Although mainly my style of training is Body-Weight, there comes a time to use Equipment every once in a while that is challenging, fun and full of possibilities. I have set up an area of equipment in our den where there's different types of Hammers, a Mace, Spikes to bend, Resistance Cables that can be used as any machine in the gym, a Sandbell and a (Sand) Kettlebell. You don't need a ton of equipment to get what you need out of it. They're merely options.
A home gym to me is a far better investment than going to a place down the road and have to follow certain rules in order to "enjoy" yourselves. The gym is great in some aspects; you get to meet people, listen to different types of music and have equipment at your disposal. However, many people aren't going to give you the space you need to train, you sometimes need to wait in order for someone to finish with a specific machine you want to work on, the music is presetted to specific music that the managers or owners wish to put on, a lot of the equipment is more machinery than old school barbells and dumbbells andfor the most part, you have to follow certain rules in order to keep everyone happy.
In a home gym, you set up where it's most appropriate for your place, pick your own music, the equipment is right there and you own it, make up your own rules and you get to do a workout within a few feet instead of having to burn gas and get stuck in traffic. I feel more at ease with my home gym because I get to tackle my own thoughts, my own motivation and I get inspired using my imagination. If there were any plans on going to a gym anywhere, I'd rather have it be old school where there's little to no machines, mainly free weights, kettlebells, pull-up bars, racks and mats to drop the weights on. Sure you only pay a certain amount a month at a gym but at the same time, you don't own anything there, you may get bickered at times for being at a station too long and you have to cater to other people's behaviors. A solid trainer doesn't spend much time talking to other people, is there because its important to him/her to work hard and make the very best out of what is useful for them.
I have no problem having a training partner from time to time but yet training alone and even better completely alone gives me an opportunity to be myself and train the way I want to, use the amount of time that is suited to me, use equipment that I love to use. If you're going to set up your own gym keep the equipment to a minimal such as....
Kettlebell (preferably a loadable)
Dumbbell (Preferably loadable)
Resistance Cables
Pull-Up Bar
Barbell
Olympic Style Barbell Plates
Sledgehammer
Mace
All these can be put into a small space of a corner. Sure the more equipment you get the more space you're going to need so it's important to choose wisely unless you have a good amount of space for a backyard than go for it. All my equipment is in a maybe 4x4 space so that's small yet some of these puppies are huge.
By the way; if you're looking for good solid Kettlebells, feast your eyes on
Onnit's Iron Man 40 lb. Kettlebell. This bad boy was made to motivate training to a very high degree. It is craftily made to enhance your imagination and make your exercises look even more bad ass. Looking for better quality Olympic Barbell Plates than look no further than
Captain America's Shield Barbell Plates. These will inspire you to train like the good ole Cap himself and lift weight like an Avenger. Superhero Training is my big thing and if it came to Equipment I would use the types that have a Theme such as DC or Marvel. I swear by the Universe if there was a way to have a Darth Vader Kettlebell or Beta Ray Bill's Stormbreaker Hammer I would want those in a heartbeat. I can be very nerdy but I like being strong at the same time so you can have the best of both worlds. Having a Thor Hammer and a bigger hammer closely resembling an inspiring John Henry Mystique to it is already a dream come true.
Having themed like equipment just brings out that extra fire to train intensely and with an insane purpose. Who needs steroids when you can have a kick ass looking Hammer or Kettlebell resembling your favorite Superheroes. What if it was possible to have a hammer for women crafted like Harley Quinn's? How about a Mace with the head shaped like the Hulk? There are so many cool things that can be found and the best place for custom free weights to me is at Strongergrip.com. You can't find many equipment of that caliber in a regular gym. Most people are afraid to touch a hammer or a heavy barbell. Having a Home Gym represents what you own and what makes you the happiest to train with and it belongs to you. Invest in a home gym, it works wonders.