We test and review fitness products based on an independent, multi-point methodology. If you use our links to purchase something, we may earn a commission. Read our disclosures.
The Bells of Steel Cable Tower may be one of the best value pieces of equipment to add to your home gym. You can purchase the plate-loaded cable tower or the cable tower with a weight stack, or you could buy both to create one of the best functional trainers for your home gym and increase its versatility.
With many accessories, you can customize this piece of equipment to meet your personal needs. The plate-loaded option, in particular, offers an amazing value proposition, yet if you don’t want to add your own weight plates, the weight stack option may be for you!
Check out the full Bells of Steel Cable Tower review below to learn more specifics from specs to user experience as well as a comparison between the BOS plate-loaded option and the Titan Pulley Tower V3.
We’re Strength Equipment Junkies
Our goal at Garage Gym Reviews is to write articles on all the best home gym equipment out there and give our honest opinions about whether the products are worth it. Our team consists of CrossFit Level 1 Trainers, certified personal trainers, weightlifting coaches, Olympic athletes, and other experts who work to provide scientific data and opinions for our articles.
Our site includes a wide range of products including functional trainers, barbells, and dumbbells. These products, as well as the Bells of Steel Cable Tower, have been personally tested by our team members and reviewed on our YouTube channel to provide the most detail-oriented feedback for you.
Bells of Steel Plate Loaded Cable Tower
Bells of Steel Plate Loaded Cable Tower
Product Highlights
- Plate-loaded sleeves
- 2:1 pulley ratio
- 33 height settings
- 2 handles
- Rack attachment compatible
Pros & Cons
Pros
- Affordable
- Small footprint
- Free shipping
- 30-day money-back guarantee
- Fits most racks at least 76” high
- Can fit rack attachments on upright
Cons
- Must be bolted down
- Limited reviews
- Customers share that assembly is tricky
- May be out of stock when you try to purchase
Bottom Line
Bells of Steel Plate-Loaded Cable Tower is a solid option to add a cable machine to your home gym without taking up a lot of space or breaking the bank.
Bells of Steel Cable Tower With Weight Stack
Bells of Steel Cable Tower With Weight Stack
Product Highlights
- 210-lb weight stack
- 2:1 pulley ratio
- Aluminum pulleys
- Compact
- Around $1,200
- Free shipping
- Limited lifetime warranty
Pros & Cons
Pros
- Compact
- 210-lb weight stack
- Smooth aluminum pulleys
- 30 handle height options
- Limited lifetime warranty
Cons
- Must be bolted down
- Assembly can take a few hours
- Mounting hardware is not included
Bottom Line
An affordable and compact cable machine that can be used for hundreds of exercises.
A Quick Look at the Bells of Steel Cable Tower
Bells of Steel has developed a reputation for creating products that offer a ton of customization and modularity at a value price point. This cable machine is no different. Equipped with a pulley system and the ability to add rack attachments, this versatile cable tower may be a great addition for your garage gym and allows you to do everything from lat pulls to low rows.
RELATED: Best Lat Pulldown Machines
Before You Buy
- GGR founder Coop, who extensively tested this product, thinks the height of this tower is slightly low, but would work great for basements; he wishes there was a taller option for people who want to use this cable tower in a garage gym.
- The plate-loaded version comes standard with nylon cables, but you can choose to upgrade to aluminum, which will be smoother, for an extra cost.
- The knurled pull-up bar connects the two uprights, but is not removable.
Video Review
Is the Bells of Steel Cable Tower Worth It?
If you are looking for a compact piece of gym equipment that can be multi-functional, the BOS Cable Tower might be for you. We recommend this product, especially for its price point. Not many other products on the market offer the same level of versatility for a single-stack wall-mounted cable tower.
This product is great for people who can interchange attachments with other BOS products or who are looking for a budget-friendly and compact cable tower for their home gym. If you’re looking for a functional trainer with multiple posts, you may opt for a different product.
Great for:
- Small basement gyms where you have height restrictions
- People who want a budget-friendly plate-loaded machine
- Creating a compact, functional trainer
Not recommended for:
- People looking for multiple posts on a functional trainer
- People who want to use attachments from other companies
Bells of Steel Cable Tower Specs
| Plate-Loaded Cable Tower | Cable Tower with Weight Stack | |
| Price | $349.99 | $1,129.99 |
| Footprint | 28” L x 28.5” W x 81.2” H | 25.1” L x 28.5” W x 80.9” H |
| Weight | 85 lbs | 324 lbs |
| Cable weight capacity | 250 lbs | 250 lbs |
| Open slot | 5.75” | 5.75” |
| Sleeve length | 8.25” | N/A |
| Sleeve diameter | 48 mm | N/A |
| Pull ratio | 2:1 | 2:1 |
| Pulley material | Nylon | Aluminum |
| Machine material | Steel | Steel |
| Machine type | Plate-loaded sleeves | Pin-loaded stack |
| Warranty | Limited lifetime | Limited lifetime |
| Money-back guarantee | 30 days | 30 days |
Bells of Steel recommends bolting the cable towers down due to the small footprint and tall height. This hardware is not included, but they suggest using Tapcon+ screws.
