KAKICLAY Pull-Up Bars solve the problem of the limited wall offset of most door pull-up bars. Why is this important for you? Door Pull-Up Bars suffer from the limited depth and width of the doorway to which they are attached. Making the bar much longer or protruding much more than the doorway results in an unstable design. Today, I’ll review 2 KAKICLAY Pull-Up Bars, and one of them solves this issue with an adaptable depth design. You get to choose how much offset from the doorframe you want, without compromising stability or safety. At least, that is the promise by KAKICLAY. Time to find out what these Pull-Up Bars have in store.
You can also watch my KAKICALY Pull-Up Bar Review on YouTube:
|
🥇
|
🥈
|
|
$75.99
|
$69.99
|
Key Takeaways
- KAKICLAY Pull-Up Bars are Doorframe Pull-Up Bars that hook over the door header trim.
- The KAKICLAY Multi-Grip Pull-Up Bar features an adjustable header depth, providing greater flexibility for fitting in doorways of varying depths.
- The KAKICLAY Foldable Pull-Up Bar is a decent Door Pull-Up Bar that gives you all the options you need for standard Calisthenics exercises like pull-ups, chin-ups and levers.
- Both KAKICLAY Pull-Up Bars come with a Suspension Trainer.
- Because of design flaws with the Multi-Grip, I prefer the KAKICLAY Foldable Pull-Up Bar.
About KAKICLAY
KAKICLAY is a U.S. company that manufactures Calisthenics Home Equipment, mostly Door Pull-Up Bars and Dip Bars. They ship internationally through their Amazon storefront. The KAKICLAY products are U.S.-patented and come with extended warranties.
I will review two KAKICLAY Pull-Up Bars, the KAKICLAY Foldable Pull-Up Bar and the KAKICLAY Multi-Grip Pull-Up Bar.
KAKICLAY Foldable Pull-Up Bar
The KAKICLAY Foldable Pull-Up Bar works by hooking it onto the header frame of your door. The bar can be folded flat for easy storage, and the “hooks” fold out to allow them to be placed on the opposite side of the door header. The bracing bar features adjustable rubber feet on each end, which you slide to position them against the doorframe. After making sure the hooks go properly over the trim of the header on the other side, you’re ready for your exercise.
Like all Doorframe Pull-Up Bars, it relies on a lever principle to remain in place. When you hang from the handles, your weight presses the bracing bar against the frame on your side, while pulling the hooks against the header on the other side of the door. The bar becomes more stable once weight is applied.
First Look at the KAKICLAY Foldable Pull-Up Bar
- Width slanted grips: 100cm
- Width top bar (foam): 40cm
- Width lower bar: 84cm (depends on doorway)
- Width parallel grips: 50cm
- Top bar diameter (foam): 38mm
- Lower bar diameter: 35mm
- Parallel grip diameter: 33mm
- Load capacity: 200kg (440lbs)
The KAKICLAY Foldable Pull-Up Bar has a black powder-coated steel body with neon green accents. The white KAKICLAY logo is featured on the bracing bar facing the user. The grips are foam but firm. The 38mm grips will squish when in use, but not until you’re touching the bar underneath. All openings and protrusions in the tubular steel design are capped with rubberised caps, including bolt heads and handle ends.
For grip options, you get a straight bar measuring approximately 84 centimetres and slanted grips for Wide Pull-Ups, which are around 100 centimetres apart. The straight bar is only partially covered in foam, and the strut that connects the top bar to the bracing bar limits the amount of room you get to place your hands.
The bracing bar (the bottom bar) is bare powder-coated steel and can be used for lever-based exercises. The width of the bracing bar is the same as the width of your doorway.
There is a ring at the centre of the top bar for your Resistance Bands or a Suspension Trainer. KAKICLAY supplies a Suspension Trainer set with your purchase, so you can also do your side exercises right away.
