Merach Adjustable Weight Bench Review: surprisingly sturdy for the price point

I’ve reviewed a few Merach products over the years, and while nothing they make is anything to shout home about, it is well-made for the price point. They’re a company that caters to beginners and really tries to keep their prices competitive.

It’s only recently that these guys have turned their attention to making some low-cost strength gear, and for the most part, I’m impressed. Yes, it’s not heavy-duty, but it’s decent. Their adjustable dumbbells are pretty average, but the Merach Weight Bench stands out for me.

I like their adjustable bench, it’s well-made, they thought about the design, and it’s up there with some of the best I’ve reviewed in the under $150 price bracket. It’s certainly a bench worth taking a closer look at.

This versatile bench from Merach is a bench I feel deserves a much closer look, so today I want to take a look at all of its pros and its drawbacks.

At the end of the review, I also want to compare the Merach Weight Bench to one of my favs in this price bracket, the Lusper Weight Bench (upgraded version), as it will be interesting to see how these two impressive adjustable benches match up.

First, a quick look at the Merach Weight Bench product specs!

Why Do We Like The Merach Adjustable Weight Bench?

One of the major issues that plagues many low-cost benches is stability. 

Almost half of the cheap weight benches I’ve reviewed over the years have problems with stability. And the last thing you want when lifting heavy dumbbells on your weight bench is an annoying wobble. Not only is an unstable bench off-putting, but it’s also dangerous.

A lot of the stability problems of low-cost benches are caused by bad design, but also some of these benches weigh as little as 15lb, so they have no weight to keep them firmly planted to the floor.

Thankfully, Merach has done really well when it comes to the stability of their weight bench. Firstly, they have used nice wide stabilizing feet, which really helps with stability. Wide stabilizing feet can make a cheap bench feel as sturdy as something twice the price.

Also, I was happy to see that Merach has built adjustable levellers into the rear stabilizer.

Adjustable levellers are a really handy feature as you can adjust them to keep your weight bench stable on uneven floors and avoid that horrible wobble.

Lastly, there’s a little bit of weight to this bench, it weighs 28lb, which is more impressive than many of the budget benches I’ve reviewed.

That extra bit of weight helps with stability, but also, the bench doesn’t feel cheap. Okay, it doesn’t feel heavy-duty, but it feels sturdy and of good quality, which is important.

High Density Foam Padding

Another really important feature of a weight bench is its padding, you don’t want it to be too hard that it’s off-putting, but you also don’t want it to be too soft that it causes stability problems when pressing.

The Merach Bench uses high-density foam for its padding. It’s not too soft nor too hard, it’s just right. 

Click here to check price of Merach Weight Bench on Amazon

Versatile Bench That Includes a 3-Way Adjustable Seat

I mentioned in the intro that an adjustable seat is a vital feature if you want to make the most of incline pressing using a weight bench. The reason it’s such an important feature is that it prevents your butt from slipping down the seat when the backpad is at an incline angle.

If you’re going to take your training seriously, you need to choose a weight bench with an adjustable seat, because incline pressing is one of the best exercises for developing your upper pecs properly.

Without an inclined seat, you’re not pressing from a stable base. With a stable base, you’ll produce more power and, of course, keep correct form throughout the movement.

The Merach Weight Bench includes 3 adjustable seat positions, perfect for your incline pressing needs, and excellent to see on a sub-$150 weight bench.

Slow To Adjust Pull Pin Adjustment System

Something that lets this bench down slightly is the pull pin adjustment system. The thing about pull pin adjustment systems is that they’re much slower to adjust than the ladder adjustment systems, also they’re not as sturdy as the ladder adjustment systems.

Another problem I’ve come across with the pull pin system is that the pin can snap under heavy weight loads.

The pin snapping isn’t such an issue with the more expensive heavy-duty benches, as the quality is much higher, but on the cheaper benches, it can be.

The Merach Bench seems well made, the quality is quite high, so the pin snapping hopefully shouldn’t be an issue. Also, if you’re not using this bench for heavy barbell work inside a rack and just using it for dumbbell workouts, you shouldn’t have an issue with the pin snapping.

Still, the ladder adjustment system is the best choice for low-cost benches, it can handle more weight, it’s faster to adjust, and it feels sturdier when lifting.

Only 90-degree angle For Seated Shoulder Presses

While this isn’t a deal killer, having a full 90 degrees for shoulder press can be a bit of an issue.

The problem with only having a full 90 for seated shoulder press is that when the backpad is at 90 degrees, you almost feel you’re falling forward, which can be off-putting.

