Xmark Adjustable Weight Bench XM-7630 – Review – Includes Comparison With Ironmaster Pro Bench

Built from 11 gauge  3″ x 2″ steel, the Xmark XM 7630 is one of the toughest benches you’ll find in this price bracket. And it weighs a ton too. At 77lb its is one of the heaviest, which is great for stability and a telling sign this thing is made from quality materials.

Well Known For Heavy Duty Gear

Xmark are well known for building heavy-duty gym gear. I’ve reviewed a load of their gear, and they always come up with trumps both on quality and price, and by the looks of things, the mid-priced 7630 bench is no exception.

Still, there are a couple of design floors with the Xmark 7630, which I’ll cover later, not deal killers but certainly worth mentioning. Also, at the end review, I’ll compare the Xamrk with its closest rival in this price bracket, the Ironmaster Super Bench pro.

First let’s take a quick look at the product specs of the XM-7630

Why Do We Like the Xmark XM-7630 Weight Bench?

When we buy a weight bench for the home, we want it to be as close to being built like a tank as possible for our budget. The heavier, the better.

The heavy gauged steel frame of the Xmark bench gives it a lot of weight, which will help keep this bench planted to the floor. It’s not going to feel cheaply made like so many of the adjustable benches on the market.

A rock-solid weight bench is what we want, and the Xmark doesn’t feel any different from a commercial bench in that respect. The build quality of the Xmark bench is right up there, with benches costing twice as much.

You just can’t fault these guys when it comes to quality. All of their gym gear shines when it comes to durability. The Xmark bench has been designed for lifetime use and their lifetime warranty on everything backs this up.

I’ve read reviews of guys who owned this bench and used it every day for years, and they are still praising the bench, saying it doesn’t have a mark on it. Even the padding holds up after years of use which is surprising for any bench.

This is great news and a testament to the high quality this company stands by.

Click here to check price of the Xmark XM7630 on Amazon

Versatility Back Pad & Seat

There are no issues with the Xmark weight bench concerning the number of pad angles and the seat. The back pad includes 7 positions ranging from 85 degrees positive to negative 20

7 back pad positions is more than enough for all of your pressing needs, and what I like most about this back pad is that it adjusts to a near-vertical for military presses, something a lot of benches in this price bracket dont include.

Many of them only adjust to 70 degrees which isnt high enough to engage the shoulders fully, or they adjust to a full 90, which doesn’t allow you to arch your back.

To hit the shoulders hard and allow room to arch the back for a better pressing position, always look for a bench that includes 80 degrees or 85  for seated shoulder presses.

This is a Full FID (flat, incline, decline), so includes a decline angle of -20. This allows for exercises such as decline presses and sit-ups.

7 Position Ladder Adjustment System

I was happy to see that Xmark has fitted a ladder adjustment system for the XM-7630 back pad.

Ladder adjustment systems are much faster to adjust than the pin pull-type and, in my experience, are sturdier, plus they can take heavier weight loads.

Pull pin systems can snap under heavy weight loads, especially on cheaper benches it’s a common problem.

Pull pins systems are okay on high-end benches because the quality is there, but if you haven’t got the money for a commercial bench stick to ladder adjustment systems for home use.

And lastly, we have an adjustable seat, a vital feature that will stop your butt from slipping down the bench in low incline angles.

If planning on pressing heavy, an adjustable seat is essential. It provides you a stable base to press from, which increases pressing power.

Anything I didn’t Like?

The Xmark XM 7630 is, without a doubt, one of the best benches you will find in this price bracket. A rock-solid bench for under $300 is a steal, but it does have a couple of drawbacks.

The first is the Xmarks height in flat. (from floor to top of pad)

Ideally, we’d love our adjustable bench to be the height of a commercial flat bench when adjusted to the flat position, which is around 17.5″. However, the Xmark when in flat is 19.”

19″ isnt a deal killer. I’ve come across many adjustable benches that, when adjusted to the flat position, have heights of 21″ in flat, and some of those beaches were $600+

Still 19″ is on the high side, and it may prevent some users from being able to plant their feet flat on the ground when pressing. This can be a concern as we need to push through our legs when bench pressing. Having our feet flat on the ground is essential, especially if heavy barbell pressing.

Now this isnt a deal killer for everyone. Taller users will be fine with 19″, but if you’re under 5’10”, it’s something you should bear in mind.

