TITAN Economy bumper plates vs Rogue competition plates

This is a comparison between the TITAN economy bumper plates and the Rogue competition plates including pros, cons, and alternatives. It was published first under which titan plates to get. Follow the links for more details.

Rogue fitness vs TITAN fitness

Rogue Fitness is the current market leader when it comes to a functional home gym and commercial gym equipment. They have one of the widest portfolios including racks, barbells, benches, dumbbells, and apparel for the weekend warrior and dedicated athlete. The biggest downside of Rogue Fitness is their comparatively high prices to the competition.

TITAN Fitness is the clear cost leader when you want to build a home gym on a budget that is still similar to what Rogue offers in function, look, and feel. While you will save about half on the sticker price you will run a higher risk of inconsistencies in quality compared to a purchase from Rogue. The equipment will be safe but is more likely to have blemishes, quality issues with welds or that pieces will not easily fit into place. That makes TITAN a good option for a DIY enthusiast who does not mind tinkering with their equipment, but not the first choice to get the best equipment and treat yourself.

Overview and review of the Rogue Competition plates

The Rogue competition plates will set you back about $1035 dollars or $7.39 dollars per kg. These plates are especially good to use for competing weightlifters. This overview has originally been published in the article "Which rogue plates to buy" which you can find on this blog.

Overview of the competition plates

These are the best that Rogue has to offer. Repeatedly used on Olympic lifting competitions and the CrossFit games these are the plates to behold when it gets to competition day. The plates have been updated with better design, lettering, and raised rubber to make them last kong and look good. They have minimal bounce and provide everything you need to post new personal records for your Olympic lifts.

Weight / Color / Diameter / Thickness / Price per pair

25kg / Red / 450mm / 2.5'' / $309.75

20kg / Blue / 450mm / 2.15'' / $252.50

15kg / Yellow / 450mm / 1.65'' / $208

10kg / Green / 450mm / 1.15'' / $152.50

Available sets

90kg, 2x 10-15-20kg $685

110kg, 2x 10-20-25kg $835

120kg, 2x 15-20-25kg $900

140kg, 2x 10-15-20-25kg $1035

Pros of the competition plates

These are the best plates you can get for Olympic lifting from Rogue. There is not really much more to say about them in terms of pros.

Cons of the competition plates

High quality has a high price. If you want to save money on plates you might want to go with bumper plates instead.

Alternatives to the competition plates

Alternatives to the competition plates are:

Bumper plates are the ultimate workhorse piece of equipment you can get from Rogue. They come in at less than half the price per kilo than the competition plates. With the saved money you might want to buy extra barbells or kettlebells depending on your needs. The disadvantages are that bumper plates are not color coded and also do not fit as much weight on the bar than competition plates.

Calibrated steel plates are the go-to for powerlifters who want precision and maximize the weight on the bar. These plates are color-coded and precision manufactured. With the seal of approval from the IPF, you can begin your journey to the podium of your next powerlifting meet.

Black training plates are a great combination of practical training plates and high standard competition quality. The design of these plates makes them a good fit for everyday use while still keeping the mindset of a champion.

Overview of the TITAN Economy bumper plates

This is an overview of the TITAN Economy bumper plates including pros, cons, and alternatives. It was published first under which titan plates to get. Follow the links for more details.

Overview of the Titan economy plates

Price $44.99 - $474.99

The economy bumper plates from TITAN are the ideal weight plates to start your home gym. They are cheap and cheerful and therefore can be bought en masse or on a small budget to start a home gym. These plates are available from 10lb to 100lb with the same diameter and varying thickness. They will fit a standard Olympic barbell and most plate trees and storage solutions for plates. They are also available for purchase in a 230lband 260 lb set. The full specifications are:

Low Bounce Rate
Stainless-Steel Insert
Extremely durable
Olympic barbell size
Quieter than steel plates
Sold in pairs of 10, 15, 25, 35, 45-pounds

Diameter: 450mm / 17.75-in.
Width: 1 – 5.25-in.
Collar Opening: 50 mm
Color: Black
Material: Rubber with steel insert

10-POUNDS:
Width: 1-in.

15-POUNDS:
Width: 1.25-in.

25-POUNDS:
Width: 1.78-in.

35-POUNDS:
Width: 2.75-in.

45-POUNDS:
Width: 3.5-in.

100-POUNDS:
Width: 5.25-in.

If you want to start your home gym on a budget, this is where to look. You can not beat Titan on Price in many categories and this is one of them. If you are looking for plates to continuously from overhead, these might not be the ones.

