BowFlex 5.1S Stowable Bench Review

At a glance

The short answer

The BowFlex 5.1S is the bench to buy when the room matters as much as the lift. It stows upright into a 23.9 by 28.1 inch footprint, per BowFlex's product page checked October 10, 2026, and that single fact is why it exists in this group.

The rest of the sheet is complete and middling. A 600 lb combined limit, six positions, a 60 lb frame and a 30-year frame warranty are all published. None of them beat the REP AB-3000 2.0 except the warranty and the stow.

Price decides the verdict. At the $499 list price the 5.1S is a hard sell. At the $309 sale price BowFlex was running in October 2026, with free shipping, it is a fair buy for a shared-room dumbbell gym.

Our best adjustable weight benches guide ranks it against the REP and the Flybird WB5; this review covers the 5.1S on its own terms.

What the 5.1S actually is

It is a six-position adjustable bench with a stowing mechanism that lets the frame stand on end. BowFlex's naming puts the S for stowable at the end, and the product page leads with the in-use and stowed dimensions rather than with capacity, which tells you what BowFlex thinks the buyer is paying for.

In use it is 61.3 inches long, 28.1 inches wide and 49.5 inches tall at the highest setting. Stowed it is 23.9 inches long, the same 28.1 inches wide, and 52.3 inches tall. The bench does not fold flat; it stands up, so the storage spot needs wall height rather than under-bed clearance.

The back pad moves through -20 degree decline, flat, 30, 45, 60 and 90 degrees. The seat adjusts, per BowFlex, though the page does not list the seat angles. Retailer listings describe a removable leg hold-down brace and transport wheels; BowFlex's product page, as we read it, did not detail either, so treat those as retailer descriptions.

BowFlex is the brand most buyers already know from the SelectTech 552 dumbbells, and the 5.1S is the bench BowFlex sells alongside them. The brand changed hands in 2024 after its former parent's bankruptcy filing, which is worth knowing when a 30-year warranty is part of the pitch.

Who the 5.1S is best for

The 5.1S has a clear buyer, and it is not the heaviest lifter in the room.

It is a strong fit for:

Shared rooms. A living room, a home office or a bedroom where a bench cannot live on the floor all week. Stowing to two feet of floor against a wall is what the extra money buys.

Dumbbell training with published headroom. A 180 lb lifter with two 60 lb dumbbells is at 300 lbs, half the limit. That is comfortable.

Buyers who want the paperwork. BowFlex publishes dimensions, weight, capacity, angles, warranty and returns on one page. For a buyer who has read the Flybird WB5 review and been frustrated by blanks, the 5.1S is the documented alternative that still stores.

People who will use the 90 degree position. Seated overhead pressing and seated curls need a true upright, and the 5.1S has one.

It is a poor fit for:

Barbell pressing. Six hundred pounds combined sounds generous until a 220 lb lifter puts 315 lbs on a bar and is at 535 lbs. The REP's 1,000 lb rating exists for that lifter.

Under-bed storage. It stands; it does not lie flat.

The specifications that decide the purchase

BowFlex publishes a complete sheet, read October 10, 2026, and five lines carry the decision.

Capacity: 600 lbs maximum user plus load. That phrasing is BowFlex's, and the word plus is the one to notice. Subtract your bodyweight before comparing with any other bench.

Stowed length: 23.9 inches. Measure the wall strip where the bench will stand, and allow the full 28.1 inch width, which does not shrink when stowed.

Bench weight: 60 lbs. Light enough for one adult to tip up and roll, heavy enough that it does not walk under a dumbbell row.

Positions: six, with the lowest incline at 30 degrees. Lifters who prefer 15 degree incline pressing will not find it here; the REP lists 15 and 30.

Height in use: 49.5 inches at the top of the back pad in the upright position, which matters for low ceilings and sloped attic rooms.

What is not published: seat angles and pad gap. On a stowing bench the hinge geometry usually makes the gap wider than on a fixed frame, and BowFlex does not give a figure. Our note on reading a spec sheet before buying home fitness gear explains why the gap line is the one to ask the manufacturer about.