Also, when the backpad is at 90 degrees, you can’t arch your back just slightly. A slightly arched back improves stability, enhances muscle engagement, and allows you to transfer more power through your legs. The perfect angle for shoulder presses is 80-85 degrees as it allows for a slight arch.

Still like i said its not a deal kiler. A 90-degree angle is much better than something too low.

Many of the cheap benches only include angles of 75 degrees or even lower for seated shoulder presses, which is just too low to engage the shoulder muscles fully. So yes, while 90 degrees isn’t perfect, it is preferable to being too low.

So Easy To Move and Store

Something a lot of people are going to love about this bench is just how easy it is to move and store. It’s a folding weight bench, once folded, you reduce the weight bench’s overall footprint by more than half. And folding it is a breeze, all you need to do is remove a couple of pins and fold, takes a couple of seconds.

And because this bench is pretty light, picking it up and moving it from room to room is fairly easy. Store up against a wall or in a cupboard.

Can the Merach Weight Bench Really Handle 990lb?

The Merach Weight Bench is a bench designed primarily for beginners. It doesn’t have a heavy-duty build, it doesn’t boast commercial-grade welds, it is a dumbbell bench.

Still, compared to other benches in this price bracket, it is well made, it’s not one of the 17lb super light benches. There’s some weight there at 28 lbs, still, it’s only half the weight of a $300 heavy-duty bench.

It’s a sturdy, well-made bench for the price point. However, it is unrealistic to give a low-cost 28lb bench a 990lb weight capacity; those weight capacities are usually reserved for the commercial and semi-commercial benches.

A lot of the Chinese companies that produce these low-cost benches love to claim high weight capacities, but in reality, they’d never be able to handle that sort of weight on a daily basis.

A more realistic weight capacity for a sub $150 bench that weighs under 30lb and doesnt have commerical grade welds etc, would be more like 250lb user load and 250lb lifted weight, which gives you a combined max weight capacity of around 500lb, which is still more than enough for most beginners and intermedaites.

10 Minutes Assembly

Although the Merach Weight Bench arrives 90% assembled at your doorstep, once unboxed, there were a few things to attach and a little bit fiddly. So while I expected a quick 2-minute assembly, it took around 10 minutes, which is still pretty quick.

And because it’s a fairly light bench, one person can quite easily assemble this bench on their own. The instructions were okay, and all the tools for the job were provided.

Alternative

Lusper Adjustable Bench (Upgraded Version)

The Lusper Adjustable Weight Bench has been a fav of mine for a year or so now. When it first came onto the market, I was surprised by its price tag; this thing costs under $100, and it’s impressive.

What first struck me about the Lusper bench is its sturdy build. Many users have mentioned that the Lusper bench feels like a proper weight bench, which is excellent for a low-cost weight bench.

It weighs 32lb, which is heavier than its competitors and helps give the bench its sturdy feel, just like the Merach Weight Bench you have wide stabilizing feet and the adjustable levellers, which means there’s no annoying wobble, you’ll feel confident lifting heavy on this bench which is great for the more srious of lifters out there.

My favorite feature of this bench has to be the ladder adjustment system for the back. As I mentioned earlier, ladder adjustment systems are faster to adjust, more sturdy, and can handle heavier weights than the pull pin type, so it’s always best to choose a ladder adjustment system when choosing a low-cost bench.

Just like the Merach Bench, you get 8 backpad positions and an adjustable seat for support when incline pressing.

Also, the padding is impressive too, you have the desired 2″ thickness, and it’s not too soft.

The Lusper Weight Bench is a bench that has got all the essentials right, and with a price tag of under $100, it’s a steal right now at that price. It’s certainly a weight bench I’d recommend you take seriously and should be at the top of your list.

I should also mention the Lusper bench folds for storage, which comes 90% pre-assembled, just like the Merach Bench.

To Sum Up

There are over 50 low-cost benches on the market right now, and out of those 50, there are probably only 10 decent ones worth spending your cash on. And I’d happily say the Merach Weight Bench is one of those 10.

I liked this bench, they thought about the design, it’s sturdy, it’s not a cheap feeling low cost bench, and these guys have included everything you need for dumbbell workouts at home.

Yes, it’s not a heavy-duty bench, but it’s not designed to be. It’s a dumbbell workout bench, and it’s a well-made one too.

Did anything let it down? Not really. I loved the padding. It has an adjustable seat, the backpad has more than enough positions, and the price is competitive. There’s no real deal killer I came across with the Merach Bench.

It’s a decent bench for the price point. And a great choice for beginners or anyone buying their first dumbbell bench for home.