Customer Reviews

PowerBlock Classic Adjustable Dumbbell Set

5 star:		(62)
4 star:		(20)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

I purchased the PowerBlock dumbbells after returning the SelectTech dumbbells. The SelectTechs are cumbersome, the weight plates feel loose, and you have to dial two dials to select one weight. Furthermore, they are over $100 more expensive than the PowerBlocks.

On the plus side for the PowerBlocks:
1) They take up very little space for an adjustable dumbbell
2) They feel solid
3) While not cheap, they are much cheaper than the SelectTech dumbbells
4) You can do over the head tricep extensions using both weights or one using the handles on the bottom
5) Selecting the weights is a one step process for each weight
6) They are upgradable with a heavier handle option and a barbell option

On the minus side:
1) Alligning the pins to select the weight is a bit more difficult with the weights on the ground. The stand or a table top would alleviate this problem.

Overall, I'm pleased with the PowerBlocks and definitely recommend them to anyone looking for a quality, adjustable weight dumbbell.

In general, I think these dumbbells are great. However, they can be a bit dangerous if you don't do a safety check. For example, if you are not paying attention you can insert the pins at an angle. This creates a possiblity that a plate can come loose and hit you. Also, you can accidentally put the pin mechanism upside down, this creates the possiblity of an accident too.

I like that there is a back up system of an elastic cord and magnets holding the pin mechanism in place. I have found there is only a real danger on certain exercises and only if you don't follow the instructions. Even then the odds are small anything will happen, but it's something I want to warn people about because I have had some near misses.

I find the smaller version of these are better than the larger version. The large version can be cumbersome and a bit long for some exercises. However, I agree with the other reviews you can comfortably do a variety of exercises and the trade-off in terms of a slightly smaller range of motion on some particular exercises isn't a big deal. For example, for upright rows I tend to prefer a short curling bar... ditto for overhead triceps extentions. However, using one dumbbell with two hands is possible and quite comfortable.

This is a solid well made product. I have owned mine for about a year and I think they are great. Over time, there can be an issue with friction between the plates, but I very thin layer of lubricant can help. For most people, this will only have to be done infrequently.

I bought these dumbbells from a local dealer instead of Amazon because of a sale. I had been looking at the Bowflex select-type of dumbbells as well as these. After trying them out at the store, I was sold. They are easy to manipulate and sturdy in construction. One would think that a square dumbbell would get in the way of doing exercises--this is NOT the case. The handle is in the middle of the box and the side tubes are padded for comfort.

I just finished an hour long dumbbell workout a few minutes ago and it was everything I expected: bench press, military press, bent over rows, seated curls, triceps extensions, dumbbell deadlifts, upright rows, dumbbell squats, etc... All of these exercises were performed using this product. No problems encountered at all.

I have a large home gym with around $30k of equipment. This $400 set is my favorite and most used item. I have one set for me and one for my wife and they fit neatly on the stand. They are very easy to use and are the most comfortable dumbbells I've ever used due to the padded grips. I admit that I had my doubts at first. I was worried they the grip wouldn't hold up, the weight selection pins would bend or the weights would fall on my head. After 4 years of regular use, my fears were unfound. The grip is intact and the weight stacks are absolutely stable. I've tried the newer adjustable dumbbells on the market, but this is still my favorite. The weight selection seem much more secure than the nautilus, and the grip is more comfortable. It's my opinion that these are still the best adjustable dumbbells out there.

I like these much more than I thought I would. They are very easy to use, and very well balanced. Now I don't have to listen to that crappy gym music, and I can lift while the coffee brews. YEAH!

btw-instead of spending an extra $140 for an elite set (2.5lb increments), I purchased a $20. ADJUSTABLE WRIST WEIGHT set. This gives me .5, 1.5, 2.5lb increments.

I have owned the PowerBlock for about 3 years now and I must say I'm very happy with it. I bought it because I was starting to run out of space and my room was looking like a mess as I bought more and more conventional dumbbells. It works very well for almost every exercise: Dumbbell raises, seated press, one-hand row, incline press, curls, overhead press, etc. The only down side is I can't do a behind the head curl with it due to it's square shape. For this I keep one conventional dumbbell around since it's easier to grip with two hands at once in that position. The other minor complaint is the pins used to select the weight is a bit hard to insert if the block isn't perfectly flat, such as when it's sitting on a carpet. Overall, I'm still very happy and consider it well worth the price when you consider how much it replaces.

