Used Hammer Strength is the closest thing to a sure bet in the commercial equipment market, and the reason is what the machine does not have. A plate-loaded Iso-Lateral row has no motor, no control board, no console, and no drive belt. There is nothing on it that fails the way a treadmill deck or an elliptical lift motor fails. What is left to go wrong is a short list of mechanical wear items, all of them cheap and all of them fixable. Add the fact that Hammer Strength is a Life Fitness brand, so the parts channel is healthy, and you get a category where the buying decision is almost never "will this survive." It is "which line do I need, and how rough is the chrome and the upholstery." After 25 years buying, servicing, and reselling Hammer Strength across the DMV, here is the line-by-line breakdown, what actually wears, and what to pay.
This is the brand deep-dive on the strength side. If you are speccing a whole floor, our Life Fitness vs Precor head-to-head covers the broader strength and cardio picture and explains why Hammer Strength is the plate-loaded gold standard, and the power rack buying guide covers the rack and rig side. This piece goes deep on Hammer Strength specifically. You can also see current used strength inventory on our strength machines page.
Used Hammer Strength: the short answer
Quick answer
Buy used Hammer Strength with confidence, because plate-loaded strength has the fewest failure modes of any commercial category. Best all-around pick: the plate-loaded Iso-Lateral line (chest press, row, high row, leg press) at $1,000 to $1,800 per station refurbished, machines that retailed for $2,800 to $4,500 and will run 20 years. Best for a member floor: the MTS selectorized line at $1,400 to $2,400 refurbished, pin-loaded and fast to adjust. What to check: the pivot bearings and bushings for play, the upholstery and grips for wear, and the chrome and welds for rust and cracks, because on a plate-loaded machine that is the entire risk list. There is no motor, board, or console to fail. The parts are the safe part of the buy: Hammer Strength has been a Life Fitness brand since 1997, so a Life Fitness service shop can source parts. Walk-in floor showings Mon to Sat 9am to 5pm at 871 E Main St, Purcellville, VA 20132, with DMV-wide delivery. Call (888) 570-4944 or text (703) 585-1132 for current Hammer Strength inventory.
The Hammer Strength lineup: Iso-Lateral, Ground Base, MTS, HD racks, and benches
Quick answer
Hammer Strength sorts into five families. Iso-Lateral is the plate-loaded, seated line with independent left and right arms. Ground Base is plate-loaded standing and athletic movements. MTS (Motion Technology Selectorized) is the pin-loaded weight-stack line. HD Elite covers the racks, rigs, and half racks. And the Olympic benches and plate-loaded racks round it out. For most used buyers the choice is Iso-Lateral plate-loaded for durability and value, or MTS selectorized for a quick-adjust member floor.
Hammer Strength built its name on one idea: independent-motion plate-loaded machines that move the way the body moves, built like industrial equipment. That is why a 20-year-old Iso-Lateral machine still gets fought over on the used market. Here are the families you will actually run into.
| Line | Type | What it is | Who it fits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Iso-Lateral | Plate-loaded, seated | The flagship. Independent left and right movement arms so each side works on its own. Chest press, row, high row, incline, leg press, and more. Loads with standard Olympic plates. | Everyone. The durability and value pick. |
| Ground Base | Plate-loaded, standing | Standing and athletic-movement machines. Squat, jammer, land mine style pieces built for sport training. Also plate-loaded. | Athletic performance, CrossFit-style, sport teams. |
| MTS (Motion Technology Selectorized) | Pin-loaded weight stack | The selectorized line. Same converging and independent-arm feel as Iso-Lateral, but resistance comes from an internal weight stack you set with a pin. Faster to adjust, no loose plates. | Member floors, circuits, mixed-ability facilities. |
| HD Elite / racks and rigs | Steel racks | Half racks, power racks, and modular rigs. The free-weight and functional-training backbone. Heavy-gauge steel, no moving parts to speak of. | Any facility with a free-weight area. |
| Olympic benches and plate racks | Benches, storage | Flat, incline, decline, and adjustable Olympic benches plus plate trees and storage. The accessory tier. | Rounds out any strength floor. |
One note before you shop. The single biggest split in the lineup is plate-loaded versus selectorized, and it drives both the price and the failure profile, so the next section walks through it. Everything in the Iso-Lateral, Ground Base, rack, and bench families is plate-loaded or fixed steel, which is the simplest, most durable stuff on any gym floor. The MTS line is the one family with a cable-and-stack mechanism, which adds a few wear items. Neither is wrong. They just fit different rooms.
