HOIST Adjustable Bench – HF-5165 7 Position F.I.D. – 1+ Year Review

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Before we go much further, I need to clarify… I actually own the HOIST HF-4165. This was the older model, of the now updated HF-5165. I wrote 5165 because, well, the changes are very minimal… and the way Google Search works, putting up a review for a defunct product doesn’t work well. If this breaks your brain or anything, sorry, feel free to drop out.

The pads appears to be the same (color, shape, size). HOIST moved to rubber grips around the end caps of the feet on the front and back of the bench. The pop pins appear to be the same. They went from the darker grey coloring of the frame, to a MUCH lighter grey (almost silver). The ladder adjustments on my version had an extra piece of cut steel for the “hooks”, where as the newest version simply has some bolted on rubber stops.

Personally, I like the aesthetics of the older version better. The rubber ends might be nice from a balance perspective. In terms of the overall build, function, attachments, etc… I don’t see much different. So I don’t believe this review is going to be off by much. But full transparency, I’m going to say 5165 throughout, and I actually owned the 4165. Ok… lets go!

I purchased my HOIST HF-5165 Adjustable Bench off Offer Up several years back. I paid $250 which is a STEAL for the bench, leg attachment, and the attachment storage. The storage was never used as it didn’t work in my space. I purchased this bench to replace my Powertec adjustable bench, which was pretty much trash. The Powertec was very wobbly, the adjustments weren’t great, and the attachments were lackluster. You probably know that I truly did LOVE the Powertec Levergym, but the bench was trash.

Powertec Bench

The Powertec is a home gym bench. What I mean is, it is specifically meant for home use. The HOIST on the other hand is a Light Commercial bench. This means it is suitable for home use and smaller private studios. Light Commercial isn’t as heavy duty or robust as a fully commercial bench, but is typically MUCH more robust than a standard home piece.

You’ll notice differences in the fit, finish, upholstery, pins, and more. Basically, the HOIST is better than the old Powertec bench in every way possible. To be fair, Powertec has upgraded their bench considerably since I last owned one, but the HOIST HF-5165 is still a more polished offering (HOIST has also updated their bench).

Heavy… but not that heavy

The HF-5165 bench weighs 77lbs, the REP AB-5200 weights 125lbs! So this is not even close to the heaviest adjustable bench. That said, I never felt unstable or unsure that this bench was going to hold. Everything on this bench functions fairly smoothly. The wheels roll well, the pop-pins adjust easily, and everything is really nice quality.

A noticeable item from the Inspire SCS Bench, is that the adjustment pins are “on the right side”. I say this as a right-handed human being living in a household of right handed human beings. The Inspire has them on the other side, which always seems to be “wrong”.

The HOIST HF-5165 also did a great job compared to the Inspire with the front attachment pop pin. The Inspire pin is essentially UNDER the front seat, making it difficult to adjust. The HOIST pin has some room out front. The downside here, is that the bench takes up extra room. This is a fairly LONG bench at 65.5 inches. The REP AB-5200 again is only 58.5 inches, and the Ironmaster Super Bench Pro V2 is even shorter at 47 inches! This added length required me to have my set-up in a very specific place, at an angle, to fit in my gym.

The bench, like way too many, has that super slick upholstery. What sucks is that if you try and get situated for a heavy bench, specifically flat bench, you slide all over. Almost every home gym company at this point has abandoned the old school upholstery style, in favor of the textured and grippy material. Additionally, since the bench has attachments, the front pad is very wide. This makes it very likely unsuitable for a standalone bench you plan to do heavy flat bench work with. Not impossible, just not ideal.

Aesthetics

Aesthetically, the bench is smooth and elegant. The downside though, is that both the color and the shape of the tubing is likely to stand out in your home gym. When racks, mass storage, bars, and plates are all black and square (or maybe you have red, blue, etc.), a bench that comes in one color scheme, a light grey, with the more rounded tubing, can be an eye sore. The model I have has dark grey coloring to it, where as the new model is almost silver. You can always go out of your way to buy a new bench and paint it, but that is fairly annoying.

The bench is missing some of the finer pieces we see on newer adjustable benches today. The ability to store vertically, which is common in a lot of home gyms where you are switching between flat and adjustable benches.This isn’t a common need in my space, but one I see often from others.