Pros of the TITAN bumper Plates

The pros of the TITAN bumper plates are:

Low price
Outdoor / Indoor use
Available up to 100 pounds
Lower injury risk

One of the biggest pros for the entire TITAN fitness brand is its low price compared to competitors like Eleiko or Rogue. Especially on comparable plates, the Titan versions come out at almost half of the purchase price of a like for like comparison. This is especially good if you want to equip a home gym on a very low budget and want some variety in your training. With TITAN your wallet will remain intact. Commercial gyms will appreciate that you can get quite a bit of tonnage for a low price with TITAN.

Bumper plates themselves are practical as you can use them indoors and outdoors. They are a lot more forgiving in the heat or in damp places compared to Iron plates. If you need to build your gym in an outhouse or in a basement with unfinished walls, bumper plates are probably the better bet. In addition, you can also take them outside for a workout and leave them there without feeling too guilty about it.

Another bonus is that TITAN also offers a 100lb bumper version of their plates. This is unusual as most other vendors offer this size as an Iron plate. If you lift very heavy you can use these to make it a little easier on the wrists when you bring the weight back down to the ground. Get one pair of the big bumpers on and then stack iron plates to the desired heavy load. This is a little more forgiving on your body and the floor in the long run. Apart from this, I see little use in heavy bumper plates as they take up too much space on the sleeve.

Bumper plates are also less risky to handle then Iron plates. When you get your fingers between two iron plates or knock your shin/toe against them, you are usually hurt. Bumper plates give in a little more and therefore are good for beginners or when you have teenagers training in your gym.

Cons of the TITAN economy Plates

The cons of the TITAN bumper plates are:

Quality issues
Sleeve space
Olympic training
Black

You get what you pay for and while you save quite a bit of money on the TITAN bumpers they are also more likely to break. In a commercial gym that might not be as bad, as you constantly have to renew equipment anyway, but in a home gym you might not want to have to buy your plates twice over the time of 3 years. Especially the rims where the barbells are inserted are more likely to deform than with other brands. If you do not intend to drop these, you might as well consider iron plates, which are cheaper per pound and get more weight on the barbell.

Bumper plates also take up more sleeve space compared to Iron plates for the same amount of weight. If you mainly train the bench press, deadlift, and squat with 400lb or more, consider getting iron plates instead of bumper plates. When you get to 400lbs it gets tight on the sleeves when you bumper plates only.

These bumper plates are not ideal for Olympic weightlifting. They will do, but suffer more when dropped from overhead. This is based on the core of the plate. The core of bumper plates is made of rubber with a thin metal inlay where the barbell is inserted. Olympic plates have a metal core with rubber around it. This makes the bumper plates more likely to come apart when dropped repeatedly from overhead. Still, it will take some time until you have broken them. So if you don't go through 100 overhear lifts a week or more, I would still say you can get these plates for our once a week Oly session.

The last disadvantage is that these plates are plain black. If you want some color in your life you can get the colored bumper plates from TITAN instead. Especially in a home gym scenario I always recommend this as it is just more fun than having everything in black. But I guess that is more a question of taste than anything else.

Alternatives to the TITAN economy Bumper plates

Alternatives to the TITAN bumper plates are:

the elite bumper plates from TITAN are the right choice if you put in a lot of Holy lifts per week. They are built robustly and take the beating from the drops. They cost considerably more than the economy bumper plates, but they will also take a bigger beating. The only difference to real competition Olympic weightlifting plates is that they are not colored. Compared to similar options from Eleiko and Rogue you save considerably.

If you want a bit more color in your life you can get the color economy plates from TITAN. They only cost slightly more, have the same specs than the black ones, but come in the official color denominations for the different weights of the plates. This would be my personal choice from TITAN if I was building a gym on a budget.

Cast Iron plates are a good option for anyone with limited space and budget. They are not great to look at and also a bit more awkward to handle. In return, you get the clanging and banging of metal and the maximum amount of weight you could possibly put on your barbell.

Conclusion for the TITAN bumper plates

The TITAN Economy bumper plates are a great option for anyone who wants to build a home gym on a budget. Especially if you train only three times a week and do not abuse your equipment a lot, these plates are great. In a commercial setting, these plates are great for general training where things will get knocked up anyway. If you want plates that you can drag the mud, use in the rain or extreme heat without feeling guilty., get these. If you want to impress, hold a competition, or beat the crap out of your plates, go upmarket.