Updated 2023 to add the Bells of Steel rack and make several updates.
Table of Contents
Many of us are short on space in our garage, back room, or basement. A traditional power rack, or even an open-ended squat rack, takes up a painful amount of space.
In the past, your best option for space efficiency was to get a pair of portable squat stands.
3 problems with even decent portable squat stands like the above:
So it’s clear that we needed a totally different solution to save on space.
Behold! A folding squat rack that installs securely against the wall, folds out with the feet touching the floor for support, and folds back up against the wall for storage. Awesome stuff.
It can be installed either in a garage or in a room of your home. If you’ll be putting in rubber flooring, be sure to get that in before you install this. The height you install the rack at relative to the floor is critical. As a garage or basement squat rack, bare concrete can be just fine, depending on what else you have going on with your gym. Another advantage of these is you can get a really stable squat rack in a garage gym without drilling into your garage floor’s concrete to anchor it.
Note that some makers call these wall mounted power racks. Not so fast. A power rack encloses the bar on both sides and has safety bars. Technically these are just squat racks / half racks. It’s a marketing issue, I imagine.
The shared features among most of these racks are:
This basic idea was pioneered by PRx Performance in 2014, and backed by “Shark Tank” businessman and investor Kevin O’Leary in 2016. We sometimes make the mistake of thinking Rogue comes up with all this new stuff, but often they just popularize an existing idea by putting their huge market share behind it.
— Beware the details!!
There’s plenty to compare between the brands I’ve selected, and in this case they can’t be explained in a comparison chart. Read on or skip to my final recommendation at the bottom of this post.
| Model | Distance From Wall | Tubing | Folding Direction | Stringer | Starting Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PRx Profile ONE | 24″ | 11-gauge 2″x3″ | Up | Yes | $649 |
| Rogue RML-3W | 9″ or 20.5″ or 40.5″ | 11-gauge 3″x3″ | Back | Optional | $595 |
| Titan Fitness T-3 v2 | 21.5″ or 41″ | 11-gauge 2″x3″ | Back | No | $380 |
| Titan Fitness X-3 | 21.5″ or 41.5″ | 11-gauge 3″x3″ | Back | No | $380 |
| Rep PR-4100 | 21.5″ or 41″ | 11-gauge 3″x3″ | Back | No | $500 |
| FringeSport | 25″ | 11-gauge 2.5″x2.5″ | Back | No | $548 |
| Bells of Steel | 20″ | 12-gauge 2.3″x2.3″ | Back | No | $400 |
Here’s what makes each rack stand out among the others. I’ll sum up the pros and cons of each one.
Here’s what happened. In 2014 PRx Performance invented and patented a wall-mounted rack design that lifts upwards easily via gas shocks to fold against the wall. In 2016 they aired on ABC’s “Shark Tank”, where investor Kevin O’Leary bought into 20% of the company.
However, before the Shark Tank episode even aired, Rogue and other companies caught wind of the innovation and began making their own but with an design where the left and right frame folds inward instead of the whole thing folding upwards, avoiding PRx’s patent.
Folding Mechanism
Unique gas shock system that makes it effortless to pull out and fold back, with locking pins to make it child-proof. All the fold-in designs below require you to remove the pull up bar and fold the rack parts sideways instead.
Pull Up Bar
3 options – None, regular, or extruded 36″ from the wall for kipping pullups. Get at least the regular. Everyone needs a pull up bar. Keep in mind the kipping bar does not fold back itself, so it’s going to be sticking out 12″ from the wall as you fold the rack in. For most of us that’s not really an issue, as we don’t need to save space that high.
Depth: 24″ from the wall, folds to 4″ from wall.
Design and Construction: 2″x3″ 11-gauge steel. The folding design forces a tad bit of play in some joints, making it not feel as solid as a comparable 2″x3″ rack. That goes for all similar wall mounted squat racks. They can wobble a little under loads.
505 lb was dropped on an earlier 3×3 version of this rack in the video below, ripping a screw out of the stringer. The issue I think is mainly how well you stringer is mounted into the wall studs with the chosen screws, but I also notice that the metal of the stringer appears to bend away from the wall a little bit, suggesting that it’s not the thickest steel. You see a lot of wobble in slow motion in the video, which isn’t necessarily a bad thing, the way flexing does help absorb the shock of the weight and keep the rack intact, not to mention reduce the risk of damage to your bar.