How the price is structured

Two prices matter. The regular price on bowflex.com was $499 on October 10, 2026. The sale price was $309, labelled as $190 off plus free shipping, with the sale limited to the 48 contiguous states and excluding P.O. boxes, APO and FPO addresses, U.S. territories and international orders.

BowFlex offered an optional five-year Protection Plus plan at $99. Per BowFlex it extends parts and upholstery coverage from one year to five, adds in-home repairs and removes deductibles. On a $309 bench that is a 32 percent add-on; on a $499 bench it is 20 percent. Whether it is worth it depends on how much you trust a one-year upholstery term, which is covered under support below.

Shipping is FedEx parcel and free, with deliveries every day of the week per the page. Returns are a full product refund minus shipping and handling within 30 days of delivery, which means the free outbound shipping becomes a deduction if you send it back.

For comparison in the same week: the REP AB-3000 2.0 at $349.99 with free shipping, the Flybird WB5 at $139.99 plus calculated shipping. At $309 the 5.1S sits in the middle; at $499 it is the most expensive bench in the group and the lowest rated for load.

Ease of use: why it scores 4.4

Ease is the 5.1S's best pillar because the stow mechanism is the whole design brief.

The bench goes from a 61.3 inch footprint to a 23.9 inch one without disassembly. In a room that doubles as something else, that is the difference between a bench you use and a bench you resent. The 60 lb weight makes tipping it upright a one-person job.

Six positions with a pin-style adjustment are fewer than the REP's eight and slower than a ladder, but six is enough for flat, two inclines, upright and decline, and the positions BowFlex chose are the ones most lifters actually use.

The marks against ease are two. BowFlex does not publish seat angles, so a buyer cannot know in advance how well the seat stops hip slide in the 60 degree position. And the bench requires assembly; BowFlex links to getting-started videos but does not state an assembly time.

Against the Flybird WB5, which arrives mostly assembled and folds flat, the 5.1S is a step down in convenience and a step up in rigidity. Against the REP, it is the only one of the two that gets out of the way.

Features: the 3.9 explained

The feature set is complete for dumbbell training and thin for anything heavier.

In its favor: a -20 degree decline, which is steeper than the REP's -12. A true 90 degree upright. A seat that adjusts. A stowing frame. Transport wheels and a removable leg brace, per retailer descriptions.

Against it: six positions where the REP has eight, no 15 degree low incline, no published seat angles, no published pad gap and no leg roller system with multiple lock positions. The 600 lb limit is the lowest in our group and sits 400 lbs under the REP.

The score lands at 3.9 because the features that exist are well matched to the target buyer, and the features that are missing are the ones a barbell lifter would miss. BowFlex built a dumbbell bench and said so with the capacity figure.

For a dumbbell lifter adding a second tool, our adjustable dumbbells vs kettlebells comparison is the natural next read; both pair with this bench without approaching its limit.

Value: why 3.7 depends on the price you pay

Value is scored against the cheaper option on the shelf, and the 5.1S's position changes with its price.

At $499 list: the REP AB-3000 2.0 costs $150 less, is rated for 400 lbs more, has two more back positions and publishes its pad gap. The only things the 5.1S has over it are the stow and a longer frame warranty. That is not enough to justify $150, and the value score at list price would be lower than 3.7.

At $309 sale: the 5.1S costs $41 less than the REP and $169 more than the Flybird WB5. Against the Flybird it buys a complete spec sheet, a 30-year frame warranty and a rigid stow instead of a hinge fold. Against the REP it buys storage and gives up capacity. That is a fair trade for the right room.

The 3.7 is a blend, weighted toward the sale price because BowFlex's sale pricing on this bench has been the norm across retailers rather than an exception. If you are quoted $499, wait.

For a buyer whose whole gym is a bench and a pair of dumbbells, the small-space home gym guide frames how much of the budget the bench should take.

Support: a 30-year frame and a one-year everything else

BowFlex publishes its warranty on the product page: 30 years frame, one year parts, one year upholstery, checked October 10, 2026.

