Customer Reviews

Bowflex SelectTech 1090 Adjustable Dumbbell (Single)

5 star:		(64)
4 star:		(19)
3 star:		(5)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

First off, this is a great product, but I will not spend the time reviewing the great things about this product because I feel there are many other reviews that have already done that. Here are some things I found I thought should be helpful to others:

1) In the "most helpful critical review" it is listed that the rectangular chrome handles are a pain to deal with. This almost compelled me not to buy this product. However, after trying out the DBs, I did not find it much of a bother. The "rectangular" handles are pretty much round with a hint of "rectangulariness" if you will. Not much of a bother to me, but some thick tape cloth should remedy the problem if you have sensitive hands.

2) To those that do not want to buy the $150 stand, I found that instead of picking the DBs off the floor, you can simply make use of the shipping boxes as a custom made stand. Just turn over the Styrofoam and cut off the top lid of the box and place the DB within the box and you are set. The DBs are still a little low, but it is better than picking them off the floor.

3) If you ever have the problem of a DB not fitting within the base evenly, the dials are stuck, and one of the plates does not attach to the DB, do not send in the DB to the manufacturer just yet (I had this occur to me today). After some experimenting, I finally figured out that all I had to do was remove the DB from the base and remove the plates from the base until the base was completely emptied. Then, with the emptied base, place the DB back within the base (without remaining plates on the floor). You should be able to switch the dials back to 10 lbs with plates from the DB coming off. Then simply place back all the plates within the base and place the DB back within the base with the plates ready to go. The DB should pick the plates right back up. This experiment saved me a lot of money because I forgot to send in the warranty mail within 30 days (it's on the back of the paperback instructions). Hope you found at least one of these points helpful!

I've been using the 1090's for a few weeks now. I have a very limited amount of workout space in my apartment so I don't have the room for a full dumbbell set. This set provides 90 lbs for each arm which is more than enough for every exercise that I do. 50 lbs was not enough so I'm glad I bought the 1090's vs. the 1050's.

The 1050's have a nice rubberized handle grip but the 1090's have an all metal grip with a rough texture. I find them less comfortable than the rubberized grip but a little tape takes care of the issue.

The dial selector is very good and is super easy to use. It just takes a couple seconds to dial in the weight you want and off you go. This is a very high quality product and it works very well.

The only drawback I've seen is that the bar is pretty long so you are using a large and long dumbbell even when you only need 10 lbs of weight. I've had some trouble doing double arm curls because the weights hit when I get my arms close enough together to do the exercise properly. To compensate, I just do one set with each arm individually. 90% of the exercises I do are not affected by the length so its not a significant issue for me.

I highly recommend this set. You should consider getting the stand to save your back. 90 or 180 lbs is a lot of weight to lift from the floor and especially if you are doing it repetitively. The stand is at the right height and orientation to allow easy pickup of the dumbbells without straining your back.

I bought the 1090 dumbbell set (two dumbbells) and the stand new for $600 at Play it Again Sports. I haven't seen any deals that good online. If you don't want to spend the money for a full set of dumbbells and/or you if you have limited space, then I highly recommend this product. I have to say I still enjoy dialing in the weight every time I do it. I guess the gadget factor is something to consider also :-)

I'm a certified personal trainer, I've been lifting regularly for nearly a decade and after 3 months with my Selectech 1090 dumbbells I can tell you with absolute certainty they are the best purchase I've ever made to get a stronger, more muscular body.

First off let me tell you why I decided to get them since my motivations will help explain their benefits:

Already knowledgeable on lifting - Like I said, I'm a certified personal trainer and I already know how to do tons of exercises with proper form. If I had no idea how to do strength training, these dumbbells would be pretty intimidating, and I'd probably want to get a home gym machine to guide me through the proper motions.

180 is Just Right - For someone light the 1050's that are 50 pounds would probably be adequate resistance. By the same token, if your a 250 pound lineman on your Division 1 College football team, or a power lifter these weights will be inadequate for you. 180 pounds is enough resistance for most people, but if your an elite athlete in a high weight class these just aren't going to cut it long term. You should go with a full olympic weight set.

I weigh about 180 pounds, so I figure If I can bench, row, squat and deadlift the dumbbells which are equivalent to my body weight for 10 reps I'm strong enough and don't need to worry about getting bigger. I think most people feel that way and these will fit the needs of the vast majority of users.

Workout By Myself - If you have a spotter to help you adjust weights, or spot you from dropping a heavy bar on your throat then barbell sets are a little more appealing but since I work out by myself, quickly adjusted weights and dumbells that I can let go of without decapitating myself are very appealing.

