Customer Reviews

Lifecore Corebell 5-55-Pound Adjustable Dumbbell System

5 star:		(10)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

Here is my experience after replacing 2 sets in 10 days.

It has a cheap plastic bar. Here are the design flaws of this dumbbell

0. These dumbbells don't/will not have LONG life since the plastic used in bar/base will crack soon.
1. I received the dumbbells with broken cap. If you open the top cap (with red slider), you will see the entire bar/handle design is flimsy made with cheap plastic.
2. The red plastic slider will jam often or doesn't slide smoothly. The sliding/locking mechanism is based on thin white plastic strip, black plastic belt and black strip (below the red slider). They are flimsy and will not last longer much. You will need to replace bar often.
3. The base to keep the dumbbells and adjust weights is also plastic. You can't just drop dumbbells if you are used to hex dumbells etc. You will have to align weights using the base to adjust. Till now, this aligning process has frustrated me.
4. Lifecore may not have Quality Assurance team since I have already exchanged 2 dumbbells because of this sliding/locking/bar problem.

I wish Lifecore had made this 5/10 lbs METAL bar that could last life time. Any adjustable dumbbells should be designed to last life time. Hex dumbbells are like that. Otherwise there is no point in spending so much money on this.

I have been working out since high school (20yrs). I am very familiar with the weights. I purchased these dumbbells to workout at home on days I can't make it to the gym. I owned a pair of Bowflex dumbbells in the past and sold them, stupid me. Received the LifeCore dumbbells. Much to my surprise upon opening the package one of the bars did not function, the locking mech did not work. LifeCore claimed it was a shipping issue and the warranty will not cover it. So much for a warranty. So I paid $114 for a refurbished bar from LifeCore directly. Received this bar and oh yea again much to my surprise, another broken bar. Called them and spoke to them personally. They stated they would send me another one and a return shipping label to return this one. I requested since it was two weeks since I have had them and still not able to use them if I could get express shipping. Well of course if I am willing to pay the extra shipping. Then he threatened to not even send me a replacement bar. And made comments that really ticked me off. Then hung up on me. I called back to speak with the manager and he mysteriously was out to lunch. Called back seconds later after they transferred me to the wrong voice mail and mysteriously he answered, not knowing it was me of course. They lied to me and they made threats, idiots. The ball was in their court however because I had to have that bar so I held back. But now its my time. Here are my warnings:
Cheap, Cheap, Cheap (hence 3 bars). Why would a brand new set need the bar to be replaced this many times.
Warranty. Don't think so. And you have to send the bar back at your expense. They have to take time to look at the bar to make sure they were at fault. You designed and built the stupid bar, of course your at fault. And believe me, its never their fault.
The design. Well you get what you pay for.
Again I have owned the Bowflex dumbbells and trust me, much better design and customer service, as well as a valid warranty.
If someone offered me a brand new set of the LifeCore dumbbells for free, no thanks, they are dangerous and the customer service are idiots. Stay away, stay far away. Anyone want to buy a set of paper weights?

One of the dumbbell's weight plates arrived with a broken "tooth", which prevented it from staying connected to the rest of the dumbbell. Not a huge problem since I don't use the full 55 pounds. Overall, it seems like the product should work fine, but the "teeth" are rather small and I wonder how the product will stand-up to long-term use.

When I received this dumbbell, the box had been dropped and the selector damaged. Amazon would have exchanged it, but I contacted Lifecore instead. They were very helpful. They sent a part out to me right away and it was easy to change out (3 min). I have enjoyed the set. I really like being able to increase the weight at 2.5lb increments. I'm 51 years old and not able to progress at 5 or 10 lb increments like the young guys. Hey, I least I'm exercising. The only downside of the product it that many of the parts are plastic. However, as long as you drop the weight back into the holder straight, it should last long. Perhaps a lifetime. It appears the young guys like to drop their weights. It likely won't take much of that abuse. However, I pay for all the flooring replacement in my house, so I set things down gently. :)

One other issue is that the selector moves rather quickly and often over-shoot your desires weight selection. This results in having to move the selector back and forth until you stop at the right number. A tip on resolving this is to put you thumb by the desired stop, then move the selector to your thumb. You stop at the desired weight number every time. This method also dramatically reduced the wear on the mechanism.

