Is that the Prime leg extension? I have heard good things about their machines but haven’t had the opportunity to test them. Have you used their other machines? What do you think of them?
I am not familiar with Prime equipment. If they bought out Strive it might be very similar.
Interesting, I was thinking about buying the Hammer Strength shoulder press machine but read bad reviews so I decided not to. However I read that their chest press is good.
Just out of curiosity, have you ever tried the Nautilus double chest machine? What’s your opinion on it?
Yes, they bought out Strive. Apparently, their machines have SmartCam technology (variable resistance).
That design was required to use a weight stack and cables which brought with that too much internal resistance for me to even call it fair.
Plate loaded is far better. No sliding up and down rods, or cables and pulleys. The variable resistance is depended on which of the three pins you added the plates and what percentage of the plate weight on specific pins.
I used one in the first Nautilus gym I belonged to back in the 70’s and it was one of the better machines of that era IMHO. I’d have to try one again to see how much friction they have. I’d love to find a gym that has some of those early Nautilus machines that have been well maintained and try them again.
Regarding the Hammer chest presses. The wide chest stretches me too far and puts a strain on my shoulders but I like the way the movement arms converge. I’d recommend that you try one first. I’d say you could put some kind of rubber block in place to keep it from straining you in the starting position if that’s an issue for you.
They have a chest press that’s part of a duo machine that’s combined with a pulldown. It has a different angle that you move the weight from the wide chest.
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Thank you for your response. It has been very useful. The reason I asked is because I am thinking about buying the Nautilus double chest machine but it is so big and bulky, I wanted to get some opinions on it before I bought it.
The Hammer strength chest press sounds good. The MedX chest press also converge. Many people say it’s the best chest press machine.
Would be good, if you pair it with a good stretch-load exercise like Incline DB Curls. In addition (or instead), you could prop some plates on the front side, so there’s more resistance at the bottom.