This is a good beginner set. Doesn't take too much room and very compact. I was suprised at how sturdy the cage was! I love all the accessories it comes with (Dip Bar, Tricep Rope, Lat Bar). I've only tested the pulley system with a 10%23 plate. My concern is that it isn't as smooth as I want it to be. The slide up/down is a bit choppy. But it is manageable. Assembly-wise if you have someone there to assist I highly recommend it. When you get to the top part of the cage it gets kind of dicey having to balance and hold the parts as you're trying to screw in the cage. Otherwise it is possible to do it by yourself. Instructions are photo comparison and a step-by-step kind of thing. But it's basically follow what the picture shows you. For someone like me who is on a scale of 1 to 10 (10 Extra Handyman), I'm like a 3. So it took me about 3 hours to assemble everything. I do recommend having a quick ratchet, tongue groove pliers and a ladder. Do not use the flimsy tools they provide, the consideration is there but you'll end up frustrated. You dont need a power drill, because it won't fit in the tight spaces where you need to screw/tighten the bolts (95% hand tied). Make sure you have plenty of space to spread out your assembly pieces. This made it a lot easier to find my parts and go step by step. When you are screwing in the parts, do not tighten everything until the very end. You'll need to align certain parts, so if the cage is tight the bolts won't fit all the way. Do yourself a favor and get a workout mat to place underneath the cage. Lastly when doing the pulleys, make sure you have your cables running through at the same time or else you'll make the same mistake I made and had to unscrew the pulley/wheels to fit the cable through.