Speediance Original vs 2S: Why These Are the Only Two That Matter

There's a question I get asked more than almost any other in my DMs: Should I get the Speediance Original or the Speediance 2S? After spending serious time with both pieces of hardware, I've landed on a pretty firm take. And honestly, in my opinion, you should only be looking between these two devices.

That sounds like a throwaway line, but I mean it. The smart home gym category has gotten crowded over the last couple of years, and not every contender has earned its shelf space. Some of these machines are overbuilt in ways that don't actually help your training, and some are underbuilt in ways that limit what you'll realistically do with them. The Speediance Original and the Speediance 2S are the two that, to me, represent the actual sweet spots in the lineup. Everything else is a compromise.

The Headline Take

Here it is, plain and simple:

• If you have the budget for the latest, the highest weight capacity, and what I would genuinely call the best-in-class experience right now, the 2S is it. There's no question.
• If you want a phenomenal device, you're willing to live with a little more noise, and you'd rather save some money in the process, the Original is still an outstanding piece of equipment.

The Original can do almost everything the 2S can do. The difference comes down to a handful of refinements — and one of those refinements happens to be the loudest one, literally.

What the 2S Gets Right

The 2S is the machine Speediance built when they stopped compromising. It's the answer to every minor gripe the Original community had over the last couple of years. The weight ceiling is higher, which alone removes a mental ceiling for a lot of lifters who were getting close to the top of the Original's range. Beyond that, the whole thing just feels more refined — smoother pulls, more consistent resistance through the full range of motion, and a chassis that feels like it was designed by people who actually train.

When you unbox the 2S, the difference is immediate. This isn't a slight tweak. It's a genuine generational step. And once you've used it for a few weeks, going back to anything else feels like going back to a flip phone.

If money isn't the deciding factor, and you want the highest weight capacity, the best of breed in this category, and a machine you'll still be happy with in five years, the 2S is the answer.

What the Original Still Does

Here's the part I think gets undersold in a lot of comparison videos. The Original is not a "budget version" of the 2S. It is a genuinely capable smart gym that, for the vast majority of people, will check every box that actually matters for their training.

Can it run the Speediance app and follow guided workouts? Yes. Can it deliver digital weight in small increments through the full eccentric-concentric range? Yes. Can it replace a cable machine, a squat rack accessory setup, a rower-style pull, lat pulldowns, and a long list of other movements? Yes, and yes. The exercise library on this thing is enormous.

What it can't quite do, in my experience, is match the 2S on the absolute top-end weight. And it's a touch louder under load. Those are the two real differences. Everything else is either a wash or so marginal that you'd struggle to feel it in a normal training session.

If you're not chasing max-load numbers and you're not going to be working out next to a sleeping baby, the Original is a phenomenal choice. It's the value pick, but I don't mean "value" in the cheap way. I mean "value" in the this is a great machine for the price way.

The Noise Question

Let's talk about the noise, because this is where I think a lot of buyers under-research and end up surprised.

The 2S is quieter. Not silent — no smart gym is silent — but noticeably quieter than the Original under heavier loads. If you're training in an apartment, a condo, or a shared space where sound travels, the difference between these two machines is the difference between "my partner occasionally hears me" and "my partner never hears me."

The Original isn't obnoxiously loud. It's just louder. There's a servo whine, there's a slight clunk at heavier loads, and there's the rhythmic sound of the cable system that some people find meditative and other people find grating. If noise tolerance is a deciding factor for you, that's a real consideration.

The Weight Ceiling Question

The other real differentiator is the maximum resistance. The 2S simply goes higher. Whether or not that matters to you depends entirely on where you are in your training and where you're headed.

If you're relatively new to structured strength training, the Original's weight ceiling is unlikely to be a limiting factor for a long, long time. Plenty of intermediate lifters train their entire first year on these machines without ever bumping up against the top end.

If you're an experienced lifter coming from a commercial gym, or you're specifically building strength as a priority goal, the 2S's higher ceiling is going to feel like breathing room. You'll appreciate the headroom, especially on lower-body compound movements where the loads naturally run higher.

So How Do You Choose?

I walk people through three questions before I give a recommendation:

1. What's your realistic training ceiling over the next 18 months?

Be honest with yourself. If you're just starting out or returning from a long break, the Original will probably still feel fresh by the time you outgrow it — and even if you don't outgrow it, the training you get on it will be excellent training.

2. Where is this machine going to live?

Garage, basement, dedicated gym room? Noise is a non-issue. Shared wall with a neighbor, a nursery, or a home office? Noise matters, and the 2S earns its premium there.

3. Are you optimizing for "now" or "forever"?

If you want the thing you'll still love in five years with zero regrets, the 2S. If you want the thing that delivers 90% of that experience today and lets you redirect the price difference toward other gear, the Original.

What I'd Actually Tell a Friend

If a close friend came to me and said, "Toby, I have the budget for the 2S, should I get the Original and save the money?" — I'd tell them to get the 2S. The refinements are real, the longevity argument is real, and if you can afford the better version, you should buy the better version.

If that same friend said, "Toby, the 2S would stretch my budget and I'm not sure I want to spend that much, would the Original leave me wishing I'd waited?" — I'd tell them to get the Original without hesitation. It is a phenomenal machine. It will not leave you wishing you'd waited. It will simply train you, day after day, in the way that a great home gym should.

Both of these are correct answers. The wrong answer is buying some other smart gym that almost gets there. If you're shopping in this category, these are the two to put on your shortlist. Everything else is noise — and yes, I see the pun.