Ironmaster Vs. Powerblock from someone who owns BOTH
After years of collecting the old standard hex dumbells and trying to maintain a home gym in the city in various apartments (usually in the common basement) I found the PowerBlock dumbells. For someone without a dedicated room (with lots of space) for their workout equipment these are fantastic dumbells. They go up to 85 or 90lbs without the add-on kit and they are super fast and easy to change the weight. They are pricey but considering the amount of dumbells they replace well worth it for the right user.
After using the PowerBlock setup for a couple years I came across IronMaster another brand with adjustable dumbells. They go to 75lbs without the add-on kit and cost a little less than the PowerBlock dumbells. I have BOTH in my home gym now and I will go over the pros and cons of each for those of you trying to decide on a set up like this.
PowerBlocks:
Pros: Well made comfortable grip fast and easy to change the weight in 10lb increments nice stand included made in USA ability to go up to 85-90lbs as is and 120lbs with add-on. Excellent for exercises where you change weight quickly or frequently. Square dumbells don't roll.
Cons: Funky design with 4 pillars around your hand/wrist. It works but it makes me nervous at higher weights that if I were to drop them I could somehow catch my wrist in there and hurt myself. Difficult to quickly switch weights in increments smaller than 10lbs. This is a problem for many exercises. Although they are sturdy and have never given out on me they rattle and the plates move a little when you use them. Again they seem sturdy but when doing shoulder or bench press it's a little disconcerting. You need to make sure the magnetic pins are fully inserted and in the right spot or disaster could ensue. The dumbells get long when using a lot of weight which can be somewhat awkward for certain exercises.
Overall: These dumbells are best for exercises where you change the weight frequently or quickly and work best for non-press exercises in my experience. The add-on kit is a nice option but the dumbells are already pretty long at 85-90lbs so it may be impractical for a lot of exercises. They were the first of their kind they are still a serious contender in this ring.
IronMaster:
Pros: Well Made. More traditional looking & feeling dumbells. Up to 75lbs as is and 125lbs with kit. Not as long as PowerBlocks no awkward pillars to stick your hand in between. Nice stand included. Great bench and other accessories available (better than PowerBlock bench after using both). No rattling or moving of plates when in use. Sturdy and well balanced and made in USA. Excellent for press exercises. Just as quick to change the weight in 2.5lb or 5lb increments as it is by 10lbs or more.
Cons: Takes significantly longer to change the weight than PowerBlocks. For press exercises I find this to be less of an issue but for curls and other quick change exercises it's a bit of a pain. No locking mechanism for the screw in pins. This has never been an issue or caused a dumbell to fall apart during use but there's no locking mechanism (or magnet such as PowerBlocks) just friction preventing the pin from unscrewing. I'm not too worried about it but it has crossed my mind.
Overall: These dumbells are best for users who use higher weights for press exercises and want the traditional look and feel of a dumbell you might find in the gym. They don't rattle or move and are very solid. They also go higher in weight than the PowerBlocks with the add-on kit and cost less. Not as good for users using ligher weight and requiring quick changes.
Conclusion: For me having both pairs is a pretty good set up but If I were to choose just one I would stick with the IronMaster. I like them for their sturdiness and lack of rattling especially when using heavy weight. In addition to the IronMaster I would buy a cheaper set of adjustable dumbells with a lower maximum weight (50lbs maybe) that could be easily adjusted in 5lb (or smaller) increments to use for curls and kickbacks etc...and stick with the IronMaster for the heavier weights where I really don't mind the extra minute of rest to change the weight! In fact I think I will sell my PowerBlocks and get a set up like this and have some money left over for Muscle Milk! :)
P.S. the IronMaster adjustable bench is the BEST I have used!More detail ...
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