Blazzed Fitness HD1: One Month Review

Posted on March 1st, 2026.

I've been using the Blazzed Fitness HD1 functional trainer for about a month now, and figured it was time to write up my thoughts. When I was shopping for this thing, there was almost nothing online about it. No reviews, no real user feedback, just marketing copy. So consider this my contribution to anyone else researching budget functional trainers and wondering if this one is worth the risk.

Short version: it's a solid machine with excellent specs for the price, some assembly headaches, and a few quirks that are worth knowing about before you buy. I'd give it an 8/10 and would buy it again.

Blazzed Fitness HD1 functional trainer

My Situation

I'm converting my 1920s basement into a home gym. The space is roughly 12' x 23' with 92" ceilings, dropping to 80" in some areas due to HVAC and ductwork. My wife and I are primarily distance runners (I run about 40 miles/week, she runs closer to 70) and we're building out this gym to support strength training for injury prevention and overall fitness. We've been going to a commercial gym for about a year but are relatively new to serious strength training.

I chose a functional trainer over a standalone power rack because I wanted the cable versatility for the types of exercises we'd be doing, and having everything integrated into one unit made sense for our space.

Why the HD1?

I was primarily deciding between this and the Mikolo Anubis 2.0. The HD1 won out because of the no-frills, best-bang-for-your-buck approach:

The Major Fitness options had some non-standard tube sizing that concerned me for future compatibility. The Anubis was a close second and honestly very similar. I caught the HD1 on a good launch sale and decided to take the risk on a newer product.

I paid $2,199 delivered, direct from Blazzed Fitness.

Delivery Experience

Shipping was included. Took about two weeks from order to delivery via freight.

I live in the city, so they sent a smaller truck. The HD1 ships on a double-wide wooden pallet crate weighing about 1,200 pounds, and the delivery driver had a hell of a time with it. He couldn't get a good angle with his lift, and the crate didn't even fit properly on the truck's lift gate. We ended up popping open the crate right there in the back of the truck just to redistribute the weight so he could maneuver it.

Even once it was on the ground, he couldn't get it up over the curb. I ended up opening the whole thing on the street and carrying each piece inside individually. We're talking dozens of 50+ pound components, one at a time, down into my basement.

On the bright side, this forced me to unpack and inspect everything immediately. All packaging was excellent: bubble wrap on each part, smaller components in cardboard boxes. Nothing was damaged or missing. The delivery chaos was entirely due to my urban neighborhood, not Blazzed's packaging.

Assembly: The Good, The Bad, and The "Draw The Rest Of The Owl"

It took me about 4 hours solo. There are a few points during assembly where a second person would be very helpful, but I made it work alone.

The instructions are trash. I'm not going to sugarcoat it. Hundreds of pieces condensed into 8 steps. Very much "draw the rest of the owl" energy. I later found assembly videos on their YouTube channel that would have been incredibly helpful, including a specific warning about the exact cable routing mistake I made, but these weren't posted yet when I assembled mine. This is a new-to-market product, and I believe they're actively improving their documentation.

About that cable routing mistake: the final assembly step is running the cables for the weight stacks. The main pulley area is completely enclosed, so you're flying blind as you feed the cable over and under various guides and wheels. I got everything assembled, did a workout, and thought "huh, these pulleys aren't that smooth." I foolishly assumed they needed to break in.

Nope. I had routed one cable on the wrong side of a guide inside the enclosed area. Every rep was grinding the cable against metal. After that workout, I noticed the cable coating had worn through, exposing the wire underneath.

A few tips if you're about to assemble one of these:

Build Quality

The frame is excellent. The 11-gauge 3x3 construction was a primary reason I chose this unit, and it delivers. I'm not bolting it to the floor, but with dual 200lb weight stacks plus my ~300lbs of plates loaded on the storage pegs, this thing doesn't budge during pull-ups or any other exercise. Rock solid.

The pulleys are very smooth when routed correctly. No complaints.

The weight stacks are my main gripe. At low weights (10, 20, 30 lbs), the plates struggle to stay square and rise perfectly flat. The side-to-side wobble adds noticeable resistance to the point where those weights aren't reliably usable. One stack is worse than the other, so I'm not sure if it's assembly error on my part, if the guide rods need lubrication, or if there's a defect in my unit.

This matters more for us than it might for others. As distance runners early in our strength journey, we're not super strong and genuinely need those low weights for certain exercises. At higher weights, this isn't an issue (or isn't noticeable), and the stacks feel good through the full range of motion.

One minor concern: the powder coating. After one month of use, there's already some marring on the uprights where I frequently add/remove J-cups. Mainly aesthetic, but I expect the posts will get pretty marked up over time.

