Mikolo Anubis + Bastet: An Almost Perfect $2,000 Home Gym Package

Introduction

The Mikolo Anubis Half Rack Functional Trainer and Bastet adjustable bench are designed as a matched pair, and the combination makes a specific argument: that one compact system can handle barbell training, cable work, and everything in between without requiring the footprint of a full power rack. After 90 days of regular use, including loaded barbell sessions, cable work, and accessory training, I have a clear picture of where this package delivers and where it falls short. The short version is that Mikolo has built something impressive here, with a few specific flaws that are hard to overlook at this price.

First Look

The name Anubis was deliberately chosen, and the design reflects that same intentionality. The rack is built from 11 gauge 3x3 steel tubing, which gives it a rigidity you can feel the first time you load it. The footprint without safety arms is 51 inches wide, 91 inches tall, and 31 inches deep. That is a compact profile for what this machine does. The safety arms, which Mikolo calls the Jed, fold out to extend the depth to 55 inches when in use and collapse cleanly against the uprights when they are not. That fold-down design is practical in a home gym where every square foot matters.

The Bastet bench is built to the same standard. It uses 3x3 steel construction, has a wide base for stability, and stores upright inside the Anubis frame when not in use. That last detail is practical, but it requires meaningful ceiling clearance. The rack itself stands 91 inches tall, and the bench stored vertically inside it will approach that height depending on the bench dimensions. If your ceiling is under 8.5 feet, verify the stored configuration before you commit. Medium-firm padding covers the bench, which sits at a comfortable density for pressing and rows. The embroidered logo on the seat is a quality detail that reads as permanent rather than decorative, the kind of thing that survives years of sweat and cleaning without peeling off.

Build Quality

The Anubis is built from 11 gauge 3x3 steel with tight welds and a powder coat finish that is well-executed for the price. The cable trolleys are all-metal and click into 13 height positions spanning 13 to 74 inches off the ground. That range covers floor-level cable work at the low end and overhead pulling patterns at the high end. When a trolley clicks into position, it settles with a solidity that matches the quality of everything else on this machine. There is no flex in the upright frame under barbell load after 90 days of use.

The machine arrived well-packaged and without shipping damage. Assembly required a larger wrench than most people own because the bolts on 3x3 tubing are substantial. Once everything is torqued down, nothing moves. The Bastet bench is equally solid once assembled and uses the same bolt sizing.

The J cups are rated at 800 pounds. The Jed safety arms are rated at 1,000 pounds. For most home gym users those numbers are more than adequate, but if you are squatting or benching close to or above those figures, that is worth knowing before you buy.

Setup and Installation

The Anubis ships mostly pre-assembled. What remains is straightforward: bolt the frame together, install the cable system, and set your trolley positions. Plan for a couple of hours and acquire a proper large wrench beforehand. The fold-out Jed safety arms require no tools to deploy and lock firmly when extended.

The cable system attaches at the uprights and uses a carabiner system that accepts aftermarket attachments. The included accessories cover the major movement patterns: two knurled cable handles, a dual hook straight bar, a lat pulldown bar, a T-bar row handle, a tricep rope, an ankle strap, an adjustable cable row foot plate, and a landmine attachment. The landmine slots into the rack frame and enables single-arm pressing, rotational rows, and angled hinge work, movements that are hard to replicate with a standard barbell setup. Storage is handled by an all-metal pegboard with hooks and a dumbbell storage rack that bolt onto the frame. Both add weight to the uprights, which improves stability under load. This is not marginal. You can feel the difference between loading the storage components and leaving them empty.

Performance

After 90 days of barbell training on the Anubis, the rack performs exactly as a rack should. The safety arms hold. The J cups hold. The uprights do not flex under load. For standard barbell work, pressing, squatting, and rows, this machine is reliable.

The cable system performs well for single-arm movements: biceps curls, tricep pressdowns, unilateral rows, and cable flyes all work smoothly. The 13 trolley positions between 13 and 74 inches handle every height variation those movements require. The all-metal trolley construction gives the cable system a quality feel that matches the rest of the machine.

The Bastet bench handles everything asked of it. The wide base keeps it planted during pressing and seated cable work. The medium-firm padding supports heavy loads without bottoming out. Loading it past 350 pounds produced no flex and no instability.

One note on the bench handle: the front handle you grab to move the bench around is plain steel with no knurling. The rear adjustment handle has knurling. For a bench at this price point, it is an odd inconsistency. It works, but it is a miss on the detail that matters most when you are repositioning under a rack.

