KlevaBuilt Genesis Jack 2.0 – Review
Last updated on April 5th, 2024 at 09:55 am
Over the years I’ve used a Dead Wedge or a 2.5lb plate to get my deadlifts in order. I always saw deadlift jacks and thought they were a cool idea, but not cool enough for me to pay the price. Then I decided to buy the most expensive deadlift jack ever made… the Ghost Strong and KlevaBuilt Genesis Jack 2.0.
Key Notes
The KlevaBuilt Genesis Jack 2.0 is the cleanest and best functioning deadlift jack on the market. It has a few potential drawbacks depending on your space.
Quick note – this is a fairly simple item. It does ONE thing in the gym. So this is a short review.
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Ghost & Kleva
Ghost Strong (who is no longer in business), came up with an idea for a mini deadlift jack. They put it out on their social media and got a LOT of backlash for “stealing” the KlevaBuilt model. Tim from Ghost and Steve from Kleva connected, and did a collab version. I loved me some Ghost Strong, but could never afford anything they made. This seemed like the perfect opportunity for me to grab a product from two companies I liked, in one go, and see what the hype was about.
I mention the above, because I LOVE what Kleva and Ghost did. Ghost didn’t know they were stepping on Kleva’s toes. They handled it like adults, and made something really cool for the community that benefited both companies and lifters. That is how this kind of thing should be handled. So A+ for that out the gate.
I’ve owned a pair of dead wedges for awhile and they certainly do the trick in a pinch. The downside being that you can’t get that super tight fit since you have to go under a plate. A full sized deadlift jack is ideal, but not realistic in a one stall garage. So the mini jack solution is the go to.
The Good
It looks freaking awesome. The curves and cuts and details are just truly aesthetically pleasing. Where they have plastic lined up gives it this awesome contrast throughout. And that Ghost fire skull just POPS on there. I went with the bare steel option. I’ve seen people tear theirs apart and paint them. If I did this, I might go white skull and figure out a splash of red. But as is, this thing looks great. When I originally bought this I was afraid that the ghost flame plastic pieces might break. I’m multiple years in and that has not happened. Outside of some chalk dust, this thing looks like it did coming out of the package.
The way it is designed, it lifts the weights super smoothly. I would bet my daughter could almost prop up a 400+lb deadlift. You’ll notice it has a SLIGHT angle to it from the bottom, where the bar sits, and then back to the top. KlevaBuilt spent a lot of time working on this to get it right. The copycat options out there are almost all 90 degree angles, straight up and down. While they might work, I know from feedback that they do not work as well.
The Bad
I deadlift in my power rack on top of my platform. This is where the jack runs into a few issues. There isn’t a ton of room between the rack and the collars, so if the bar is a couple of inches left or right the jack doesn’t fit. This isn’t a downside of the KlevaBuilt Genesis Jack 2.0 specifically, just jacks as a whole. Deadlifting inside your rack isn’t extremely common, even in a home gym. But I make note of this as it does impact my use.
My plates, being that they are from the 80s, have some plate slop on the holes. This means it is fairly easy to slide a plate on or off. So, I actually don’t grab the jack until I’m getting north of 4 plates, or stripping plates off the bar entirely. I prop the bar up, get the plates super tight, slap the collars on, and get to work. Then I grab the jack again to strip the plates off of each side for back down sets or when I’m done.
The plastic on the jack has these little grooves on the bottom. The problem here is that with enough weight, it will dent my wood platform. Now, this is only an issue because I have had to a few times put the jack INSIDE the rack due to the tight spaces. So again, if you deadlift outside of a rack, you should be fine.
Other Kleva Jacks
KlevaBuilt has launched two additional jacks since I wrote this review. The full sized GENESIS JACK PRO, and the AbMat collab GENESIS JACK EVO. The Pro is a super light weight full jack. This would be my go to option if I had a dedicated deadlift platform. It stores away easily, easy to use and move, and has all the right details.
The Genesis Jack Evo, on the other hand, is something I would skip. I’ve already seen them breaking under very moderate loads. Now, you aren’t likely to get hurt using a deadlift jack that breaks, and I’m sure they will replace it, but still. Not ideal. Pony up for the real deal, or not at all.
KlevaBuilt Genesis Jack 2.0 Wrap Up
The take home for me here, is if you have competition plates and an open platform, a jack is AWESOME. I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend the KlevaBuilt Genesis Jack 2.0 or the Pro depending on your space and needs.
The more tight your space and the less snug your plates, the less a jack is a big deal. It certainly helps, but I wouldn’t run out to grab one immediately.
The KlevaBuilt Genesis Jack 2.0 is arguably the nicest jack on the market and wins in every category you could think of (outside of price). It is also our zombie apocalypse weapon of choice!
Joe Gray
My name is Joe Gray - aka Gray Matter Lifting - and I've been lifting at home since 2013. In that time I've built a badass gym, deadlifted over 600lbs, helped grow r/Homegym to over 1 Million subscribers, created the Garage Gym Competition and written a ton of posts here on this site. I love the Garage Gym Community... If you do too, I hope you stick around.
