REP fitness Urethane dumbbells vs Rogue loadable dumbbells

This is a comparison between the Rep fitness Urethane dumbbell and the Rogue loadable dumbbells including pros, cons and alternatives. Follow the links for more information.

Overview and review of the Rogue loadable dumbbell

The Rogue loadable dumbbell combines the design of a barbell with a dumbbell. This saves space and cost to have a full set at home. The loadable dumbbell costs $135 and is not sold in pairs. 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 Rogue loadable dumbbell

The Rogue loadable dumbbell is basically a shortened Rogue Ohio bar. The Rogue Ohio bar is the best selling backbone of the Rogue barbell portfolio. The loadable dumbbell is available in a 15 and 10 lb version. The 15 lb version doubles the available sleeve space so you can add more weights. The Rogue loadable dumbbell is compatible with your barbell plates. You can also get specially fitted dumbbell weights with a smaller diameter which I recommend. The big plates are usually in the way when they get close to your body. On a barbell, they are further away as the shaft is longer. The specs of the Rogue loadable dumbbell are:

Sold Individually, NOT in Pairs
Made in the USA
DB-10 - 200,000PSI

DB-15 - 200,000PSI or 190,000PSI Tensile Strength Steel
28.5MM diameter knurled handle
Bronze Bushings & Snap Ring Design
Length:14.25" (DB-10) 20.5 (DB-15)
Load Capacity: ~100LB (DB-10)
Rogue branded endcaps
Available as package with set of Rogue OSO Collars
Compatible with any standard Oly plates and/or Rogue Dumbbell Bumper plates

A solid combination of a barbell, dumbbell and the idea of the power block to save space. Probably one of the best executed of its kind in the market in terms of design and finish.

Pros of the rogue loadable dumbbell

They look great and the finish is a high standard. The loadable dumbbell will also save a lot of space in a home gym setup compared to a whole wall of kettlebells or dumbbells. Compared to the power block the mechanism to change between weights is easier and a lot more durable. They are functional, nice to look at and can be dropped without risking to break them.

Cons of the Rogue loadable dumbbell

In a commercial gym setup, I think they are too expensive as they are not sons in pairs and not user-friendly enough. I can already see the mess when purple start loading their own dumbbells and leaving all the little parts scattered on the ground. In most gyms, it’s bad enough with plates and the usual rubber dumbbells. Imagine if all of the dumbbells also have multiple parts to them.

Alternatives to the Rogue loadable dumbbell

Alternatives to the Rubber Hex dumbbells are

Rubber Hex dumbbells
Rogue Urethane dumbbell
Power block classic elite dumbbell
Rogue Kettlebells

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.

The Rogue Urethane dumbbells are slightly higher quality than the rubber hex. As the name suggests they are made of urethane instead of rubber which makes them more durable. Personally I think the main reason would be aesthetic and functional to get them over hex dumbbell. They are round instead of a hexagon. I never liked that design myself.

The Power block dumbbell is a classic design for home use. It follows the same idea as the loadable dumbbell to save space in a home setting. This is the most compact it can get for lifting dumbbells with many options in denominations. The only downside is the clicking mechanic to change between weights which is prone to break and that the block can a little too big when moving big weights. Here the loadable dumbbell might be less error-prone if you have the space to store the change plates.

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 Rogue loadable dumbbell

The Rogue loadable dumbbell is a great option for the dedicated home gym owner who wants to save space and doesn’t mind the cost per dumbbell. This is a purchase that will make you happy and doesn’t make you look cheap. If you have to buy in bulk to cover the needs of more than five people you are probably better off with the hex dumbbells to save cost. Unless you are a rich university or NFL team who can afford to only buy the best for your athletes. You pay them millions, don’t be cheap on the equipment. Sends the wrong signals to your best athletes.

