EDIT: Hey everyone, PLEASE read this if you're buying these. I thought mine were broken out of the box like so many others. For whatever reason I decided to actually call the manufacturer or in my case the distributor Nautilus (Amazon has a button that says get product support). I was frustrated and ABOUT to just return them, but they actually taught me that them locking up out of the box is a safety feature. They don't tell you this, they should, I have no idea why, but I went through a few minute unlocking process and now they seem to work great. I'm actually happy now. Essentially you turn them upside down with all parts attached to the base, smack the base with your hand and turn them to 5lbs, after smacking upside down they should release. Take the plates out after pressing a hidden release button on the bottom of the dumbbell, inspect, and place the plates back in the base. Place the handle back in the base and test each weight. It worked for me. Yes, it's plastic inside but that is some sturdy plastic I honestly suspect it should work for a good amount of time and apparently they come with a 2 year parts warranty.
If you wouldn't mind, upvote this to save time and frustration from all the others who thought it was broken out of the box. The distributors number is 1-800-605-3369, they answered after about a 4 minute hold with me.
Below is my old review that is no longer relevant. They really need some unlock instructions in the box. I've adjusted to 3 stars because of the lack of instructions lol.
OLD REVIEW: I'm a smart user and a gym user, so this isn't user error. I've never owned weights like these, I'll probably still buy some just to save space but unfortunately these ones don't work, straight out of the box which surprised me because I assume Bowflex is a good reputable name. I'm just getting on now to contact Amazon on fixing this. I've had probably 6-7 friends come over who thought they could get it to work but nope, they all realized it's actually not working either. Only one of the dumbbells doesn't work, the other one does like half the time. We lined the numbers up correctly and everything. Come to think of it, the fact that both of these are either partly faulty or completely faulty makes me think it's a bad batch or this isn't a good brand for these.
| Item Dimensions LxWxH | 16.9 x 8.3 x 8.3 inches |
|---|---|
| Handle Material | Rubber |
| Number of Pieces | 1 |
| Product Dimensions | 16.9"L x 8.3"W |
| Item Package Dimensions L x W x H | 22 x 13.5 x 12 inches |
| Package Weight | 26.99 Kilograms |
| Brand Name | Bowflex |
| Manufacturer | Bowflex |
| Part Number | 002-6841 |
