Note: The Titan T-3 used to be called the Titan HD. They have since created more lines of power racks and for clarity’s sake used better model name conventions like T-3, X-2, X-3, etc.
Prior to this I put together a collection of video and written reviews for the lower-cost Titan T-2 rack. But the T-3 rack has surpassed the T-2 in popularity, despite the extra $100 price tag.
These are both full power racks, in contrast to squat racks.
Table of Contents
Before we get to the reviews, let’s put everything on context.
The difference with the T-3 over the T-2 is:
So with all this, the T-3 HD is probably the lowest-priced mid-range power rack right now.
There’s only so many ways you can make a power rack. These two racks do look similar at first glance, but they’re not exactly the same. Both the quality and features are different. Some features are actually in Titan’s favor, because it isn’t the same rack.
The reason I’m bringing up the Rogue R-3 here is, well, #1, Rogue is the biggest brand out there, and #2, this video comparing them has 65,000 views. It’s worth discussing what has changed since then, rather than just ignoring the video, which was very well done and on point to the design defects the Titan had at the time.
The Rogue R-3 is a higher-quality rack in most respects. It’s also nearly double the price. The Rogue R-3 is actually available in a welded and bolted version, but the video shows the welded version. So what we’re looking at here is two racks that look very similar at first glance, and then when you get down to it you can find all the reasons the Rogue costs so much more.
Is it worth it? The reviewer in the video above preferred the Rogue. If you can spend the money, sure, go for the Rogue. You’ll love it. Titan’s selling point is they have unbeatable prices for what you get.
So here are the current differences as of 2016:
The video review discussed above shows a few issues in the first run done in 2014. Since then, thankfully, enough people bitched about it to Titan, and these issues have been fixed in the current model of the Titan T-3 HD:
So that softens the tone of the comparison. As it is now, the Titan has become more reasonable as a cheap alternative than it was with the early version.
This is a pretty thorough 1080p video of all the parts, installation and the finished assembly. You can see all the improvements as mentioned above.
Don’t worry, he starts talking a minute into it. Just give him a moment.
Still some issues with the sloppy fit of the J cups and safeties, and some scratches, but the owner is happy with it.
He clearly knows his way around a rack and checks things out pretty well.
As you can see, the rack doesn’t move when he re-racks 245 lbs.
I guess I haven’t mentioned it yet, but this rack is supposed to be bolted to the concrete floor. Yep, you gotta mess up your concrete by drilling anchors in. That’s just the way it goes with any rack with this design that doesn’t have horizontal pieces connecting the left and right side. Once you mount it, it’s more stable than any unmounted rack, and for that reason some gym owners and even home gym owners will ONLY buy floor mounted racks.
If it didn’t have great Amazon reviews, I wouldn’t even have bothered writing this article. 4.3 out of 5 stars.
“In one aspect I think the Titan is actually superior to the R-3. The Rogue rack has a single piece for the top which has two pull-up bars. The Titan has two separate pull-up bars and the uprights are drilled so that each pull-up bar can be set at a different height. This is a terrific feature for me and allowed me to set the smaller bar lower for my wife to use while the bigger bar is at the top for me.”
– anonymous
“This rack is a best value for a rack with ‘westside’ hole spacing”
– Wolf Den Barbell
“Would have given it 5 stars but had a rough time with receiving the product. … Anyway, luckily the company’s customer service was VERY good and helpful and friendly and when I contacted them about the missing part, I received a shipping notification within the next hour. So it just took an extra week to be able to get my rack together due to this mishap. But if the packaging wasn’t so bad this wouldn’t have happened. But the equipment itself was in good shape.”
– Chuck Turner
Titan’s site of course has great reviews for it. I don’t think people put a lot of trust into the ratings on a manufacturer’s own site, or most other stores, because negative reviews can be deleted. We all pretty much know that Amazon publishes and keeps all reviews that are halfway appropriate, positive or negative.
Reputable third party review services also can work great, because they will not remove negative reviews at the store’s request. The store’s only option is to just not show any of the reviews anymore.
And that’s about all I could find as far as hands-on reviews of the current model. Bodybuilding.com has some forum discussions, but anything in-depth is about the old versions with the problems that have been addressed.
This rack is available from Titan Fitness starting at $489.