Limited Space - I didn't want to fill a room with a whole gym or weight set. These take up virtually no space in the corner of a room.

Good Investment - Buying all the dumbbells you'd need to have 0-90 would cost well over a thousand dollars, these are an incredible deal given the flexibility they give you.

Glutton for punishment - I love doing drop sets where after I reach muscular failure with a weight, I quickly reduce the weight squeeze out a few more reps and continue on like that until I pass out, throw up or get stronger. Changing weights with the turn of a dial could not be faster or more convenient. I like to keep my workouts pretty intense and short, not having to waste time or focus fiddling with dropping and adding weight helps me get a better intense workout more quickly.

Too Lazy and Cheap for Gyms - I'm one of those freak shows that actually really enjoy working out, but I'm way too lazy too commute to the gym, and too cheap to pay for membership. Plus I get hot and I'd rather workout with my shirt off which would be weird at a public gym. I have an easier time making sure I get my workouts in when I can just pick up and do it whenever I feel like it without going out of my way. I'd been doing body weight exercises like pushups and squats for a while and I was happy with it, but I wanted to throw something new at my body and increase the intensity of my workouts. These give me all the convenience and flexibility of a home gym, without having to give up an unreasonable amount of space or money.

Dumbbells Rule! - Dumbbells are better than machines or barbells for real world strength. Not only do they develop your stabilizing muscles and core better, but they get both sides of your body strength symmetrical, unlike machines or barbells where the stronger side can pick up the slack from the weaker side. If someone can bench 100 they won't be able to dumbbell press that much, where as someone who can dumbbell press 100 will be able to bench much more!

Love Bodyweight Exercises: I believe the body responds better to bodyweight exercises like dips, chinups and squats than equivalent exercises that don't move the body through space like machine leg presses or lat pull downs. So I'd actually rather use dip/chinup tower with added resistance from the dumbbells on a dipping belt rather than, use equivalent exercises on a machine.

More on this, and a full description of the product features:

Highly Recommended with a Dip/Chinup Tower and Lifting Belt!
Professionally, I sell breakdancing competition and instructional videos like this:International Battle of the Year 2008 and Storm's Footwork Fundamentals, I've been break dancing for years and triceps are the most frequently used muscles for handstands, and power moves like flares and headspins. Dips are my favorite tricep developer, and I've been doing them for years, long enough that I was ready for some added resistance beyond my own body weight.

I'd tried filling a camping backpack with dumbbells, but it was very uncomfortable (The steel weights dug into my back), it was difficult to put on, it made me back heavy so I felt like I'd fall backwards and be like a turtle on it's shell unable to get up, and it would be incredibly time consuming to adjust the weight, I'd have to take off the backpack and slowly add or remove weight, zip it up and put it back on, it would take several minutes, and be a disruptive hassle. I have a dip and chinup tower and when I got the 1090's I started out doing dips and chinups holding the handle between my feet. That worked okay, but it's hard to concentrate on holding it with your legs during the lift, and because the dumbells are so long, if your dip/chinup tower isn't extremely high, if you go the whole way down holding the weight between your feet you'll smash your dumbbell on the ground.

So I invested in this 20 dollar dipping belt from amazon Altus Athletic Nylon Dip Belt It works great and is extremely comfortable, the only thing I didn't like is the chain just seals around the dumbbell handle with a hook, and I wanted something more secure, so I got a 2 dollar little speed carabiner from home depot that securely fastens the dipping belt chain shut around the dumbbell handle and holds it securely. So I'd recommend if you want to do dips and chin-ups you get a dipping belt and carabinier, they are cheap, and change it from being a chore to being a pleasure. With the help of my dipping belt and the 1090's, in the past 3 months I've worked up to doing 12 dips with 60 pounds, and 5 chinups with 60 pounds. My friends jaws drop when they see me banging out reps while hauling the extra weight. I plan on working up to performing chin ups and dips with the added weight of the full 90 pound dumbbell.

The Dials: It's incredibly fast and easy to select your weight. The dials are sturdy, clearly labeled, fast, accurate, and allow for different settings on each side of a single barbell, so if you want to curl 32.5 pounds, you just set one side at 30, the other at 35 and your good to go. Very occasionally (maybe 1 out of 100 times) if I don't put the dumbbells back down into their holder properly the dial will lock up slightly. But if I reseat the dumbbells properly, or knock the dial down to 0 and put the handle pack in it's place it's back and good as new. Note that if you always put the handle in perfectly this won't happen, but you will probably occasionally set the handle back down into the dumbbells at an off angle, whether you have the stand or not.

