
Nearly all benches in the under $100 price category are dumbbell benches. They haven’t been designed for serious weight lifters, nor are they suitable for heavy rack work. Instead, a bench such as the Bonnlo Adjustable Weight Bench is perfect for beginners looking to get into the world of resistance training.
Versatile 7 Back Pad Positions And Adjustable Seat.
A decent dumbbell bench should include at least several pad positions, an adjustable seat, a realistic weight capacity, and a stable build. Thankfully the Bonnlo includes all these essential features.
Plus, it boasts high-density foam padding, the gold standard for weight benches, and a surprise to find on a bench in this price category.
Today I want to take a close look at everything the Bonnlo Upgraded Adjustable Bench has to offer, including its drawbacks. I’ll also compare the Bonnlo with the Gymenist bench, one of the most popular in this price bracket.
First, let’s take a quick look at the Bonnlo product specs!
Product Specifications
Product dimensions – 34.7 x 15.8 x 12.2 inches
Weight – 34lb
Back pad positions – 6
Adjustable seat – Yes
Powder-coated steel frame with high-density foam padding
Folds for storage – Yes
Weight capacity – 600lb
Transport wheels
Why Do We Like The Bonnlo Adjustable Weight Bench?
What most impressed me about the Bonnlo bench is how versatile it is. It includes 4 incline positions 90°,60°,45°,30° flat and decline, which is great for a budget bench.
I always recommend when choosing an adjustable bench to find one with at least 3 incline positions as this allows you to target the lower and upper pectoral muscles. Also, you need a near verticle or verticle position for seated shoulder press.
So many of the cheap benches don’t include a near vertice for shoulder press, with many offering just 70° as the highest incline position. If you want to hit the shoulders hard, you need an incline angle anywhere between 80-90 degrees.
Another feature I love about this bench is that it includes an adjustable seat.
Only a few years ago, none of the entry-level benches included an adjustable seat. They were usually reserved for high-end benches. It’s great to see them now featured on low-cost benches. Why? Because adjustable seats are a must, especially for low incline bench pressing.
An adjustable seat will stop your butt from slipping down the bench in low incline angles providing a stable base to press from.
And lastly, the Bonnlo includes high-density foam padding, the gold standard for weight benches.
This is the stuff commercial benches use. The reason high-density foam is so good is that it’s not too soft to cause stability issues or too hard to be uncomfortable. It’s just right for our pressing needs and something I always recommend people look for when choosing a weight bench for home use.
Can The Bonnlo Handle Its 660lb Weight Capacity?
I know I wouldn’t trust a bench that costs under $100 with its max capacity regularly, yeah it might handle it a few times, but I wouldn’t risk lifting super heavy on the Bonnlo bench regularly.
The reason being is its lightweight build. This thing only weighs 34lb thats super light for a weight bench. If you’re going to lift heavy? You need a heavy-duty bench, something built like a tank weighing closer to 100lb.
The Bonnlo is a lightweight foldable bench, best suited to 50lb dumbbell workouts rather than heavy barbell & rack work.
And the Bonnlo uses the Pull pin type adjustment system, which is ok on high-quality, expensive benches, but when used on cheap benches, it has a habit of breaking under heavy loads, which can be dangerous.
400lb max capacity would be more realistic for a decent entry-level, foldable bench such as the Bonnlo. Remember max capacity of a weight bench includes your body weight as well.
Folds For Easy Storage
One of the positives of this bench is that it’s quite easy to store, thanks to the foldable feature. The Bonnlo folds to half its original footprint. And because it’s light, it will be much easy to move than a heavy-duty bench.
However, a few people e have had difficulties folding the bench. And thats because they didn’t realize you need to remove the foot holder first. This is done by unscrewing a bolt and pulling out the pin that holds the foot holder to the bench. Then you can flatten the bench and fold.
It shouldn’t take more than a few minutes or under a minute once you get the hang of it.
Bonnlo Weight Bench Come 99% Assembled
Something I know many people will love is that this bench comes fully assembled. You dont have to assemble anything.
All you need to do once your bench arrives is to tighten all the bolts etc first before you use it. Thats it. Shouldn’t more than five minutes.
The Good
Versatile – 6 back pad positions including decline and an adjustable seat
high density foam padding
Folds for storage
Powder-coated steel frame
No assembly required
Detachable leg holder
The Bad
Not suitable for serious lifters
Have to remove leg holder to fold bench
Alternative

Gymenist Adjustable Weight Bench
The Gymenist adjustable bench is another entry-level foldable weight bench. It’s very similar to the Bonnlo. They both include 6 adjustable back pad positions, an adjustable seat, similar weight capacities, and the fold for storage feature.
The Gymenist is a lightweight bench weighing just 26lb, so it hasn’t been designed for heavy lifting. It is again another bench suitable for light to medium-weight dumbbell workouts.
Both the Gymenist and the Bonnlo offer a lot of bang for uck, the Gymensit is built by a better-known company, and the bench has been around for 5 years and still receives a lot of praise, which is a good thing. It passed the test of time. Not many entry-level benches can boast that.
I prefer the Gymenist bench because it uses a ladder adjustment system for the back pad. This is a much better choice for cheaper benches as it’s sturdier and can handle more weight than the pin pull type.
However, the upholstery on the Gymenist is what lets this bench down. It’s cheap and quite thin, with some users complaining it started to rip only after a few months.
All in all, the Gymenist is one of the best-priced benches for dumbbell workouts. With only the upholstery letting it down. Stable, versatile, and light enough to quickly move and store.
To Sum Up
I didn’t find anything major to fault about the Bonnlo Upgraded adjustable Bench. It includes everything you need for dumbbell workouts at home.
I was happy to see a good amount of adjustment angles for the back pad and the all-important adjustable seat to provide support when incline pressing. The foldable feature is slightly slower than most, but once you get the hang of it you’ll be able to fold this bench quickly.
There really aren’t many decent foldable benches out there right now especially under $100 but I’m happy to say the Bonnlo is right up with the best.
Just remember not to expect too much from an entry-levl bench. Use it for light to medium dumbbells workouts and it should last years.
If you go too heavy this thing could break because of its lightweight build and the pull pin type adjustment system, I don’t trust these adjustment systems on cheap benches, especially under heavy loads. Don’t exceed 400lb including your own bodyweight and you should be fine.