If uncomplicated is what you’re looking for, then the Valor Fitness BE-11 Smith Machine is a perfect option. This is pure Smith Machine: No half-cage, no racking, no sophisticated attachments.
Although it’s simple, it’s also heavy-duty, very sturdy, and has all of the features you’d expect of a suitable Smith Machine.
The 30 lb knurled bar runs smoothly on the reverse-pitched guide rods via linear ball bearings. These are well made and work perfectly no matter how much weight you have loaded up. The safety latches are solid steel and lockout at 14 different points along the frame. There are additional safety latches and springs that can be set separately at any height.
A Smith machine with a track and linear bearings is an ideal way to be doing bench presses, military presses, shrugs, squats, curls, lunges, and much more. The bottom of the track even features safety springs to catch the bar in case you drop it, something that stops the bar from hitting your feet and the plates from smashing into the ground.
Another useful little feature of this Smith Machine is that it uses either standard 1″ plates or Olympic plates (with 2″ holes). If you want to use Olympic plates, it has sleeves that fit onto the bar and storage pegs. Although these aren’t the highest quality (the plastic end caps can tend to pop off), they do their job just fine.
