RitFit Gorilla Review: What Nobody’s Telling You Before You Buy

This machine showed up with a problem.

And the weird part is this is not some cheap little piece of equipment. The Rep

Fitness Gorilla is supposed to be a solid mid-tier chest and shoulder press.

Which is exactly why it matters because some of it is better than I expected.

But once you put it in a real house, not a garage, not a pole barn, it starts telling on itself pretty fast.

And the fit matters. I'm 5'11.

I'm 5'5.

A lot of the reviews we saw felt like tall guy reviews.

So we wanted to see if this actually works for two different body types or if the adjustability sounds better than it is.

We're testing fit, presses, footprint, and adjustability.

And there's one thing about this machine that got glossed over.

We'll get there.

Let's find the hard base one.

This is a plate-loaded press with independent arms and enough adjustment so it actually matters. You know, it usually runs around $540 to $600. So

this is not budget.

Which means the details matter. Here is why height matters. A 6-ft plus review tells you

matters. A 6-ft plus review tells you the machine can fit a big lifter. It

does not tell you what happens when somebody who's 5'5 gets on it.

So we ran the same lifts at both our sizes and tracked where each of us landed.

Flat press was the fussiest one for me.

The adjustment was there, but it took some playing around and fiddling to get truly shoulder fit.

You know, for me it clicked faster. Same

lift, different setup, both usable. So

yes, the adjustability is real. It's not

just marketing ploy.

Once we wrote down our settings, switching back and forth wasn't a big deal.

And the thing we expected to be annoying turned out not to matter. You do not have to strip the plates every time you move the arm.

And if you notice marks on the machine in our footage, keep that in mind. We'll come back to it.

You're going to hear reviews where people say this thing just does two things.

It's just not true.

But we are not going to pretend every movement is equal.

We tested the range and we're grading it. Not selling it.

it. Not selling it.

Pressing is the core.

And it's good.

Flat, incline, decline, one arm or both, it all makes sense.

Chest-supported rows were the honest surprise.

Shoulder press and Viking press were strong too.

Then there are the stretch moves, split squats, shrugs, explosive presses, the stuff that you can make work on this thing.

Some are good, some are fine, some are just things.

So, that's the point. It's not a two-movement machine.

But it's not a 30-movement miracle, either.

It is a very good presser that moonlights. So, the comment section

moonlights. So, the comment section objection is always the same. The arms

do not converge.

Fair. If the whole reason you want a press machine is that squeeze at the top, this is not that machine.

But let's be honest, converging sounds premium. It's really cool. Does not

premium. It's really cool. Does not

automatically mean it builds more chest.

If there is a real trade-off, a converging machine can be great.

But if the bench locks your body into one spot, that benefit gets narrow fast.

We tested one, the JFIID, and that fixed bench made it very body-specific, even to reach full range.

This gives you more ways to work.

Adjustable arms, adjustable handles, your own bench, standing presses.

So, yes, converging is a feature.

But it's not free.

If the squeeze is the whole reason you are buying, this is probably, again, not your machine.

But if you want one station that presses well, covers more ground, the Gorilla does not lose this argument just because the arms don't come together.

We also did something nobody else bothered to do. We hung the scale on the bare arm and measured chest press at three points. So, on chest press, the

three points. So, on chest press, the bare arm stayed basically flat through the rep.

No cam, no resistance tricks, just a lever arm sitting in a pretty flat part of the arc.

And that brings us to the honest tax on bring your own bench. Using your own bench is great, but because the path is fixed, bench placement matters every single time.

All right, one real peeve, every rep starts at the bottom, not at the top.

I like un-racking at the top and then lowering the eccentric under control.

But that is preference. That's not a problem with the machine.

So, exactly, once you set it up right, the path works. You just have to meet the machine where it is.

Here's the honest cost.

This is a larger machine. Bring your own bench helps, but it takes up real floor space. Consider that an honest half rack

space. Consider that an honest half rack is wide and you need close to 80 in to load the plates. That is why every other reviewer

plates. That is why every other reviewer called it huge.

And they're right. It always takes that half rack footprint. What changes is the bench.

You know, there's no built-in bench, you bring your own and when you use it, the bench adds length. When you finish, you can remove the bench, you can stand it up inside the frame. Either way, the

machine itself stays as big as a half rack.