The above 3×3 rack is now sold as the Profile PRO. Besides the larger tubing, the Pro has several color options and another height option. But the Pro starts at $849, putting it even further outside the price range of competing racks featured here, so I’m mainly just featuring the less expensive (but still expensive) Profile ONE here.
You might notice that some of the Profile ONE pics show a lack of holes near the bottom of the uprights. Those are old pics. The latest version has holes going all the way to the floor.
| PROS | CONS |
|---|---|
| – easy installation – quickest setup – made in the USA | – highest priced – no depth choices |
PRx has also come out with a fold-in design like the competitors below, but I have chosen not to feature it here because it uses 14-gauge steel and is therefore significantly weaker than competitors. If you are curious, it’s the PRx Fold-In ONE Rack.
The folding racks are surprisingly hard to navigate to on Rogue’s site menu. You have to look in the Power Racks category, not in Squat Stands or Wallmounts where you would expect them.
The RML-3W has 3×3 tubing. They also have the 2×3 R-3W still. Rogue is moving away from their 2×3 racks, and I recommend their 3×3 racks at this point.
If you want a choice of (currently) 11 colors, the RML-3WC is the color-option version of the RML-3W, at a $100 premium.
Rogue’s 3×3 racks are 49″ wide, which makes it a tighter fit for your bar than 48″ or 47″ wide racks. Consider sandwich J-cups that stick out from the rack and gives you bar more side-to-side room for better safety when re-racking.
Rogue put Westside hole spacing on the uprights. What this means is 1″ on center between the holes in the height range you would use for bench pressing, to help you set the J-cups and safety bars in the perfect spot. Higher than that they are spaced 2″, which is fine for squats or overhead presses. This pattern of spacing was popularized by Louie Simmons of Westside Barbell, hence the name.
They have other marks on the uprights to help you put the two bar catches at the same height and not have to eyeball it too hard.
Folding Mechanism
To fold it away, you first remove the 2 pins above and pull off the pull up bar. Then pull 4 pins from the rack hinges and fold both arms against the wall. The hinges go both ways, so you can fold them both in, both out, or one in and one out, whatever works for your space, standing out only 5″ from your wall. If you have the wall space available where you can fold at least one side outwards, you won’t have to remove the J cups. Otherwise, not a big deal.
Accommodating Floor Slope
As Johnny Wild pointed out in the comments, the Rogue bracket design has some play to it, which is not sloppy design but is actually helpful for allowing you to lift the sides of the rack clear of the floor as you fold it in or out. In addition, if it didn’t have the play, the feet would be dangling 1/4″ off the floor if you fold it out towards your garage door, with the typical garage slope.
Pull Up Bar
Max height 87″, adjustable down via pop pins. Like the Titan and Fringe models, be conscious of what height you’re installing the top horizontal tubing against the uprights, because it will get in the way of your desired pull up bar height if you aren’t careful.
Depth Options
Choose from a 9″ deep, 21.5″ deep or 41.5″ deep option that you select on the product page. The 9″ is, in my opinion, too tight. The 21.5″ gives you enough room for squats, bench presses, and most any other racks exercises, giving enough room for your feet, head, and bench, as appropriate. For more space for dynamic pull up movements, you will want the 41.5″ deep. You could also fit Rogue’s 24″ spotter arms on the inside of 41.5″ deep version, if you have limited space when working out. The 41.5″ deep doesn’t fold in neatly to the wall and will overlap unless you fold them one in and one out, which takes up more wall space. Either way works, depending where you want to save the most room when folding it.
Color Options
While the RML-3W is the classic Rogue matte black, the RML-3WC version has powder coating in a bunch of color choices, even a satin clear coat that I’d love to see close up. Color choices are not available for the 2×3 R-3W rack. Rogue is getting away from its 2×3 racks and will likely discontinue them at some point.
Ryan (That Tech Teacher on youtube) has a great video going over the parts and installation in his gym:
A huge plus to Rogue’s folding rack is the $55 stringer option on the product page. You get those two steel backplates. They aren’t there to look cool. The stringers help you in two ways:
| PROS | CONS |
|---|---|
| – made in the USA – 2 depth options – 2×3 and 3×3 tubing options – stringer option (and a very nice one) – lots of attachments – color choices | – installation takes skill unless you get the stringer – folding procedure takes a minute – expensive |
Titan T-3 and X-3 folding racks are their 2×3 and 3×3 racks. There were a few iterations in design, and at this point the only difference between them is the tubing size. The T-3 is actually 50mm x 75mm, and the X-3 is 75mm square. This makes them a little smaller than 2×3 and 3×3, respectively. The Rogue Infinity and Monster Lite attachments will mostly fit well enough.
