Not worth the price

I received the dumbbells yesterday. FedEx must have dropped the box over and over again as the cardboard exterior and foam interior were literally in pieces. The slide on one of the dumbbells was broken. However this review is about the dumbbells so here goes....



The slide components are plastic and this plastic seems like it will wear down quickly and fail over time. One of the slides (the adjustment that changes the weight) was broken and this damage seems to be more the result of a poor design and poor materials rather than the disrespectful horror of FedEx delivery. The other dumbbell is fully functional so I studied its mechanism and found that it did not move smoothly at all times. It is a hard truth that when lifting these dumbbells overhead my safety is in the hands of a plastic sliding clip.



Dumbbells are made to be handled. Even with the idiocy of FedEx the dumbbells should have been fully functional. When working out be prepared to treat them as if they were made of glass.



I would not recommend these dumbbells to anyone that is serious about using them. More detail ...

SUPREMELY VERSATILE...JUST ONE COMMENT THOUGH.

I am a very healthy and reasonably fit 50-year woman. I play tennis and swim 50-100 lengths daily. I bought the weights to gradually improve my upper arm strength. They are fantastically versatile the only comment I would have is that I think the weights should start from 5lbs not 10lbs.



Two of my friends used the weights and found the lowest weights too heavy to start training. My sons use them and can do much heavier weights.

We all gave them a score of 5 out of 5. More detail ...

Ironmaster vs Bowflex Ultimate

Got 1000 bucks to spend on a home gym? What might you want to buy? That was my dilemma when I got an overseas assignment in a remote area and knew I wouldn't see a decent gym for months on end. So I bought two alternatives--an Ironmaster weights bench and accessories and a Bowflex Ultimate.



After a year's use I have a clear favorite--the Ironmaster. Now the Bowflex claims that you can do some 100+ gym-quality exercises with it. You can do 100+ exercises but they are far from gym quality. Hey you can do 100+ exercises with two bags of rocks and a little creativity. The Bowflex took a LONG time to put together and frankly all of those exercises aren't so great. I max out the Bowflex on some exercises and I'm no gym dude--just a 50-yr old in respectable shape. And the Bowflex has variable resistance with those bows meaning you aren't getting resistance where you need it on a lot of exercises. Finally you don't need 100+ exercises. The fact is when you come right down to it there are probably about 15 exercises that will take care of your whole body.



Now the Ironmaster. First the free weights. I've used other adjustable free-weights and none are as secure or as fast to change out as the Ironmaster. And you can step it up 2-1/2 lbs at a go--not so necessary for me but great for my wife. One fast change-out trick when stepping up the weights--rather than adding equally on both sides just add an additional weight to ONE side of the dumbbell. This takes half the time. By shifting your hand slightly off-center on the crossbar it will still feel balanced.



The bench--superb quality. Quickly adjusts to various inclines from perpendicular to flat and plenty in between. Necessary accessories for a full range of exercises--definitely the leg extension curl and crunch sit-up attachments. Both are durable and comfortable and let you focus on your workout. I also got the curl bar and the preacher curl pad--all for under $1000 (you might find some specials if you go to the Ironmaster website).



Nothing puts on muscle faster than free weights true. But this is not just for putting on the meat. If I'm not feeling like a full workout I'll just go through a few reps to flex the muscles even in front of the TV. It's a lot better than couch-potato-ing it and leaves me refreshed. There are also a lot of exercises you can do without the Ironmaster--lunges squats all kinds of stretches toe raises (with or without weights)--to supplement the Ironmaster so that your body gets a thorough workout without a houseful of equipment.



Conclusion: gives a great essential workout saves time and money when compared to going to the gym and a lot more convenient. Going to last a long long time. For your money this might be unbeatable.More detail ...

My Opinion.

Potential buyers should be aware that these dumbbells only adjust in 10 pound increments had I known that I would have dropped some extra bills on the Bowflex selecttech. For that reasons and the fact that I could not find that information anywhere I give it 2 stars 10 pounds increments is a lot!More detail ...

Consumer Alert! HORRIBLE product!

The Lifecore Corebells promised to be durable (as the plates are made of metal) and to be adjustable in 2.5 lb increments. HOWEVER both promises are false. These dumbbells are made of a brittle plastic casing that is too fragile to hold the metal plates. After approximately 10 uses the plastic sliding mechanism used to select the weight plates began to stick and grind. Little pieces of OILY black brittle plastic began to litter the floor and before I knew it the weight plates began falling out of the dumbbell handle.



Additionally I am extremely disappointed in Lifecore's false advertising that these weights adjust in 2.5 pound increments. They do NOT. Instead they adjust in 5 pound increments and the only way that you can adjust by 2.5 pound increments is to unevenly load each end of the dumbbell. For example if you want 22.5 lbs you will need to set one end to load no weights while the other end loads 20 pounds. Have you ever tried to perform chest presses or shoulder presses with an unevenly loaded dumbbell? It's just not safe! Get Bowflex SelectTech dumbbells instead!More detail ...

Great dumbells great prices and fast shipping

This is a very high quality set of dumbells; each much better built (not to mention way nicer looking) than the standard cast iron dumbell. They don't chip or make a loud noise when struck together. A couple very minor things to note is that they have a black greasy coating on the rubber that should be wipped off well before use (unless you don't mind black marks on anything they touch). Also the do have a slight rubber smell - not overpowering but noticeable when entering the room. After a few weeks it is still present. I've noticed the same smell in gyms and never heard anyone complain. All in all I am very satisfied with this dumbell set.More detail ...

Some cautions and considerations

I agree that these are the best adjustable dumbbells on the market. However I would add a few caveats. For starters it is important to have the PowerBlocks on a level surface and make sure you insert the pin straight across rather than at an angle. If you don't it is possible that a plate could fall and hit you even with the elastic backup mechanism. It is also very important to put the pin assembly together right side up. If you don't the magnets that hold this assembly in place don't engage.



On exercises like OVERHEAD triceps extensions the points above are particularly important. While I think this product is great it does limit range of motion in some exercises such as upright rows. The dumbbell is rather long and this could be a problem depending upon your frame. However I wouldn't worry about the square design. I find using these dumbbells to be quite comfortable and the padded grips certainly help.



While this product is quite expensive it's also the best out there that I know of and I shopped around carefully. It also seems to be the safest and is certainly more convenient takes up less room and even costs less than a set of full dumbbells that can cover the same weight ranges.



If money is an issue for you you may want to consider getting the model of dumbbells one tier down from these that adjust in 5 lb. increments and then purchasing adjustable wrist weights in 0.5 increments. This will give you about the same effect for less cost.More detail ...