TITAN Economy color plates vs Rogue Urethane plates
This is a comparison between the TITAN economy color bumper plates and the Rogue Urethane plates including pros, cons, and alternatives. It was published first under which titan plates to get. Follow the links for more details.
Overview and review of the Rogue Urethane plates
The Rogue Urethane plates will set you back about $1150 dollars or $7.46 dollars per kg. These plates are especially good to use for gyms who want long lasting plates. 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
Overview of the Urethane plates
The
Rogue Urethane plates are the second most expensive ones in the Rogue portfolio per kg. What you get in return are the longest lasting, all weather plates you can obtain from Rogue. These plates are 450mm in diameter and made to IWF specs. They have a chrome insert and dead bounce on the drop. The chrome piece provides easy loading on the
bar and reduced friction on the sleeves. This is the plate to buy if your last
competition plates fell apart at the chrome insert.
Weight / Color / Diameter / Thickness / Price per pair
55LB / Red / 450mm / 58mm / $310
45LB / Blue / 450mm / 53mm / $260
35LB / Yellow / 450mm / 48mm / $220
25LB / Green / 450mm / 40mm / $160
10LB / Black / 450mm / 20mm / $70
Available sets
210lb, 2x 25-35-45LB $750
300LB, 2x 25-35-4x45LB $1050
320LB, 2x 25-35-45-55LB $1100
340LB, 2x 10-25-35-45-55 $1150
Pros of the Urethane plates
This is an all-purpose plate which will last a long time and is hard. It will take the abuse of many users of different experience levels and still look good. This is a great plate for high demands and someone who does not want to replace the plates as often compared to other plates with a chrome insert.
Cons of the Urethane plates
The biggest con is the high price. If you go for
Olympic or
bumper plates you will get a lot more kilograms per $$$. You might be buying twice in this scenario and you will also know that you took the cheap road to success. I personally stopped doing this and it yields great results.
Alternatives to the Urethane plates
C
ompetition plates will not last as long as they have a tendency to pull apart between the rubber and the chrome insert. They also bounce more. Still, if you want to get as close as possible to the real world championships, then these are the plates to go for instead with the slight risk that they might fall apart after years of heavy use.
The
black training plates are a great design from rogue which combines the
bumper plate effectiveness with the excellence of Rogue's
competition grade plates. You will find color coding and extra touches to make the plates more user-friendly and robust. This is the elegant choice of the professional.
Calibrated steel plates are the plates for anyone who wants to put the maximum amount of weight possible on the
bar while still having color-coded plates. These plates are also approved by the IPF and are used in competition. If you want to get serious about
powerlifting, this should be your choice.
Overview and review of the TITAN Economy color plates
This is an overview of the TITAN economy plates including pros, cons, and alternatives. It was published first under which titan plates to get. Follow the links for more details.
Related articles
Overview of the TITAN Color bumper plates
Price: $64.99 - $474.99
The
economy bumper color plates are a nice addition to the lower range of plates from TITAN. Most vendors only offer the rubber plates in black which might not be to everyone's liking. With this option, TITAN provides bumper plates at a slightly higher price with the
official color coding for different sizes and weights that is used in international competitions. The full specifications are:
Very low bounce with a durometer rating of 88.
Extremely durable rubber used.
Fits Olympic barbells.
Color-coded for easy identification.
Quieter than steel plates.
Material: Rubber with Steel Insert
Diameter: 17 3/4"
Collar Opening: 2”
Durometer Rating: 88
10 LB:
Plate Width: 1"
Color: Green
15 LB:
Plate Width: 1 3/8"
Color: Black
25 LB:
Plate Width: 1 7/8"
Color: Yellow
35 LB:
Plate Width: 2 3/4"
Color: Blue
45 LB:
Plate Width: 3 1/2"
Color: Red
These plates are a great start for a home gym when you do not like black and want to mix it up a little. They only cost a little more than the
black economy plates and make things a little more interesting, if you like the international color coding with red, blue, yellow, and green.
