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REP fitness black bumper plates vs Rogue black training plates

Written by Pascal Landshoeft | Jun 14, 2021 4:00:00 PM

REP fitness black bumper plates vs Rogue black training plates

This is a comparison between the Rep Fitness black bumper plates and the Rogue Black training plates. Follow the links for more details.

Overview and review of the Rogue Black Training plates 

 

The Rogue black training plates will set you back about $985 dollars or $7.03 dollars per kg. These plates are especially good to use for all purposes in gyms who are serious about competing. This overview has originally been published in the article "Which rogue plates to buy" which you can find on this blog. 

What else to consider from Rogue

Most popular Rogue plates

This is an overview of the most popular Rogue plates on Marathon-Crossfit.com in 2020 based on views and click thoughs for purchase on Rogue Fitness. If you want more detail on how the data was collected and what the strengths and shortcomings of the data set are you can dig deeper on what were the most popular rogue products in 2020.

 
These were the most popular rogue plates on Marathon-Crossfit.com. On the plates, I would caution between overall popularity and the popularity of my site. The plates listed below are more niche than the Rogue bumpers, the calibrated steel plates, and competition bumpers. If you want a safe bet for your use case these three might be better, as more people buy them.
 
  2. Urethane plates
 
The Fleck plates are a variation on the Rogue bumper plates which have been infused with red, blue, yellow, and green to indicate the weight of the plates. The splash of color also makes them more fun compared to the regular bumpers. If you find the rogue bumpers too bland but also do not want to shell out more than $1000 on calibrated steel plates or competition bumpers to get color coding then the Fleck plates are for you. You can read the full review of the Fleck plates via this link.
 
The Rogue Urethane plates are color-coded and also claim the best durability in the Rogue plate portfolio. Whether that warrants the high price tag compared to regular bumpers is a question you have to answer for yourself, but I personally don’t think so. If you want to spend more money on plates, spend it on precision rather than durability in my personal opinion within the Rogue portfolio. Rogue equipment is known to be more durable than the competition so I would not put too much focus on this unless you run an Olympic training center where the plates will go through hundreds of heavy drops per day. You can read the full review of the Rogue Urethane plates here.
 
The Rogue black training plates have the best dead drop in the Rogue portfolio which means they bounce the least when dropped from overhead. These are the plates which I use most often as I like the design because black does not show marks as easily as other plates. You can read my full review of the Rogue black training plates via this link.
 
The 6 shooter plates from Rogue are often overlooked as a good option for commercial gyms. They are relatively cheap compared to other Rogue plates and easier to handle in a gym setting where you have a lot of them flying about. The downside is that you can not use them for overhead drops as this will wreck the plates, floor, and barbell in the process. You can read the full review of the rogue 6 shooter plates via this link.

 

Overview of the black training plates

 
The Rogue Black training bumper plates have a unique design with a color-coded stripe to identify the weight easily. All of Rogue's top engineering is combined in these plates. The little things do make a difference, even in something so simple as bumper plates. These plates raised rubber around the center and at the outskirts. This makes them easier to pick up from the ground and avoids wear and tear at the middle metal discs. In addition, these plates are normed to the same diameter. This is great for weightlifting purposes. If you want a good, cheaper alternative to the official competition plates, this is the way to go.
 
Based on the Durometer they score a 94, which means that they are pretty hard and have therefore less bounce.
 
Weight / Color / Diameter / Thickness / Price per pair
 
25kg / Red / 450mm / 66mm / $275
20kg / Blue / 450mm / 55mm / $225
15kg / Yellow / 450mm / 42mm / $190
10kg / Green / 450mm / 29mm / $140
 
Available sets
 
90kg, 2x 10-15-20kg $655
110kg, 2x 10-20-25kg $770
120kg, 2x 15-20-25kg $825
140kg,  2x 10-15-20-25kg $985
 
The black training plates will be an eye-catching feature for your gym which enables you to train Olympic weightlifting at a lower cost per station than the official competition plates. You will have all of the quality and luxury of competition and a well thought out design which is user-friendly.
 

Pros of the black training plates

 
The extra features of these plates make them less prone to get wrecked than the competition plates. They will also continue to lock nicely even if they get abused. The hard bounce will make you train like a champ. On top of that, you will save a little money compared to getting the full-blown competition plates. 
 

Cons of the black training plates

 
These plates have a pretty high price tag for a piece of equipment that will be thrown around in your gym on a daily basis and abused. If you specialize in powerlifting these plates will also take up more real estate on the bar for the same amount of weight.
 

Alternatives to the black training plates

 
Alternatives to the Black training plates are:
 
 
The black training plates are also available in LBS denominations. If you run a gym where people prefer to calculate their weights in LBS and you still want to provide the best bumper plates there are, this is the way to go.
 
The Rogue competition plates are what is being used on the platform in official competitions. The main difference to the black training plates is that their colors run through the entire plates. They are also more prone to get broken when abused, as they do not bear all of the extra features that the training plates have to protect them from harm.
 
If you want to save money and know that your clientele does not care that much, bumper plates are your go-to option. These are a lot cheaper than the black training plates and can also be dropped from overhead. If you train outdoors or in a wet dungeon/cellar, I might get these as the plates well get wrecked anyway. 
 

