Chasing Better Squat Stand also known as Chasing Better Classic Squat Rack could be the best value quality squat stand you can buy in Australia. What can this squat stand without the pull-up bar be good for? It’s definitely good for low ceilings, limited space and great when you need to move it around with relative ease for any reason. And yet it’s heavy-duty enough for you to do heavy sets of squats and bench presses with peace of mind that it is very unlikely to fall apart or tip over. Why not get a squat stand with a pull-up bar you may think? Sometimes you may pair up pull-ups and back squats in a workout and your barbell in the squat stand will be in the way of pull-ups. You certainly don’t want to unload the bar and load it after every set of pull-ups. You are better off having a pull-up bar mount onto the wall.
With this Chasing Better Squat Stand review, I will go over what I like about this squat stand and what are its shortcomings. And why I choose this over the Rogue Fitness SML-1 Monster Lite Squat Stand which was a squat stand I considered very strongly.
What I Like About This Chasing Better Classic Squat Rack
Heavy-Duty & Sturdy
It is heavy-duty and sturdy. It’s got 3″ x 3″ (75mm x 75mm) uprights with 11 gauge steel (which means 3mm steel thickness). These measurements are typical of most heavy-duty commercial squat racks in the market which assures me that this squat stand will not fall apart easily. Seriously, the last thing you want to do is compromise your safety.
Laser-cut Numbering on Uprights
Having numbering, especially laser cut is super helpful when it comes to setting up the spotter arms and J-hooks at the same height. Sometimes, it can be annoying to fidget around with setting up the spotter arms at the same height. Being laser-cut also means the numbering won’t fade off.
Heavy-duty Sandwich J-Hooks & Spotter Arms Come Standard with Purchase
Heavy-duty sandwich J-hooks and spotter arms come standard as part of this Chasing Better Squat rack meaning there is no extra cost. The generous amount of UHMW plastic on both pairs of J-hooks and spotter arms will ensure you won’t be scaring the knurling of your precious barbells. Unlike most other squat racks sold elsewhere, such sandwich J-hooks and spotter arms are usually addon cost meaning you have to pay extras. Extra pairs of sandwich J-hooks or spotter arms would easily be over $200 extras. To me, having both heavy-duty j-hooks and spotter arms are great bonus. However, I must say at this point of writing, the spotter arms which come standard with the rack seem to be a limited-time offer. So I am not really sure how long this offer is going to last.
UHMW Plastic Lining Inside Both the J-Hooks And Spotter Arms
These pieces of UHMW plastic lining inside these attachments is a great feature to have. They will help reduce the scratching on the powder coat of the squat rack when you put them on and take them out of the stands. In the long run, the squat rack will look less worn out from all the scar marks and less likely to rust away quickly.
Cool Laser-cut Logo
If you like cool-looking things, maybe the cool laser-cut logo on the spotter arms, J-hooks and uprights could be your thing. They certainly don’t hurt or affect the use of the equipment. Better than logo stickers that will peel off over time.
Without the discount, the Chasing Better Classic Squat Rack is retailed at AUD$695. They do often run deals on this product which go down to AUD$615.53 which still comes with J-hooks and spotter arms at no extra cost. And every now and then, Chasing Better offer free shipping for over AUD$500 purchase which makes this even a sweeter deal.
This Chasing Better Squat Stand with all the things you ever want in a squat stand is certainly in my opinion high value quality purchase without breaking the bank. However, there are certain shortcomings that do not affect the function of this squat stand. And here are the 2 minor things.
Crooked J-Hook
Somehow I got lucky with getting one of the J-hooks that has a little imperfection as you can see in the pic above. But it does not affect the use of that J-hook and fits onto the uprights with no issues. It’s really more of a cosmetic problem. So I left it as it is.
Unnecessarily Long Bolts
I find the bolts that put this Chasing Better Classic Squat Rack together to be unnecessarily long. I feel they could be shorter to make this rack look more refined and long bolts may be a possible hazard when you accidentally kick them although the chances are low.
With the 2 shortcomings, it’s probably more of a nicky picky on my part and they do not affect the function of the squat stand at all.
Compared to the idea of spending AUD$805 on Rogue SML-1 70″ Monster Lite Squat Stand that comes with basic J-hooks and no spotter arms (retailed at AUD$325), this Chasing Better Classic Squat Rack seems like exceptional value plus the free shipping. Both Rogue Fitness and Chasing Squat Stands have 75mm x 75mm upright columns and 11 gauge steel. But I must say that the Rogue Squat Stand will no doubt be a high-quality rack having currently owned the Rogue RML-490C Power Rack. But the much steeper pricing on top of the shipping cost and the add-on cost of spotter arms don’t look attractive to me.
Having used this Chasing Better Classic Squat Rack for more than 6 months, I haven’t had an issue with it and highly recommend it for its quality and great pricing. Most definitely suited for people who are looking for a squat rack in Australia that is heavy-duty, space-saving and does not break the bank and yet it’s got a generous amount of nice features.
Additional Notes
Just in case you may be thinking of benching with Rogue MG-3 Multi-Grip Bar, it won’t fit into the J hooks of this Chasing Better Squat Rack. The only way to get around this issue is either use the monolift or use a different bar such as the Fitek Multi-Grip Cambered Bar as you can see below. And the Fitek bar just fits in with very little space left.
And the measurements between the spotter arms and between the J-hooks are 115.5cm and 112cm respectively.