The Dumbbell Stand: Get it. I didn't think I'd need it, but these bad boys are really heavy and tough to move around without the stand. The stand is pretty easy to put together, looks cool, it's space efficient, sturdy secure, and super easy to move around on it's wheeled base, so you can bring the weights out of the way, or over to your bench, and save the energy you would have used wrestling them up from the ground to instead set a new personal best on your lifts! The stand makes these much more convenient and more of a pleasure to use.

The Bar (Gloves not included):
I have medium to large hands and for me the round-rectangular shape of the handles are perfectly comfortable, I don't mind them not being round. With that being said the metal on the handles is VERY textured to give a better grip. For light lifts of 10-40 pounds this feels okay on bare skin, but when you start doing lifts with the full 90 pounds and you have soft hands these will RIP you up. This doesn't bother me any, I always lift with workout gloves and with those they couldn't be more comfortable. If your hands are crazy tough or you don't usually lift heavy don't sweat it, but if you lift heavy and you like having skin on your palms, you need gloves for these handles.

The Dumbbell Size: The dumbbells are a little long compared to standard ones. I never find them difficult to use or troublesome, but they are a good 6 inches longer then standard dumbbells just so you know.

Okay, that's about as thorough a review as I can give. Sorry it's long but I figured you'd want to get all the details before you shell out $500+ They're well made and as long as you don't abuse them and throw them around the room they should last you for decades of regular use. I could not possibly be happier with these or recommend them more highly. If the benefits that appealed to me, appeal to you pick these up. You'll be glad you did.

Fits perfectly in the corner of my office. I didn't get the stand but will be buying it really soon. It is too cumbersome adjusting and grabbing these from the floor. A little ackward to use initially but you will get used to it. The one thing I would complain about is I can't for the life of me comprehend why Bowflex decided the bar should be rectangular instead of round. I find a spend a lot of time adjusting the dunmbell so the flat textured side is against my palm. Also don't like the way the ends taper instead of maintaining a consistant size. I wouldn't give these a 10. They work ok for my purposes and my selection of these is a statement of the limited products out there that have this great a range of weight selections. For the money I think more thought should have gone into the design of these. This design fits the dumbells that go up to 50lbs, but the heavier lifters that would but the 1090s I think have different wants.

I have had the 1090's and the stand for over 30-days so I am now ready to write my review.

What can I say, the 1090's are simply awesome! You have a whole gym rack of dumbbells in a super small footprint. I purchased these dumbbells to go along with my Bowflex Ultimate 2. WIth the addition of the 1090's, I now have a complete home gym.

Prior to purchasing the 1090's, I did some heavy research. I read alot of reviews. Some of the negative reviews that I read were related to the Dumbbells handles not being completely round. The handles on the 1090's are round on the sides but semi flat on the top and bottom. At first this seemed a little odd to me until I started using them for Bench Pressing and Shoulder Presses. When you are using heavy weight such as 60lbs or higher you will appreciate the design of the handle. The handle helps you control the dumbells. I think that it is a perfect design.

The Dumbbells are a little large and awkward at first but once you get used to them, it's not even noticable. I highly recommend buying the stand. The stand places the dumbbells in perfect reach. In addition, the stand has rollers to help you roll the dumbbells to different locations in your room.

So to sum it all up if you are looking for the perfect adjustable dumbbell, the 1090 is the best there is!

I have owned the Bowflex SelectTech 552 dumbbells for several years now. Although they are pricey, they sport an excellent design in both the ease of the mechanism for changing the weights, and the ergonomic and contoured handle for easy gripping. The handle design does not just conform to the contours of the human hand (is not cylindrical, but oval) but it a rubber padding. However, the 552s max weight is 52.5 lbs. I now needed dumbbells of heavier weight, and upgraded to these 1090s. Although I decided to keep these dumbbells, I am not as satisfied with them as I am with the old 552s. The handle is more cylindrical than the 552s, do not conform to the contours of the hand, and do not include the soft rubber padding. Thus it is necessary to wear gloves when using these, as compared to gloves being rather optional when using the 552s. Also, these 1090s require the need for more perfect alignment when placing the dumbbells back in the cradle, when compared to the 552s.

