Keppi Weight Bench Bench6000 X

The Keppi Bench6000 X is a beauty to behold. The stainless steel quality is impressive and I believe that this is where the "X" edition rises a tier or two above the regular 6000 and establishes itself as a "high end" piece of equipment. My only complaint with the frame is that the pop-pin adjustment angle numbering can be difficult to read in dim lighting and are only etched on one side. Everything else about the frame's design, material, manufacture and function is superlative. The finish is flawless and the gold-tinted knurled handle and adjustment knobs just make the bench look like a work of art. If you're like me and want a bench that won't make you wince when seeing it out of the corner of your eye from your family room, or if you have a modern condo or loft apartment and want a bench that looks at home with your exposed architectural beams and minimalist decor, you've found it. The stainless steel upgrade alone is enough to justify the added cost vs the 6000.

Another distinguishing upgrade for the X is the padding. The seat, back, and arm pads are formed from a solid piece of "self skinning" polyurethane foam. This pad looks gorgeous... both from above as well as from the underneath as there are no staples or trim strips to hide any unfinished edges... it's seamless (and reportedly water-proof). The pad feels to me on the firmer side but is still very comfortable. I can't compare the "grip" to other pads on REP or ROGUE or on the 6000, but I can say that when wearing a shirt it has much better grip than standard vinyl though still has enough slip that I can change position without sitting up. Without a shirt I stick to the pad like a magnet. I consider the white stitching on the 6000's pad to be an eyesore, so for me 6000 X's molded pad is a win. My only criticism is that I'm disappointed that the same molded polyurethane foam wasn't used for the leg rollers. That's an upgrade I'd like to see Keppi offer in the future.

Everything that the 6000 does right is still here. The chassis is strong and stable. The pop-pin adjustment is smooth and secure. There is a bit of lateral play in the bench back when it's in an incline position and no weight is being applied, but when in actual use doesn't budge and feels absolutely solid. The seat-gap is a non-issue and the firmness of the pads made it almost undetectable when lying on my back. The bench's weight and rubber feet lock it firmly on my wood floor even when doing exercises that apply lateral force like incline reverse flys or Bulgarian split squats.

The arm pads are not a gimmick. Incline bicep curls have been a staple in my routine for the past year and I was very curious if the stabilizing pads would make a difference. Wow. Placing the pads one notch down still allowed me to get the maximum bicep stretch while at the same time provided just the right support on the back of my tricep for me keep my upper arm stationary through the full movement. And having done the same exercise for the past year just "doing my best" to avoid swinging, with the pads there giving feedback to "keep me honest" I was shocked that my maximum rep-count dropped 1-2 reps per set because the exercise was that much harder! If you're like me and are trying to lift "smarter" to challenge yourself with proper form (instead of just heavier weight) to protect your joints and connective tissue as you progressively overload and you like incline curls: you've found your bench.

As for the leg attachment, I tested it out with a few incline sit-ups which worked great, but the real win was how comfortable the movement was on my knees when doing Nordic curls. The leg module functions perfectly, however I do have three criticisms that are only cosmetic but do really bother me: The cheap plastic knob to adjust the angle of the foot pads is indisputably out-of-place on a bench of this caliber, as are the cheap chrome-painted plastic end-caps on the rollers. And as I mentioned earlier, I would have liked to have seen the same molded polyurethane padding used for the leg rollers as is used on the primary seat/back and arm pads. While perhaps forgivable on the 6000 at its more budget-oriented price-point, the 6000 X deserves to have these details as polished and well executed as the rest of the bench. Keppi please take note.

Would I pay over $600 for a budget-quality bench? No I wouldn't. But the Keppi Bench6000 X is not a budget bench: it looks, feels, and functions like a high-end piece of equipment and delivers well above its asking price. It addresses two key shortcomings of the 6000 (paint and pad) and in spite of its (few) remaining flaws, if what the X offers matters to you, it's absolutely worth the price difference vs the standard 6000. My goal was to purchase a bench that will satisfy me for years to come without worrying "what if" I should have chosen something else instead. The Keppi Bench6000 X achieved that goal.

The bench was well packed and got to me mostly unscathed.

Packaging was finicky and time-consuming to remove, but that's really the worst thing I have to say about it.

The Installation process was easy and straightforward with a really nicely printed instruction manual provided by Keppi, the kind you used to receive 20 years ago when you ordered something. A nice touch.

Overall, the construction of the bench feels incredibly solid with very good tolerances. The bench is beefy whilst not overbuilt, so still fairly easy to move around. The welds are clearly robot-made and thus top notch. Super clean construction.

The bench is regulation height, it has way more angle adjustments than my rogue AB 3.0 and with its auxiliary functions, I anticipate it will be even more useful than my Rogue bench.

Quibbles :
- Way too much branding everywhere, gives a tacky look to a premium piece
- Angle Numbers are Lasered only on a single side and not super legible
- Cheap plastic knob left on the leg piece
- Foam on leg holder different than on the bench (not injection moulded)
- Cheap plastic "chrome" caps on the leg rollers
- Pad while not bad and probably good enough for most people, is definitely not high-end. Anyone used to a super grippy vinyl and/or lifting competitively would want to change the pads to custom pads with grippy vinyl (which I will be doing)
- The mechanism to slide in the elbow pads is a little finicky, but has the advantage of being very simple so will never break.
- I anticipate the rubber handle on the leg holder to not hold up very well long-term (the rubber feels flimsy).
- The wheels, whilst not high-end, are surprisingly good
The bench feels similar in weight to the rogue AB 3.0 to move around.
Both the leg holder and the elbow pads seem like they will be great accessory pieces to have on hand.

Overall, I'm happy with the purchase, and even though there's a few materials that will need to be upgraded and knobs that need to be swapped out this is a solid bench for the money. I do hope however that Keppi will keep this in the lineup and address the shortcomings, especially reign in the amount of branding and seriously upgrading the pad.