The Functional Trainer Everyone's Been Waiting For | The Great Dane Overview
The All-In-One Rack for 80% of Home Gym Owners - FringeSport Dane 3.0 Review!
No spotter, no problem. The built in Smith machine glides smooth and locks out on safety hooks the moment you need them. The 28mm bar has a black e-coat and a medium aggressive knurl that holds on when your palms get sweaty, and it parks up top and out of the way so you never bump your head.
The dedicated Lat Pulldown and Low Row stations run 1:1, so 100lbs on the stack is 100lbs in your hands. Go heavy on the big pulls, then switch to the trolleys for a 2:1 ratio that's built for shoulder work, flies and crossovers. One machine, two ways to load it, and you choose.
Two 220lb stacks come standard, with no upgrade kit to buy. When you get stronger, each stack's El Toro Weight Horns take plates, so add a 55lb plate and you're pulling 330lbs per stack. Start where you are today, and keep growing on the same machine for years.
A full Smith machine, Lat Pulldown and Low Row stations, 2 Needle Low Profile Spotter Arms, 2 El Toro Weight Horns, 2 J-Cups, 4 Magpins, 2 Extension Feet, 2 D-Handles and the chain to hang them. Everything you need is in the box, so you're lifting the day you finish assembly.
Space is king in a home gym. The Great Dane puts a power rack, a Smith machine, a functional trainer and dedicated pulldown and row stations into one six post footprint. We designed it from the ground up so every side of the rack is usable, and you get the whole machine, not part of it.
All six uprights stay open, so the Great Dane works with the gear you already own and the gear you'll add next. Hang Magpins, leg rollers, storage and other rack accessories wherever your training needs them. We kept the ecosystem open on purpose, because your gym should grow on your terms.
View our competitors side-by-side.
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Have A Look. Fine By Us. |
Great Dane
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Summit Ares 2.0
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M20
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HD1-S
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| 365-day returns | ||||
| Rack + functional trainer in ONE unit | ||||
| Smith machine included | ||||
| True 2:1 + 1:1 ratios | ||||
| $2,000+ in attachments and extras included free | ||||
| 11-gauge 3×3" commercial steel | ||||
| Open Ecosystem | ||||
| Lifetime rack warranty | ||||
| 5-year pulley system warranty | ||||
| Weight stacks | Dual 220lb330+lb with built-in weight horns | Dual 260lb310lb with paid upgrade | Dual 200lb250lb with $399 upgrade. Plate-loaded version also sold. | Dual 200lb |
| Price | $3,499Rack, trainer, Smith machine, lat pulldown and low row stations | $6,000+Smith Machine + Rack | $5,000+Smith Machine + Rack | $3,499Smith Machine + Rack |
Prices and specs from each brand's website, October 2026.
$2,000+ in features and extras, included with your rack.
The Smith machine comes built right into the Great Dane's frame. Not a bolt-on, and not a separate machine taking up floor space. It glides smoothly inside the same 6-post rack as your cable system, with safety hooks and an included black zinc barbell, so you can squat, bench, and press heavy on your own. Rack, functional trainer, and Smith machine, all in one footprint.
$899
J-Cups (pair)$89
D-Handles (pair)$59
60lbs Extra Weight per Stack$240
Extension Feet (pair, required for cable system)$79
Low Row Station (built in)Included
Same 11-gauge, 3x3 steel. Three different setups. Here's how to pick.