Plate-loaded Iso-Lateral vs MTS selectorized: which used Hammer Strength to buy
Quick answer
Buy plate-loaded Iso-Lateral for the lowest failure risk, the lowest price per station, and the longest life. You supply Olympic plates, and the machine is little more than a heavy steel linkage on bearings. Buy MTS selectorized when you need a member floor that adjusts fast with a pin and has no loose plates lying around, and you are willing to maintain cables. For a home gym, a garage, a sport team, or a budget-sensitive facility, plate-loaded wins. For a busy commercial member floor with mixed-ability users, selectorized is worth the small extra maintenance.
This is the fork in the road, and it is a real one. Plate-loaded means you load the machine with the same Olympic plates you would put on a barbell. There is no internal weight stack. Resistance is just the iron you hang on the horns. Selectorized means the weight lives inside the machine as a stack, and you set it by moving a pin. Both formats give you the Hammer Strength movement feel. They differ in convenience and in what can wear out.
The case for plate-loaded Iso-Lateral. It is the most durable machine you can put on a floor. Strip it down and you have a welded steel frame, two movement arms, a handful of pivot bearings or bushings, some upholstery, and grips. That is the whole machine. Nothing there fails in a way that takes the machine out of service for long. It costs less per station than selectorized because there is no weight stack, no cable, and no pulley system to build. The trade-off is that users load and unload their own plates, which is fine for a home gym, a garage, a sport team, or a serious lifter, and slower for a mixed member floor. For a CrossFit box or a performance facility, plate-loaded is not a compromise, it is the point. See our CrossFit gym equipment guide for how plate-loaded strength fits a box build.
The case for MTS selectorized. On a busy member floor, the pin is the feature. A member changes weight in a second with no plates to rack, nothing to trip over, and no risk of someone leaving 300 pounds loaded on a machine the next user cannot budge. The MTS line keeps the independent-arm feel that made Hammer Strength famous while adding the convenience of a stack. The cost is a modestly higher price per station and a short list of cable-and-pulley wear items that plate-loaded machines simply do not have. If your floor serves the general public, that trade is usually worth it.
Why used Hammer Strength is the safest buy in the commercial strength market
Quick answer
Two things make used Hammer Strength the low-risk buy. First, plate-loaded strength has no motor, no control board, no console, and no drive system, so it has the fewest failure modes of any commercial category. The expensive, hard-to-diagnose failures that kill used cardio simply do not exist here. Second, Hammer Strength has been a Life Fitness brand since 1997, and Life Fitness has been owned by KPS Capital Partners since 2019, so the commercial parts and service channel is healthy. That is the opposite of the parts-survival worry that follows a used Octane or Cybex. On Hammer Strength, both the machine and the parts are the safe part of the buy.
When I steer a first-time used buyer who is nervous about buying secondhand, I point them at strength before cardio, and Hammer Strength first inside strength. Here is why, in plain terms.
There is almost nothing to fail. Think about what kills a used treadmill: the drive motor, the control board, the belt and deck, the console. A used elliptical adds a lift motor and a position sensor. Every one of those is a real repair and some are machine-enders. A plate-loaded Hammer Strength machine has none of them. It is a welded frame, a linkage, bearings, pads, and grips. The worst thing that happens to it is a bearing develops play, the vinyl cracks, or the chrome pits from sweat. All three are cheap, visible on the floor, and fixable. You are not gambling on a hidden electronic fault, because there is no electronics.
The parts are there. This is the same story that makes a used Life Fitness treadmill a safe buy, and for the same reason: ownership. Hammer Strength has been a Life Fitness brand since 1997. Life Fitness was owned by Brunswick, then bought by KPS Capital Partners in 2019, and it runs as a serious commercial company with an active parts and service operation. A Life Fitness service shop can source Hammer Strength parts, and the huge install base means bearings, bushings, pads, grips, and MTS cables are readily available. Compare that to a used Octane or a Cybex, where the cardio parts pipeline is tightening and you have to confirm availability before you buy anything. On Hammer Strength you do not have that worry.
Put those together and the buying decision changes character. On used cardio, half the job is guessing whether a machine will survive and whether the part will exist. On used Hammer Strength, survival is close to a given. The only real questions are which line fits your room and how much cosmetic and wear condition you are willing to accept for the price. That is a much easier decision to get right.
