Regular Smith machines typically ride on separate guide rods to prevent that side to side dipping. Thats my concern long term with this design..... if the rollers are plastic that slight tilting of the bar with a load could put a bind into play on the rollers that would cause enough stress to break over time. That wouldn't happen with a traditional smith because the separate bearing tubes on the guide rods keep the movement straight no matter what
Just got mine yesterday and used my Rogue Training bar - only weights 5kilos so with the 30 pound VTS Lite the total system weights in at 41 pounds, so plate math becomes like you're using a mans bar again and your wife can use it since its 35 pounds lighter. The bar lists a 45 pound weight limit, but its an oly bar so that's the dropped from overhead weight. Since the bar is locked into the VTS and assuming you're not a moron that drops his bar while its on, its an excellent way to go!! Also have the Rep training bar which is 15#'s and has a 150# weight limit, will probably be a better solution but throwing out options!
I just got my VTS lite. I love it. I only wanted to smith functionality. I bought a short bar to dedicate to the vts. So the bar (15kg) plus the trolleys make it 65lb starting. I had a titan technique bar but I think I may upgrade to a more premium shorty bar
I purchased the heavy version and am not too content with it. It is a cumbersome attachment that is very over engineered. I appreciate the design behind it and the idea. However, the box arrive damaged, one of the trolleys had several bolts bent and a few washers missing (rolling around in the box). I have a hard time aligning both to be perfectly level as one seems to tilt downwards from the other no matter what I do. The install was extremely frustrating as well. I've wrestled with just eating the loss and removing them from my rack altogether. I wouldn't purchase it again in hindsight.
Good review, I started using my VTS heavy version yesterday when I received the hook tips (so that they latch into racks with 5/8" holes). The VTS is great minus a few little quirks that need to be addressed and fixed. Seated behind the neck press is one of my absolute favorite moves on it since using it and on the heavy version the ISO capability is nice, just wish they used thicker handles than 27mm (might go custom and get thicker handles while keeping the weight horns that they supplied me with).
@@jonaslinuselfving I think the clamps that lock the bars into place on both units could've been more refined as well as certain things on the latch hooks and powdercoat job for the price, but all in all I still dig it and using it with certain specialty bars are icing on the cake.
@@DeepVoicedOne I wouldn't say this is great for 5/8. If you go heavy, It will for sure be unsafe to get the lite version. I would wait until they refine the hooks. Also another note is they mentioned the hole version of the hooks were the way to go but in the end the safety pin hook version is the safest especially for lite.
@@JK5002 Never claimed they were the greatest for 5/8" racks, but they do work and hence why I set pins at the bottom for extra safety (same should be emphasized for even the 1" hole racks just for extra assurance). The side latch hooks is a good option for 5/8" racks, but also has some quirks of its own as well. I think the actual smith functionality and smoothness when setup properly is great with this piece.
Great review buddy. I have the same opinions as you. I personally thought the install was infuriating as shit as a solo person, I tried propping it up and everything and it was a pain to get the rollers on with the screw inside without the sleeve and bushing falling out over and over. And one of my units was so tight I had to use a rubber mallet just to get the thing in. A second person would have definitely helped. It works amazingly well roller wise though, but I did not like the adjustments of the clamps that hold the bar down (to be honest I don't even know if I have them right, I've left some slack because they kept popping back off, no instructions or tips came with it). And it's going to take me a very long time to trust it from a safety point of view. I ruptured a pec off my bone in Feb and had surgery, so I'm paranoid about the hooks moving, or missing holes, or grabbing unequal holes, or just overall getting stuck in the moment. Yeah the bottom pin is a requirement, no negotiations on that, but when shit snaps and that bar drops, there's nothing you can do but pray for that split second you won't die (and I've been there with 352 lbs straight bar falling towards my face). The lateral movement is a little more than I liked, then again I'm still working to regain my strength in my injured side, but I'm glad to see you at least called it out because I was worried I didn't have things tightened up properly. I really think I'd rather buy the alternative hooks that go around an external pin, just because it's hard for me to see the clamp you twist under the other two bar hooks and know for sure it's not coming undone or moving around. I guess I'm just fearful of something not being tightened down enough and it causing a safety issue. Yeah, probably on me, but at the same time there are a ton of different screws, lock nuts, etc for a machine like this. But overall I am impressed with it's functionality barring all the initial one time setup. I'm stoked to use this for a lot of accessory bodybuilding work and can't see anything else on the market that will work as well as this. I'm just going to respect the boundaries and not try to treat it as a machine for max effort/high end strength, but rather casual bodybuilding specifically.
