[quote]Harley695 wrote:
Try Sorinex. www.sorinex.com
They have outfitted many colleges and pro football teams. They do have affordable option.[/quote]
X2. Rich and Bert make some of the best equipment and are VERY knowledgeable with athletic/strength training. I would AT LEAST make a phone call to them and see what they have to say/recommend.
Legend Fitness - no doubt! Absolutely second to none in quality and 100% best value in the industry…even against the “big players” like Power Lift (yep…even though Power Lift charges the mega bucks for their racks and cages, I’m shocked they are still bolted together!!! Not fully welded???)
Legend Fitness primarily outfits high school, college (Div 1 and lower) and pro athletic teams.
Ask for Carlene.
When I think of designing and building high school or collegiate weight rooms from the ground up…I think of places like Sorinex. Not only are they a supplier of quality equipment, but they are consultants who actually assess your site and design the floor plan and have insight into things that you or your athletic director might not even consider.
Check out some of their work…
https://store.sorinex.com/Articles.asp?ID=139
Send Jeff Goergen an email…he’s always quick to reply. If it’s not a project that they can take on for whatever reason, he can probably recommend someone more local.
[quote]JPCleary wrote:
When I think of designing and building high school or collegiate weight rooms from the ground up…I think of places like Sorinex. Not only are they a supplier of quality equipment, but they are consultants who actually assess your site and design the floor plan and have insight into things that you or your athletic director might not even consider.
Check out some of their work…
https://store.sorinex.com/Articles.asp?ID=139
Send Jeff Goergen an email…he’s always quick to reply. If it’s not a project that they can take on for whatever reason, he can probably recommend someone more local.
goergen2@sorinex.com[/quote]
Looks like great equipment. I will be wasting a lot of time checking this out. love to see how limitless budgets are spent. Interesting use of what appears to be fabric straps as the safety bars.
[quote]JPCleary wrote:
When I think of designing and building high school or collegiate weight rooms from the ground up…I think of places like Sorinex. Not only are they a supplier of quality equipment, but they are consultants who actually assess your site and design the floor plan and have insight into things that you or your athletic director might not even consider.
Check out some of their work…
https://store.sorinex.com/Articles.asp?ID=139
Send Jeff Goergen an email…he’s always quick to reply. If it’s not a project that they can take on for whatever reason, he can probably recommend someone more local.
goergen2@sorinex.com[/quote]
Surfing their site, I also found their version of blast straps for only $39 including shipping… http://store.sorinex.com/6_Safety_Utility_Straps_p/strap-3.htm
I just put together strength and conditioning facility in Lubbock and spent a great deal of time talking with many manufacturers to get exactly what I wanted for as little as possible. We eventually went with Williams Strength for the free weight equipment and BS Olympic for the bars and weights. Since you are in Texas, Samson Strength is worth a look because it is made in New Mexico which will save on shipping. They also give a discount depending on the amount you buy. You can take a trip up to McKinney North which has Samson to take a look if you would like.
Do not get your dumbbells or plates from anywhere other than BS Olympic. They are a Troy distributer (which ships from Houston so the shipping will be very low) and they only mark up the price by 15% while everyone else marks up the price of Troy by 30% or more. Trust me you will not find quality plates or dumbbells cheaper and it will save you thousands of dollars then if you got your plates form Williams, Sorinex, or Samson.
The features that are most important to you will determine (along with price) what you go with.
Sorinex is great stuff and they make the best platforms but they are grossly overpriced. This is a great choice if you have an unlimited budget but for most High Schools it is just too expensive. Elitefts is great because they get all the little stuff right like band pegs, hole spacing etc. but it is cheaper to go through Williams Strength, who makes Elitefts. You get the same equipment for a little cheaper because they can bundle the shipping for large orders. The only thing you canâ??t get from Williams is the 1 inch hole spacing, which is worthless when you are running a hundred kids through a weight room a day, and the angled pad on the Glute-Ham.
Someone mentioned Forza but I think Forza equipment is now being made by Magnum Fitness out of Wisconsin. They make very good machines but I have no experience with their racks. They also do not drill holes in the rack but cut out slots for the J-hooks and spotter rails. I really hate this feature for two reasons. One it weakens the uprights and two you have to buy reverse j-hooks for outside the rack.
I have used Power-lift a great deal and while it is very pretty equipment that has a â??wowâ?? factor when athletes walk into a weight room I find it very expensive and not very functional.
Legend makes nice equipment and they are the only licensed maker for the Reverse-Hyper. Price wise they are very comparable with Samson and they can custom make anything you want. There were a few quirks about Legend that kept me from even considering them but they are still a very good choice for a High School weight room.
Bars and Bumpers may be beyond the scope of this reply but do not skimp on these items. Many schools start to cut corners here or just get what the Distributer pushes because they are unfamiliar with choices. Also go with quality bars, bumpers and plates.
Sorry this is such a long post but it could have easily been ten times longer. If you have any specific questions just ask.
I’m happy to see the good reviews that Legend equipment has gotten in this thread. To the OP, I hope you have at least given us a call to see how we might make you and your AD happy.
thedeck, I would love to hear what the “quirks” were that turned you off on your equipment. It sounds as though it might just be an issue of personal preference, but if there is something to do to improve our equipment, we are all ears. Legend Fitness doesn’t operate in a vacuum. We have spent the last year or so extensively revising our product line in order to better meet customer needs and I would like to add your thoughts to the things being considered by our R&D department.
Again, thanks for the kind words, guys.