Pros of the TITAN Color bumper plates
- Low price
- Design
- Outdoor / Indoor
The main argument for TITAN Fitness is the low price. Most of their free weight equipment comes at about half the price of their direct competition from Rogue and Eleiko. These two brands are usually considered as the golden standard when it comes to free weight lifting equipment. If you are building a home gym on a budget and either want to get twice as much weight or the next quality of plates up, TITAN is usually a good pick. Especially if it is equipment that is more of a commodity and not a high health risk, like plates.
If you think that black plates are ugly and boring the color economy plates are a great option. They will also not break the bank like other color options as
competitive Olympic plates.
Generally, cheap bumper plates are great to be sued indoors and outdoors. They are ideal to be used on a sled or yoke as you will not feel guilty when you leave them in the heat, cold, or rain as much as with a plate set that costs you $2000 to acquire. I would not put my calibrated plates outdoors or on a sled unless I was an NFL or NBA team. Then the plates are peanuts compared to what you pay the athletes.
Cons of the TITAN Color bumper plates
- Steel Inserts
- Can not be dropped from overhead
- Sleeve space
- Dirt / Markings
As you have to cut some corners when you offer your product at half the price of the competition you will often find some little quality issues with TITAN. It might be the finish of the plates, customer service being impolite, or a certain rubbery smell of the plates. These will not keep you from training with these plates but might irritate you or lead to the plates breaking sooner than other products. Still, especially for plates, half the price is great.
If you are planning to do a lot of
Olympic lifting these plates are not the right choice. For this purpose plates with a full steel disc in the middle are better as they can take more of a beating. TITAN has the
Elite bumper plates and competition bumper plates in their range which fulfill these criteria but also come at about twice the price of the
color-coded economy plates.
As with all bumper plates, they will ake up more sleeve space on your bar than
cast iron plates. If you work with 400lbs and more on a regular basis on the bar,
cast iron plates are usually a better choice. Keep in mind that when you work with iron plates the weights can not be dropped from overhead and the floor should have some mats or gym flooring to protect the plates and floor from damage when you work out.
The last thing to mention is that you will see markings on these plates sooner than on black bumper plates. If this is the kind of stuff that irritates you, save yourself some money and get the black ones instead, as the markings will not be visible as quickly.
Alternatives to the TITAN Color Bumper Plates
If you are shopping for plates on a budget of $1000 and came from a different vendor to TITAN you might treat yourself and get the elite color plates on the same budget instead of the rubber
economy plates. These plates have the same color-coding, but can also be dropped repeatedly from overhead. Think of this as an upgrade to the better technology with the same amount of money. Still, you can also go for the colored rubber and save half the price.
The
Titan economy bumper plates are black instead of color-coded. The price difference is minimal and will not matter to home gym buyers. COmmercial buyers might have an interest when they buy 1000s of pounds, but that is a very exceptional scenario. If you want the black or colored ones is mainly down to how much abuse you put them through. If you are looking for plates to use outdoors and band around a lot, the black ones are probably the better option, as they will age better optically.
The
cast-iron plates from TITAN are a good option when you need to pack a lot of weight on your bar. Iron plates save space in storage and are also quite cheap compared to the fancier rubber versions of plates. The disadvantages with
cast iron plates are that they hurt more when you bang off them and that they will definitely wreck your floor if you do not take the necessary precautions.
Cast iron plates are not recommended for any type of
Olympic lifting.
Conclusion for the TITAN Color bumper plates
The
TITAN color economy plates are a great option for a home gym that wants more color in their training and life and just thinks that black plates are boring. They are also good to test colored plates out for your gym before you go all-in with the more expensive competition options. Still, I think that these are more of a niche product, as the workhorse plate in any gym will remain the black rubber plate. This is mainly because they will just age better than the colored ones when the first scratches and dents appear.