First of all, this is probably only the 2nd or 3rd review I've ever left on Amazon but after reading other reviews and seeing multiple complaints of smell, oiliness, staining, and marking I wanted to leave my true and honest opinions for anyone who may be interested in this product.
I recommend these dumbbells!!!
Firstly, I bought 2x single 45lb rubber encased hex dumbbells at about $41 each with shipping included ($85ish total) (1/25/22). I was talking the price up to a buddy the next day and when I checked the price again they had already gone up to $55 for each dumbbell. So if you are in the market for this specific kind of dumbbell I would suggest you make your purchase when they are within a price range of $1 per pound. The price is likely to be based on supply and demand as I can see that many of the lighter weights (higher demand) in some cases are $2 per pound or more. Again though, my specific purchase of the 45lb singles are what we're talking about.
Moving on from price, as of this time I have only opened, handled, cleaned, and inspected the dumbbells, they arrived today so this is not a review after multiple months of use but more of a first impressions, unboxing review.
Pro's and Con's (you pick)
– First impression, great quality, sturdy, nearly identical to what you will find in most fitness clubs/gyms.
– They are made in China, says so right on the side of the packaging
– Smell, oiliness, staining, and marking (This one takes a little more explaining)
I purchased RUBBER encased dumbbells. Synthetic rubber is a byproduct of petroleum products
(motor oil, gasoline, etc.) I expected the smell, oiliness, staining, and marking.
The smell? If you've ever been near, or worked in a tire shop/center you will recognize the smell,
smells like brand new tires (rubber)! If this bothers you you can always clean the dumbbells after you
receive them, which is what I did using a little bit of water and Dawn Dish Soap, the exact stuff they
use to clean off baby animals after an oil spill (petroleum product). Additionally, you can leave them
outside for a monitored period of time in order to off gas some of the remaining petroleum elements
that may be causing the smell. I say monitored because like any rubber/metal product left outside the
more exposed to the elements (sun, rain, dirt/dust, etc.) the more rapidly it will break down. A clear
sunny day would be most appropriate in this case but only for a few hours at a time.
Oiliness, staining? Again, rubber is made from petroleum byproducts. During unpackaging of the
dumbbells there was some oiliness on the bubble wrap that was protecting them. This residue from
the rubber hex heads is expected, I used small amounts of Dawn Dish Soap and water to clean the
dumbbells, I also used a white shop rag so I know that my cleaning was effective because of the slight
change in color to the rag. It was a dingy white so to be clear it was not a massive amount of oil or
staining.
Marking? Have you or have you seen someone wear black soled (rubber) shoes on a light colored tile
floor or a basketball court? You'll get marks! These dumbbells are really no different, they will mark if
you brush a wall while carrying them, drop them aggressively, or drag them across a light colored tile
floor…you've been warned!
– Knurled handles for extra grip, not overly sharp or aggressive.
– Weight…they each way 44.5lbs exactly, on my super-scientific bathroom scale. So either my scale has
been lying to me or the dumbbells lost 1/2 lb each in the Metric (Chinese) to Imperial conversion…I'm
still happy.
I believe these are great quality dumbbells and I would recommend an educated purchase, taking into account my above listed items. Maybe you don't care about the above listed stuff because you know that working out can be inherently dirty, smelly, and non-flattering…great, buy them! If you do care about that stuff, take the extra 5 minutes to clean and treat them and I'm sure you'll be happy, buy them!
Down the road if my opinion changes I will absolutely return and update my review…buy them!
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