Titan’s racks are all 48″ outside width, meaning the 2×3 rack gives you 2″ of extra space inside than the 3×3. Some specs given on their site say 50″ width, but that includes things like brackets or feet.
The X-3 comes with two pairs of J-cups rather than one, and they are UHMW-lined unlike the bare steel J-cups included with the T-3.
| PROS | CONS |
|---|---|
| – Good price – 2 depth and height choices – Somewhat compatible with Rogue Infinity or Monster Lite attachments | – installation takes skill – No stringer available – Folding procedure takes a minute – Fat 1.5″ pull up bar only – Made in China – Typically a lack of attention to detail in the alignment and welds – Metric sized tubes are a little undersized for true 2×3 or 3×3 attachments |
Rep is the only manufacturer to offer a folding rack in a 3×3 only model. Why even bother making a 2×3 model when they’re beating Rogue on price?
The overall design is very much like the Rogue RML-3WC. It has a 48″ width, which is conveniently a little narrower than Rogue’s 49″ to allow for more barbell movement. 1.25″ pull up bar. UHMW lined J-cups and feet.
Laser-Cut Numbers
Here’s a good addition. Laser-cut numbers, starting from the bottom of the bench press area and going all the way up. These are valuable for getting your J-cups or safety arms set at the right height. Otherwise you have to start making your spots with tape.
The lack of a stringer option hurts a bit. You need to buy some boards at the lumber store. The stringer makes it so much easier to install, with no careful work required on screw hole placement.
Metric Sizing
Like Titan’s rack, Rep’s is not strictly a 3×3 rack. It’s 75mm, which is 2.95″, and metric hole spacing as well, ruling out any Rogue ML attachments that require a hitch pin in a second hole. The hole spacing is therefore similar to Westside but not Westside compatible.
| PROS | CONS |
| – Good price – Westside-like hole spacing – Somewhat compatible with Rogue Monster Lite | – Installation takes some skill – Made in China – Metric sized tubing and hole spacing |
Fringe has a 365-day return policy, which I think is the most generous in the whole industry right now. You get free shipping to begin with, and then you can send it back within a year, on a whim, and get all your money back. Or within 30 days and they’ll even pay return shipping. Evidently they don’t get many returns, or they wouldn’t be able to do this.
Fringe split the difference and did 2.5″ square tubing instead of 3″ square or 2″x3″.
They kind of priced themselves out of the market. For the price, you would be better off getting a Rogue rack that has more attachments available, a stringer option, and better resale value.
Pull Up Bar: The pull up bar can adjust from 70″-88″ from the floor (5’10” – 7’4″). It’s 25″ from the wall.
Width: 49″ wide, the same as Rogue, the maximum width you want for a rack.
Depth: 25″ from the wall.
Folding Mechanism: Just like Rogue. Fold either side in or out. It takes the same amount of work, pulling out 4 pins for the pull up bar and 4 for the rack hinges. Like Rogue, you can leave the J cups in place if you’re folding at least one side outward.
| PROS | CONS |
|---|---|
| – 1 year return policy and 30 day free return shipping | – installation takes some skill – no stringer option – folding procedure takes a minute to do – no depth choices – made in China – expensive compared to others – incompatible with other brands of attachments |
The latest addition to this list! Somehow I overlooked it until 2023. They came out with it in 2019 and have gathered plenty of excellent reviews.
Compatible with Rogue Stringers
As with other racks, they recommend you install a 2″x10″ wood stringer on the wall to bolt this rack into. The crazy thing is the Rogue stringers fit this rack, no mods needed, if buying them is easier for you or you like the look. If you find another rack also fits the Rogue stringers, please leave a comment!
Smaller Style
This rack sits 20″ away from the wall. Functionally the 20″ vs 21.5″ on some other racks here should make no difference for you, except for the possibility of not getting a particular bench in incline position into place. This 20″ depth makes it possible for the rack to have a 47″ overall outside width, which gives you plenty of wiggle room for safety when re-racking. Because the tubing is only 2.4″ square, you also should have plenty of hand room even for extra-wide grips. These dimensions in my opinion were an excellent design choice by BoS to make them stand out.
