibility means that the seat is a bit wobbly at times. It's hard to describe, but imagine a thick bar running under the middle of the seat and no support elsewhere. This means that the seat wobbles slightly from left to right, but is nonetheless stable. I've adjusted to this and it's not a deal breaker, but it's worth mentioning because someone else may think this is a big deal.

So, even with the two cons above, I think this is a five-star unit given the price. I'd be inclined to take off one star for the wobbly seat, but this con ultimately paved way for the benefit of the seat being able to slide from front to back to accommodate more exercises.

Feel free to ask for any clarification questions as I check amazon regularly.

i bought this machine for my basement for days when i dont feel like going to the gym and its great but doing back on it is almost nonexistent and it is a flimsy if you lift heavy weight!!!