Using the Bells of Steel Cable Tower
GGR founder and fitness aficionado Cooper Mitchell tested the Bells of Steel Cable Tower
because it really stood out to him. In testing, Coop called it “a home gym owner’s dream product” for its value, versatility, wall-mount design, small footprint, and customization with add-ons.
Coop says that if you’re good with doing mental math, then the plate-loaded version is a great option. However, if you want simplicity, the weight stack option has the number of pounds written on each plate. The uprights also have many adjustment options with the holes on the upright.
These two cable towers can also be combined to make a functional trainer with a squat rack. If you connect the two carabiners together, you can get a 1:1 pull ratio, so you would have less cable travel but you would be able to use the stack’s full capacity. Coop said this would be great for use as a tricep or lat pulldown machine, for low rows, and for exercises that require more weight. Combining the two towers allows you to have multiple exit points, which Coop feels is a huge benefit.
Combining the two cable machines could also allow you to do cable crossovers. This will allow you to target specific muscle groups and build a more well-rounded workout.
You can use this cable tower like a rack or you can add weights to movements, such as dips. Coop loves all of the accessories that you can purchase一plate pins, leg rollers, dip horns, jammer arm/belt squat一and said that you can interchange the accessories with other Bells of Steel racks. There is also a back upright that you can purchase for an additional cost and place plates on if you want to use this machine as a standalone rack.
Footprint, Durability, Construction
The Bells of Steel Cable Tower has two options: a plate-loaded cable tower and a cable tower with weight stack. They both have a small footprint, so they will not take up much floor space, and are designed to be wall-mounted. There are also 33 height adjustments so this will be great for many workouts and people of different heights.
The uprights are designed as 2-inch-by-2-inch with a specific hole size that does not work with many other companies who use a thinner gauge steel and a 1-inch hole. This may be a downside for some people. However, BOS offers a wide range of accessories and you can interchange attachments from other BOS products, so Coop believes that the difference in size shouldn’t be an issue.
The BOS Plate-Loaded Cable Tower has pulleys that are rated at 250 pounds and are standard nylon. However, there is an option to upgrade to aluminum pulleys, which are smoother and better for home gyms. Coop says that nylon is better-suited for commercial gyms and he personally prefers the aluminum option.
The BOS Cable Tower with Weight Stack also has pulleys that are rated at 250 pounds, but unlike the plate-loaded option, are aluminum. This will offer a smoother feel during your workouts. Having a steel construction also ensures that the cable tower will be heavy-duty and very durable.
When combining the two cable towers, Coop says that the knurled pull up bar connects the two uprights together and is “pretty nice.” However, the bar is not removable from the top of the uprights. Coop thinks it could have been designed better, with the pull-up bar attaching from the top with a pop in pin.
Comparison to Titan Pulley Tower V3
Titan Fitness Tall Wall-Mounted Pulley Tower V3
Titan Fitness Tall Wall-Mounted Pulley Tower V3
Product Highlights
- Wall-mounted pulley tower with a 350-pound weight capacity
- Functionality of a functional tower with smaller footprint
- 2” x 2” steel tubing
- Included: Wall-mounted functional tower, spring clips, dual stirrup handles, wall-mounting hardware
- Additional accessories available: triangle grip attachment, stainless steel lat bar, tricep rope pulldown attachment, V-shape tricep press down bar, multi-grip cable attachment
Pros & Cons
Pros
- Relatively affordable
- New and improved version 3
- Free shipping
- Pulley tower with smaller footprint
- Rubber feet to protect flooring
- Wall mounting hardware included
Cons
- Short warranty at 1-year
- May take time to arrive—can be backordered
- Customers recommend watching YouTube video for assembly
- Customers complain pulleys feel low-quality
Bottom Line
The Titan Fitness Tall Wall Mounted Pulley Tower V3 is a great value if you are looking to add a pulley system to your home gym.
The BOS Plate Loaded Cable Tower is in a similar price range as the Titan Pulley Tower V3, with the BOS tower being slightly more expensive. Both products have similar footprints, yet the BOS tower is heavier with a lower weight capacity of 250 pounds (100 pounds less than the Titan).
When testing the product, Coop commented that the BOS tower is smoother than the Titan for not much more money. He said the BOS tower uses similar guide rods to the weight stack but if you add the aluminum pulleys, it would be “buttery smooth.”
