Rogue Color KG training plates vs Machined Olympic plates

This is a comparison between the Rogue Color KG training plates and the machined Olympic plates including pros, cons and alternatives. Follow the links for more details

Overview and review of the Rogue Machined Olympic plates

The Rogue machined olympic plates will set you back about $582 dollars or $5.24 dollars per kg. These plates are especially good to use for home gyms who want some extra precision. This overview has originally been published in the article "Which rogue plates to buy" which you can find on this blog.

Overview of the Rogue Machined Olympic plates

These plates are Rogue take on the standard metal plate. They have come up with a great design which combines grey hammertone with black writing. Many lifters love the sound of multiple metal plates clanging together when they post a new pr. These plates are made to precision with a 2 to 3% tolerance which sets them apart from the rest of the industry. These are the type of plates which a no-nonsense dungeon gym will hold. You get quite a lot of weight for your dollar with these ones.

Weight / Diameter / Thickness / Price per pair

45LB / 448mm / 1.50'' / $160

35LB/ 360mm / 1.50'' / $128

25LB / 300mm / 1.50'' / $ 105

10LB / 228mm / 1.22'' / $48.50

5LB / 195mm / 0.83'' / $32

2.5LB / 162mm / 0.63'' / $23

Available sets

245LB one pair each size $582

Pros of the Rogue Machined Olympic plates

The biggest pros are the price and machine precision. Compared to the calibrated steel plates and high-end bumpers you get the same amount of weight for roughly half the price. Metal also feels different when you move it around. It makes more noise and just feels rawer. You will also be able to fit more weight onto your barbell.

Cons of the Rogue Machined Olympic plates

These plates have no color coding and you can not always be sure what you put on the bar. This makes it more likely to misload a lift. If you do not have a platform these plates are also a lot more likely to eat into your floor on deadlifts than bumpers. They will also not sustain constant dropping of the weight from overhead. Especially your barbell will suffer and deform quickly if you use them for Olympic lifts. In addition, they will also not age well in damp places as they will oxidate.

Alternatives to the Rogue Machined Olympic plates

Alternatives to the Rogue Machined plates are:

If you still want that metal feel, can tolerate a bit more variance on the finish and prefer black, the Rogue Olympic plates might be for you. They will also come in at an even lower price point.

Bumper plates are the alternative for the home gym warrior who wants to protect their floor and lift overhead. You will fit less weight on the barbell, but you can train without a platform without wrecking the floor.

The calibrated steel plates come with color coding and are IPF approved. If you want to prepare for your next powerlifting meet and train like the pros, this is the option for you.

Overview and review of the Rogue Color KG training plates

The Rogue color KG training plates will set you back about $960 dollars or $6.85 dollars per kg. These plates are especially good to use for weightlifters 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.

Overview of the Rogue Color KG training plates

The Rogue color KG training plates come in full color just like the competition plates and are specialized in Olympic weightlifting. These plates can be used in training and still life up to the IWF standards, You can choose from 10kg, 15kg, 20kg, and 25kg plates. These plates come with a 450mm diameter and collar opening of 50.4mm. They score 86 on the durometer which means they a little more bounce than the top range plates from Rogue. They also have been designed to be thinner and fit more weight onto the bar. The weight tolerance on each of these is around 15 grams per plate.

Weight / Color / Diameter / Thickness / Price per pair

25kg / Red / 450mm / 2.50'' / $345

20kg / Blue / 450mm / 2.125'' / $285

15kg / Yellow / 450mm / 1.75'' / $220

10kg / Green / 450mm / 1.25'' / $152.50

Available sets

90kg, 2x 10-15-20kg $615

110kg, 2x 10-20-25kg $755

120kg, 2x 15-20-25kg $825

140kg, 2x 10-15-20-25kg $960

These are the right plates when you want to get the real competition feel going for your Olympic lifters in your gym while still saving some money compared to competition plates.

Pros of the Rogue color training plates

These plates are great for training purposes and cost less than actual competition plates. You will fit more of these onto a regular bar compared to normal bumper plates. The color coding will set your gym apart and make it easy for athletes and coaches to identify the weight on the bar.

Cons of the Rogue color training plates

The color coding is not ideal in gyms where the plates will be used on and off a platform. They will quickly take on lose color and dirt will be easily visible. The higher bounce rate compared to higher end Rogue products makes it more likely for them to break. This also means that they are a bit more dangerous to train with for beginners as they are usually not used to bouncing weights.

Alternatives to the Rogue color training plates

Alternatives to the KG color plates are:

If your clients or yourself prefer to train in lbs rather than KG but like the color coding and a bit more bounce, than the LBS version of the Color training plates are an option for you.

If you want top-notch training plates which match the rest of your gym and are more durable, you can opt for the Black training plates from Rogue. These have less bounce and a couple of extra features on the plate which make them more beginner friendly.

If you want to save money and do not need to max out the weight that can be put on the bar, the bumper plates are a time tested solution for any gym. Not fancy, but they do the job and you save some $$$ per kilo.