Just upgraded my iPhone 14 to a 17e and was pleasantly surprised to find that I can use the same case. This is the hot tip if you don’t wanna spend $50 on a new case, just search eBay for cases for the 14.
This vest is great for dips and pull ups as long as your plates are small enough in diameter to not restrict shoulder movement (no bumper plates). When using a 45 lb plate, the front plate prevented my arms from lock out on dips and the back plate prevented my arms from retraction on pull ups. Using steel plates, I am limited to a 25 lb plate or less on either side. I don’t own 35 lb plates, but I suspect they might work.
You can’t just stack multiple smaller plates on either side either because the posts aren’t long enough to accommodate the width of multiple plates. (Kensui does sell extended posts for this reason, and they’re pretty affordable but I haven’t tried them.)
Using the stock posts provided, I am only able to add a 2.5 lb plate to whatever primary plate I am using. This means, at best, the heaviest I could load is 55 lbs total (a 25 and a 2.5 per side). The Pro vest is rated to hold up to 150 lbs, but I don’t see how I would get anywhere near that limit without purchasing the Kensui tungsten plates which are smaller in diameter and depth, and honestly pretty cool looking, but they’re also ~$3 per pound at the time of this review. (Leave it to capitalism to create a problem you never had before just to sell you the solution!)
It’s worth noting that the vest is very comfortable but really needs to be loaded evenly on the front and back to prevent it from slipping around. Expect to take it off to change the back weight.
Returning to the the vest’s loadable posts, the front post prevents depth on push ups unless you are elevating the hands. The rear post prevents wearing the vest throughout a workout if you expect to be on your back for anything, (Dragon Flags and other core work mostly). The rear post may also bang on the floor if you’re trying weighted front levers from a low bar.
A point of praise for the vest is that it is highly portable; it’s only 3 or 4 lbs. If you travel for work frequently and still like to hit the gym, this could be perfect for you! For me, however, the appeal of calisthenics is that I can train WITHOUT a gym. So, if I’m traveling with this vest, the question suddenly becomes “where can I find some weight plates?” If, instead, I travel with a dip belt, I can load that belt with anything I can tie a rope to.
In conclusion, this is a really clever product that is well built for specific needs. If you’re looking for a adjustable vest that grows with your progress on weighted dips and weighted pull ups, it’s a great purchase. For me, the Kensui vest has limited utility and I will stick with my dip belt for travel and progressions.
I’ve got a cymbal case, drum case, hardware case but the throne top and the rug are always just loose. It feels silly that one of the other cases wouldn’t have a pocket for the throne top the same way that a cymbal bag usually has a smaller front pocket for the hats.
Anyway- the rug is rolled up and I’ve accepted that but I’m curious if anyone is using an extra deep snare case and throwing their throne top in there with the drum? Probably works for classic round tops, but what about the ever present Roc-n-Soc saddle type seat? What solutions have you come up with for your throne top?