Cap Weight Bench: high quality, budget dumbbell bench

Cap Barbell has been around a long time. I first reviewed one of their Utility weight benches over a decade ago, and they were already a well-established company back then.  A go-to company for high-quality, low-cost gym gear, and they’re just as good, if not better, today.

I’m really liking the Cap Weight Bench we’re reviewing today. It’s been on the market for a couple of years now, but it’s Caps first folding dumbbell bench, and they’ve done well.

All the essentials are there, and most importantly, their folding bench is stable. Yes, there’s no wobble! 

So many of the budget folding dumbbell benches I’ve reviewed are plagued by stability issues. There’s really only a handful of decent budget-adjustable benches in this price range worth taking seriously, and I’m happy to say, so far, I think Cap Barbell’s new bench is one of those.

So yes, so far I’m impressed with the Cap Weight Bench, it’s well-made and sturdy, which is what’s most important, it’s a bench I think is worth taking a much closer look at, and today I want to take a close look at everything it has to offer, including any drawbacks.

I also want to compare the Cap Bench to another fav of mine in this price bracket, the Flybird Adjustable Weight Bench, as it will be interesting to see how they match up.

First a quick look at the Cap Adjustable Weight Bench product specs!

Why Do We Like The Cap Weight Bench?

As I said in the intro, once you get this bench unboxed and assembled, you’re going to love how sturdy the bench is. Many users have praised the bench’s stability, even when pressing heavy weights.

But it’s not just the bench’s stability I like, the padding of the bench’s seat and backpad is surprisingly good as well.

It’s 2″ thick, which is what we want. That’s about industry standard for a dumbbell bench, and also the padding is made from high-density foam.

High-density foam is the gold standard for weight benches; it’s not too hard to be off-putting and uncomfortable, nor is it too soft to cause stability problems. It’s just right. So a big thumbs up to Cap Barbell for the padding.

19″ Height in Flat

The height of an adjustable bench in flat is important too, because we want our adjustable weight bench to be just as impressive in flat (when the backpad is adjusted to the flat position) as it is in incline.

The height in flat is something many of the budget benches get wrong. Most are too high, with heights of 22″ from the floor to the top of the pad.

You don’t want a bench that’s too high in flat, because you’ll have trouble placing your feet flat on the floor when bench pressing, which can affect your power and form.

Ideally, we want our adjustable bench to have a height in flat from 17″ to 19″. Commercial and competition flat benches have a height of around 17.6″, so the closer we can get to that, the better.

The Cap Barbell Adjustable Weight Bench has a flat height of 19″, which is ok, not perfect, but it’s still pretty good for a low-cost adjustable bench.

Click here to check price of Cap Weight Bench on Amazon

Pull-Pin System Slower to Adjust

One feature that many low-cost weight benches use is a pull-pin system to adjust the back pad’s position. It’s not a bad system, it works well. It’s just that it’s slow to adjust, much slower than the more desirable ladder adjustment system.

Also, with pull-pin adjustment systems, especially on budget benches, there’s always that fear when you’re lifting heavy that the pin could snap.

It’s rare for a pin to snap; I’ve only seen it happen a couple of times in all the years I’ve been training, but it’s always something at the back of my mind when I train on a bench using this system.

The Cap Barbell Bench is a well-made, quality bench, so there shouldn’t be any need to worry about pins snapping. The only issue really with the pull pin system is that it’s slower to adjust than the ladder systems.

8 Backpad Positions Including Decline

On the positive side, you have 8 adjustable backpad positions with the Cap Weight Bench, including decline, and a full 90 degrees for seated shoulder presses, which is great for a low-cost weight bench. There are more than enough backpad positions for all your pressing needs.

Adjustable Seat – Stable Base When Incline Pressing

A feature I always reccomend everyone look for when choosing an adjustable weight bench, even beginners, is an adjustable seat. It’s an essential feature and something you’ll need if you want to develop your upper pectorals.

The reason an adjustable seat is so important is that it prevents your butt from slipping down the seat when in incline.

Without an adjustable seat, you will not have a stable base to press from. Without a stable base, your form will suffer, so too will your power.

The Cap Barbell Weight Bench includes 3 adjustable seat positions, perfect for incline workouts.

Can the Cap Weight Bench handle its 800lb Max Capacity?

So many of the companies that produce low-cost dumbbell benches love to boast unrealistic weight capacities, just to help sell their benches, when in reality, I doubt any of them could regularly handle such heavy loads. They just don’t have the heavy-duty build.

