about
Built by lifters, for lifters. We curate commercial-grade equipment from the brands that actually earn their keep — and stand behind every piece we ship.
A SIMPLE FRUSTRATION
IronForge Pro began in 2018 in a converted warehouse in Austin, Texas. Our founders — a competitive powerlifter, a CrossFit affiliate owner, and a strength coach — were tired of buying gym equipment that didn't match its marketing. Bars rated for 1,500 lbs that bent at 405. "Lifetime warranty" frames that arrived with welds you could see daylight through. Customer support that took five days to answer a question about hole spacing.
They built IronForge Pro to be the retailer they wished existed: one that vets every brand by training on the equipment, lists honest specs, and stands behind every piece long after the box is opened. Today we ship to over 10,000 home gyms, garage builds, CrossFit affiliates, university strength facilities, and private training studios across the US and UK.
We've grown — but the principle hasn't changed. If a product doesn't hold up to daily heavy use, it doesn't make our catalog. If a brand doesn't treat its customers right, we drop it. We'd rather carry 96 great products than 600 mediocre ones.
OUR SOURCING STANDARDS
Lifter-Tested First
Every product gets used in our facility for a minimum of 90 days before going on the site. Not unboxed-and-photographed. Used. Squatted with. Deadlifted from. Dropped on. If our team won't train on it, we won't sell it.
Spec Verification
We measure every bar with calipers, weigh every plate on calibrated scales, and stress-test every rack to the manufacturer's rated load. If the spec sheet says 1,500 lbs and we can't verify it, we won't list it.
Warranty That Means Something
A warranty isn't worth the paper it's printed on if you have to fight to use it. We handle every warranty claim ourselves — no third-party runaround. Damaged j-cup? Email us a photo. Replacement ships the same day.
Brand Partnership
We don't drop-ship from random suppliers. Every brand in our catalog has signed a partnership agreement that gives us factory-direct pricing, faster fulfillment, and direct lines to engineering. That's how we stand behind the gear.
Transparent Pricing
No fake "MSRP crossed out" tricks. No flash sales every other week. We price competitively against direct-from-manufacturer and stay there. If you find a lower price on a like-for-like product, we'll match it.
Real Lifters On Support
Every consultant on our sales floor trains seriously. Multiple are competitive powerlifters or CrossFit Games qualifiers. When you call about rack depth or bar whip, you're talking to someone who's pulled 600 — not a script reader.
WE TURN DOWN 4 OUT OF 5
Every week, somewhere between three and ten new brands approach us asking to be carried. We turn down most of them. Here's the process every brand goes through before making the catalog:
- Spec audit. We compare claimed specs against what's actually achievable for the materials and construction. Bars rated for 1,500 lbs that use 165k tensile steel get rejected immediately.
- Sample testing. The brand ships us 2-3 samples. We use them in our training facility for 90 days minimum. Anything that fails — uneven knurl, sleeve wobble, frame flex — kills the deal.
- Manufacturing review. For our top-tier brands, we visit the factory. We've walked production lines in Sweden, Texas, Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, and the UK. We check QC, materials sourcing, and worker conditions.
- Warranty terms. We negotiate warranty coverage upfront. If the brand won't back their product for at least 5 years on shaft integrity (bars), lifetime on frames (racks), or lifetime on plates, they don't make it.
- Customer service track record. We talk to existing customers — gym owners, athletes, coaches. If we hear a pattern of slow warranty claims or missing parts, we pass.
The result: 80% of brands that approach us don't make it. The ones that do tend to stick around. Most of our top-line partners — Rogue, REP, Eleiko, Texas Power Bar, Concept2 — we've worked with for 4+ years.
BUILT BY LIFTERS
James Mercer
Former USAPL national-level powerlifter (2,007 lb total). Spent 8 years as a strength coach before launching IronForge Pro. Still lifts five days a week — usually before 6 AM.
Rachel Tanaka
CrossFit affiliate owner since 2014. Owns four gyms in Texas. Negotiates every brand partnership. If you're an OEM trying to get into our catalog, you'll talk to Rachel first.
Derek Kowalski
Former Eleiko USA technical lead. Knows competition equipment specs cold. Personally handles every warranty claim and complex consultation request.
Sarah Pemberton
Runs our Manchester warehouse and UK consulting team. British Powerlifting referee. The reason UK orders ship in 2-4 days instead of 2-4 weeks.
IF IT BREAKS, WE FIX IT
Lifetime structural warranty on every rack we sell. Multi-year warranty on bars, plates, and machines. We handle every claim directly — no third-party runaround, no fighting for what you're owed. Email us, we ship a replacement.