ABMAT PLYO BOX REVIEW | RooBox
The New ABMAT Plyo Box is the first “Plyobox With The Strength Of Plywood And The Safety Of Foam.”.
March 2021
In March of 2021 RooBox announce they were taking the next step toward making the RooBox the premier plyo box for both function and safety. By partnering with the maker of the ABMAT, Roobox will expand their reach to gyms and home workout enthusiasts everywhere. As a result, the original RooBox branded plyo boxes are to be phased out of production.
Fast forward a year and the RooBox has become the ABMAT Roobox.
OUR VERDICT
There are a lot of companies producing plyo boxes from simple wooden crates to softboxes. The new ABMAT Plyo Box is one of the premier boxes for doing any type of plyometric work.
It’s elegant, yet very functional and looks fantastic in a high-end gym, home, or garage gym.
Most of your typical plywood plyo boxes have rough or sharp edges and are the bane of crossfitters who miss their jumps. Having a shin hit the edge of a box during a missed jump is not a laughing matter and will leave a gash or bruise and will surely hurt.
The ABMAT plyo box solves this issue by having slightly compressible closed cell molded foam rubber edges that will soften the blow of a misjump.
The only negative is the price point, at $25000 as some people may want a less expensive alternative.
In gearing up for this review, I reached out to Chris Wittenbrink from RooBox and he was nice enough to send out a sample for review.
So why would you want the New ABMAT Plyo Box when there are so many to choose from? The simple answer is quality, foam edges, and cool looks. One of the unique selling points of the ABMAT PLYO BOX is the rounded foam corners and edges. No more banging up your shins or knees because the foam will take the brunt of the damage rather than your legs.
Unboxing
The plyo box package arrived in a typical brown box. Nothing really special, but the packaging was good and the box arrived with zero issues.
ABMAT PLYO BOX ASSEMBLY
Beyond the plywood pieces, the box comes with a set of small and large screws plus a hex tool to put everything together. If you have ever put Ikea furniture together, you will feel right at home putting the box together.
You will want to set aside about 30 to 45 minutes to get the job done. You can build the box by yourself, although having a friend may help speed up the process.
The main body of the plywood box snapped in place with wooden pegs and cut grooves. Using metal screws finishes the job. No glue is required.
ABMAT PLYO BOX REVIEW
I thought the overall design is really neat and makes for a super sturdy plyo box. The top and bottom of the box (the sides with the logo) are reinforced and when jumping on or off make for a super solid base. The box has 4 cutouts for handles that make it easier to move than a traditional plyo box without handles.
The dimensions are 30″ x 24″ x 20″, which means when the box has the logo showing that is 20″s when you flip it on its side it’s 24″s and when you have the handles facing the ceiling it’s 30″s. For me personally, 20″s is good enough for most box jump exercises. I rarely found myself wanting to use the 24″ or 30″ sides.
The edges are made from slightly compressible closed cell molded foam rubber and serve two purposes. First, it makes the boxes look super cool, and second, it protects the jumper from misjumps.
The plywood panels are CNC machined from ¾” plywood. The combination of plywood panels and EVA foam edges create unbeatable structural integrity. The foam edges are extremely durable and from what I understand can be replaced if needed. Through my testing I haven’t found any issue with wear, but I do use horse stall mats, which may help with product abuse.
Specs:
- Made in the USA
- Dimensions: 30″ x 24″ x 20″
- Weight: Approximately 45 lbs.
- Ships flat and comes with everything you need
- Partial assembly required (no special tools required)
- Satisfaction guaranteed or your money back
- Retail $250
- Assembly Time 30 to 45 minutes
BOTTOM LINE
Overall I think RooBox and ABMAT have a fantastic product for Crossfit anyone looking to do plyometric exercises. Where I think the plyo box could be improved is in the logo and measurement category. Rather than having a logo screen printed or whatever process Roobox uses, I would love to see it laser-etched instead. That way it will not rub off over time. I would also like to see large laser etched height increment markings for 20″, 24″ 30″, just so people know what the jumping height is.
Lastly, the cost of the ABMAT Plyo Box ($250) is quite expensive compared to other plywood boxes but seems to be in line with high-end softboxes, like the Rogue Fitness Foam Games BOX – 3-IN-1 Foam plyo box ($275).
