REP fitness adjustable dumbbell vs Powerblock Elite

This is a comparison between the REP fitness adjustable dumbbell and the Powerblock Elite including pros, cons and alternatives. Follow the links for more information.

Overview and review Power block classic elite series

The Power Block classic series has a stacked design to save maximum space at home. You will invest around $299 to get one to your home. This article has been originally posted in "which dumbbell to get from Rogue".

Most popular Rogue dumbbell in 2020

This is an overview of the most popular Rogue dumbbells on Marathon-Crossfit.com based on views and click through rates to Rogue Fitness for purchases. If you want to dig deeper on the data you will find explanations under what were the most popular Rogue products in 2020.

The most popular Rogue dumbbells on Marathon-CrossFit.com in 2020 were:

The Rogue loadable dumbbell is a good option to save space in a home gym. It avoids that you have to have an entire rack of dumbbells for various weight iterations. This is not particularly great in a commercial gym scenario as you want multiple people to be able to train at the same time. You can read the full review of the Rogue loadable dumbbell via this link.

The Rogue Urethane dumbbells are the rolls Royce among the Rogue dumbbells. Urethane is supposed to last longer than rubber. My main positive about the Urethane dumbbells compared to the rubber hex dumbbells is that they are round. That makes them easier to handle and store. In a commercial setting, you need to consider that the Urethane dumbbells come in at a higher price tag which hits heavier when you buy in bulk. You can read the full review of the Rogue Urethane dumbbells by following this link.

The Thompson fatbell is a hybrid between a Kettlebell and a dumbbell and a nice extra to any gym which already has all of the bases covered. There might be better ways to spend your money to develop strength like grip strength tools. Still, they are fun. You can read the full review for the Thompson fatbells via this link.

Overview of the Powerblock

The Powerblock dumbbells are a classic design to save space and cost. The design is nested. Think of it like the russian dolls in dolls. The handle fits in each higher weight set and there it gets bigger and bigger. The good thing about this is that you only have two sets of handles. The power block sets are available from 5lb to 90lb. Some of the features include:

Black Powder Coat painted steel weight plates in classic square shape
Snap on color band applied to rails on one side of each block.
Handle has padded wrist supports
Straight Center Handle (hand grip)
Welded construction (non flexing)
Limited 10 year home use warranty. Home use products are warranted only for home use and warranty is void if used commercially.

This is a good alternative for people who do not want to pay too much and want their home dumbbells to be as compact as possible.

Pros of the powerblock

The power block design is hard to beat on space savings. Even the rogue loadable dumbbell needs more space as you need the special plates to make it work. In terms of price the power block also is not too bad.

Cons of the powerblock

The mechanics of the power block can become annoying when changing weights and are prone to break. In the higher weight ranges, the dumbbell can also get very cumbersome based on its rectangular design.

Alternatives to the powerblock

The Rogue loadable dumbbell is basically a shortened barbell that can be loaded with weights. Rogue also offers smaller weights to go with the loadable dumbbell. This is a great option when you want to be able to have a load of different weights on one dumbbell without eating too much space. Ideal for home gyms. For a commercial gym, it might be better to stick with a rack of dumbbells as they are more convenient to use and cover more clients at the same cost.

The rubber hex dumbbell is pound for pins the cheapest dumbbell with a rogue logo on it. They are also sold in pairs. If you like the hex design for your commercial gym I think this is the one to go for in bulk.

Kettlebells are always a good alternative to dumbbells. You can do almost all dumbbell movements with kettlebells while kettlebells also offer the Turkish getup and kettlebell swing as great conditioning exercises. The only negative with kettlebells is that I haven’t seen a great loadable Design for them yet to save space. If I was in the market for a big set I dumbbells I would get a wall of kettlebells instead. Especially if you have very heavy kettlebells it will set you apart from other gyms. It all depends on the clients you want to target as bodybuilders usually prefer dumbbells.

Summary for the Powerblock

Great for the occasional, recreational lifter to have a full set of dumbbells at home.

Overview and review of the REP fitness adjustable dumbbell

This is an overview of the REP fitness adjustable dumbbell including pros, cons, and alternatives. The original was published under which rep fitness strength equipment to buy. Follow the links for more details.

REP Adjustable Dumbbell $54.99

The REP adjustable dumbbell is a good option for home gyms in a confined space. Especially when you combine it with a set of change and fractional plates that you already own for your barbell. If you want to save money and space and still have a decent set of dumbbell options at your disposal then the rep fitness loadable dumbbells are a good choice. The full specifications are:

40 lb Set - TWO handles, FOUR collars, FOUR 5 lb plates, FOUR 2.5 lb plates
52.5 lb Set - ONE handle, TWO collars, EIGHT 5 lb plates, TWO 2.5 lb plates, TWO 1.25 lb plates
40lb Add-on Set - FOUR 10lb plates

Features solid cast iron plates, fully knurled straight handle, spin-lock star collars.
Handle - 4 lbs
Collars - 0.5 lbs (each)
Handle Lengths - 17.5" total / 6.5" loadable sleeve / 5" usable handle
Max load is (12) 10 lb plates (6 per side), for a total of weight of 125 lbs
Diameter of handle is 1"

Be careful when ordering as these are not sold in pairs. Make sure you get a pair as that is better for home training and getting stuff done quickly and effectively.

Pros of the REP Adjustable Dumbbell

The pros of the REP adjustable dumbbell are:

Price
Space savings
Money savings

An adjustable dumbbell is a great money and space saver for your home gym. It is not really a great option in a commercial setting as you want to provide a dumbbell rack so that many people can train in parallel, but for home use they are great. Especially if you already have a rack with plates at home.

Cons of the REP Adjustable Dumbbell

Cons of the REP adjustable dumbbell:

Handling
Need for plates

Adjustable dumbbells are not great if you are very strong and need to put 100lbs on them. The handling if getting them to your shoulder for a bench or incline press will be unbearable. There are some workarounds, but usually, it is better to get a urethane or hex dumbbell for this purpose.

The price of the loadable dumbbell setup con also skyrockets if you do not own the necessary plates yet. This makes it a good option for a gym that already has plates to get the maximum out of the investment. If you are someone who wants to start a gym from scratch with a pair of dumbbells you are better off getting two hex dumbbells instead, even though they are not adjustable.

Alternatives to the REP Adjustable Dumbbell

Alternatives to the REP fitness Adjustable dumbbell are:

Rogue adjustable dumbbell
TITAN adjustable dumbbell

The Rogue adjustable dumbbell is a shortened version of the Rogue Ohio bar which is American-made. If this is important to you then the Rogue adjustable dumbbell is probably one of the few, if not the only option for you that is being produced by a well-known manufacturer. You can also get special dumbbell bumpers for these adjustable dumbbells which make them better to handle heavy lifts than average adjustable dumbbells that work with combinations of change and fractional plates.

If you want to go cheap and imported, TITAN Fitness is your friend. They also have several different options of lengths and thickness for adjustable dumbbells. So if you already have a craigslist assembly of small plates at home, then TITAN fitness is the most likely place to find a fitting adjustable dumbbell out of Rogue fitness, REP fitness, and TITAN fitness.

Conclusion for the REP Adjustable Dumbbell

The REP adjustable dumbbell is a solid option if you already have matching plates at home. Otherwise, you might want to look into rubber hex dumbbells instead.