The BOS Plate-Loaded Cable Tower that can be combined with the weight stack option to make a functional trainer. Alone, the Titan Tower is not recommended for those who want a trainer to fit into a squat rack, but two can be purchased to make a DIY plate-loaded functional trainer.
For the BOS weight stack option, Coop said that not many competitors offer products in the same realm and at a similar price point. He said that GETRX’D has a similar option but it doesn’t have the accessories and modularity that BOS is offering.
Also, if you make a functional trainer from the BOS towers, you may wish you had additional posts.
Read our full Titan Wall-Mounted Pulley V3 review for our full thoughts on this tower.
| Plate Loaded Cable Tower | Titan Pulley Tower V3 | |
| Price | $349.99 | $279.99 |
| Footprint | 28” L x 28.5” W x 81.2” H | Short: 27.5” D x 25” W x 80.5” HTall: 27.5” D x 25” W x 84.5” H |
| Weight | 85 lbs | Short: 60 lbsTall: 65 lbs |
| Cable capacity | 250 lbs | 350 lbs |
| Sleeve length | 8.25” | 8.75” |
| Sleeve diameter | 48 mm | 25.4 mm |
| Adjustment positions | 33 | 18 |
| Pull ratio | 2:1 | 2:1 |
| Pulley Material | Nylon | Nylon |
| Machine Material | 2” x 2” steel | 2” x 2” steel tubing |
| Machine Type | Plate-loaded sleeves | Plate-loaded sleeves |
| Warranty | Limited lifetime | One year |
| Return policy | 30-day money-back guarantee | 30 days |
Customer Experience
Overall, customers seem to have a very pleasant experience with Bells of Steel. One person said that customer service was extremely helpful in answering questions about assembly. Most people have overall positive comments about the cable tower itself and said they would buy it again.
This product offers a limited lifetime warranty, which ends when the product can no longer be used due to reasons other than defects in materials or workmanship, according to the BOS website.
They also offer a money-back guarantee within 30 days of receiving the product and you can get a store credit if the product goes on sale within 30 days of your purchase.
Ordering and Assembling the Bells of Steel Cable Tower
Ordering the BOS Cable Tower should be pretty simple and you can purchase this product on the BOS website or on third-party sites such as Amazon. You can choose the plate-loaded or weight stack version and can purchase add-ons, such as upgrading the plate-loaded option to aluminum pulleys for $139.99 each. Free shipping is available.
Some customers stated that the assembly instructions and video were hard to follow and written very poorly. However, once the cable tower was wall-mounted, multiple people commented that it felt very sturdy.
Customer Reviews
There are many positive reviews for this product, with people commenting that it is a versatile and affordable piece of equipment. Negative reviews mainly state that the instructions are extremely poor.
Final Verdict of Our Bells of Steel Cable Tower Review
The Bells of Steel Cable Tower is a budget-friendly, versatile product for your home gym. With plate-loaded or weight stack capabilities, you can choose what best suits you.
Coop feels that the plate-loaded option is one of the best BOS products available, especially for the price point. If you want a product that is compact and customizable, you should consider the BOS cable tower today.
Bells of Steel Cable Tower Rating
Bells of Steel Cable Tower
This Bells of Steel Cable Tower Review will explain how this versatile piece of equipment may be a great value proposition.
Product Currency: $
Product Price: 349.99
Product In-Stock: InStock
4.3
Bells of Steel Cable Tower FAQs
What is the difference between plate-loaded and weight stack functional trainers?
Weight stack machines provide a more well-rounded experience and come with built-in weight plates. The plate-loaded machines are limited to the weight plates that you have in your home gym, so you may need to invest more money to have more weight options.
Why are plate-loaded machines better?
They’re not necessarily better, it just depends on your preferences, budget, and goals. Plate-loaded machines are cheaper than machines with built-in weight stacks, but on that same token, you’ll need weight plates to use said machine, which is an additional cost if you don’t already own them. You’ll also have to do the math in your head to know how much weight you’re loading onto a machine, whereas weight-stack machines take care of that for you.
Are plate-loaded machines better than free weights?
This depends on your goals and other criteria. Free weights are very versatile and take up much less space than machines do, so if you’re working out in a small area, free weights will work better. Machines in general can be a good option for beginners, as you’ll get lots of help with form, but advanced exercisers, too, can use machines effectively.
Further reading
Should you do cardio before or after weights? Discover the optimal time to get your steps or strides in from our team of fitness experts. Read more
Curious about whey protein isolate vs hydrolyzed whey? Are you getting all the benefits of whey protein? Learn how these proteins are made and what they offer. Read more
In this Alani Nu BCAA review, our testers explain whether this product is worth the high price tag, or if you’re better off saving your money. Read more
Position USA is making some great training shoes using old school methods. The Blue Suede P2.0's are their latest version and aren't just a good looking shoe, they also perform well! Read more