Overview and review of the REP fitness Urethane dumbbells

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

REP Urethane Dumbbell $1355

This is a full set of Urethane dumbbells from REP Fitness. The two main advantages are that they are round and made of Urethane. Urethane is deemed to be one of the most durable materials to make bumper plates and dumbbells from. Therefore it is also the most expensive. The full specifications for these Urethane dumbbells are:

Round dumbbell design with solid steel handle
Fully knurled handles for maximum grip
Friction welded for extreme durability
Tolerance: +/- 3% accuracy on all dumbbells
CPU urethane coating is the most durable urethane available
Custom logos and color combinations available (12-16 week lead time, ordered as part of full gym outfitting)
Size ranges available in 5 lb increments to match your training needs

5-50 lb
5-100 lb
55-75 lb
80-100 lb
105-125 lb
130-150 lb

Handle diameter sizes

5-50 lb - 32mm diameter handle
55+ lb - 34mm diameter handle
6-inch handle length

REP urethane dumbbell pairs are available for purchase too
5-50 lb set fits on (1) REP Dumbbell Rack.

Rack measures at 84" long x 34" tall (37" with dumbbells loaded) x 24" deep

5-year structural warranty

These are great dumbbells when you expect heavy abuse in a commercial setting. For a home gym, they might be too pricey and you want to opt for hex rubber dumbbells instead.

Pros of the REP Urethane Dumbbell

The pros of the REP Urethane dumbbells are:

Cheaper than the ones from Rogue Fitness
Round
Durability

Many people who look into REP Fitness want a cheaper good quality option compared to the equivalent product from Rogue Fitness. The good news is that the REP Urethane dumbbells are exactly that as long as you are ok with products that are produced in and imported from China.

What I personally like best about Urethane dumbbells is that they are round. The hex dumbbells are in my opinion awkward to handle, especially the heavy ones. If you want to get a full stack of dumbbells for your home gym because you are a beast, I would definitely keep in mind that these are round.

Urethane is a more durable material compared to rubber. If you use these dumbbells in a commercial setting or in a home gym where you can expect erosion from the weather then these are a good option to last you longer.

Cons of the REP Urethane Dumbbell

Cons of the Urethane dumbbell are:

Limited use cases
Price
Space requirements

I am personally a believer in getting any weight as a kettlebell instead of a dumbbell. Kettlebells are more versatile than dumbbells and also harder to break based on their design. With a few exceptions, you can almost do any dumbbell exercise with a kettlebell but not vice Versa. So if you are already investing in a lot of dumbbell weights, then you might want to consider getting a big pack of kettlebells instead.

Urethane dumbbells are quite high priced for something that you will use little if you are building a full home gym. For many modern routines, dumbbells are accessory work and the heavy lifting is done with a barbell while conditioning is done with a kettlebell. If you want to equip your gym with a full set of dumbbells and you are not a monster lifter I would go with a full set of hex dumbbells instead and half the cost.

A full set of dumbbells needs quite a bit of space. Other options like a loadable dumbbell might be more cost and space-efficient depending on what you want to do.

Alternatives to the REP Urethane Dumbbell

Alternatives to the REP Urethane dumbbell are:

The REP rubber grip dumbbells are optimized for price. The rubber handle makes them cheaper to produce, deviating from the traditional steel handle design. If you want to get a full set of dumbbells at a cheap price, this is the option for you. It just hits differently than a metal handle.

The Rogue Urethane dumbbells come in at a higher price due to the branding of Rogue. This is one of the exceptions where Rogue and REP Fitness both import the product from overseas. So technically I see no difference between the two except that you are supporting a company that is actively creating jobs in the Columbus Ohio area with their money that is also in manufacturing while REP fitness will probably lean more towards keeping staff at a minimum in the US for now.

The Rogue loadable dumbbell is a great option to save space and money for a home gym for dumbbells. It is not really an option in a commercial setting as you might want multiple handles so that many clients can train in parallel. The Rogue loadable is produced in the US as it is basically a shortened version of the Rogue Ohio bar. If you want some cool bumpers with them, then Rogue sells these too. This might be a good alternative for the patriotic home gym owner who wants a dumbbell set.

The TITAN Urethane dumbbells are also imported from China and more or less the same as the REP fitness dumbbells. TITAN is known in the industry to be more likely than other vendors to cut corners to achieve a low price. So chances are higher that you might have some minor quality issues with your delivery. Nothing that makes them not fulfill their purpose, just annoying for something you just bought new.

Conclusion for the REP Urethane Dumbbell

Urethane dumbbells are a good addition to a commercial gym, especially if you are buying a full rack of them. In a home gym, you have to ask yourself whether you really need a full dumbbell rack or not. If you just get a couple of different weights Urethane is an option. For a whole rack, I would go with hex dumbbells instead.