I'm one of the people who heavily relies on reviews but I never write them, I don't know why but I've never written reviews in the past. After using these dumbbells I had to make an exception.

These dumbbells are great especially in a small space, I live in an apartment and I don't have room for a whole rack of weights so I found these on amazon. I recieved them in about a week and I instantly started using them with P90X. You can switch the weights quickly which is a huge benefit when you're doing any type of workout that's on a DVD or Tape. They look a little awkward and their build is obviously different than a standard dumbbell but I haven't had any problems with the different moves on P90X.

If I had to pick something I didn't like, I would have to say that I don't like how much noise they make. Let me explain that, the dumbbells are very solid but when you're doing something like shoulder press, for example, I get a little nervous putting these things over my head because the plates "clang" together. It's something you get used to though, oh and one more thing when you put the pen inside the powerblock to chose a weight make sure the next plate in line doesn't stick to the weight you selected. I picked 35 lbs for one workout and the 40 lb. plate was stuck to the bottom and I didn't know it until the plate hit the floor, luckily I still have all my toes.

Well again these weights are great and I highly, highly, highly recommend these weights for someone that has a small space to put them and for someone that's doing P90X.

I actually purchased the home gym package C directly from powerblock and not the product shown here. the gym package consists of the 5-90 elite dumbells, the stand and a weight bench. these items were shipped promptly in six seperate packages. the stand and weight bench required a little assembly, but nothing too drastic. the stand was a little bit of a hassle as there were a number of small screws and nuts and that had to be put in. the bench was mostly pre-assembled, but had a couple parts that had to be put in. i highly recommend getting the stand. not only is it a great place to store the dumbells, but it makes changing the weights much easier.
changing the amount of weight is very easy, and just involves pulling the "pin" out and sliding it in to select the desired weight. the dumbells are color coded, so you can quickly see the amount of weight you are choosing. using the "pin," the weights are changed in ten pound increments. there are "adder weights" that come with the elite set, each of which is 2.5 pounds. if you use the adder weights, you can change the amount of weight in 5 pound increments. however, the adder weights take a little longer to manipulate as you have to pull the central core out and slide the weights out. i can change the weight using the pin in literally 2 seconds. however, the adder weights take about 10 seconds to change. i have decided to just keep the adder weights in the weights and not change them out. i'm find just changing the amount of weight in 10 pound increments.
one other thing about these weights. when i first got them and set them up, i wasn't putting the adder weights in correctly (it's a long story, but essentially i put one of the cores in upside down, causing the adder weights to slide out when i didn't want them to). i called customer support and someone answered on about the third ring. there was no voice mail and no waiting while i listened to elevator music. i asked to talk to someone in technical support, and the guy that answered told me he could help me. he was very helpful and we worked through the problem (which had been my fault in the first place). this is probably the best technical support i've experienced and MILES above the usual support i recieve for computer software/products.
in short, i'm very happy with my purchase. this is a high quality product made in the USA. i'm going to get a lot of use out of these and expect to use them for the rest of my life. they seem to take a lot of pride in what they produce. highly recommended...

I like these dumbbells a lot, in fact, I believe they are the best and safest adjustable dumbbells on the market. However, they aren't without some drawbacks and risks. For example, it is very important that the pin assembly in placed through the holes straight and not upside down. If you don't check this, it is possible a plate can break loose. There is a backup elastic strap that will protect you in most exercises, but not all.

Overall, these dumbbells are comfortable and more compact than the rounded type for a given weight range across the same number of increments. They are not awkward to lift, but as you go to larger sets, it becomes difficult to get a full range of motion for some exercises such as upright rows because of their length. The smallest set of this type is in my opinion the best and most convenient. If you go beyond this range, you can add additional dummbells as you need them or get an upgrade kit. However, I like these less as they get bigger.

In general, I wholeheartedly recommend this product and the stand that comes with it. If you make pin adjustments on the floor, especially on carpets, it is more likely you will make an error in pin placement that could cause an injury. If you circuit train with very little rest between sets, these are a must have and I also find they are great for using on a stability ball to simultaneously hit the core muscles.

The Power Blocks are great if you don't have a lot of space to keep a full set of dumbells. Changing weight is very easy and you can go change weight in 5 pound increments. In addition to the 45 pound set, you can get an upgrade to increase the weight of each to 60 pounds (for around $150).