Like the Titan and FringeSport rack, Bells of Steel sizes this in metric. In this case it’s 2.3″/60mm square tubing, with 14mm hole spacing. making it incompatible with attachments from any other racks except a few others by Bells of Steel. The tighter hole spacing in the bench press area, like some other metric racks, is similar to Westside style.
| PROS | CONS |
| – Good price – Westside-like hole spacing – Fits the Rogue Folding Rack stringer – 47″ outside width | – Installation takes some skill – Made in China – Metric sized tubing and hole spacing |
Like certain other designs of racks, wall mounted squat racks are not made to fully handle loads that can be placed on spotter arms hanging off the front.
The above shows why. A barbell this far out from the support leg of the rack will cause what would ordinarily be a “tipping” force to the rack. Because this type of rack is attached to the wall, it can cause the screws in the top bracket to rip right out of the wall.
A stringer across the wall studs helps, whether it’s wood or steel, the way it has several screws securing it to multiple studs in the wall. Even then, no guarantee the screws won’t still rip out.
Realistically, I have heard from someone who does rack pulls on the spotter arms on such a rack. The closer you have the barbell to the uprights, and not far out like I have in the diagram, the more the support leg takes the force and the less the wall attachment point does. But as discussed already, even up against the upright you’re away from the center of gravity of the rack and you’re putting some force on the wall attachments.
The main issue with the ~21″ deep racks is they might restrict the exercises you can do. Some adjustable benches have feet or wheels that will stick out too far back in the incline position, putting the wall in the way of getting it into place. However, it looks like many benches, and the Vulcan adjustable bench for sure (Thanks Robert for the comment on this), will work in a moderate incline with the 21″ deep racks.
The tight fit is even more the case with another rack I want to bring to your attention, the Rogue Monster Lite Slim Rack pictured above. The front face of the uprights are a mere 14″ from the wall. I’ve determined that the 14″ gives you enough head room from the wall to allow for back squats, with a few inches of head clearance from the wall. Assuming that your bench’s feet don’t stick out past the bench pad too far (most modern benches are pretty good about this), you can do flat bench presses. Unlikely you can do incline bench presses with this unless you have something like the BodyCraft F704 bench (or discontinued BodyCraft F320 bench) that slides back for incline.
Anyway, the Slim Rack might work even better than a folding rack for you, if you don’t mind being close to the wall and you don’t need a rack that folds tighter against the wall to be out of the way. It will feel more solid than a folding rack because it has no moving parts.
Rogue wins! Here’s why…
Quality
Rogue’s quality is the highest and most consistent. Titan for example does ok with some things, but this rack needs to be all perfectly aligned so that you can install it with nothing weird going on in its stability, connections, and fold-up procedure. Titan cuts corners with design to lower the price. I trust Rogue the most with having everything made right. Rogue sells more of these types of units than anybody else, and in their own factory in Columbus, OH, while other companies outsource to China and aren’t able to unpackage and inspect most of the units.
Stringer Option
If I were in the market for a rack like this, the lack of a stringer on the other models is the dealbreaker. It assists in a big way with installation and stability. Granted it costs $105 for the stringer pair.
Price
Great price, especially for what you get. PRx is ridiculously priced.
Distance from Wall
The minimal distance from the wall, 21″ or so, makes sense for any folding rack. The whole point is to save on space by folding it in as tightly as possible, and the 41″ folds up poorly, eating up tons of wall space or sticking out a couple feet if you fold both sides inward.
Attachment Options
Being as this is an Monster Lite rack, Rogue’s Monster Lite attachments will fit this rack. Some attachments are made for full power racks. Some appropriate ones would be the landmine base, rope anchor, and many more. That opens up a options for more exercises and even more efficient use of space. Unlike the 2×3 Infinity racks, Rogue won’t be moving away from the Monster Lite racks for the foreseeable future, so you’ll have good compatibility moving forward.
Rogue basically offers so many of the best features of these racks that it’s an easy choice.
Rep’s folding rack is nearly an exact copy of Rogue’s. UHMW lined cups and feet, quick attach pins, 1.25″ pull up bar, etc.
Rep is known for making good equipment, nearly on par with Rogue’s quality and attention to detail, not cutting corners, and at a lower price. They can’t quite meet Rogue’s quality, because their equipment is made in China and subject to spot inspections when they get them instead of constant inspection of each piece by their own employees. Rep makes sense as a second choice behind Rogue. You save about $300 over the RML-3WC.
