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The CAP Barbell Squat Rack from CAP, is a company with a 25 year heritage in weight equipment that offers a wide range of strength training equipment, from dumbbells and barbells to weight plates and home gyms.
What really sets CAP apart from its competitors is the way they’ve managed to develop this equipment in an affordable way, whilst maintaining a high level of quality. This is something that is reflected in the customer reviews, where you’ll find over 1000 high ratings for their 40 lb dumbbells, and over 1500 reviews for their enamel-coated cast iron kettlebells.
But it’s their range of squat racks that we’re interested in today, which start with a very simplistic and affordable design, then build to a fully fitted power cage with a variety of advanced features to support strength training at home.
CAP Barbell specializes in the full frame version of a squat rack, which is free-standing and offers a stability advantage over most adjustable squat stands that arrive as a two-part set.
Their Power Rack and Deluxe Power Cage models are some of the most affordable designs we’ve seen of this type, with the Deluxe version rated more highly than the equivalent BD-17 model from Valor Fitness.
To help you decide if a CAP Barbell squat rack is the best choice for your own home gym, we’ll provide you with a quick overview of their features, complete with a link to the full review.
CAP Barbell FM-CS7000F Power Squat Rack
Review Rating:
If you’re looking for a lightweight, moveable squat rack that offers a wide range of bar positions, the FM-CS7000F is one of the most affordable.
With 30 different adjustment positions, it has more than any other squat rack or power cage in the Cap Barbell collection, as well as the most compact footprint.
The width of the frame and shape of the base means there’s plenty of room to get into position safely when performing squats or roll a bench into place if you want to use the rack to support bench and shoulder presses.
Unfortunately, you don’t get any safety rails, but the catches themselves are easy to adjust and have a high enough lip to prevent the bar from rolling out of position when racking the weight.
This is perfect for higher rep sets, but if you’re training for strength and want to train to failure, you’ll really need the rails in order to lift safely. If this is something you’re interested in, we would also recommend taking a look at the FM-CB8000F.
Key features:
- Weight capacity: 300 lbs inc. bar
- Dimensions: 46″L x 50″W x 85″H
- Workout area: 43″W x 40″L
- Attachments available: No
- Product weight: 60 lbs
- Safety catches: 2 catches
To find out more about which exercises this squat rack supports, as well as some of the most frequently mentioned pros and cons from customer feedback, it’s worth taking a look at our full review. Alternatively you can check the latest price and availability using the link below.
Read the full reviewCheck priceCap Barbell Squat Rack FM-CB8000F Deluxe Power Cage
Review Rating:
Despite being an upgraded version of the FM-CS7000F, the FM-CB8000F still offers the same 300 lb weight capacity on the upper workout bar and catches.
However, the overall design does have some significant advantages, including new storage areas for barbells, pegs for attaching resistance bands, and safety rails to protect against getting caught under the bar while squatting.
In terms of the weight and size, the FM-CB8000F is slightly heavier and larger than the earlier model, yet still provides a similar workout area for complete freedom of movement under the bar.
But while the entry level FM-CS7000F rack had some serious advantages over its competitors in terms of affordability, there are several other racks worth looking at if you’re considering buying the FM-CB8000F. This includes the BD-9, BD-17, and most notably the BD-4, which offers adjustable safety supports and a 350 lb capacity.
Key features:
- Weight capacity: 300 lbs
- Dimensions: 47″L x 61″W x 85″H
- Workout area: 41″W x 40″L
- Attachments available: Bands
- Product weight: 97 lbs
- Safety catches: 2 catches, 2 rails
Before buying any squat rack at this price range it’s worth bearing in mind how much you intend to be lifting in a year or two. If strength training and weightlifting is something you are interested in long term, then you might want a rack that can support more than 300 lbs, even if it’s slightly more expensive.
As the next level up from Cap Barbell in terms of balancing affordability and frame strength, we would certainly recommend taking a look at our Valor Fitness squat rack reviews.
That being said, the FM-CB8000F is still an excellent squat rack for its price range and supports resistance band training and lifting with a higher level of safety than the earlier FM-CS7000F, thanks mainly to the additional safety rails.
Read the full reviewCheck priceCAP Barbell Squat Rack FM-CB8008 Ultimate Power Cage
Review rating:
As Cap Barbell’s top-of-the-line power cage, the FM-CB8008 boasts an impressive 28 bar support settings, 12 band posts for resistance band training. And full-length safety rails to support squats and presses when training without a spotter.
Many of the features that were available on the earlier racks have been upgraded. Such as the addition of a storage shelf. This means you’re able to store kettlebells, dumbbells, and other lightweight training equipment. In addition to the standard barbell and weight plate storage.
You can even combine your resistance training with some cardio by attaching a heavy bag and boxing before, after, or during your standard workout. The only downside is that it’s not quite as mobile as Cap’s. Other two squat racks, with a product weight of over 280 lbs.
Unfortunately, despite the price being more than twice that of the mid-range FM-CB8000F rack (usually around $700). There’s no increase in weight capacity. You’re still limited to 300 lbs on the bar catches, and 300 lbs on the multi-grip pull-up bar. This is compared to the 650 lb limit offered by Valor Fitness on their BD-11 squat rack.
Key features:
- Weight capacity: 300 lbs
- Dimensions: 74″L x 60″W x 90″H
- Workout area: 54″W x 50″L
- Attachments available: Bands
- Product weight: 282 lbs
- Safety catches: 2 catches, 2 rails
Our full review includes more comparisons with the squat racks in the Valor Fitness collection. As well as explaining the full benefits of the features available with the FM-CB8008 cage.
Read the full reviewCheck priceUSA Home Gym gives in-depth insights into gym equipment, supplements, and fitness training methods. The motivation behind USA Home Gym is to provide you with information that goes beyond what you can find in any user manual, customer review, or other online review sites.
We go to great lengths to ensure that our reviews are completely comprehensive, usually covering everything from the design features to the warranty coverage and exercise options. This is all to help guide you towards the home gym equipment that’s best suited to your goals and budget, whilst also being the highest quality option in your chosen price range.