What actually breaks on a used Hammer Strength plate-loaded machine
Quick answer
On a plate-loaded Iso-Lateral or Ground Base machine, the short wear list, roughly in the order it shows up: the pivot bearings and bushings developing play or getting notchy, the upholstery cracking and the foam compressing, the rubber grips hardening and splitting, the chrome or paint pitting and rusting from sweat, and, rarely, a weld cracking on a machine that was abused or badly corroded. None of the first four is a reason to walk. A cracked weld or heavy structural rust is the one thing that can total a plate-loaded machine, and it is easy to spot.
These are the patterns I see across years of servicing plate-loaded Hammer Strength. Treat them as operator experience and typical wear, not a factory failure table, because how a machine ages depends on hours, sweat, and whether anyone ever wiped it down.
Pivot bearings and bushings. This is the main mechanical wear item and the only moving-part concern worth much attention. Every movement arm rides on bearings or bushings at its pivot. Over years of loaded reps they can develop play, get notchy, or start to squeak. You feel it as a wobble in the arm, a catch in the motion, or a rhythmic creak under load. Bearings and bushings are inexpensive and a routine replacement for anyone who services strength equipment. A little play is a negotiating point, not a reason to walk.
Upholstery and foam. The pads take the most visible abuse. Vinyl cracks and splits, seams open, and the foam underneath compresses and loses support after enough years and enough sweat. This is cosmetic and comfort, not function, and reupholstery is a standard shop job. On a refurbished machine the pads should already be redone. On an as-is machine, torn pads are a price adjustment and a project.
Grips. The rubber handle grips harden, crack, and eventually split with age and hand sweat. New grips are cheap and slide on in minutes. Split grips look bad but tell you nothing about the frame underneath. Do not let ugly grips scare you off a sound machine, and do not let fresh grips convince you a machine is mint.
Chrome, paint, and rust. Sweat is the enemy of any strength machine, and it attacks the finish first. Chrome guide surfaces pit, painted frames chip and surface-rust where the coating is broken, and weight horns get scuffed. Surface rust and pitting are cosmetic and, on guide surfaces, a cleanup item. What you are really inspecting for is whether rust has gone past cosmetic into the structure, which brings us to the one real risk.
Weld and frame integrity, the one thing that can total it. A plate-loaded machine lives or dies on its frame. A cracked weld at a high-stress joint, or rust that has eaten into structural steel rather than just the finish, is the one failure that can retire a plate-loaded machine, because it is a safety issue under load. It is also rare, and it is easy to see if you look. On any used plate-loaded machine, run your eyes and a hand over the welds at the loaded joints and the base, and walk from anything with a cracked weld or deep structural rust. Everything else on the list is routine. This is the one that matters.
What breaks on a used Hammer Strength MTS selectorized machine
Quick answer
An MTS selectorized machine adds the wear items every cable-and-stack machine has: the cable stretching or fraying, the pulleys and bearings wearing or getting noisy, the weight-stack guide rods needing cleaning and lubrication so the stack glides, the selector pin and its holes wearing, and the plastic stack shrouds cracking. Cables are the number one service item on any selectorized machine and the one to inspect closely. All of it is standard, available, and cheap relative to the machine, but it is real maintenance that plate-loaded machines do not have.
The MTS line trades a little simplicity for the convenience of a pin, and the wear list reflects that. These are the items I check on any cable-based strength machine, Hammer Strength included.
The cable. This is the number one service item on any selectorized machine, so check it first. Cables stretch over years and eventually fray. A frayed cable is a replace-now item, both because it will fail and because a snapping cable under load is a safety problem. Look for fraying at the ends and at the pulleys, feel for a rough spot running the cable through its travel, and factor a cable into the price of any high-hour MTS machine. Cables are inexpensive and available. A frayed one is a bargaining chip, not a dealbreaker, as long as you actually replace it.
Pulleys and bearings. The cable rides over pulleys, and those pulleys turn on bearings that wear and get noisy with age. A grinding or squealing pulley is a cheap swap. Spin each one you can reach and listen. Rough or noisy pulleys are a small fix and a small negotiating point.
