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If you’re building your indoor gym but you’re short on space, you have to make every inch in the room count, including the doorway. Lucky for you, there are a few pieces of gym equipment that can benefit from a door frame, such as doorway dip bars.
So what is the best doorway dip bar? After 25 hours of testing and research, the best doorway dip bar is the Shamrock Triple Door Gym. It’s competitively priced, made of heavy-duty steel, adjustable, and will protect your doorframe. It has a weight limit of 300lbs (including your bodyweight) and comes with several add-ons, including suspension straps.
Before getting into the top 5 reviews, I want to discuss the factors to consider when buying a doorway dip bar. I’ve made some mistakes when buying a dip bar that didn’t fit within my specific doorframe, which compromised the integrity of the frame and the durability of the equipment.
Factors To Consider When Buying A Doorway Dip Bar
Doorwar dip bars are attached to the doorway where they’re usually suspended over the permanent horizontal bar at the top of the door, which is usually a pull-up bar.
Here are 4 things you need to consider when purchasing this type of workout equipment:
1. What Type of Door Frames Do These Dip Bars Work With?
A doorway dip bar needs a specific type of door to work.The dip bar is an attachment that fits over the pull-up bar through J-shaped hooks.
This means that any dip bar would fit comfortably provided that the door is compatible with the pull-up bar it’s attached to.
Luckily, most pull-up bars on the market are fitted over the frames of standard doors, which range between 24 inches to 36 inches wide and a depth of about 4 to 6.5 inches. The trim size of the door is also essential and usually ranges between 3 to 4 inches.
I’m confident that you’re specific door will fit these dimensions, but it’s always best to check yourself.
2. How Many Screws Are Involved While Installing the Dip Station?
Another factor that you should consider is the number of screws that are needed during the installation process of the dip station.
From one point, there are some internal screws that are used to connect the pull-up/dip bar parts during the assembly process, which reflects the ease of putting it together as well as the overall stability of the design.
On the other, there are screws that are used to attach the structure to the door frame, which reveals the invasiveness of the dip bar.
Keep in mind that some doorway pull-up/dip bar stations on the market may not require using any screws to attach them to the door, so you won’t have to worry about poking holes in the door frame.
3. How Much The Dip Bar Protects the Door / Frame?
While doorway dip bars are great for saving critical space in your indoor gym by fitting over the doorway, they can cause some sort of damage to the door frame.
The most damaging types are those doorway dip bars that fit over the door frame without screws because they rely on the sturdiness of the door frame rather than relieving some of the pressure by using screws.
Over time, two factors might start causing damage to the wall, which are the strength of the door frame and the weight of whoever is using it + the weight of the dip bar itself.
So while using screws in the installation process is a pain, I’d rather use them because it saves my doorframe in the long run.
4. How Much Weight Can It Handle?
If you train casually with a small build, this shouldn’t be a concern of yours.
However, for those who use dip belts or have medium to large builds, you should always factor in the maximum weight limit of both your door frame and the dip bar you’re buying.
Top 3 Doorway Dip Bars Available on the Market
The best doorway dip bars are:
- Shamrock Triple Door Gym – Best Overall Doorway Dip Bar
- Goplus Doorway Pull-Up Bar with Dip Station – Most Durable Doorway Dip Bar
- Sunny Health & Fitness SF-BH6507 Dip Station – Best Budget Doorway Dip Bar (Portable Option)
1. Shamrock Triple Door Gym – Best Overall Doorway Dip Bar
The reason why Shamrock Triple Door Gym ranks first on my list is because it’s competitively priced, made of heavy-duty steel, adjustable, and will protect your doorframe.
The Shamrock Triple Door Gym is made of heavy-duty steel, which gives it a great level of structural stability.
What does this mean for you?
This allows it to support a maximum weight limit of 300 lbs, which is great for all beginners and for those who want to get the benefit of adding additional weight to their body.
Additionally, it’s not just a dip bar, but it also comes with a raised pull-up bar and a set of suspension straps to increase your workout variety and allow you to target a variety of muscle groups.
To be fair, most doorway dip bars will come with a pull up bar attachment. However, the unique part is that it comes with the suspension straps as well, which not every product includes.
I also liked that this model is one of the few doorway options that allow you to adjust the width of the dip bar. It comes with 3 different width levels, which enables people with longer arms to use this one easily.
This is a great feature if you’re like me who has to share the dip bar with a couple of different people in the house. You can easily adjust it to different body shapes and sizes.
One more feature that adds huge value is that it can also be mounted using a screw-less method.
Remember, I said that screwless options do have its limitations though. If you plan on lifting more than 300lbs (including your bodyweight), then this option is not going to be for you. You’ll want to opt for a doorway dip bar that can screw into the wall, which increases its weight limit.