Exercising on the KAKICLAY Foldable Pull-Up Bar
The KAKICLAY Foldable Pull-Up Bar feels very sturdy when performing pull-ups and chin-ups. Even when I made explosive movements, I didn’t feel too much movement from the device. The ring at the centre is out of the way enough not to touch my chest when I’m moving up. With my chin-ups, the lower bar might get in the way a little if you do them explosively and have a lot of body swing. It’s not too bad, and if you maintain the proper technique, it won’t be a problem (I was just being sloppy).
The foam grips are firm and prevent slipping. Although I prefer bare metal over foam grips, these are not bad at all, as they are very firm and have minimal squish.
The top bar performs very nicely and does everything I expect from a Doorframe Pull-Up Bar. The slanted grips also give me the option of a wide grip, and the horizontal top bar is wide enough for my normal and narrow grip varieties. The wall offset is good with enough freedom of movement for my exercises. The bottom bar is also nice for my levers.
I do have an axe to grind with the neutral grips. These are attached to the struts that also house the springs. You can feel the springs compressing when you’re doing your pull-ups on these grips. I’d have preferred the neutral grips to be attached to the top bar. The neutral grips also hit your elbows when you’re doing wide pull-ups on the top bar. Placing the neutral grips on the top bar would resolve this issue.
Weighted Calisthenics
The KAKICLAY Pull-Up Bar has a maximum load capacity of 200kg (440lbs), which is more than enough for Weighted Calisthenics. You can combine the KAKICLAY Foldable Pull-Up Bar with a Weighted Vest for your exercises. Theoretically, a Dip Belt is also possible, but most doorways are too low for the weight not to touch the floor beneath you.
KAKICLAY Suspension Trainer, Resistance Bands, Rings
The KAKICLAY Pull-Up Bar comes with a set of Suspension Trainers. The straps on these are fine, and the handles feel comfortable. They come with carabiner hooks that you attach to the top bar’s loop. The bar remained stable while I used it for my rows. Of course, Resistance Bands can just as easily be used for your Assisted Pull-Ups.
Another option would be to attach Gymnastic Rings. With the rings, you can easily vary the height of your exercises, incorporate moves like Dips and a Ring Muscle-Up, and use them as suspension trainers.
This gives the KAKICLAY Pull-Up Bar versatility beyond the standard pull-ups and chin-ups.
KAKICLAY Multi-Grip Pull-Up Bar
The KAKICLAY Multi-Grip Pull-Up Bar is not foldable, but it offers more grip options, as the name suggests. You hook it around your door header, adjust the sliding feet on the bottom bracing bar, and make sure the hooks on the other side go over the header’s rim. It works on the same lever principle as the KAKICLAY Foldable Pull-Up Bar to maintain a secure fit in your doorway during use.
The standout feature of the KAKICLAY Multi-Grip Pull-Up Bar is its adjustable doorway depth. By turning and pulling out the retention knob on the side of each neutral grip, you can adjust the pull-up bar’s depth to some degree. This may make the KAKICLAY Multi-Grip Pull-Up Bar fit non-standard doorway depths. However, always consult the product specifications to see if your doorway falls within their parameters.
You can also adjust the wall offset of the neutral grips somewhat by sliding it (after depressing a spring latch) to one of three positions.
First Look at the KAKICLAY Multi-Grip Pull-Up Bar
The dimensions are nearly identical, but there are a few differences. The neutral grips are slanted up with KAKICLAY Multi-Grip Pull-Up Bar instead of parallel to the ground. The middle horizontal top bar has smaller foam covers, and the loop for attaching your suspension trainer is turned 90 degrees. Another set of neutral grips has been added right under the doorframe.
Exercising on the KAKICLAY Multi-Grip Pull-Up Bar
After doing my exercises, the Foldable Pull-Up Bar is my preferred choice between the two, not this one. First off, the hooks over the header trim are bare metal and damaged our wall in use. As for the exercise itself, the slanted neutral grip works well for your wrists, and you can choose your wall offset, which is a nice feature. The second set of neutral grips is not only unnecessary but also does not work with the principle of the doorframe pull-up bar. If you do explosive pull-ups on them, you can end up standing with the pull-up bar in your hands, free from the wall.