Guide rods and the stack glide. The weight stack rides up and down on guide rods. When those rods are dirty or dry, the stack drags, clunks, or feels gritty instead of gliding. Most of the time this is a cleaning and lubrication job, not a parts job, and it transforms how the machine feels. Send the stack up and down through its full travel and feel for a smooth glide. Gritty travel is usually maintenance, not damage.
The selector pin and stack shrouds. The pin and the holes it seats in wear with heavy use, and a sloppy pin can be a minor annoyance or, if badly worn, a safety concern. Cheap to replace. The plastic shrouds that cover the stack crack and go missing over years on a busy floor, which is cosmetic and a common reason a machine looks rougher than it runs. Confirm the pin seats firmly and note any missing shrouds as cosmetics.
What to pay for used Hammer Strength by line and condition
Quick answer
A used Hammer Strength plate-loaded Iso-Lateral station runs roughly $600 to $1,200 as-is, $1,000 to $1,800 refurbished, and $1,600 to $2,600 fully reconditioned, against a $2,800 to $4,500 new price. MTS selectorized stations run higher: about $900 to $1,600 as-is, $1,400 to $2,400 refurbished, and $2,200 to $3,400 reconditioned. HD racks and rigs land in the plate-loaded range, and Olympic benches run $150 to $850 depending on condition. Plate-loaded is the value play because there is no stack or cable to build or maintain.
These are operator-typical DMV ranges, not quotes, and they move with the specific piece, its hours, its cosmetic condition, and what is on the floor. Buying a full circuit of six to ten stations moves you toward the bottom of these bands. Use the ranges to know a deal from a trap.
| Line | As-is (private / auction) | Refurbished (outlet) | Fully reconditioned (warranty) | New retail (reference) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Iso-Lateral plate-loaded (per station) | $600 to $1,200 | $1,000 to $1,800 | $1,600 to $2,600 | $2,800 to $4,500 |
| Ground Base plate-loaded (per station) | $700 to $1,400 | $1,100 to $2,000 | $1,800 to $2,900 | $3,000 to $5,000 |
| MTS selectorized (per station) | $900 to $1,600 | $1,400 to $2,400 | $2,200 to $3,400 | $3,500 to $6,000 |
| HD Elite racks / half racks | $700 to $1,800 | $1,200 to $2,600 | $2,000 to $3,400 | $2,500 to $6,000 |
| Olympic benches | $150 to $450 | $350 to $650 | $500 to $850 | $700 to $1,500 |
How to read the columns. As-is is a private seller or a liquidation lot with no service history and no warranty. On plate-loaded strength that column is less scary than it is on cardio, because there is so little to hide, but you still own whatever it needs and you still have to inspect the welds and, on MTS, the cable. Refurbished from an outlet means the machine has been cleaned, the bearings and pads and grips checked or replaced, and it is floor-ready. That is the column most buyers should live in. Fully reconditioned means the wear items were replaced and it carries a warranty, which is what a facility that cannot afford downtime should pay for. For the full breakdown of what refurbished should include, read refurbished vs as-is gym equipment, and for the used-versus-new math, see used vs new commercial gym equipment.
The 10-minute floor inspection for used Hammer Strength equipment
Quick answer
Check the welds and frame for cracks and structural rust first, because that is the only thing that can total the machine. Then work each movement arm through its full range and feel for bearing play, a catch, or a creak. Press the pads for cracked vinyl and dead foam, and check the grips. On an MTS machine, inspect the cable for fraying, spin the pulleys, and run the stack up and down for a smooth glide and a firm pin. Confirm the model and that both arms match on independent-motion pieces. Ten minutes tells you almost everything, because there are no hidden electronics to surprise you later.
This is the checklist I run on every Hammer Strength piece before it comes onto our floor. It is shorter than the cardio version for one good reason: there is less to check. Do these in order.
- Inspect the welds and frame first. Look at every high-stress weld and the base, and run a hand over them. Walk from any cracked weld or deep structural rust. This is the only finding that totals a plate-loaded machine, so it goes first.
- Work each movement arm. Move each arm through its full range under a little load. It should be smooth and quiet with no play at the pivot, no catch, and no creak. Wobble or notchiness points to bearings or bushings, which is a routine fix and a price adjustment.
- Press the pads and check the grips. Squeeze the upholstery for cracked vinyl and compressed foam, and check the grips for splits. Both are cosmetic and cheap, and both are pure negotiating points.