Pros
- Excellent value and versatility for its price
- Can be used on specific types of walls for added value
- Remarkably easy to install and remove
- Adjustable for different sizes and builds
- Comes with the suspension strap add-on
Cons
- Some people found the padding on the handles to be a bit thin, but I didn’t find this to be the case for me
- If you plan on lifting more than 300lbs, you’ll need to go with the next option on our list
2. Goplus Doorway Pull-Up Bar with Dip Station – Most Durable Doorway Dip Bar
For those who do heavyweight dips using a dip belt, it’s usually not recommended they do it with a doorway or a wall mounted version because they typically have low weight limits.
However, the Goplus pullup bar with dip station is one of the few doorway dip bars that have a relatively high weight limit.
This one is made of heavy-duty steel and can support up to 440 lbs, making it the most durable option on the market!
Additionally, it’s also one of the most affordable doorway options that are great for someone on a low budget but still wants a reliable doorway dip bar.
Moreover, this one comes with comfortable handles for both the pullup and the dip bars, which reduces the calluses from frequent exercise without needing gloves.
The Goplus also comes with a suspension strap attachment that expands the variety of workouts you can do with the dip bar, allowing you to do some movements like inverted rows!
Pros
- Relatively high weight limit of 440 lbs
- Comfortable handles with foam padding
- Noticeably affordable price for a durable option
Cons
- The additional power ropes look a bit flimsy
3. Sunny Health & Fitness SF-BH6507 Dip Station – Best Budget Doorway Dip Bar (Portable Option)
The Goplus is one of the cheapest doorway options on the market, but as you can see, it’s still pretty expensive. This is because most doorway dip bars are also a pull-up bar combo.
So, if you really want to budget down in terms of a dip bar, you should look for another type of dip bar (like a portable dip bar).
And while this one isn’t a doorway one, it’s the cheapest that you can get, and it’s still a portable option that provides space efficiency like doorway ones.
The SF-BH6507 Dip Station is easy to store when not in use. Also, it comes with a bottom stabilizer and connector to stay sturdy enough to handle the weight without too much wobbling.
Another advantage that this design has over doorway ones is that you can adjust it to the most suitable width from 20 to 28 inches and you can use it to do a larger variety of exercises, such as modified push ups and modified pull-ups.
Pros
- Suitable option for buyers on a strict budget
- Adjustable width
- Easy to store without eating up space or damage the door
Cons
- Low weight limit of 250 lbs
Main Features of Doorway Dip Stations
While shopping for a doorway dip bar, there are a few features that you need to keep an eye on if you want a quality product. Here’s a quick at some of these aspects:
General Construction
As I’ve stated above, the weight limit of any dip bar is highly dependent on the design of the dip bar.
So, you should pay attention to the general construction of the dip bar and make sure that it’s made of solid steel in order to handle your weight.
Another aspect of the general construction is the overall dimensions of the dip bar. While portable dip bars can be used anywhere, this one is bound to the size of the door, so you should always keep that in check.
Customizability
Although customizability is a rare feature in doorway dip bars, it’s still highly appreciated, especially if multiple users are going to benefit from it.
Some doorway dips offer different width levels to let the exerciser choose the most suitable one depending on their arms’ length.
Add-ons & Variety of Exercises
One of the best ways to extend the value of your dip bar is by getting one that comes with additional add-ons that help you extend your workout movements.
If you’re interested in doing more than just dips, look for options that offer extras like suspension straps, hammer grip pull-up handles, and more!
How Do You Attach The Dip Bar To The Door?
In most cases, dip bars aren’t attached to the wall directly. First, you need to attach the pull-up bar to the door, then all you need to do is hang the dip bar over by using the J-shaped hooks.
In most cases, doorway bars come with clear instructions on how to install them, so here’s a rough guide of the necessary steps in the installation process:
- Make sure that all the screws, washers, nuts, and bolts needed are available
- Assemble the pull-up bar using a wrench
- Follow the provided guide’s instruction on where to drive the screws into the wall (or stick the holder foam parts)
- Attach the pull-up bar to the wall
- Place the J-shaped dip bars over the bottom bar to use it.
Frequently Asked Questions
How Do Doorway Dip Bars Compare to Other Types?
Doorway dip bars aren’t the absolute best option when it comes to dips because they’re greatly limited in terms of weight limits, features, and customizability. Portable and wall-mounted options are the best alternatives to power towers because they usually offer a comparable level of durability and ample room for width and height customization.
Can You Attach a Doorway Dip Bar on a Wall?
Due to the design of most doorway dip bars, it’s not possible to hang them on a wall because they’re built to rest over the trim of the doorframe. Yet, a few options, such as the Shamrock Triple Door Gym, can be used over a wall because they’re mainly stabilized using multiple foam holders. However, if you want a dip bar that fits over a wall, I recommend that you go for a sturdier wall-mounted option, such as Slsy Multifunctional Wall Mounted Pull Up Bar and Dip Station
Wrap Up
Ideally, I recommend the Shamrock Triple Door Gym as the overall best doorway dip bar option on the market if you want to balance out all features.
However, if you want to do weighted dips with a dip bar, you need a sturdier option that surprisingly happens to be one of the most affordable options as well, the Goplus Doorway Pull-Up Bar with Dip Station.