Overview and review of the REP fitness black bumper plates

This is an overview of the REP fitness black bumper plates including pros, cons, and alternatives. The original was published under which plates to buy from rep fitness. Follow the links for more details.

 

Related articles

 

REP Black Bumper plates $49

 
The REP black bumper plates are the standard option you can find from most vendors around. These plates have a good price per plate, can be used outdoors, and fit on most barbells. This is the workhorse plate for the home or in a commercial gym. If you are not sure what to buy, you can not go wrong with these. The full specifications are:
 
  • 160 lb - (2)Each 45-25-10
  • 190 lb - (2)Each 45-25-15-10
  • 210 lb - (2)Each 45-35-25
  • 230 lb - (2)Each 45-35-25-10
  • 250 lb - (4) 45 (2) Each 25-10
  • 260 lb - (2)Each 45-35-25-15-10
  • 370 lb - (6) 45 lb & (2)Each 25-15-10
  • Superior craftsmanship and design. Steel inserts with hooks molded into the bumper plates increase durability versus older designs with brass inserts.
  • Extra thick 10 lb plates are the best on the market, and highly resistant to bending
  • Low bounce. Some recycled rubber bumper plates will bounce very high and make you chase the bar around. Not ours.
  • Thin profile. With a good Olympic bar, you can fit 515lbs of our bumper plates on the bar.
  • Factory tested to withstand over 12,000 drops from a height of 8 ft. 
  • Used in both commercial and home gyms all over the world
  • 3% Tolerance
 
Solid plates for any use scenario. Not too expensive and not too cheap to get you where you want to go with your fitness.
 

Pros of the REP Black Bumper plates

 
Pros of the REP Black bumper plates are:
 
  • Value for money
  • Goes with anything
  • Can be used outdoors
  • Very forgiving on the user
  • Very forgiving on the floor
 
Black bumper plates are always a safe bet. Especially for someone who is not incredibly strong or wants to break world records. They are reliable. If Black bumper plates get dirty it is not that bad, as the dirt will not show up as much on the black. A decent black color also goes with most other equipment in any given gym as it is often black or grey.
 
Bumper plates are also good as they can be dropped from overhead without damaging the plates, the lifter, floor, or equipment. Bumper plates are very forgiving and ideal for any beginner or intermediate lifter. They can also be used outdoors as they take better to rain and sand than other, pricier plates.
 

Cons of the REP Black Bumper plates

 
Cons of the REP black bumper plates are:
 
  • Sleeve space
  • High bounce
  • Can get very hot
  • Balance
  • Can be awkward to pick up
  • Higher fault tolerance
 
The biggest con of bumper plates is that they take up more space than iron and competition plates on the barbell. If you lift very heavy regular bumper plates usually max out the sleeves of the barbell somewhere around 180kg to 220kg depending on how you stack the plates. If you are a serious powerlifter or want to save storage space in your commercial gym you are better off getting iron plates.
 
If you use these plates mainly for Olympic lifting you have to keep in mind that they are louder and bounce more than competition plates. If you want to get through a proper snatch workout in the least amount of time that can actually be quite annoying. A minor thing, but still worth considering.
 
These plates are also balanced differently compared to competition plates. As they have no metal core ring they spin differently during Olympic lifts than bumper plates. A good lifter will still lift heavy weight with these, but if you are entering micro differences you might want to for the competition plates instead.
 
As they are black rubber they might not be the ideal plates to be used outdoors in a very hot climate. Again, something minor, but if you burn your hand on a very hot bumper once you know what I am talking about. Higher quality plates take a little better to heat and do not absorb it as fast. Different color also helps.
 
These bumper plates have a higher fault tolerance than the competition and precision plates. This means it is more likely that the plate you are getting does not exactly weigh what it says on the plate. Calibrated plates are the best way to remedy this. Here the plates are weighed at the end of the production process and then adjusted with a little metal insert to be as precise as possible. This production step also makes them more expensive than bumpers or regular iron plates.
 

Alternatives to the REP Black Bumper plates

 
Alternatives to the REP BUmper plates are:
 
 
If you want something a bit more precise and with a color you can also get the REP competition plates. These plates are made to competition specifications and are therefore produced with a lower tolerance rate. They also have a little lip which makes them easier to pick up from the ground.
 
The REP-colored bumper plates are a good alternative if you want color in your life instead of simple black. The nice thing is that they are very close in price to the regular black bumper plates.
 
The Rogue fleck plates are a nice hybrid between black rubber plates and colored plates. The black plates are being infused with color during the production process to make them look like checkered animals. If you want your gym to be hip and different, this is the plate to make that statement without reaching into the Avengers or food-themed weight plates.
 
Rogue's machined iron plates are a good option for someone who wants precise iron plates for their ambitious home gym. These are a particularly good choice for any powerlifters that need to stack a lot of iron on the plate to still make gains.
 
The TITAN bumper plates are the cheap version between Rogue, REP, and TITAN if you want to get the most weight for your buck from a decent vendor, then TITAN is the way to go.
 

Conclusion for the REP Black Bumper plates

 
The rep black bumper plates are a solid choice when you are confused and just want to get going. They are also a good choice for a commercial gym that wants to play things safe.
 
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