Every type of adjustable weights has their issue. It comes down to the cost quality tradeoff. If I paid $1500, I'd expect a lifetime warranty. But that would mean I purchase 25 separate dumbbells with a big stand.
Other adjustables have issues too. ---flex reviews say that the plastic mechanism keeps breaking. ---block has 5 or 10 lb increment and you have to put your hand inside the unit. Etc, etc.

Now I'm very happy with the set.

It's true the adjustment mechinism is cheaply made and could brake if not carefull. On the other hand if you are carefull and push on both sides of the adjustment switch, I don't foresee it braking. I have used for about 4 months now and glad I bought them. I am sure the bowflex are better but I don't think $200 better. I got these on Deal of the Day and for the price I would definately buy these over bowflex again.

This product arrived in good time, and in good condition. It is also a great product to have around for your workout routine. I have no regrets, and would recommend it to anyone.

I think these are the same dumbbells I have, but mine have "LifeSmart" written on the side, and I only paid 160 at Academy. The dumbbells are the best piece of equipment I have ever bought for my home gym. These are easy to adjust, allow for quick changes during P90X, take up little space, and they go to 55 pounds each. I read the reviews of cheap plastic, and I must say that I have not had an issue for the past 2 years. It surprises me too, because I think they feel a little cheap. The weights probably would crack if I dropped them on a hard floor, but I am very careful about putting them down or back in the cradle.

My advice, BUY THEM!!! I would recommend buying them from the store though, in order to avoid the high prices and high shipping.

I've had these since September, 2009, and they are holding up great.

I use them for the P90X workout. The size is a little awkward at times so when working with smaller weights (10-15lbs) I found the regular dumbbell easier to use. Once I was able to increase the weight I use in workouts I was able to work around the size and it's great.

The plastic base sits on the floor and has no problem holding the unused plates.

When you use them you'll hear a very small rattle as the plates shift in the dumbbell. They don't fall out and it does not impact their use.

I'm very satisfied with this purchase

I have had this dumbbell set for 2 years. After about 4 months of consistent use the slider locked up on one of the dumbbells and then the 2nd dumbbell locked up the next day. This seemed bizarre to me but customer service sent me out 2 new dumbbells (of course the metal plates were not included). Strangely, the sliders on both of these dumbbells would also not move upon my receiving them! I reported this to customer service and they sent out another 2 dumbbells. These worked ok (really, they always felt a little stiff but you know I just wanted to work out so I didn't complain at this time).

Sure enough the same issue occurred in my 2nd year in that the sliders would just jam up and evenutally wouldn't move beyond a certain point so I could not use all the weight (plates) I wanted. I attribute this to the plastic construction that just cannot take continuous use. I did not treat the dumbbells harshly.

In my opinion this is one of those purchases where you get what you pay for and I wish I would have purchased something of better quality. Customer service was not an issue for me as they replaced the defective dumbbells for me but all the downtime in not being able to work out is very frustrating.

UPDATE: Even though the 2nd incident above was out of warranty the company did allow me to return the dumbbell handles (15 lbs of weight were stuck in 1 handle and couldn't be removed) (which cost me $20.00) but they sent me out a newly designed handle which they say has a new slider mechanism and will work better.

UPDATE 2: I am upgrading this product to a 4 star rating based on the fact that I have used the new handles intensely for a full year now (I had the old handles for 2 years) and they still work just like new. There was an initial design flaw but the new handles are an excellent design. I have looked at all the comparable products out there and there is really nothing of this quality at this price. The company supported the product well and I had no issues in dealing with them so if you are considering this product as of this date I think you will be getting an excellent purchase for your money

This is a great product if you like lifting but have a limited space for it.

I recommend it.