Drawbacks

Several specific issues emerged over 90 days that are worth understanding before you buy.

The weight stacks are rated at 154 pounds each, but the Anubis runs on a 2:1 cable ratio. That means the effective resistance at the end of each cable is approximately 77 pounds. For single-arm movements and isolation exercises, that is workable. For bilateral movements like lat pulldowns and cable rows, the included straight pulldown bar can connect both cables together, but doing so only produces around 150 pounds of combined resistance. That ceiling is low for anyone who trains seriously with these movements. Mikolo does sell optional add-on weight stack kits that can significantly expand capacity, which changes the value math if you are considering this system primarily as a cable trainer. That upgrade path exists and is worth investigating before you walk away over the bilateral weight limit.

The angled pulldown bar presents a related problem. Its connection points are in the middle of the bar rather than at the ends. Connecting both cables means the pulleys converge toward the center at an angle they are not designed to handle. The cables want to cross and bind. Testing this briefly during one session made it clear this is not a setup to rely on. Use the straight pulldown bar for bilateral work and treat the angled bar as a single-cable attachment.

The J cups and safety arms lack any UHMW plastic lining on the contact surfaces. They scrape directly against the powder coat on the uprights every time you install them. After 90 days the marks are visible, the powder coat is compromised in those spots, and the bare steel is exposed. Rust has not appeared yet, but the path from here is obvious. On a $2,000 package, this is a design choice that will eventually cost every owner something.

The hole spacing uses 1-inch holes on the front uprights and 5/8-inch holes on the sides. Most aftermarket rack attachments are designed around one standard or the other. It is probably not an issue for most buyers since attachments tend to use either the front or side holes but not both, but standardizing on one specification would have simplified accessory compatibility across the board.

There is no dedicated storage on the rack for the safety arms when they are not in use. You pull them out, fold them up, and have to lean them somewhere. It adds a small amount of friction to every setup that should not exist on a machine at this price.

Versatility

The Anubis covers a wide range of training within its scope. Barbell pressing, squatting, and rows on the rack side. Cable curls, pressdowns, unilateral rows, cable flyes, and rope movements from 13 trolley heights on the cable side. The landmine attachment handles rotational pressing and hinge work. Horizontal cable rows with the foot plate work well. Vertical pulling, specifically lat pulldowns, is functional but limited by the 150-pound combined cable ceiling for anyone pulling with meaningful weight.

The Bastet bench adjusts for flat, incline, and decline work and fits inside the rack footprint when stored upright. For anyone training in a space where every square foot counts, that detail matters.

What the system does not do is Smith machine work. Mikolo offers no Smith attachment for the Anubis at this time.

Value

The Anubis and Bastet together come in at over $2,000 as a package. Use coupon code IRONCLINIC at checkout to save on that price. If you intend to push past the bilateral cable ceiling, budget for the optional weight stack upgrade on top of that.

The value is strong if you are building a home gym from scratch or replacing multiple pieces of equipment with one system. The combination of barbell rack, functional cable trainer, landmine station, and matching bench in a compact footprint justifies the investment for the right buyer. If you already own a full rack and are evaluating this as a cable trainer add-on, the math is harder to justify.

Who Is This For?

The Anubis and Bastet package is for home gym builders who want barbell work, cable work, and accessory training in a single compact system. It is beginner-friendly, does not require prior equipment knowledge to set up and use, and covers enough movement variety to support a complete training program.

It is not the right choice for serious cable users who need heavy bilateral pulling resistance and do not want to pay for an upgrade kit to get there. The 77-pound-per-cable effective weight out of the box means lat pulldowns and cable rows are accessible but not unlimited. It is also not the right choice for anyone who wants zero friction points from day one. The UHMW absence, the bilateral cable limitation, and the safety arm storage situation all require conscious management.

Final Verdict

The Mikolo Anubis Half Rack Functional Trainer and Bastet bench are an impressive package with specific flaws. The build quality is excellent for the price. The footprint is genuinely compact. The cable system covers most of what a home gym user needs from a functional trainer. The included accessories are substantial.

The flaws matter. No UHMW on the J cups or safety arms is a design choice that is already producing visible powder coat damage at 90 days. The 2:1 cable ratio limits bilateral pulling to around 150 pounds unless you invest in the optional stack upgrade. Mixed hole spacing adds friction to accessory compatibility.

If you are starting your home gym from scratch, the Anubis and Bastet deserve serious consideration. If you are upgrading an existing system and need a functional trainer that handles serious bilateral cable loads without an additional investment, understand that ceiling before you buy.