Leg Press

Getting ASSEMBLY TWO & THREE, pp. 11 & 12, right is critical to ending up with a correctly-constructed leg press. However, here is also the two steps where the manual fails to convey critical information. Needed is guidance on proper sequencing. ASSEMBLY TWO & THREE, where having a second pair of eyes and hands is critical, offers an apt example. The two “slide” tubes are half-way installed and in THREE. It is critical here that your helper, allen wrench and appropriate bolts in hand, stations herself at the bottom end of the tubes with you at the top end. Working together, the two of you position each tube until the threaded hole in the end of the tube aligns with its mounting hole, and your helper can screw the bolt home. Then, in THREE, you are directed to insert the top ends of these tubes into the top of the rack, and secure the tubes with two more bolts. Point: unless the bottom-ends are driven home and secured first, it is impossible – I know as I was alone – to finish these two assemblies. I know. I was alone and failed miserably until I found a helper. However, save for needing more sequencing guidance, the P-LP23 assembly manual is excellent. (Be sure to leave everything loosely connected until you have fully-assembled the leg press so you can ensure everything is square. Having a helper is huge here.) The three blister packs of hardware are clearly labeled and sequenced to the manual. I appreciated the listing of the required tools, but am mystified by the major error in the roster of wrenches, that includes calling for a 13mm – 1/2" wrench for which there is no need in the entire build. That spec should read 14mm – 9/16”. The two, perfectly-positioned safety rods are greatly appreciated, as is the flexibility of the back rest. Having two sets of weight horns is great for those approaching loading 1,000 lbs. on the press. A few bruises and skinned knuckles notwithstanding, I couldn’t simply collect my tools and walk away at the end of the build. Wow!!! I weigh 240 and am astounded by its rigidity. The rack rolls smoothly and silently along the slide tubes. Cleary, once assembled, you will enjoy challenging yourself on this POWERTEC P-LP23 leg press, one that is clearly commercial grade.

As I write this, I am a 41 year old man, 5ft8in, and work out 3-4 times a week for about 45 minutes. I wanted a leg press machine because I'm getting older and feel it important to keep my legs in decent shape. I pulled the trigger on the PowerTec Leg Press machine and am completely satisfied. For starters, I noticed a few reviews mention the instructions being a little challenging. Although there were a few moments where I had to scratch my head as I looked at the diagrams, overall it wasn't something I couldn't figure out. Overall, it took me about 3 hours to assemble. When you use the machine, provided that everything is tightened properly, you can have confidence in its sturdiness. It is definitely not a cheap piece of equipment. I will also mention that the seller I purchased this through on Amazon was extremely helpful. I wrote an email asking for the status of the order and received an immediate response. When I received the equipment, the only problem with the assembly was that one of the screws was not drilled properly which made it impossible to tighten with the Allen key. (Which is why in my picture the bottom leg horns are not on just yet). However, I sent a message and replacements were sent out right away. As a matter of fact, they sent me two screws instead of the one I asked for, which was appreciated. If you work out casually as I do and are looking for a reliable piece of equipment for your home gym, I would recommend it. It will hold up to 1000lbs which is way more than I'll ever need. I'm enjoying using it and appreciate how it's helping me to get back in decent shape after the COVID years of sitting around too much.

For the price, I can’t imagine a better leg press. My son and I use this several times per week, and while we haven’t stacked more than 300 lbs on it, it is really smooth and can tell it will easily accept almost double the weight we’ve already used. It is really smooth too. There are several reviews that complain about the assembly, and these people have a point for sure. It is only a challenge to assemble because the written instructions are not detailed. The instruction are really bad actually. It’s like the manufacturer was trying to save money on a few extra pieces of paper and ink. There is a YouTube video that helps a little with assembly, but they could have done a much better job on this too. By using the written instructions and YouTube video, I was able to piece it together without too much frustration. It would be so easy for this company to do this better. The manufacturer should include more detailed written instructions and larger illustrations. If they just added a few additional pages and larger illustrations for assembly, it would be a snap to follow the instructions. I’d estimate that it took about 2 1/2 hours to assemble this alone. With some help, I could have done it faster, likely under 2 hours. Anyway, this is a solid product, and I’ve been using it for about a month.

Pros: footplate is wide enough and high enough to do wide presses (I’m 5’ 9”: this was actually the most important thing for me), the unit is pretty solid, smooth, the seat angle options are decent, the plate is low enough for calf work. Compact footprint. Cons: assembly is tough, have to load the lower weight horns in the middle position, there are no full welds, weld beads could be better, the weld on the chrome guide rods mounts are spot welds pretty thin so don’t over tighten the Allen bolts, the seat could be wider/thicker, making the footplate a touch wider and flaring the edge angles in would put this this over the top in this price category. Summary: it’s at about 90% of what you get from far more expensive machines. With a few design tweaks it’d be 99%. Pretty happy, can’t speak to durability yet. Recommended.