ARCHON Wall Mount Commercial Ball Bearing Cable Station | 17 & 15 Position Adjustable Dual Pulley Models | Home Gym Equipment | Cable Crossover Machine | Pulldown

I recently took up weight training beginning of 2017. I did all the traditional lifts and lifted heavy (5-7 rep range). One year later, I developed muscle imbalances due to all the pressing movements, which lead to a right rotator cuff injury/impingement. After PT and a lot of research into weight training with a PT emphasis, I proceeded to change my entire training to prioritize more pulling exercises with movements focused on joint health first (RC), then strength gains second.My main goal now is sustainable fitness that I can continue into my 60’s and beyond. With that in mind, I got the Archon cable station as an add-on to my home gym/ power rack, so I can also integrate cable (pulling) workouts to my program. This was the best decision ever.The Archon Cable Station quickly became my favorite piece of equipment. So much so, I have now sold off my power rack and now focusing on just cable work, Barbell deadlift, and dumbbell press.The Archon cable station has allowed me to focus on providing consistent tension to the exact muscles groups that I require for each movement with the best range of motion possible that is safe and under my complete control. My joints never felt better and my mind – muscle connection is much easier to obtain.Regarding joint health, the Archon cable station has allowed me to expand my PT shoulder work into shoulder days, where I use the cable station to fully work all my Delts and my rotator cuff muscles.Pros:1) Wall mounted designed takes up very small footprint/space.2) High enough, so you can do lat pulls and more exercises then the Valor model.3) Fits bumper plates and standard Olympic plates (adapter included)4) Weights do not be equal on both sides to be functional.5) Smooth BALL BEARING design allows for steady cable work for alternating movements6) Looks very cool with my rack and much more expensive then it is.7) Amazing and responsive customer serviceCons:1) It is quite tall, you will need about 90 1/8 inches of wall space to install this.2) Does not come with other attachments (tricep rope, lat bar, etc)3) Does not come with hardware to install on wood studs (just concrete)4) No optional weight stack5) The cable work is not as smooth when using the handles separately and at the same time. Again, it shines best when doing alternating movements.Tips:When doing Ab crunches, I find it easier on my wrist using the standard handles and pulling next to my ears, instead of using the triceps rope. Make sure you attach the handles to one cable pulley for this movement.When doing triceps extension, you don’t necessarily require a triceps rope. Using standard handles, angle the handles vertical along the nylon material, grab both handles like you would a tricipes rope and push down.When assembling the cable station, I recommend you stick to the steps listed in the documentation, rather than the video. However, when routing the cable through the unit, refer back to end of the video visually see how the cable is routed. If you use the directions in the documentation and the video, you will get confused and slow down.Take note of the amendment documentation, where a pair of cable slides are switched out for applicable ones.Feedback for owner/designer:On the design of the cable station. For the upper bolt locations where the station is secured to the wall, there is currently two vertical metal tabs (one upper tab and lower tab). This upper tab increases the height of the unit by about 1 inch. If you were to remove this upper tab, and instead make it a horizontal bar, where the 2 tabs are located horizontally by each other by a distance of say 7 inches, you would possible increase the stability of the unit and also decrease the overall height of the unit, without sacrificing the working height of the cable station itself.

I absolutely love this pulley system. For as many pieces as it comes with, it is actually a snap to install. I recommend watching the installation video, pausing it, and then reading the instruction manual for that step. There are a couple of times where the video is a bit confusing and the instruction manual can help clarify, but be careful because the video assembles it in a slightly different order.Installing it was also very easy. I cut a 2x6 to fit and mounted it across two studs for the top brace (I would have preferred 3 but unfortunately the moulding around the door it is next to partially covered the third stud). I then used the included wood anchors to fasten it to the wall. I have a baseboard along the bottom, so I used Tapcon concrete anchors (not the included sleeve anchors) directly into the floor. I was pleasantly surprised at how quickly it went with a $28 Harbor Freight hammer drill and a ratchet set.The unit itself is great. I use Olympic weights, so I installed the two Olympic adapters. Other than being a bit loud (which is absolutely not a big deal for me), the pulley is exactly what I'd hoped it would be. The only problem I have had with it was because one of the two rubber gaskets for the ends of the cable had a split in it and it wasn't staying on, allowing the rubber ball to slide back along the cable to the pulley. That had happened a few times and I just put the rubber gasket back on, but one time the cable bound up and it all started to come off the pulley wheels. Once I saw that the split in the gasket wasn't by design (it actually was torn, prior to me receiving it), I just superglued it back into a solid ring, slipped it back on the cable, and it has been fine ever since.My next project will be to design and build a foot plate for doing seated cable rows. There isn't really a place to brace your feet; right now I use a small step that rests against the base of the pulley, but it isn't very sturdy and if placed wrong can rub against the cable.

Great product. Perfect for the limited amount of space I have. I did receive mine which had some parts of the finish rubbed off as well as a few parts floating around freely in the box (Not sure if it was like this from the factory or due to the shipping process but I did receive all the parts). The written directions and the online video are not identical and made it slightly confusing when assembling everything. Also, the rubber ball stops on each handle could be better designed so they dont constantly slide down the cable and cause the pulley to bind a bit especially when doing bicep curls. The customer service however was very good and responsive to my inquires.

I am pleased to add this to my home gym. I bolted this to my commercial power rack and its work well. I purchased this unit because it was taller than all of the other cable systems I found, and it has ball bearings instead plastic bushings. I also like the spring pin for adjusting the height of the cables. This machine is sturdy and smooth. It can hold plenty of weight. It was very simple to assemble. No missing parts. There were a couple of minor scratches but nothing that bothered me.The only downside I have found is that even with the extra height I still cannot get a full stretch on lat pull downs. I will weld on a 4" base and that should remedy the issue. For reference I am 6ft3in.