Absolutely beautiful bench and SOLID (after tightening up the hinge bolt slightly, which eliminated any wobble to the pads themselves). Pads are grippy (appear to use same vinyl as the Rep FB-5000 that I also recently purchased and which was very poorly packaged as compared to the Vulcan bench). Vulcan pad is much more taught than the Rep bench. The foam of the Vulcan pads is firm yet not uncomfortable (unlike my Body Solid SFID325, which is as hard as a rock). Top pad and handle were damaged during transport, and Vulcan's customer service is already sending out replacements for both. Absolute top shelf customer service. Will buy again.