Swipe to compare all three →
| Compare The Danes |
The Original
Dane 2.0
$2,799
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New
Dane 3.0
$2,999
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New
Great Dane
$3,499
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| Machines in one frame | Half Rack + Functional Trainer | Half Rack + Functional Trainer | Half Rack + Functional Trainer + Smith Machine |
| Posts | 4 | 4 | 6 |
| Pulley ratio | 1:1 on every cable | 2:1 trolleystrue 1:1 lat pulldown and low row | 2:1 trolleystrue 1:1 lat pulldown and low row |
| Weight stacks | Dual 160lbs | Dual 220lbsPush to 330+ lbs per stack via weight horns | Dual 220lbsPush to 330+ lbs per stack via weight horns |
| Lat pulldown and low row station | Add-onThe Drew and Low Row Foot Plate | Built in | Built in |
| Frame | 11-gauge, 3x3 (75mm x 75mm), 1" holes | 11-gauge, 3x3 (75mm x 75mm), 1" holes | 11-gauge, 3x3 (75mm x 75mm), 1" holes |
| DimensionsL x W x H | 60" x 47" x 92"About 33" deep without extension feet | 60.3" x 58" x 93.6"About 55.8" deep without extension feet | 77.6" x 84" x 93.6"About 73.1" deep without extension feet |
| Best for | People who still want a high-quality complete home gym at a lower price | Lifters who want a built-in lat pulldown and low row, plus heavier stacks | Lifters who want a rack, a functional trainer, and a Smith machine in one frame |
| Shop Dane 2.0 | View the Dane 3.0 | Shop Great Dane |
The difference between a good home gym and a great one usually comes down to one thing: room to keep building.
Most all-in-one functional trainers are designed to be complete on day one and stay that way. Four posts, a fixed configuration, and a defined ceiling on what you can add. That works for a lot of lifters. For the ones who know they are going to keep expanding, keep adding attachments, and keep pushing the limits of what their setup can do, it is eventually a problem.
The six-post frame is what separates the Great Dane from every other functional trainer at this price. Six uprights mean more attachment points, more configuration options, and more room to keep building your gym over time without running into the limits of a four-post setup. The Smith machine is built directly into that six-post structure rather than being bolted on as an external attachment, which gives you a cleaner install, a more stable guided bar path, and a starting position low enough for Romanian deadlifts and hip thrusts using a full range of motion. On most integrated Smith systems, those movements get cut short because the bar cannot get low enough. The Great Dane's Smith system reaches where those movements actually need it to go, without blocking your upright holes in the process. All six posts stay fully accessible for attachments, cables, and accessories.
The Great Dane runs dual 220lb stacks with a true 1:1 ratio on the dedicated lat pulldown and low row stations, so every pound you select is a pound you feel on your heaviest pulls. The trolley runs a 2:1 ratio for smooth, versatile cable work on everything else.
Every Great Dane also comes with a free 6-week training program. Week one starts before the machine arrives and uses bodyweight only. By the time the Great Dane is assembled, you already have a training habit and a plan for every session.
If you want a Smith machine, get the Great Dane. If you don't, the Dane 3.0 is the same 11-gauge frame, the same dual 220 lb stacks and the same 1:1 and 2:1 ratios in four posts, for $500 less. The Great Dane adds the integrated Smith machine and two more uprights for attachments and storage.
Buying new, the Great Dane: 220 lb stacks instead of 160, both pulley ratios instead of 1:1 only, the lat pulldown and low row built in, six posts, and the Smith integrated into the frame instead of bolted on.
Already own a Dane 2.0 or another 3x3 rack? The Bob Smith machine bolts onto what you have, and that's the better call.
Included. It's built into the Great Dane's frame, not bolted on afterward, and it comes in the crate with the 28 mm bar, safety hooks, and two red magpins.
Rotate the bar to hook it onto the frame at any height, and rotate it back to unhook. If a rep goes wrong, turn your wrists and the bar locks in place right where it is. At the top, latch hooks park the bar out of your way, so you're not ducking under it to get to the cables.
That's what it's for. The bar runs on a fixed path and can lock out on the hooks at any point, so you can push close to failure on squats, bench, and presses with nobody home. For free-bar work, the Needle spotter arms are in the crate too.
In the crate:
Digital, after you order: Beginner and Hybrid 6-week training programs and a nutrition guide.
