REP fitness Equalizer plates vs Rogue black training plates

This is a comparison between the REP fitness Equalizer 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.

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 Equalizer plates

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

Rep Equalizer iron plates $10

The REP Equalizer plates are a great option for your home gym, if you think that simple round iron plates are boring and too hard to pick up from the ground. These plates have a low entry price, interesting design, and can be very practical if you like them. The full specifications of these REP plates are:

Features:

Machine drilled center hole (not cast) for tight fit on bar.
Sand blasted and machined for smooth surface.
All surfaces rounded, no sharp edges.
Sandblast before painting to ensure no surface rust is painted over.
Powdercoated and baked for 1 hour for superior toughness and resistance to chipping.
Symmetrical grip holes for easy lifting off the ground, and for using individual plates in exercises.
Weight tolerance guaranteed within 2%
"X" centered in between grip holes on 45, 35, and 25, as pictured on main image.
255 lb set includes: (1) Pair of 45, 35, 25, 10, 2.5 lb plates. (2) Pairs of 5 lb plates.
275 lb set includes: (2) Pair of 45, 5 lb plates. (1) Pair of 25, 10, 2.5 lb plates.

Plate Dimensions (width/diameter)

2.5lb - 0.5"/6.25"
5lb - 0.75"/8"
10lb - 0.75"/9"
25lb - 1.5"/12.25"
35lb - 1.5"/14.25"
45lb - 1.5"/17.7"

A solid alternative to simple Olympic iron plates.

Pros of the Rep Equalizer iron plates

The pros of the REP Equalizer plates are:

Sleeve space
Holes
Iron sound
Price per kg

A big plus of Iron plates is that they take up less sleeve space on the bar compared to bumper plates. This makes them especially good for powerlifters as they can get more weight on the barbell than with bumper plates. If you have limited storing space and want to max out your barbell then these plates are a good choice.

The holes in these plates mean that they are easier to move around your gym than regular Olympic iron plates. You can also pick them up from the ground very easily. In the convenience department, these plates point big in day-to-day use.

Depending on your preferences these plates make the sound of clanging metal that some love so much. If you want to pump iron and like the good old Ronnie Coleman days, then these are the plates for you.

Another attractive feature of these plates is that they have a decent design even though they are at the lower range of the price per kg spectrum of REP fitness.

Cons of the Rep Equalizer iron plates

Cons of the REP Equalizer plates are:

Iron
The Integrity of the plate is compromised
Higher injury risk
No color option

One of the disadvantages of this pate is that it is iron. This means it can corrode and also damages your floor and equipment when dropped from overhead. Iron plates also bear a higher injury risk as the metal won't give in when it comes into contact with skin or bone. It is a lot more likely to break the skin or a bone when you collide with an Iron plate than with a bumper plate.

As these plates have holes in them their integrity is compromised. This means that there are a lot more opportunities for the plates to crack or catch rust than with a smooth round bumper plate. They are also more likely to chip than a round Olympic iron plate.

Finally, you do not have color options with these plates except grey and black. Although these iron plates are easier to coat with a different color than bumper plates if DIY is your thing.

Alternatives to the Rep Equalizer iron plates

Alternatives to the REP Equalizer plates are:

The REP Urethane coated equalizer plates are in my opinion the better choice as they are more forgiving on your equipment and body than the full iron plates. If you like the idea of plates with holes in them to make them easier to carry, go for the Urethane coat instead.

If you don't care about design and convenience and all you want is the most possible amount of weight for the cheapest price that you can fit on your barbell, then go with Olympic Iron plates. They are not as convenient as the Urethane plates but cheaper. You also might like to go retro and just focus on lifting the weights rather than how they look in your basement.

The Rogue 6 shooter plates follow the same idea as the Equalizer plates. The only difference is that the holes are round rather than hexagonal. If you are leaning more towards Rogue as a brand than REP fitness to build your home gym, but like the concept of easy transport iron plates, then the 6 Shooter is the option for you.

The Rogue Olympic Iron plates are the simplest version you can get of a plate from Rogue. Steel that fits on a barbell. Nothing more, nothing less.

If you want to be as cheap as possible then go with TITAN and load your cart up. They also have Iron plates in stock.

Conclusion for the Rep Equalizer iron plates

The REP Equalizer iron plates have a great design and are practical in use. If I liked them and were to buy some I would go for the Urethane coated ones instead as they are minimally more expensive but are easier on my skin and equipment when training. They will also last longer as they are not as susceptible to rust.