Just got the VTS lite as well and just assembled and testing. I’m having an issue with the bar coming out of position with the clamps during use. This then will not allow me to properly rotate the bar forward to rack the weight. My initial impression is the cheap hardware that is used to hold the clamps down is the problem. Any suggestions??
You could pickup a 15lbs technique barbell to lighten the start weight. Though a lot of them aren’t capable of much weight capacity. I have found a couple rackable ones that can do 200 lbs max. You may be able to get away with adding more weight to a bar like that since the barbell is being held up by the unit itself. I will say I really dislike the process of removing/adding the barbell. I didn’t realize how finicky, time consuming and cumbersome it was going to be especially with how the latches are made and those tiny nuts in them that move around easily.
Great video. I just got my VTS lite in yesterday, August 29th. I installed it but didnt have time to get a bar all set up to try it out. Like you said, its crazy how many different adjustable bolts there are on it. It seems to be very well thought out and heavy duty. I think my one mistake is ordering the hooks for the upright holes because I have a Rogue Monster Lite with 5/8" holes. The UHMW hooks barely fit. I should have ordered the hitch pin hooks instead. I contacted them to see if I could order a set.
@@thehomegymlifeproject1246 so I played around a little bit more with mine today on my 5/8 inch rack and I'll confirm that the hooks that go in the upright holes will absolutely not work. If the bar is perfectly level, they go right in but the problem is it's too easy for one side or the other to be too high or too low. If it's even slightly off, they will not go in the holes. I tried squatting with mine which felt amazing, but it literally took me almost a minute of hunting for the holes by slightly raising or lowering each side till I finally got it. I was almost ready to bail out by that time and just let it fall. I'll be ordering the hitch pin curved hooks. I ended up mounting my bandbell rhinoflex bar in it. The bar itself only weights 8lbs so it's super easy to raise and lower on the rack.
nice review, i ended up ordering dialed motion because of the weight of trolleys on the vts pro, not iite. wonder if they could've used some aluminum in some places to lighten them up without compromising the structure
I do like its beefy. The one area they could have dropped are on the one side they have slots for attachments. Probably could have dropped like 4-5lbs on each side.
There is a video i saw with a rep rack and the lite is making contact with the Rep cable. The heavy VTS seems bigger and would rub against the cable as well.
I have a video of a similar system on my power rack. Yes, I think you need a permanent beater bar with the latch hooks installed. I don't like racking the bar uses the holes in your uprights. Like you said, it's easy to miss and your upright holes are not designed for that. Can you not use hitch pins inserted on the side of the rack?
Have you tried it on your lever arms at all? Ive been curious since preorder about using these on an angled lever arm set up to emulate a leg press. Great video, thanks for the information!
I have not! I assume it would work though but the set up just isn't worth it unless you were keeping them on it. I'm not the biggest fan of angled smith's otherwise I'd give it a try.
Man, this is ideal timing of finding this review and you posting it. I just got recommended to take a look at these since I was looking for a smith machine drop in for my rack. From you experience can you use those safety spotter pins in the front to back position just as well as the side to side? I ask because the rack I have is a 2x2 with 1in holes but only has them front to back and not side to side.
The stoppers are designed for a safety pin from the side. Having said that, I think they have a front option but I didn't get that with my rack because I have side holes - I'm not too familiar with that front option and how it works yet.
@@waynemckinnon5312 I would hope the Lite version is built the same. I ended up sending an email to BPF to confirm. I would hate to drop that amount of money and not have that safety feature.
@@thehomegymlifeproject1246 dang that’s awesome. I’m mainly curious if there’s any side to side shakiness. You show it in your video briefly that the bar can move one side independent of the other. Does that cause it to feel unstable? Whole point of the smith to me is to have that fixed path
I haven't had issues with any movement so far...but I definitely will learn a lot more over the next few weeks as I use it more. It feels smooth just like any other smith. But it will be good to see if guys with big numbers have issues or not.
