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TOUSAINS CR63 Cable Machine Review: A Folding Lat Pulldown for £230
By Jack Atkins, Home Gym Equipment Specialist · Updated 27 September 2026
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TOUSAINS
TOUSAINS CR63 Plate-Loaded Cable Machine, 2-in-1 Lat Pulldown and Low Row
3.7
Most cable machines under £400 are either a flimsy wall pulley or a full crossover tower that needs a spare bedroom. The TOUSAINS CR63 sits between the two: a plate-loaded lat pulldown and low row on a 160cm frame that folds flat and rolls away on wheels. At £229.99 it's aimed squarely at flat dwellers who own some plates and want a back day.
We think it does that job well. It's a narrower machine than the "2 in 1 functional trainer" name suggests, though, and the box leaves out a couple of things you'll need.
How we review
This review draws on the TOUSAINS Amazon UK listing, its product images, the dimensions Amazon holds for the item and our experience with plate-loaded pulley systems. We haven't trained on the CR63 ourselves, and it's a young listing without a long ownership record, so we can't speak to how the cable and pulleys wear over a couple of years.
Who it's for
It suits someone training at home with an adjustable bench and a stack of plates who keeps skipping pulling work because pull-ups are too hard or there's nowhere to hang a bar. Renters get a lot out of it, since nothing gets drilled.
Skip it if you want cable flyes, woodchops or anything with two independent handles. For that, a crossover such as the GYM MASTER cable crossover or the SPORTNOW cable crossover power cage does far more, at roughly double the price and floor space.
Pros
- Uses your own 1 inch or 2 inch plates, so no proprietary weights
- Folds to about 0.27 square metres with transport wheels
- Freestanding, no wall fixing needed
- Lat bar, triceps rope, V handle and 4 spring clamps included
- Around 23kg, light enough for one person to move
Cons
- No seat or thigh hold-down pad in the box
- 160cm height caps the start position for tall lifters
- One cable path only, so it's not a true functional trainer
- 180kg is a frame rating; no pulley ratio stated
- Short ownership track record
| Type | Plate-loaded cable machine (lat pulldown and low row) |
|---|---|
| Frame rating | 180kg total |
| Plates | 1 inch standard, 2 inch Olympic, most dumbbell plates |
| Loading points | 2 |
| Height | About 160cm |
| Folded footprint | About 0.27 square metres |
| Machine weight | About 23kg |
| Included | Lat bar, triceps rope, V handle, 4 spring clamps |
| Weights included | No |
What it actually does
Load plates on the carriage, clip a handle to the cable and pull. From the top pulley you get lat pulldowns, triceps pushdowns, face pulls and straight-arm pulldowns; move the cable to the low position and you get seated rows, curls and glute kickbacks. TOUSAINS claims 20-plus exercises, which is fair if you count variations.
The change between high and low is the part the brand likes to talk up. We can't time it, but on a single-cable machine it's a pin or clip move, not a rebuild, and that's what matters when you're supersetting pulldowns with rows.
It won't do chest flyes or rotational work properly, because there's one cable coming from one column. That's why we'd call it a pulldown and row station rather than a functional trainer.
The missing seat
This is the thing that catches people out. No seat or knee roller comes in the box, which means seated pulldowns and rows need a bench you already own. That's fine if you have one; our best weight bench guide covers some that pair well.
The bigger issue is the lack of a thigh pad. Once your pulldown weight gets close to your bodyweight, the cable lifts you instead of the bar coming down. Kneeling pulldowns solve it for most people, and a heavy dumbbell across the thighs works in a pinch. It's still a gap you wouldn't get on a proper lat tower.
Height and range of motion
At roughly 160cm, the CR63 clears any normal UK ceiling with room to spare, which is the point. The cost is the start position: a seated lifter over about 180cm may find the bar reaches the pulley before their arms are straight. You lose the stretched top of the rep, which is where the lats work over their longest length.
Grip choice matters less than people think, for what it's worth. A 2025 EMG study of 40 trained men found no significant difference in overall back muscle activity across seven lat pulldown grips and trunk angles (Journal of Functional Morphology and Kinesiology, 2025). So the included straight bar and V handle cover you; getting a full stretch at the top matters more than the attachment.
Is 180kg enough?
It's plenty, but read it correctly. TOUSAINS says clearly that 180kg is the total load the frame can carry, not a per-side number. The listing doesn't give a pulley ratio, so we can't tell you whether 20kg on the carriage feels like 20kg on the bar or 10kg. Most plate-loaded single pulleys run 1:1; assume that until the manual says otherwise.
For context, a strong home lifter pulling 70kg for sets of eight is well inside that frame rating.
Why pulling work is worth it
The NHS asks adults to do muscle-strengthening work for all the major muscle groups, back and shoulders included, on at least two days a week. Home gyms tend to be heavy on pressing and squatting because dumbbells and a bench make those easy. A pulldown station fixes that imbalance for £230, and our lat pulldown guide and seated cable row guide cover the technique.
Check the TOUSAINS CR63 price on Amazonaround £230Recommended reads
Frequently asked questions
Is the TOUSAINS CR63 cable machine any good?
For the money, yes, if what you want is lat pulldowns, low rows and pushdowns in a small space. It's plate-loaded, so you use your own plates, it folds to about 0.27 square metres and it doesn't need bolting to a wall. It isn't a full functional trainer: there's one cable path, no seat and no thigh hold-down pad.
Does the TOUSAINS CR63 come with weights?
No. It takes 1 inch standard and 2 inch Olympic plates, plus most dumbbell plates, on two loading points. If you don't own plates yet, budget another £60 to £150 for a starter set on top of the £230 machine.
How much weight can the TOUSAINS CR63 take?
TOUSAINS rates the whole frame at 180kg total. That's the structural limit, not the resistance you'll feel on the handle, and the listing doesn't state a pulley ratio. Most home users pulling 40kg to 70kg on a pulldown will be nowhere near the frame limit.
Do you need a bench for the TOUSAINS CR63?
For seated pulldowns and rows, yes. The listing doesn't include a seat, so plan on a flat bench or a sturdy box. Without a knee pad, heavy pulldowns can lift you off the bench; kneeling pulldowns are a good workaround.
Will the TOUSAINS CR63 fit under a low ceiling?
It stands about 160cm tall, so it clears a standard 2.4m UK ceiling easily. The trade-off is that the pulley sits lower than on a tall cable tower, which shortens the top of a seated pulldown for taller lifters.
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