REP fitness Equalizer plates vs TITAN Economy bumper plates

This is a comparison between the REP fitness Equalizer plates and the TITAN Economy bumper plates. Follow the links for more details.

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.

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.