PowerBlock Sport EXP Stage 1 Dumbbell Set (5-50lbs) Expired

I've had these dumbbells (all 3 stages up to 90lbs) and they are an excellent product (with flaws).

Before any of the inevitable comments begin about other brands that cost 2X-3X as much or how durable these are being dropped from waist height begin, let me just set the record straight from someone who was in University gym management for 10 years;
These are excellent, home/studio use dumbbells for specific, controlled lifts. Their form factor will not be for everyone but they are very durable when cared for and used properly.
Extremely few weights, no matter how much they cost or how they were made, are DESIGNED with the intention that they should be dropped or abused as a part of their use. These are great for controlled lifts (as every lift should be).

That being said, you will be hard pressed to find this amount of variability in a similar product if you want to go all the way up to 90lbs. Just understand that the variability comes at a cost. If you are in tune with what weights you need to lift and need incremental changes during your workout, these can take additional time to adjust in the middle of a session that you may not necessarily want to spend. The energy to use the fine adjustments these offer does take time and energy to make happen in between sets/lifts and I found them less appealing with my training style for that reason. I still used them, but not for the smaller adjustments. It just made it too complicated in my brief rest periods and tended to take my head out of the workout.

I recommend having or building a stand for these. You won't want to deadlift them every time you want to lift. This seems like an obvious thing but honestly, most people are excited to get the dumbbells and then realize their mistake when they go to use them and remember how much energy you can use up just picking the damn things up from the floor every set. Nobody has fun buying a stand but it will dramatically elevate your experience with these. I built my own in about an hour out of scrap 2x4's and 2X12's with a shelf in the bottom and angled top for the dumbbells to rest on. Then I mounted heavy duty casters to the base so it could freely roll around my space with ease. By far and away a more economical and useful implementation than the PowerBlock branded stands.

Go in to this purchase understanding that weight equipment like this can retain a lot of value if you properly use and care for them. There will always be a market for it and it is a good investment if you are wanting to invest in your health. If you know what you need out of fitness equipment and these will fulfill that need, focus on proper maintenance of yourself and your equipment and you will be happy with this purchase.

Sorry for the novel. This is a decent price. I think I got mine for less but it was several years ago and I was using Dick's Sporting Goods credit to buy each stage. If you wanted to buy all 3 stages in one go, this is going to be hard to beat

Quick question here what do you mean a lot of work to make adjustments. So like if I wanted to go from 60lbs to 70lbs, 1 set to another, it's a lot of work?

Anyone know if this would fit the regular powerblock exp? Colors look different but that looks like about it?

Can you use stage 2 or 3 without having stage 1?

I've had these dumbbells (all 3 stages up to 90lbs) and they are an excellent product (with flaws).

Before any of the inevitable comments begin about other brands that cost 2X-3X as much or how durable these are being dropped from waist height begin, let me just set the record straight from someone who was in University gym management for 10 years;
These are excellent, home/studio use dumbbells for specific, controlled lifts. Their form factor will not be for everyone but they are very durable when cared for and used properly.
Extremely few weights, no matter how much they cost or how they were made, are DESIGNED with the intention that they should be dropped or abused as a part of their use. These are great for controlled lifts (as every lift should be).

That being said, you will be hard pressed to find this amount of variability in a similar product if you want to go all the way up to 90lbs. Just understand that the variability comes at a cost. If you are in tune with what weights you need to lift and need incremental changes during your workout, these can take additional time to adjust in the middle of a session that you may not necessarily want to spend. The energy to use the fine adjustments these offer does take time and energy to make happen in between sets/lifts and I found them less appealing with my training style for that reason. I still used them, but not for the smaller adjustments. It just made it too complicated in my brief rest periods and tended to take my head out of the workout.

I recommend having or building a stand for these. You won't want to deadlift them every time you want to lift. This seems like an obvious thing but honestly, most people are excited to get the dumbbells and then realize their mistake when they go to use them and remember how much energy you can use up just picking the damn things up from the floor every set. Nobody has fun buying a stand but it will dramatically elevate your experience with these. I built my own in about an hour out of scrap 2x4's and 2X12's with a shelf in the bottom and angled top for the dumbbells to rest on. Then I mounted heavy duty casters to the base so it could freely roll around my space with ease. By far and away a more economical and useful implementation than the PowerBlock branded stands.

Go in to this purchase understanding that weight equipment like this can retain a lot of value if you properly use and care for them. There will always be a market for it and it is a good investment if you are wanting to invest in your health. If you know what you need out of fitness equipment and these will fulfill that need, focus on proper maintenance of yourself and your equipment and you will be happy with this purchase.

Sorry for the novel. This is a decent price. I think I got mine for less but it was several years ago and I was using Dick's Sporting Goods credit to buy each stage. If you wanted to buy all 3 stages in one go, this is going to be hard to beat

Holy moly, wish I had your skill in college lol.

Just to crap on powerblocks a bit more, they can be loud at times if you're working with lighter weight and do jerky movements (plyometric?). A bit of rattle here and there.

I'm not sure if that was meant to be a dig or a genuine statement about my experience. Either way, stating that experience wasn't meant to be a brag in any way. There just tend to be a lot of Slickdealers that quickly become the most certified gym-bros available (in their minds) and offer out a lot of horrible advice or make statements based on their years of gym-bro education. I happen to have a unique insight of years of experience in large scale gym settings, working with numerous vendors through equipment purchasing and upkeep, hands on experience with probably hundreds of fitness facilities around the country, building out my own (modest) home gym, and a Kinesiology (exercise science) degree that I hope can help some folks make a better decision with their money and fitness equipment purchasing. It is not my intention to be patting myself on the back here. I legitimately just want people to be able to trust the feedback that I present as coming from a place of relevancy and validity. There are plenty of experiences I don't have and things I don't know and I'm always welcome to learn something new if people have different perspectives/experiences than me.