Customer Reviews

Ironmaster Super Bench & Dumbbell Combo

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

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.

I have been lifting weights for 8 years. I wanted to get this set of dumbbells for my home so that I would have the ability to lift on days when the gym was closed or when I didn't feel like making the drive. Overall I am happy with my purchase. The dumbess are well built - steal and iron. The are also relitivly ergonomic and are not akward to lift with as were other compeating sets I have tried. The fact that they go up to 75lbs each dumbbell is also a plus for those who require higherloads. The only drawback to the system is the time that it takes to change the weights as compared to others systems. On average it takes about 1 min and 30 sec to switch weights out. This amount of time is fine for those who want to perform stright sets of one exercise at a time, however, for supersets with exercises where the same weight cannot be used it would be a problem. This problem would be fixed by adding some additional equipment (stright bar, pully attachment, leg curl attachment et cetera). It is also a pain if you happen to lock the weights in place to tight - i have often been forced to bang them with something (usually the other dumbbell) to unlock the weight. I like things that are built for heavy use with steal and iron and not with plastic parts so I am happy with the ironmaster set.

The bench is also well built and sturdy. I have owned cheaper benches before and have used commercial health club benches that cost $900 and the superbench is really great for the price. Feels completly safe. Only drawback is that it is a little hard to adjust from the full adjustment slot.

You will have to buy a 10mm wrinch to put the bench together. The rest comes in the box.

i got this combination off the ironmaster website, where it is cheaper i believe. but more importantly and you need to know this, if you want to do any decline exercises you'll need the situp attachment for your legs, otherwise it's just a straight decline board and you'll slip off. however, on the website they'll have a combination for your combination where for less than it would cost to get all three you can add:
-the situp attachment (good, but the padding on the part where your legs comes into contact is a little light, if you weigh over 200lbs it is going to be a little uncomfortable if you are doing almost upside down exercises (which you can do w/ this bench). i'd like to see them improve this or offer more padded pads)
-the pullup bar attachment (awesome idea, nearly awesome execution. i really like it. i'm 6'1" and if i reach up i can just grasp while almost on my toes the top of the bar on its highest setting. if you're doing really hard and swinging pullups / chins you might need to slow down not to wobble it excessively but it is clearly sturdy enough to suffice for the job)
-the dip attachment (i don't like dips, but if you lay your body against the bottom of the bar underneath the bench (actually on the bar underneath that supports it, which actually is oddly comfortable) and tilt the bench upright a little you can do "australian pullups", which you can't do any other way so i like this attachment)

so the bench is awesome. more awesome than i thought or expected and i thought it'd be good. i've been working out over a decade and a half and played DI athletics and find this to be an awesome bench. i can do any exercise at whatever angle i want. i slightly decline my dumbbell press and flys, i can go upside down (literally) and do triceps like i'm doing tricep pulldowns (but in reverse since w/ dumbbells), i can do hanging abs off the pullup bar and then go exact opposite and do upside down situps (that otherwise would require gravity boots), i can put it at an incline and standup and lean against it and do two arm rows to get the back (like i was doing a cable row), and anything else you'd normally think of or just want to tweak a little to get right in your exercise. plus i can do it quick and don't have some guy (or gal) waiting to use the bench. and even more awesome i can just do 30mns whenever i want and if i'm tired quit which allows me to be more consistent as opposed to all the effort it required to get ready, go to the gym, use my locker, and reverse all that when i was done which would probably be 30mns just to do that and i'd feel like i had to keep going even if i was tired. it's much better to do small lifting consistently (and you'll dread it less / actually enjoy it if you have the time) than long lifting sessions inconsistently. so the bench is awesome (it does require a wrench as another reviewer mentioned to assemble), i store it in the flat position and put it upright in my closet and it goes in just fine. finally the "body solid nylon adjustable cable handle" is an awesome addition to the bench. if you put a cable handle (the inside of the nylon triangle) on each side of the pullup bar or dip bar you can now use a neutral grip to do chinups etc. (at first i was disappointed there was no neutral grip but this solved that problem and the seam of the handles holds your body weight just fine). http://www.amazon.com/Body-Solid-NB59-Adjustable-Handle/dp/B002DHC6PK/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=sporting-goods&qid=1295711936&sr=1-1

the weights are probably 4 stars but they might be just the best option you can come up with. i've used the power block weights before and hated hated them (it is too tight and jams your arm / wrists when you are doing exercises, doesn't feel right). i've also used the bowflex dumbbells. it was awhile back but here are the pros and cons i remember on them compared to these weights

bowflex weight pros:
-quicker to change (using the "dial") than ironmaster
-small footprint and takes up less space than ironmaster w/ all its extra plates sitting around
bowflex weight cons:
-can't throw them around or they will break and be unusable
-look cheap and plastic looking