Cap Barbell is a well-known company known for producing quality products, and their dumbbell bench is no exception. Still, it’s a long way off commercial grade. The Cap Weight Bench is a well-made dumbbell bench, best suited for beginners and dumbbell workouts.

It’s not a bench designed for heavy barbell work inside a power rack/cage.

So the 800lb that Cap Barbell put on this bench is unrealistic, even for a well-made bench from a reputable company.

A more realistic weight capacity for a well-made $100 weight bench is around 500lb, which includes the user’s weight and the weight lifted. I wouldn’t risk taking it any higher than that, not on a daily basis anyway.

Fast Folding System

Folding benches can be a pain to fold, with some taking a few minutes with overly complicated, annoying folding systems.

The Cap Weight Bench, however, uses a simple yet effective one-pin folding system that folds in just a few seconds. Nice!

And once folded, the bench’s footprint is more than halved. You can store this bench under a bed or against a wall. It’s a great choice for people tight on space.

Anything I Didn’t Like?

There’s not a lot I could fault about the Cap Barbell Weight Bench. It really is that good.

All the essentials are there, the build quality is high, and this bench is sturdy. It’s easy to assemble, fold, and store. It’s an impressive compact dumbbell bench.

If I were being really picky, I’d want to change the pull pin system for the backpad to a ladder adjustment system, as the pull pin system is slower to adjust. But that’s not a deal breaker. The pull-pin system still works well and is used on many weight benches, not just budget benches.

Overall, it’s an excellent bench for the price, definitely up there with the top 5 I’ve reviewed in the sub $100 price category.

Aletrnative

Flybird Adjustable Weight Bench

Flybird is another company that has been around for years. These guys specialize in budget gym gear, and they are one of the best at it. Another one of my go to companies for budget weight benches.

I’ve reviewed this bench a few times over the years, and it’s always impressed me. It’s their flagship dumbbell weight bench, and it outsells every other budget bench on the market. And it’s my top 5 for good reason,  just like the Cap Weight Bench, it’s well-made, and it’s sturdy.

It too has the wide front and rear stabilizing feet and the built-in adjustable levelers keeping the bench sturdy on all floors.

And the height of the Flybird Bench in flat is also impressive, it measures 18.8″ from floor to the top of the pad, which is great for a budget adjustable bench.

The Flybird Bench is very similar in design to the Cap Weight Bench, as you may have noticed, they look almost identical.

Both boast the 2″ high-density foam padding, both have 8 adjustable positions for the backpad, both use a 3-way adjustable seat, both have the same folding system, and both use the pull-pin system for their backpads, which, for me, is their only drawback.

But there is one noticeable difference: price. The Flybird bench costs $40 more, and while that’s still a great price for a well-made, sturdy dumbbell bench, you might as well save yourself a few bucks and opt for the Cap Barbell weight bench.

It’s basically the same bench but branded with a different logo at the factory.

To Sum Up

I liked the Cap Barbell Weight Bench from the start. I could just tell this was going to be one of the good budget benches.

The quality of the build is impressive, the design is great, it’s so sturdy for a budget bench, and all the essentials are there. They even got the padding right, which is rare in this price range.

It’s hard to fault the Cap Barbell Weight Bench. It offers great value for money, it’s just as good as the current best seller right now, the Flybird Bench, and it’s $40 cheaper. The Cap Bench is a no-brainer, well-made, sturdy, and built by a company with a ton of experience. Worthy to be at the top of anyone’s list.

Cap Weight Bench FAQ’s

1. What is the weight capacity of the CAP Barbell Adjustable Bench?

This CAP Barbell model boasts a maximum weight capacity of 800 pounds (including the user and any added weights like barbells or dumbbells). It’s constructed from heavy-duty steel tubing for superior stability and durability, making it suitable for home-gym strength training, heavy bench presses, and progressive overload workouts without compromising safety.

2. How many adjustment positions does the CAP Barbell 800 lb capacity bench have?

It offers 8 backrest positions (including flat, multiple incline angles up to near-vertical/upright, decline options, and more) along with typically 3 seat positions. This extensive adjustability allows precise targeting of chest, shoulders, triceps, back, and core muscles through variations in incline/decline presses, flies, rows, shoulder work, and abdominal exercises.

3. What exercises can you perform on the CAP Barbell adjustable bench with 8 positions and 800 lb capacity?

With its versatile 8 backrest and multi-seat angles, you can do flat bench press, incline/decline bench press, dumbbell chest flies, seated shoulder presses, upright rows, tricep dips/extensions, leg raises, crunches/sit-ups, decline skull crushers, and more. It’s ideal for full upper-body strength routines, accessory work, and compound lifts in a home or garage gym setup.