“It's pretty good, certainly strong enough build. Good price. Would recommend!.
There are a few things of things I'd like to see change, but none of them have been absolute deal breakers.
1 the way you put the stoppers in, they are a bit janky in terms of metal on metal banging, but easy enough to do and not a major issue or anything.
2. the Smith machine part, its straight up and down, would have preferred to see it on a bit of an angle, but again not a deal breaker.
3. The plastic sleeves that over the bar, at the ends, means that the bar itself is not a real olympic bar, but a standard bar, so i'd bought olympic weights for it when I could have just continue to use my standard bar weights on it, but not a big deal either if that doesn't bother you.
4. I would have liked somewhere to rest my feet against rather than having to use the bottom part of the frame, whilst doing seated rows, but its not totally uncomfortable that i can't do it or anything, just a nice to have.
5. the smith machine goes in to holes instead of hooking on to a steel rod, this means i have to actually be able to see the hole to get it on rather than just turn the bar and start letting it down until it latches. 6. the smith machine doesnt let you go to the floor, instead it stops at about knee height or a bit under, which means you cant use it for dead lift unless you prop yourself up on something so as to be more level with the bar height.
I would buy this again though and I think its worth the money, I've been quite happy with it otherwise and also the height is good as it fits under my light/fan in my room thank god (so I can only do pull ups whilst the fan is off, but that's not a big deal and is totally circumstantial.”
Hi Robert,
Thank you for taking the time to leave such a detailed and balanced review.
We’re glad to hear you’re happy with the overall build strength, price point, and value of the Muscle Motion SM1002P Smith Machine with Plate Loaded High Low Pulley, and that you would recommend it. It’s also great to know the height worked well for your space.
We really appreciate you outlining the specific points you would like to see improved. Feedback around stopper design, Smith bar angle, sleeve sizing, foot bracing for rows, locking mechanism style, and bar travel range is valuable and helps set clear expectations for other customers. These are the kinds of practical insights that genuinely help people decide if a machine suits their training style and setup.
Thanks again for sharing such an honest and thorough breakdown, and for choosing Gym Direct.
#GDTeam