I debated whether to purchase these Bowflex dumbbells or the PowerBlocks of similar weight. I own the PowerBlock 5 to 45-pound dumbbells and I like them in some respects better than the Bowflex. The PowerBlocks have the easy grip handles, and I do not bother using gloves with them. However, the PowerBlock Stand has a poorer design compared to the Bowflex stand. The Bowflex stand has wheels, thus allowing for easy mobility and storage. Also the Bowflex stand allows has a V shape design, thus allowing you to remove the dumbbells from your sides, as supposed to removing PowerBlocks from in front of you.

I would rate these 1090 dumbbells 5 stars if the handle was similarly designed as the 552s.

I must say, I hemmed and hawed about buying these, as $600 total for the pair (yes, you do need to buy two) is a lot. But when you think about how many seperate weights you are getting in one pair of dumbbells, and the convenience of it, the space it saves, it was a no brainer.

First of all, I have to give Amazon MAJOR props for not only giving free super saver shipping on these (the shipping on these would be over $200 normally)- and even though Bowflex is offering free shipping right now as a promotion, these dumbbells are on a 4-6 week backorder with them and I wanted them ASAP. No joke, these things are in my garage right now (i did my first workout with them an hour ago after unpacking them which was cake by the way and assembling the bench- easy too). The best part? I placed the order TWO DAYS AGO. I figured for utilizing free super shipping an item this heavy would take at least 1-2 weeks. Nope, 2 days. The shipper they used called me and even left the packages neatly behind my house where I asked, another great experience by the way.

Now, about the product. I know I have only used them once so far, but I have been working out for years, and I know that these things are the real deal. I found a few negative reviews on these online (you can find negative reviews on anything if you look hard enough)- the biggest knock on these was that "you can't drop them or they will break" LOL....I dont know about you, but if you are a big enough meathead to feel the need to drop or throw your dumbbells down, dont buy these, you are better off in the playground with your tonka truck. Seriously, these things are very well made, SO EASY to use- I loved just turning the dials- I did 12 different excercizes, 12 different weight changes, all done effortlessly (the changing of the weight, my workouts are purposely difficult LOL)

Anyways, net net, I am EXTREMELY satisfied that I bought these and could not be happier with amazon on this one. If you are like I was and debating, don't even think twice, it is soooo worth it. These things are fantastic. THANK YOU!

The Bowflex SelectTech 1090 is a solid dumbbell that is well-designed and well-made.

The weight selection dial has a crisp stop at each of the 17 different weight options on each end of the dumbbell. The weights pull out clean and smooth, and they do not feel loose at all, regardless of how much or how little weight you're using.

You don't have to worry about getting them lined up perfectly straight in order to get them back in the rack. The dumbbells are designed to align themselves correctly when they're lowered into their racks. I tried to lower them in their rack sideways by rotating (rolling) each dumbbell 90-degrees off center, and they automatically rotated themselves back into proper alignment as I lowered them down.

These dumbbells are advertised as having 17 different weight options, from 10 pounds up to 90 pounds, in 5-pound increments. What I discovered is that you can actually go from 10 to 90 pounds of weight in 2.5-pound increments, which makes them extremely versatile.

Normally, if you wanted to put 30 pounds on a dumbbell, you would rotate the weight selector on each end of the dumbbell to the 30-pound mark. This puts 15 pounds of weight on each end of the dumbbell for a total of 30.

However, the weight selector does not need to be positioned on the same number on both ends of the dumbbell. If the weight selector on one end was at the 30-pound mark, and you selected 35 pounds on the other end, the dumbbell would pull out with 15 + 17.5 pounds on it for a total of 32.5 pounds. You can do this all the way from 10 to 90 pounds, for a total of 33 different weight options. Yes, the dumbbell is slightly unbalanced if you do this, but it's really not noticeable.

These dumbbells do exactly what they're supposed to do, and they do it well. They are very expensive, but in this case you do get what you pay for.

I bought the bowflex 1090 dumbbells to use with P90X. They are perfect for any home gym. They are compact but longer than normal dumbbells, you get used to them. Had to wrap athletic tape around the handles because they tear your hands up. They are sold seperatly so make sure you order 2. Price is not bad considering free shipping and they pay for themselves in no time.

I read other reviews of this product and was a little hesitant to go to them for a couple of reasons: 1-complaints on the action of the dials and 2-complaints of the bulkiness. I found the dial action to be excellent...very easy to use and smooth! Also, I am not a large guy (5'9", 190 lbs), and I have used iron hex dumbbells for some time, hence the fears about the size...the dumbbells appear to be bulky on sight, but when actually using them, they proved not to be...in fact the length of the dumbbell is actually useful when using them for bench presses, 1-better dumbbell position to move from sitting to laying position and 2-helps to regulate form during exercise. I would HIGHLY recommend this product!!