While doing either pull-ups or chin-ups, the bottom bar touches your forearms. That could be forgiven; however, what is worse is that the slanted neutral grips definitely get in the way of wide pull-ups. You cannot even complete the movement without your arms getting stuck up against the neutral grips. You can “solve” this by removing the neutral grips, but the protrusions are still there and then do have sharp edges.
Another qualm I have is with the foam cover and the loop on the horizontal top bar. The foam covers are much smaller and could be extended. The loop faces you with its opening, so you can’t put your hands close together for a narrow pull-up, either.
Using the Suspension Trainer
I managed to dislodge the KAKICLAY Multi-Grip Pull-Up Bar from the door using the suspension trainer.
Disclaimer: I fell because I used the suspension trainer incorrectly. Make sure you read the instructions for using the suspension trainer correctly. In my case, I stood on the wrong side of the door, which can be counterintuitive at first glance. This was the same side I used on the KAKICLAY Foldable Pull-Up Bar, so I just assumed that it would be the same for the KAKICLAY Multi-Grip Pull-Up Bar. Read the manual.
After reading the manual, I had no problems using the suspension trainer, although the fright was still there. It also felt unintuitive when looking at how the lever mechanic should work on the bar.
Pricing Overview of the KAKICLAY Pull-Up Bars
Here is a pricing overview of the KAKICLAY Pull-Up Bars and the included Suspension Trainer.
| KAKICLAY Pull-Up Bar | Price |
|---|---|
| Foldable Pull-Up Bar | $69.99 |
| Multi-Grip Pull-Up Bar | $69.99 |
Conclusions About the KAKICLAY Pull-Up Bars
I definitely prefer the KAKICLAY Foldable Pull-Up Bar between the two. The KAKICLAY Multi-Grip Pull-Up Bar has issues. The concept of being adjustable to the depth of your doorframe is a cool one, but I found that many problems arose in KAKICLAY’s execution. The neutral grips on the KAKICLAY Multi-Grip Pull-Up Bar get in the way of using the wide grips on the top bar, and the second set of neutral grips is not only redundant, but they’re not even safe to use.
In theory, you get to set the wall offset, a unique feature for a Door Pull-Up Bar. But, in practice, it doesn’t work out. Added to that, the other problems with the shorter foam covers and the odd positioning of the loop on the top bar, the KAKICLAY Foldable Pull-Up Bar is a much better choice.
Sure, the neutral grips on the KAKICLAY Multi-Grip Pull-Up Bar are in the wrong spot, but they are usable, and they don’t get in the way of your wide pull-ups. You get to perform all your standard Calisthenics exercises on the KAKICLAY Foldable Pull-Up Bar just like you expect from any Doorframe Pull-Up Bar design, and for an affordable price.
Between these two, the KAKICLAY Foldable Pull-Up Bar is the best choice.
|
🥇
|
🥈
|
|
$75.99
|
$69.99
|
Frequently Asked Questions About the KAKICLAY Pull-Up Bar
Here are a few more frequently asked questions about KAKICLAY Pull-Up Bars:
What is the weight limit for the KAKICLAY Pull-Up Bars?
KAKICLAY Pull-Up Bars are rated up to 440lbs (200kg). This is enough to be safely used for Weighted Calisthenics, for instance, while wearing a weighted vest.
Who are KAKICLAY?
KAKICLAY is a United States brand that manufactures Calisthenics equipment like Pull-Up Bars and Dip Bars. They are best known for the KAKICLAY Foldable Pull-Up Bar, which folds flat for easy storage, and the KAKICLAY Multi-Grip Pull-Up Bar, which features an adjustable header depth to fit many non-standard door depths.