Another concern of mine is just how thick the padding is. 3″ is slight overkill for a weight bench, and even though it’s Duraguard padding, this thickness can feel soft and affect the stability when pressing heavy barbells inside a rack, etc.

Thankfully I haven’t heard of any complaints about the padding with the Xmark so far, and the bench has been out for nearly a decade.

Plus, on the positive side, the double-stitched, tear, and sweat-resistant Duraguard vinyl pad covering seems to be long-lasting, which is great news as it’s the covering that is usually the first thing to go on any bench.

A Massive 1500lb Weight Capacity

The Xmark 7630 is the only weight bench in this price category to boast such a high weight capacity. A whopping 1500lb, and I’m sure this thing can take its max capacity too.

So many benches out there love to claim high capacities, but in reality, if you took most of them to their max capacity every day, they wouldn’t last a month.

But the Xmark is different. This bench is built from 11 gauge steel, includes quality welds, and is built by a company with an excellent reputation. If these guys say it will take 1500lb. I believe them.

I dont think anyone will outgrow this bench any time soon. It is a bench for life great for beginners, intermediates, even seasoned lifters will be impressed with the heavy-duty build of the Xmark XM 7630

Assembly

The Xmark is a heavy bench so allow some time for construction. Most people got it together in an hour or two. The bench does come with its own tools for the job and instructions, but from experience, it’s always good to have your own tools close to hand as well.

Rather than explain the build process, here’s a quick video.

Alternative

Ironmaster Super Bench Pro

Ironmaster are another respected company that has been around for a long time. Just like Xmark, they build heavy-duty equipment for our home gyms.

The Ironmaster Super Bench has been around for a few years. I owned the first version of this bench is. It was impressive, rock-solid in all positions, and good in flat because you can remove the seat, so there’s no awkward gap between seat and back pad.

However, the first version of the bench, just like the Xmark was slightly too high in flat 20″ and me 5’10”. It wasn’t perfect. Everything else about the bench was great, heavy gauged frame, tons of back pad positions, and a ton of attachments available, including a dip station.

Still, a few years later, I ended up selling because I wanted a bench that had a lower height in flat so I could place my feet fully on the ground, and when I sold this bench, the Pro hadn’t hit the market yet.

The great thing about the Pro version of the bench is that it includes all the positives of the original bench, including that rock-solid 11 gauge steel frame. Still, this time Ironmaster listened to their customers and changed the height of the bench in flat, so it now sits from top of the pad to floor at 17.2″ perfect!

The Ironmaster Superbench Pro is by far the best adjustable bench you will find in flat because not only can you remove the seat, so there is no awkward gap it now, thanks to the upgrade is a perfect height.

Another impressive feature of the pro version is you can change the back pad. It comes with a 10″ wide back pad, but a 10″ width can be too narrow for larger users, so Ironmaster has made a 12″ wide back pad available.

Anything I didn’t like about the Pro? The only issue with the Pro is the max capacity of the bench when in incline.

In flat, this bench has a 1000lb capacity, but in incline, it can only boast 600lb, and thats because of how the seat is designed. It can not withstand super heavy loads.

For most of us, 600lb is more than enough for our needs, but there will be some serious lifters out there that will shy away from the Ironmaster bench because of its limited capacity in incline.

Slightly higher in price than the Xmark, I think the Pro is around $350 right now, but it’s worth it if you consider what’s on offer, no awkward gap, great height in flat, 11 incline, and decline positions, rock-solid, and a ton of attachments available.

To Sum Up

I couldn’t find any real faults with the XM-7630 weight bench by Xmark Fitness, a superb quality bench to suit all weightlifter’s needs. Probably the best-built bench on the planet for home use (under $300). Its simple, solid, stable design and 1500lbs weight capacity should be enough to persuade anyone to take this bench seriously.

Is the Xmark a better buy than the Ironmaster? Thats a difficult one. I love the Ironmaster Pro because of its height in flat and that you can remove the seat. Still, the seat of the ironmaster Pro only has one angle, which is 45 degrees, and this was something else that I found uncomfortable when using the Ironmaster bench.

The Xmark is a great all-around bench, fantastic quality at a bargain price, not the best bench in flat, but it’s not the worst either. Whichever bench you choose, the Xmark or the Ironmaster Pro, I’m sure you won’t be disappointed.