Elite black bumper plates vs Rogue 6-Shooter Olympic grip plates

This is a comparison between the TITAN elite black bumper plates and the Rogue &-Shooter Olympic Grip plates including pros, cons, and alternatives. It was published first under which titan plates to get. Follow the links for more details.

Overview and review of the Rogue 6 Shooter Olympic plates

The Rogue 6 shooter plates will set you back about $575 dollars or $5.18 dollars per kg. These plates are especially good to use for professional gyms who love iron. This overview has originally been published in the article "Which rogue plates to buy" which you can find on this blog.

Overview of the 6 Shooter plates

The Rogue 6 shooter plates have been designed for high traffic use in your gym. The plates provide six holes so that it becomes easier to transport them and load them onto the barbell. This is the type of plate you want in a facility with many beginners to avoid hand injuries. They also come in at a lower cost than most other plates. When these are being abused, your heart won't sink as much as with the other, higher range plates from Rogue. They come in a hammertone grey finish.

Weight / Diameter / Thickness / Price per pair

45LB / 448mm / 1.36'' / $156

35LB / 376mm / 1.45'' / $128

25LB / 308mm / 1.45'' / $100

10LB / 228mm / 1.22'' / $48.50

5LB / 195mm / 0.83'' / $32

2.5LB / 162mm / 0.63'' / $23

Available sets

245lb a pair of each at $575

Pros of the 6 Shooter plates

The Rogue 6 Shooter plates are easy to handle for any level of a lifter. They are also less likely to provide hand injuries as the holes lower the likelihood of getting your gingers between two plates or not being able to pick them up. The design also makes it easier to use the plates for any kind of resistance exercises which are not done with a barbell. This combined with a relatively low price makes them a good option for starter gyms for their first-time outfit.

Cons of the 6 Shooter plates

These plates are metal and are therefore unforgiving to the floor, humans, and feet when dropped. They are also not ideal for Olympic lifting for the same reason. Many clients in commercial gyms also prefer urethane over metal as it is easier to handle and feels nicer on the skin.

Alternatives to the 6 Shooter plates

The Urethane version of the 6 Shooter plates are a bit more expensive, but last longer and feel nicer for your clients. This is the way to go if you want to accommodate to the masses.

Bumper plates are an alternative which is also lower in price. These plates can be dropped from overhead and are forgiving on surfaces they get in touch with. A disadvantage is that you can not fit as much weight on the barbell with bumper plates than with metal.

Olympic plates are the no-nonsense most cost-efficient option you can go for. This is the most weight per $$$ you can obtain from Rogue. The downside is that these plates are not much to look at and are hard to handle.

Overview and review of the Elite black bumper plates

This is an overview of the TITAN Elite black 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 Elite bumper plate

Price $99.99 - $899.99

The TITAN elite bumper plate comes in black with different color variations on the branding depending on the weight of the plate. They all have the same diameter except the 10lb plate. Their main feature is a metal core which makes them a good choice to be repeatedly dropped from overhead without breaking. They will fit standard Olympic barbells and make a good addition to any ambitious home gym or college facility. The full specifications for these plates are:

Low Bounce Rate
Steel collar reinforces the plates for high rep use
Raised plate lip makes picking up the plates easier
Gloss black finish with color-coded lettering for easy identification

Diameter: 450 mm / 17.75-in.
Width: 2.5-in.
Collar Opening: 50.6 mm
Insert Type: Chrome Plate Steel Disc
Material: Rubber

10-POUNDS:
Plate Diameter: 360 mm
Plate Width: 1-in.
Color: Black with White Lettering

25-POUNDS:
Plate Width: 1.375-in.
Color: Black with Green Lettering

35-POUNDS
Plate Width: 1.875-in.
Color: Black with Yellow Lettering

45-POUNDS:
Plate Width: 2.15-in.
Color: Black with Blue Lettering

55-POUNDS:
Plate Width: 2.5-in.
Color: Black with Red Lettering

These are great all-around plates for the semi-professional or professional Olympic weightlifter at an affordable price. If you take your home gym seriously or want to buy in bulk commercially without breaking the bank, these are a good option.

Pros of the Elite TITAN Bumper plate

Pro of the Elite TITAN Bumper plate are:

Low price
Robust build
Low bounce

Compared to similar plates from other brands like Rogue and Eleiko you will save about half of the price. Especially for plates, which will ever touch your body directly or keep you safe, this is something to consider. One of the main expenses of a home gym is the weights themselves. If you can cut these in half, you will laugh all the way to the bank.

Compared to the economy bumper plates these plates are a considerable step up in quality and price. This has mainly to do with the fact that these plates are made of two components rather than just rubber with a ring inserted in the middle. This brings material and production cost which makes them about double the price compared to Economy rubber plates. In return, these can be smashed continuously in the ground from overhead without a bother.

These plates are very low bounce which is great for overhead lifting. With this, you do not have to worry that the barbell will be all over the place after a heavy attempt like with rubber bumper plates without the core.

Cons of the Elite TITAN bumper plate

Cons of the Elite TITAN bumper plates are:

Sleeve Space
Black
Price

Pirce for these plates comes into play from two angles. One is cutting corners on behalf of TITAN. To offer a product at half the price of your competition in the market you have to cut some corners. Transport, quality of staff or production just has to cheaper than with the competition. This means that it is more likely that you might get treated a little rude, get a faulty product or that TITAN is out of stock compared to the competition. That does not mean the product is bad, it is just a game of likelihood. From another perspective, these plates are already a bit pricey for a home gym, if you are not very serious about your training. If you do not do Oly lifts, you might want to consider cheaper cast iron or bumper plates.

Another point might be that these plates are black. If you want to add some color TITAN also has an elite bumper option for that at a slightly higher price.

As these are bumper plates they are thicker than cast iron plates of the same weight. If your goal is to maximize the weight you can put on the bar, these plates are not the right choice. If you regularly move more than 400lbs on your bar, opt for cast iron plates instead.

Alternatives to the Elite TITAN bumper plate

Alternatives to the ELITE TITAN bumper plate are:

Economy bumper plates
Elite Color bumper plates
Cast Iron plates

The economy bumper plates are a better and cheaper option for you if you only occasionally drop weights from overhead and want to start your gym on a budget. You will save considerably and still get a lot of weight for your money's worth.

The elite color bumper plates have the same specifications as the elite bumper plates. The only difference is that they cost slightly more and come in the international weight color code for each plate. If I was in the market for the black elite plates I would get the colored ones instead. Unless, of course, you prefer everything to be black.

Cast iron plates are a great option when you regularly move more than 400lb on the bar and want to save space on your barbell and in your gym. They are also fairly cheap and therefore a good option. The only thing to consider with them is that you need to put some protection on your floor or work with a platform as they will otherwise damage the flooring of your house or gym. Also, cast iron plates can definitely not be dropped from overhead.

Conclusion for the Elite TITAN bumper plate

The Elite TITAN bumper plates are a solid option for the ambitious home gym owner or a good budget option for a commercial gym that takes Olympic lifting seriously. You can get twice the plates for the same amount of money compared to other brands like Rogue or Eleiko if you a prepared to take the risks that come with a vendor that needs to cut a corner here and there to save you money.