ironmaster pros:
-you can use the weights like a "perfect pushup" and do pushups on them (i really like this)
-they look good and feel good and solid, just like weights in the gym
-if you get the combo cause you wanted the bench anyway i think the added cost of the dumbbells is significantly less than the bowflex 90lb dumbbells (i think it is about the same w/ the bench for the ironmaster 75lb dumbbells as the bowflex 50lb dumbbells)
-very durable. you can throw these around (even according to manufacturer) and you can tell you'll be ok
-very solid system, i have no worry about a plate falling on me if i have tightened the weight, the bowflex i could see a weight potentially falling on me, maybe just because you don't get to confirm how that system locks
ironmaster cons:
-takes longer to change and it is annoying, i found i just choose similar weights for exercises and group together ones that use the same weight to keep it quick. but with that and for the other advantages it is bearable

i'd still get the ironmaster dumbbells over the bowflex dumbbells as the ironmasters excel over the bowflex in every aspect (and have some bowflex doesn't) except for change time and you can work around that some. plus other reviewers seem to prefer the ironmasters. that's the info.

I've been using the Ironmaster adjustable dumbbells and super bench for almost a year now. I cannot say enough good things about this set. Since the day my Ironmaster setup arrived (well packaged) I have not had one complaint. You can tell the people at Ironmaster thought out every aspect of their products. Everything is well constructed, durable, and easy to use.

Products I have used:
75 lb. Quick-lock Dumbbells
Super Bench
Dip Handles
Crunch/Sit up attachment
Leg Curl / Extension attachment
Straight bar
Dumbbells
I have just purchased 120 lb. add-on kit!

The quick-lock dumbbell system is genius. The design is so simple and effective. It is quick and easy to change out weights. With a quick turn and slide of the end cap locking mechanism your weights are free to be swapped. While there are quicker-to-change adjustable dumbbells out there, I find that it only takes a minute or so for a full change of weights. Unless you are trying to do speed sets with multiple weights, there should be no problem. If that is the case, you could always buy a spare handle set. One the greatest advantages of these dumbbells is their rock-solid durability. There is no worry that dropping this set will break them. Why is that? For one, there isn't an ounce of plastic on the set. Everything is steel and iron - the way a set of dumbbells should be. This is something I find to be very valuable. I feel that the Ironmaster quick-lock dumbbell system was a great investment and something I will be able to enjoy for years to come.

Super Bench
The super bench is a well thought out, must-have, piece of home gym equipment. The bench can be put into just about any position. Plus, will a few extra attachments, you can do dips, pull-ups, leg extensions/curls, etc. The super bench is well constructed with solid welds and steel. Again, a solid product that should last a long time.

Accessories
With the purchase of my Ironmaster setup, I picked up the straight-bar, leg extension/curl attachment, dip handles, and crunch/sit-up attachment. Not too much to these accessories but they do follow along with the rest of the Ironmaster products- well made, durable, and easy to use.
If you have been looking for a great set of adjustable dumbbells, look no further. Ironmaster has made an outstanding product that should last as long as you do. Add the super bench and a few accessories and you've got a great start or addition to your home gym.

To put it simply, this is a fantastic solution for anyone looking for gym quality equipment at home. I've owned many weight sets in my life, and this is the best I've owned. The dumbbells are incredibly solid. I don't recommend dropping ANY kind of dumbbell, but you can drop these without worrying about them breaking/bending; you cannot drop any other adjustable dumbbell set out there. The Superbench is just as solid as the dumbbell set. It is incredibly adjustable and the built quality is top-notch. Ironmaster has clearly done their homework, because their products are well thought-out and designed to last a lifetime. Just go to Youtube.com and search for videos and they will demonstrate the quality better than any review on this site. Gotta finish my crunches now. I bought the crunch sit-up attachment and recommend it highly as well.

I am very happy with the quality of these two items. I have been training for 15 years in gyms and now have a baby. As you know, that makes it hard to make it to the gym. The bench is very sturdy and easy to adjust. The cushion isn't some cheap foam and is very comfortable. The weights are pretty easy to adjust. It's not as good as having multiple weights of course, but it takes up only a small space and you don't have to worry about them rolling anywhere. They are on the heavy side, so if you are a light weight type of person, I would get the light weight attachments. All in all, I am pleased with my purchase and would recommend them to some one else.

I have to say that I absolutely love these weights. So far I only got the 5-75 version, I plan on building from there and get the 75-120 lbs soon. I've had these for a couple of months and have had no issues at all. Customer service was very friendly and a great help. The weights themselves have the "dumbbell" feel, just like when you use the professional dumbbells. Quick, easy, durable, and well worth the money. Can't ask for anything else!

i love everything about the super bench and the ironmaster dumbbell's....well made and easy to use...would recommend it!