Design Quirks Worth Knowing

The Trolley Problem (Not the Philosophical Kind)

My biggest functional complaint: the cables for the adjustable pulley system route from the bottom of the trolley. Some machines route from the top. I didn't think much about this when purchasing, but I wish I had.

Because the cable comes from below, you have to lower the trolley to its lowest position to get it out of the way when setting up J-cups for squats or bench. But the trolley itself takes up space, which limits how low you can position spotter arms or J-cups.

I had envisioned using spotter arms as a safety net when lifting alone. In practice, I barely use them because the height restrictions make them less useful. The included spotter arms are also only 16" long, and I'd prefer something longer that extends further in front of the rack.

If I were upgrading, the Oak Club Alpha Arms look amazing (long, slim, sexy), but I'm not ready to drop $500 on spotter arms.

The bottom line is that if the trolleys could store at the top instead of the bottom, they'd be out of the way far more often.

The Pulley Ratio Situation

The HD1 has 2:1 pulleys on the adjustable trolleys and 1:1 pulleys on the two overhead positions. I appreciate having both ratios available. I absolutely need the 2:1 for lighter movements since I'm not very strong yet.

But the odd part is that I really only use one overhead pulley (for lat pulldowns). The other one mostly sits unused. Meanwhile, I'm using the 2:1 ratio for low rows and can already tell I'll max out that weight stack eventually because of the mechanical disadvantage.

Blazzed does sell a 1:1 low row attachment, basically an extra pulley wheel and cable that gives you the direct ratio for seated rows. It's about $100. I haven't pulled the trigger yet, but I'm strongly considering it since it would give me a lot more room for growth on that movement. Worth knowing about if low rows are important to your training.

The Attachment Compatibility Reality Check

One reason I chose this unit was the 3x3 frame with 1" holes, which is industry standard and compatible with attachments from other manufacturers. I figured this meant tons of upgrade potential.

The machine is pretty full, though. With the weight stacks, pulleys, and included components, there aren't many exposed holes for adding attachments. It's not a huge deal since it's already fully featured, but I had visions of easily adding a barbell holder or other accessories. My barbell currently just leans in the corner because there's no obvious mounting spot.

The back of the rack would work best for additions, but I have it positioned close to the wall and mirrors, so that's limited too.

Minor Annoyances

Only came with one set of weight stack number stickers despite having two stacks. Had to label the second stack with my label maker. Now they don't match, which bugs me.

I'd love to design and get custom Plate Snacks, but for front & back of sides they would run ~$250. That's absurd for stickers.

In Use

I've been testing everything: squats, bench, pull-ups, all the cable attachments. For our goals (runner-specific strength training and injury prevention) it's working well.

One ceiling clearance note: I had to flip the pull-up bar so the bend faces downward. It would have been unusable in the standard orientation. Actually works great this way. The bend creates enough clearance for pull-ups that wouldn't have been possible with a straight bar. Otherwise the machine fits my 92" ceiling perfectly.

My wife likes it. She's mainly using it for squats so far but experimenting with integrating cable work into her training. She especially loves being able to look up exercises and try them in the privacy of our home without feeling judged at the gym.

Customer Service

I contacted Blazzed about the damaged cables from my routing mistake. Response was prompt, and they sent replacement cables at no charge. Great experience.

The Verdict

This machine is best suited for someone comfortable buying from a newer, less-proven company who wants quality specs (11-gauge 3x3, 200lb stacks) without paying Rogue/REP prices. If you're starting a new home gym and want a lot of functionality in one footprint, this delivers. Just be prepared for some assembly ambiguity.

You should probably look elsewhere if you want to meticulously customize every component of your setup, need crystal-clear assembly instructions, or aren't comfortable troubleshooting on your own. This might be frustrating.

Would I buy it again?

Yes. It was admittedly sketchy buying a unit with almost no reviews or online information. A month in, there are things I don't love, but without hands-on experience with the Mikolo or Major Fitness alternatives, I don't have a strong reason to choose differently.

That said, looking at current prices, the Mikolo Anubis 2.0 comes with even more attachments (including a landmine, which I want to add eventually) and some other nice features. If the HD1 isn't on sale when you're shopping, the Anubis might be the better value play. The HD1 isn't so exceptional that it's worth paying a premium over comparable options.

If you want to step up to the big brands (REP, Rogue, Force USA), you'll spend significantly more. Whether that's worth it depends on your budget and how much the quirks I've described would bother you.

Overall Rating: 8/10

I'm very happy with this machine. A big part of that rating is the value proposition. If I were rating the machine in isolation without considering price, it might be slightly lower. But when you factor in what you'd have to spend to get equivalent specs from other manufacturers, the HD1 delivers.

There are quirks to work out (wobbly low-weight stacks, trolley positioning, spotter arm limitations), but it's hard to imagine getting anything close to this for a similar price without as many or more issues.

Would recommend.