- On MTS, inspect the cable and stack. Look at the cable for fraying at the ends and pulleys, spin each pulley for noise, run the stack through its full travel for a smooth glide, and confirm the pin seats firmly. The cable is the one MTS item worth checking hard.
- Confirm the model and match the arms. Read the tag, confirm it is the piece the seller claims, and on independent-motion machines make sure both arms are present and matched. Missing or mismatched arms are a real problem on a used floor piece.
- Load it and use it. Put real weight on it and do a set. A strength machine tells you the truth under load faster than any visual check. If it moves clean and quiet loaded, it is sound.
The thing a plate-loaded machine cannot hide from you is exactly the thing that matters, which is why it is such an honest used buy. There is no hour meter to worry about because there are no hour-limited electronics. For the full cross-brand version of this checklist, see inspecting used commercial gym equipment.
Hammer Strength vs Life Fitness vs Cybex vs Hoist used strength
Quick answer
Buy Hammer Strength when you want plate-loaded, independent-motion strength, where it is the category benchmark with no real competitor. Buy Life Fitness selectorized (Signature, Optima) for a clean pin-loaded member floor with the same healthy parts channel, since Hammer Strength and Life Fitness share ownership. Buy Cybex or Hoist selectorized as strong alternatives, often at a slightly lower price, with Cybex known for its arc movement and Hoist for value. For plate-loaded specifically, Hammer Strength is the one to beat.
The brands a serious used strength buyer compares are Hammer Strength, Life Fitness, Cybex, and Hoist, and they sort cleanly by format.
| Brand | Best at | Format strength | Parts and value posture |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hammer Strength | Plate-loaded, independent-motion, athletic | The plate-loaded benchmark, no real competitor | Life Fitness parts channel, holds value |
| Life Fitness | Selectorized member floors, clean lines | Signature and Optima are the pin-loaded standard | Same healthy channel as Hammer Strength |
| Cybex | Selectorized, arc-movement design | Strong selectorized, distinctive feel | Good value, confirm the parts path |
| Hoist | Selectorized value, HD and dual-series | Solid pin-loaded at a friendly price | The value pick among the four |
How I steer buyers. If you want plate-loaded, the conversation is short: Hammer Strength is the standard and there is no real competitor in independent-motion plate-loaded, which is why our Life Fitness vs Precor breakdown calls it the plate-loaded gold standard. If you want a selectorized member floor and you like the shared parts channel, Life Fitness Signature or Optima sits right beside it. Cybex and Hoist are strong selectorized alternatives that can save you money per station, with Cybex bringing its arc-movement design and Hoist bringing the best value of the four. There is no wrong pick among them. The only wrong move is buying the wrong format for your room, which is the plate-loaded-versus-selectorized decision above.
Which used Hammer Strength setup fits your buyer type
Quick answer
Home or garage gym: a couple of refurbished Iso-Lateral plate-loaded stations at $1,000 to $1,800 each. CrossFit or performance floor: Ground Base and HD racks, plate-loaded throughout. Apartment or hotel fitness room: a small MTS selectorized circuit so residents adjust fast with no loose plates. Full commercial club: a mix, MTS on the member floor and Iso-Lateral in the free-weight and performance area. Church or community center: refurbished Iso-Lateral for durability on a budget. Match the format to who uses the room.
| Buyer | What to target | Condition tier | Why |
|---|---|---|---|
| Home / garage gym | 2 to 4 Iso-Lateral plate-loaded stations | Refurbished | Lowest cost per station, near-zero maintenance, and you already own plates. Over-built for household use, which is a feature. |
| CrossFit / performance | Ground Base, HD racks, Iso-Lateral | Refurbished or as-is | Plate-loaded and rack-based training is the whole point. Durable under abuse and holds resale. |
| Apartment / hotel room | Small MTS selectorized circuit | Refurbished | Residents and guests adjust weight fast with a pin, no loose plates to trip over or leave loaded. Cleaner for an unstaffed room. |
| Full commercial club | MTS floor plus Iso-Lateral performance area | Refurbished or reconditioned | Selectorized for general members, plate-loaded for serious lifters. Warranty on the pieces you cannot afford to have down. |
| Church / community center | Iso-Lateral plate-loaded | Refurbished | Maximum durability per dollar, minimal maintenance, and safe for a lightly-supervised room. |
For bigger orders across a facility, a full circuit is where the per-station price drops. See our gym equipment wholesale guide for the bulk math, and the apartment gym equipment guide for speccing an unstaffed resident room.
