This 52.5 lb single dumbbell setup is without a doubt one of the best deals I’ve ever found on Amazon. While most iron free-weights sell for around $2/pound (as of the fall of 2022), this set is much more affordable,
The price for it does seem to vary wildly day by day. I paid $77 in October 2022 and see that a month later, it is selling for $65. But I’m not complaining since it’s a steal at either price.
I bought 2 sets so I’d have a pair of dumbbells.
The dumbbell bars and threaded, star-shaped end nuts are nicely made. The chrome coating seems thick and durable. And because the threaded nuts have black rubber washers on the side that makes contact with the weight plates, they tighten securely and stay firmly in place when in use. Other sets I’ve used did not have the rubber washer and as a result, would loosen up while doing reps. That’s both annoying and dangerous
The rubber washers do tend to fall off when removing the nuts from the dumbbell, but that is easily rectified by putting a few drops of superglue in the groove in the nut into which the rubber washer sits.
The weight plates themselves are a little less precisely made. For instance, I weighed my 5 lb plates on a postal scale and discovered they range anywhere from 4.75 lbs to 5.25 lbs. That’s not a big deal most of the time but you can definitely notice an imbalance if you inadvertently end up with 8 of the heavier 5 lb plates on one hand and 8 of the lighter plates on the other.
To avoid that from happening, I used a silver Sharpie to mark the plate that are over 5 lbs and keep them in a separate pile so I can distribute the weight more evenly into the bars.
Also, while the clear-coat on the plates seems heavy duty enough, you do need to check for rough edges. That goes for the dumbbell bars too. I had to file down a couple of spots to avoid getting metal splinters in my hands.
Last but not least, the dumbbells I received have a diameter of 1.18 inches (or 30mm) and the weight plates have holes that size. This means any plates you may already have with 1 inch (25mm) holes will not fit onto these bars. Likewise, while the plates from this set will easily go onto a 1 inch bar, they can flop around a bit. In practice the latter is not a problem as long as you can tighten down the bar-end clamps. I use my 30mm plates on a 25mm curl bar without issue.
In short, while there may be some compromises involved, at these prices, this dumbbell set is one of the best deals out there.
Follow up note written on April 11, 2023:
I’ve been using my weight set several times a week for about 6 months now and all parts are holding up great!
D’Art –
Alex M –
maine_builder –
NoNoBadCat –
Dave Larsen –
Christopher B. –
PD –
Ozzie –