Sean, I am not the best person to speak on home gym's. All we have had were elliptical's or bikes and an excercise ball. Never had the loot to get something of the nature you are after. I have used a few friend's machines, but none ever felt like it could hold up to the strain I would put on it, or they did not provide the amount of weight or resistance I needed. I do suggest a large excercise ball, and looking into a set of the select-a-weight dumbells. Many movements can be accomplished with those two combined. As for cable machines, I used them everyday at the gym, and have seen great results from them. I want to learn more on machines like the bowflex, where the resistance is progressive. For years, I was hard-headed and swore off most machines and stuck to free weights as much as possible, but have learned to use them on certain movements to keep better form. Hope that helped a little.