Thirty years on the frame is the longest term in our adjustable bench group; the REP lists 10 and FED Fitness does not publish a term for the Flybird WB5. Frames rarely fail, so the term is partly marketing, but a long term on a stowing hinge is more meaningful than on a fixed frame because the hinge is the part that moves.

One year on parts and upholstery is where the real exposure sits. Pads compress and seams split over years, pins and knobs wear, and after month twelve all of that is on you unless you bought the $99 Protection Plus plan. By comparison the REP gives 30 days on upholstery, so BowFlex is better on pads than the obvious rival, and both are short.

Returns are full product refund minus shipping and handling within 30 days of delivery. BowFlex does not state a restocking fee on the product page, which is better than FED's 5 to 10 percent.

The brand's 2024 change of ownership is the one structural caveat. A 30-year promise is only as good as the company honoring it in year 20. The support score of 4.0 credits the published terms and docks the short parts coverage.

What verified owners report

BowFlex's product page did not display a review average or count in the sections we read on October 10, 2026, so no figure from it appears here.

The 5.1S has been sold through BowFlex, Best Buy, Walmart and overseas retailers for several years, and the public pattern across those listings and independent home-gym coverage is consistent. Owners describe the stow mechanism as the reason they bought it and the reason they kept it.

The recurring complaints are a gap between seat and back pad that is wider than fixed benches, a seat that some owners find slides in steep incline, and assembly that takes longer than expected.

We are not quoting individual owners, and we note that BowFlex's own page does not publish the pad gap, which means the most common complaint is about a figure the buyer cannot check in advance. Ask BowFlex support for the gap measurement before ordering if flat pressing is your main lift.

Alternatives worth cross-shopping

Choose the REP AB-3000 2.0 if the bench can live on the floor and you will load it. It is rated 1,000 lbs, publishes a 2.1 inch pad gap and eight back angles, and costs $349.99 with free shipping. Otherwise choose the 5.1S if the bench must stand up between sessions.

Choose the Flybird WB5 if the budget stops at $150 and the bench must fold flat rather than stand. It claims 800 lbs but publishes almost nothing else. Otherwise choose the 5.1S for the documented sheet and the warranty. Our REP vs Flybird comparison covers the two ends of this group in detail.

Choose no bench if the plan is kettlebells and bands. A Yes4All kettlebell and a set of resistance loop bands do not need one, and a TRX PRO4 covers the pressing and rowing patterns from a door anchor instead.

Buy it if, skip it if

Buy it if the bench must stand upright in a shared room, if your loads are dumbbells and stay well under the 600 lb combined limit, if you want the manufacturer's warranty and return terms in writing, and if you can get it at or near $309.

Skip it if a barbell is in your plans, if you are being asked to pay $499, or if your storage is under a bed rather than against a wall.

If you buy it, decide on the Protection Plus plan before checkout rather than after, because the one-year parts and upholstery term is the real gap in the standard coverage.

How this grade was reached, and the bottom line

This grade was built from BowFlex's 5.1S product page, including its specifications, pricing, warranty and return terms, read on October 10, 2026, plus the public pattern of owner reports across the retailers that carry it. Nobody here stowed a 5.1S in a closet or loaded it to its limit. Every figure above is BowFlex's; where BowFlex publishes nothing, such as seat angles and pad gap, this review says so.

The bottom line: the BowFlex 5.1S is the right bench for a dumbbell lifter whose room needs the floor back, bought at the $309 sale price with the 600 lb limit kept in mind. At $499 it is outclassed by a cheaper REP. The stow is real, the warranty is long, and the capacity is the number that tells you whether this is your bench.

Best for

Dumbbell lifters in shared rooms who need the bench upright against a wall between sessions and want warranty terms in writing.

Who should buy it

Frequently asked questions

Sources

Every figure on this page comes from the pages below, read on the date shown. Prices and specifications change - confirm at checkout.

• BowFlex 5.1S Adjustable Weight Bench product page · checked 2026-10-10