Not in the crate: lat bar, cable attachments beyond the D-handles, low row footplate, lat pulldown seat, bench, plates, and a free barbell for rack work. All of them are sold separately on our site.
Each station is already set to the ratio that fits it. Nothing to switch.
The horns also let you micro-adjust in 1 lb steps with small plates.
Most do. The Great Dane uses the same 3x3 uprights with 1" holes, so most Dane and other 3x3 attachments fit. The Bumper Plate Toaster Storage fits as-is. The Dumbbell Storage Shelf mounts facing out of the rack. New in-rack storage is coming.
Assembly can take 2-3 hours depending on your space and how many people are helping.
Freight. A carrier will contact you to schedule a delivery appointment. Read the freight delivery guide before your order arrives so you know what to expect.
No. The weight stacks and extension feet keep it planted.
Lifetime warranty on the frame against defects, and five years on the pulley system. The 365-day guarantee means that if anything is wrong in your first year, you contact us and we make it right.
Black only in the first drop. A stainless steel version drops next year.
The Great Dane has been an amazing upgrade to my home gym! Coming from the Dane 2.0 and having the opportunity to use my brother’s REP Ares setup at his house, I can confidently say that the Great Dane hits the sweet spot between quality, functionality, and price.
To preface this this is my first home gym and I've been using gymnastics rings and rowing for my exercise for about 8 months. Now that my wife and I bought a house, I've been dreaming about building a proper home gym with a rack and finally settled on the great dane after months of researching and trying to figure out what I want/needed in the gym.
How I got it early, they emailed me after I put the Dane 2.0 in my cart and decided not to follow through on that because of the only 1:1 ratio. In the email they said they had 7 Great Danes and Dane 3.0's they can sell early. I decided to jump on it.
I got my Great Dane delivered Monday, spent the evening putting it together. It probably took about 3ish hours start to finish. The biggest pain was fishing the cables through the tubes, but over all it was pretty simple. There was some guess work that was needed because the instructions were lacking detail a good bit.
The packaging was quite good in my opinion. I've only found one major scratch on the front extension foot that I plan to remove when they come out with the pulley bracket that doesn't go through the foot. There were a couple spots where the bubble wrap got damaged and the bolts for the pulley brackets were rubbing other pieces, but not very noticeable and could be solved with an extra wrap around of bubble wrap.
I worked out with it for the first time Tuesday evening and it was fantastic. It has added the variety that I wanted. The trollies are easy to move up and down, the cable system is super smooth and I love the 2:1 for the trolley and dedicated 1:1 lat pulldown and low row. I didn't initially plan on getting a smith machine, but for the extra $500 it seemed worth a shot. It is quite smooth and has very little wobble and I think it will be very nice to have the additional stability on some exercises.
A couple frustration points I've had so far:
Their website clearly states "every attachment, now". That has not been true for me. The delivery only came with a chain, two d-handles, and some carabineers, there is no a lat pulldown bar and low row cable attachment. Back when I was ordering the rack, their responses were super quick, I'm talking 30-60min responses and I even had some questions that went back and forth. Now, I've emailed them almost immediately about missing these attachments, sent them a screenshot of what their website says, and why I expected the attachments and I've heard nothing for 2 days. It's disappointing and makes me worried about if anything were to actually go wrong with the rack if they would honor their warranty.
The J cups and Needle spotter arms are both very loose on the rack and wobble when in use, I plan on getting some plastic sheets to cut and act as shims, but it's less than ideal that I have to do it myself.
This is minor, but most all of the pulley bolts were shipped loose and not in the nylon of the lock nut. I had to go around and check/tighten every single bolt on the rack, not the end of the world, but kind of annoying.
Feel free to ask any questions you may have of the rack, since I know there is not a lot of information out there on it right now and I'll answer what I can.
TL;DR: The rack is awesome and I look forward to working out with it. The customer service seems to be lacking and not everything they state comes with the rack actually comes with it.