The pad is just too long and overlaps the back wheels and support, so it isn’t possible. It is also missing some form of level adjustment. In a garage you often have a bit of a slope, and the bench, especially one this long with front and back legs, is going to encounter the slightest of wobbles with it. It is far from what the Powertec had, but still there. What is weird is that the Powertec actually had this, it was just not very effective. Where as Prime Fitness for example has leveling pieces on their HLP Single Stack.

Last Note

The last note on the bench, is that I primarily kept this bench for use with my Powertec Levergym. As I noted, the Powertec bench sucked. The unfortunate part was that this bench didn’t work well with the Levergym. The Powertec bench allowed you to get your head much closer to the machine itself, and it also had an adjustment piece to shift the seat backwards.

This meant that when inclined, you could get BACK and into position for overhead presses and variations. The HOIST was just too far away from the Levergym. This means it worked for decline, flat, various cable work, but no incline or overhead pressing. You also couldn’t get in a great position for chest supported rows. So if you are thinking… SWEET! I’ve got a Powertec Levergym, this bench is better, lets do this! Sorry.

For the bench itself, SPECIFICALLY for an accessory bench, I don’t have a lot of complaints. As I said, everything works as a bench should. There are a few small nit-picky items, but it works. I think the biggest downside for this bench as a stand alone adjustable bench, is the length, the padding, the lack of color options, and the price.

At $550 on their website right now, you can get a much better all around bench like the Crandall Heavy Duty Adjustable Bench 2.0 for closer to $300, or the often recommended Get-RxD FIDAB-2 for $500. So while I didn’t have any big glaring issues, I’d have a hard time recommending this bench for the sole purpose of an adjustable bench compared to other offerings.

I have the HF-OPT-4000-01 Leg Extension/Leg Curl Attachment & HF-OPT-5000-03 Accessory Storage Stand. I never opted to buy the Preacher Curl Attachment, but oddly enough the Inspire FT2 I bought had one, and it fits with the HOIST Bench. So, I’ll make a few comments.

The leg extension and curl attachment is, without a doubt, the number one reason I got this bench. Remember that I paid $250 for the bench and attachment, right now the attachment alone is selling for $230.

Powertec

The Powertec leg attachment was pretty meh. The HOIST HF-5165 again, is superior. Cleaner, smoother, better adjustments, better upholstery, better finishing. The Powertec had these funky end caps on the pads that would pop off consistently. This left the posts themselves exposed to your legs, let the rollers open to damage, and was just an overall shit experience. They worked, but they sucked. The HOIST is finished with multiple washers and bolts so this doesn’t happen. The Ironmaster attachment is similar, no issues with the padding or anything coming off.

With the Powertec it was often difficult to jump between extensions and curls if you wanted to superset. The bench needed to be adjusted between the two set ups. That was a piece I liked about the Ironmaster, never needing to do that. The downside with the Ironmaster, was that you had no back pad for leg extensions. The HOIST, since you can adjust the seat up, means you now have a back pad for extensions, can go into a slightly decline bench position for leg curls (which I find ideal), and bounce between the two exercises in a super set fairly easily.

Inspire

The Inspire attachment is VERY close to the same thing as the HOIST HF-5165. But the HOIST wins for a few minor items. It feels more robust, the post that inserts into the bench is chromed instead of powdercoated so it doesnt show signs of wear and tear, and as mentioned earlier, the bench attachment pop-pin is more accessible on the HOIST.

Of the benches mentioned, the HOIST HF-5165 is definitely the best when it comes to the attachment game. Quick note here, I have not used the Ironmaster Pro, and that leg attachment looks better than the previous model, BUT you still do not have the back pad for extensions. That said, most of the plate loaded leg extension and lying leg curl options on the market, including from ElteFTS and Williams Strength, don’t have the back pad option. Weird to me, especially considering the EliteFTS is over $1000!

Crandall Heady Duty Adjustable Bench 2.0

Get-RxD FIDAB-2

Rep AB-5200 Adjustable Weight Bench

Recommendation

My real recommendation would be to wait to see what the Bells of Steels Buzz-Saw Heavy Duty Adjustable Bench 2.0 looks like and see what my other friends have in store. I think it’ll be worth the wait from both companies. And who knows? Maybe the other manufacturers will follow and produce something similar. An AB-5200 with leg curl/ext? Yes please!