ATX Blackline Cable Attachments
The new ATX Blackline Cable Attachments have been a real eye opener for not just our customers but also myself. Being a simple man with simple tastes, I go for the basic things in life. As long it functions right and is durable it gets a green light. To put it in perspective one of my favourite cars was my Holden Kingswood – nothing flash to look at but it never let you down no matter what you through at it.
When we got the new line of cable accessories in from ATX I thought to myself who would pay a premium for a cable row handle when our base Power Maxx model was such good value. Considering they only cost twenty bucks, I have got so much quality use out of mine it has paid for itself many times over.
Well we barely had the ATX Blackline Attachments up on the wall in our showroom and they started to fly out the door. They were moving that quick we never bothered to put them on the website because they would sell out before we had a chance.
More than pretty attachments
There is no denying the fact that these cable attachments do look trick. Whether it is cars, motorcycles or something closer to home – barbells, the blacked-out look is definitely popular these days. This does make customers want to pick these cable accessories up and take a closer look. But when these cable attachments are in your hands you will feel a difference to the standard ones that you will use in the gym.
The reason why chrome is used on barbells and cable machine attachments alike is because it is very effective at its task. Without chrome plating your steel barbell would rust. If you use a basic type of paint, the paint will chip off when you load plates or rack your barbell onto your power cage. Chrome on the other hand is electrically plated to the steel so the bond is extremely strong.
The downside with chrome is that it is very shiny and therefore slippery. With weight training grip is very important so whether it is a barbell, dumbbell handle or cable handle the knurling must be a little deeper and aggressive. If you have been weight lifting for years this is no big drama as your hands have adapted. But for a beginner starting out, they can get a few blisters or tear some skin away from their hands.
ATX has used research and innovation to produce a solution to this by finding a black finish that has less sheen than chrome. This has allowed ATX to use a little less aggressive knurling than what you would find on the equivalent chrome cable attachment. It is not as grippy as an oxide finish that you would find on a powerlifting style barbell, but an oxide finish is not suitable for these types of applications.
Oxide finishes require some maintenance as you will get a little surface rust from time to time. This is the last thing a gym owner wants to do – go around maintaining cable machine handles!
Just like chrome, the ATX finish is impact and scratch resistant. Normal paint or powder coat that you would find on your average piece of gym equipment is not designed for this type of purpose. It will chip over time, hence the reason weight horns either use sleeves or chrome.
But wait there is more….
Aside from the smart appearance there are some other nifty design elements that also add to their appeal. The cable attachment points feature 360-degree rotation rings on both the horizontal and vertical planes. While not a massive difference, it just adds to the smoothness of the movement, especially for the stirrup handle which is used on exercises where there is often angled movement.
The stand out of the range is the cable row handle. Not only is the overall design a lot more aesthetically pleasing than the average seated row attachment, it certainly feels a lot different to use. The end brackets are perfectly angled for a nice offset grip. It feels so natural, like how a seated row was meant to be!
On all the straight bars you will see they have screw in nylon balls. These balls give your gym equipment’s paint work some protection from a swinging tricep attachment that a gym member has hastily released at the end of the set. They also reduce the metal on metal noise generated when impacting. This is particularly important on the wide lat pulldown bar which extends past the uprights on a power rack. If you have power rack with lat option, I would definitely recommend this style of pull down attachment.
Commercial gyms are prepared to invest money into making their operations visually appealing. When a potential member rocks up, they are more likely to pay a bit extra and become a member of a gym that has got quality fitness equipment presented in a classy fashion. Equally in the home gym scene, guys and girls are going that extra yard to create a bit of “WOW” factor. The days of doing dodgy fabrications and finding discarded items on the local council collection are a thing of the past for many home gym enthusiasts. Their gyms are a passion, just like modified cars or bikes, so they like to take their pleasure to the next level.
If this sounds like you, then the ATX Blackline Attachments will be the ideal addition to your gym.