Rep’s rack is somewhat compatible with Monster Lite attachments. Their 75x75mm tubing is a hair smaller than 3×3″, making all Rogue attachments fit with a little play. The hole spacing Rep uses is also metric, ruling out attachments that have to be secured with a safety pin. These issues force me to have the opinion that Rep is not the best choice here.
Laser-Cut Numbers
One significant addition over Rogue is their laser-cut numbers, starting from the bottom of the bench press area and going all the way up.
Too bad they missed a stringer option. If you like working with wood, this might be a non-issue for you. You will certainly save money by putting in your own wood stringers, as shown below.
View Comments
I would say the big negative with these is that you cannot use safety arms for shorter people. Generally most people won't be able to because the bolts are in the way. Just my two cents. However the bridge built phoenix line is an option!
I think you should be able to attach the bottom frame low enough so as to not interfere with low safety arms placement? As I say this I notice that I need to update the pics of Rep and PRX, both of which had very wide hole spacing near the bottom but now have updated designs with tighter hole spacing all the way down.
Can Ethos stinger be used interchangeably wit Titan X-3?
How do you feel about the ProForm Carbon Strength Foldable Rack?
Great article! I've been curious. there are a ton of side folding squat racks out there, but only PRX has the folding down version. Are there are other fold down squat racks out there, or do they have a monopoly?
I believe PRX has an active patent.
Regarding using spotter arms: What about getting the deeper Rogue option and putting the spotter arms on the inside?
Gotta say, I never thought of that. A little awkward to get the bar around in there. Once in, I guess that would work for squats. Bench press not so much.
I bought a Rogue RML-3W with the 21.5" arms last summer and have been building my garage gym around it ever since. I just purchased the Monster Lite Slinger and was planning to install it to my wall rack, when Rogue informed me that this is not recommended due to my wall structural concerns. I currently use fairly heavy weight on my SAML-24 spotter arms on the same rack and don't have any issues.
From what I can figure, I will need to drill a couple holes through the top of the 21.5" arm so that the pulley cable can fit through. I will also need to move the slinger up the wall about 9" so that the crossmember can attach to the top of the upright. I am not a structural engineer, but I can't see how this will create a structural issue.
I should also mention that I was planning on buying the Rogue LT-1 50 Cal Trolley Arms to go on this same rack as well. Am I being foolish by attempting this? Should I just eat it and buy the RML-390C? before I attempt to install all of this?
I don't know about the trolley arms, but as far as what you already have in hand, just consider every angle and movement that's going to happen for different exercises or moving parts between exercises, and it will probably all work. At least it's all Rogue parts, so you aren't dealing with bad fitting attachments on top of this!
Any input or observations on whether the Rogue stringers would work with a Titan X-3?
How about the Force USA rack, any experience with that one?
I'll have to take a closer look when it's back in stock. Sometimes companies have a new revision after it's been out of stock for months. At first glance it's the only folding rack I've seen that's a full power rack.
Yea, thats why im leaning toward it. I like that aspect and its about the same price as others. Happy New Year.
So the hybrid Titan T3 / Rogue stringer rack was replaced with a RML-3WC. First thoughts...Titan has a better folding design for the 41.5 vs Rogues 40.5. I miss being able to fold in place vs out to one side. Definitely a bigger footprint. However, a positive for Rogue is you have up/down ability in the hinge to accommodate garage slope, so its a nicer angle. And... I didn’t realize the 3x3 would make the width 49”...gross. I like the 47” width for reracking the bar.
I'll have to update this with the Rogue color versions, and a bit about the width issues. Personally I wouldn't get a rack any wider than 48". The 47" R-3W looks appealing to me at the moment for a possible next rack. I see what you mean with the extra room in the Rogue hinge to allow play to accommodate a slope, now that you mention it. That must be an oversight by Titan.
Thanks for the article!
I’m tall so I require a higher kipping bar. The requirement of the garage gym dictates a foldable rack however which typically aren’t as tall.
In your opinion, Could you mount the rack higher on the wall and support the front feet off the ground? Maybe patio block for example.
Thanks again
That could work, with the blocks centered under the rack feet. You'll lose some room inside the rack. If you try to move the blocks out of the way as much as possible then it gets dicey.