A fixed bench unit locks up more space forever.

This lets you decide where the bench lives.

You know, when your gym is the room inside your house, being able to move the bench around is the whole difference.

Build is genuinely sturdy. We measured

the frame at 2.95 mm, 11-gauge steel.

Handles are lighter, probably 12 to 14-gauge. This is real steel, not budget

14-gauge. This is real steel, not budget thin. No rubber feet though. So use a

thin. No rubber feet though. So use a mat. We read the comment section of

mat. We read the comment section of every Gorilla review on YouTube.

Jeff's on the clock. So here we go.

You already own lever arms on a trolley.

This one is always set up. No mounting,

no teardown. Walk up and press.

Versus the GMWD V7.

The V7 and eight converges. This does

not. Want only the squeeze? Get those.

Want a station that covers more?

This is it.

Why not a Smith machine?

A Smith locks you to one fixed bar path.

This gives you adjustable arms, real angles, pressing that fits your body.

Can you train bikes?

Not really. Arms do not drop low enough for squats. Split squats and box RDLs

for squats. Split squats and box RDLs are possible, but that's DIY. It's not

by design.

Grip width for the cranky shoulder press.

It actually adjusts a lot. 18 in inside to inside at the narrowest, 35 at the widest.

Real world, your narrow end is closer to 20 with a regular grip. Since your hands take up space, the tape does not. So if

wide pressing bugs your shoulders, you can bring it way in.

Do the band pegs matter?

If you're a bands person, yes. They add

resistance up top where the lever fades.

Not our thing, but the use is real.

One thing you would change.

The handle dial is only a half dial. A

full 360° would unlock a couple more moves. It's a

small miss.

Okay. Last one.

How was this review so late?

Because everything you just watched is unit number two.

The first Gorilla Rig Fit sent us arrived beat up from shipping. Not one

deemed corner, multiple parts scratched, scuffed, and marked before we even trained on it.

This is why this video is weeks late.

And here is what made me raise an eyebrow.

We saw reviewers show marks and kind of wave them off as budget equipment stuff.

One even said the packaging was so good shippers could not damage this if they tried.

But both of our units showed up damaged.

One unit was bad, unit two was better, but still scratched.

And some of the marks we saw in other reviews looked pretty darn familiar.

So no, we are not waving it off.

Because this is not budget, it is mid-tier.

$550 to $600 is real money in a home gym.

Think about a car. If you buy a cheaper new car, I'm not asking for the scratch to one at the same price.

Cheaper means fewer features. It does

not mean damaged is okay.

And when you save up for something and it shows up scuffed, you're not just looking for a scratch, you're being reminded that the new thing you were excited about already showed up

compromised.

This unit was free for review. The easy

move is to stay quiet. But it matters more to you that we say it plainly. Rep

Fitness sent us a second unit, no fight, and they would for any customer.

Unit two still had multiple scratches.

A replacement policy is a patch, not a fix.

And that is what makes this frustrating because the machine itself is not junk.

The frame is real steel. The press feels good. The adjustability is real, then

good. The adjustability is real, then engineering survived.

The packaging is what failed it.

Rep Fitness, fix the box. That is the problem.

Not the idea, not the frame, not the training, it's the box. You're building

something better than basement budget here.

You got to fix the packaging.

So, the hard baseline. The real question was never whether it was good. It's

whether it's worth the extra money against a fixed bench lever press at 3 to 400 dollars.

But, the extra buy is real. The movable

bench, the two-in-one, and the adjustability, that fit both of us.

For me, honestly, if you have the space, it is really nice to just get in and lift. No barbell, no spotter, press to

lift. No barbell, no spotter, press to failure, safety done.

I really like this machine.

And in a gym our size, I would not get it.

The footprint is the only deal breaker, and that makes sense.

So, measure your room before anything else, and inspect every component the day the boxes land. Document damage

immediately. Our first unit is proof the weak link is the trip to your door, not the machine.

If Rep Fitness fixes the packaging, this becomes one of the easiest recommendations in the entire lever machine category.

The machine is already there. The box is the only thing that's really holding it back.

So, link below, point it at live stock. Miss the

question? Drop it. We'll answer all of them.