The 6 mistakes I see used Hammer Strength buyers make
Quick answer
The six: skipping the weld and frame check, which is the one thing that can total a plate-loaded machine, walking away over cosmetic upholstery or grips that cost little to fix, buying MTS selectorized without inspecting the cable, putting plate-loaded on an unstaffed member floor where loose plates get left loaded, overpaying for cosmetics when the frame is what matters, and buying a mismatched or incomplete independent-motion machine missing an arm.
1. Skipping the weld and frame check. Cosmetics get all the attention, but a cracked weld or structural rust is the only thing that retires a plate-loaded machine. Check the frame first, every time.
2. Walking over cosmetics. Torn pads, split grips, and pitted chrome look rough and cost little to fix. Do not let a cosmetically tired machine with a sound frame get away for cheap. That is the deal, not the warning sign.
3. Buying MTS without checking the cable. The cable is the one selectorized item that can fail under load. Inspect it, and budget a replacement into any high-hour MTS machine. Never skip this on a cable-based piece.
4. Putting plate-loaded on an unstaffed floor. In an apartment or hotel room with no staff, loose plates get left loaded and lie around as trip hazards. That is an MTS selectorized job. Match the format to who supervises the room.
5. Overpaying for looks. A freshly painted machine with new grips can hide a tired frame, and a rough-looking one can be structurally perfect. Judge the steel and the bearings, not the paint.
6. Buying an incomplete independent-motion machine. On an Iso-Lateral piece, both arms must be present and matched. A machine missing an arm or with a mismatched replacement is a project, not a bargain. For the sell side of the same market, see how to sell used gym equipment.
FAQs about used Hammer Strength equipment
Is used Hammer Strength worth it versus new?
Almost always. A plate-loaded Iso-Lateral station that retailed for $2,800 to $4,500 sells for $1,000 to $1,800 refurbished, with the same frame and a 20-year service life ahead of it. Because there are no electronics to age out, a well-kept used Hammer Strength machine gives up almost nothing to new.
How long does Hammer Strength equipment last?
A long time. Plate-loaded machines routinely run 20 years or more because there is no motor, board, or drive system to fail, only bearings, pads, and grips that are cheap to refresh. MTS selectorized machines last nearly as long with periodic cable and pulley service. Lifespan tracks maintenance far more than age.
Are Hammer Strength parts still available?
Yes. Hammer Strength has been a Life Fitness brand since 1997, and Life Fitness runs an active commercial parts and service operation. Bearings, bushings, pads, grips, and MTS cables are readily available, and a Life Fitness service shop can source them. Parts are the safe part of a Hammer Strength buy.
Is plate-loaded or selectorized better for my gym?
Plate-loaded Iso-Lateral is best for durability, value, and serious or supervised lifters who load their own plates. MTS selectorized is best for an unstaffed or general member floor where fast pin adjustment and no loose plates matter more. Many facilities run both, plate-loaded in the performance area and selectorized on the member floor.
What should I inspect on a used Hammer Strength machine?
Check the welds and frame for cracks and structural rust first, since that is the only thing that can total the machine. Then feel each movement arm for bearing play, press the pads, and check the grips. On MTS, inspect the cable for fraying and run the stack for a smooth glide. See inspecting used commercial gym equipment.
Bottom line: when used Hammer Strength is the right buy
Used Hammer Strength is the buy I point nervous first-time used buyers to, because it removes the two worries that hang over every other category. There is almost nothing to fail, and the parts are there when something does. A plate-loaded Iso-Lateral machine is a welded frame, a linkage, bearings, pads, and grips. It has no motor, no board, and no console to surprise you a year in, and because Hammer Strength is a Life Fitness brand, the parts channel behind it is healthy. That leaves you two easy decisions: pick the format that fits your room, and check the frame and welds before you pay.
The short version. For a home, a garage, a sport floor, or a budget-sensitive facility, buy plate-loaded Iso-Lateral and Ground Base and pay $1,000 to $1,800 a refurbished station for equipment that will outlast you. For an unstaffed member floor, buy MTS selectorized and keep an eye on the cables. Inspect the welds first, feel the arms, and judge the steel over the paint. Hammer Strength is the plate-loaded gold standard, and on the used market it is one of the safest dollars you can spend on a gym floor.