These are great weights. I have worked out all my life. I played football in highschool and college and was always in the weight room. I own the bow flex adjustable weights. I liked them at first. After having them for a few months I started experiencing pain in my right elbow. (Tennis elbow) I’m 38 so I assumed it was an old age thing. Took some months off to get better. When I stared back My wife started back working out with me. She too has has a long history of being into fitness. After a couple of months I ended up with the same pain in my other elbow and she developed tennis elbow too. The bow flex weights are longer than regular dumbells. This may contribute to this. (Also makes it difficult to perform certain lifts) The power blocks are compact, balanced and feel great! Adjusting them is much better and faster than the bow flex. Just pull the pin out and slap it in. Without getting too specific take my word the changing process More functional. I feel more tension in muscles during my workout. And the cage can assist so you don’t have to grip so hard when using heavy weight on certain lifts. Such as rear and side delt raises. So the focus is more on the muscle you are working and not the forearm. I shop on amazon a lot. I never do reviews. I had to on this! Best purchase I have ever made. Power blocks are amazing. I get a weight room type workout at home. 90 pounds worth of dumbells! And no injuries. So if you are trying to decide between bowflex and Powerblock. I hope this helps.

This is 5 stars but I have to take half a stat away because one of mt weights was missing 3 of the color coded tabs where the pin goes. But I have contacted the seller and they are going to get that taken care of. Oh and I recommend getting the stand.

Very stable, easy to adjust weights, and the flat ends make it easy to rest on your thighs and then kick up into position. Once you get the hang of it, adjusting the in-handle weights take 5-10 seconds for the pair. One really neat thing is that the PowerBlocks are actually shorter than the hex dumbbells at the same weight. The rubber-coated handle in the middle is very easy to grip, and the bars at the top are padded.

Overhead, incline, and flat bench presses are very stable. The shorter length allows the weights to come closer together at the top of the contraction without clanging together. Control and stability on the up and down movements is excellent. The plate sections do not wobble or rattle. Bicep curls are great, and 1-arm rows are just awesome! I already maxed the 70lb set for those and could do more (maybe the expansion set needs to be ordered?!).

There is only one minor issue: While the weights can be adjusted in 2.5 lb increments using the in-handle weights, there are 5 lb gaps in the sequence every 10 lbs, so that you have to go from 20 lbs to 25 lbs, 40 lbs to 45 lbs, etc. The simple solution if you need those in-between weights is to get a pair of 2 lb wrist weights (which I have).

For anyone without any dumbbells, this is a no-brainer purchase. I already had 5 lbs – 30 lbs hex dumbbells, and this was still a great purchase. I use the hex weights for anything up to 30 lbs (generally only shoulder flys or drop sets) and the PowerBlocks for over 30 lbs (everything else). I looked at Iron Master and Core Fitness, but decided on PowerBlocks after getting feedback from friends at BodyBuilding.com. No regrets!

As you can see, I don’t write reviews unless I really love something. Like most Amazon shoppers, I did a lot of research before buying these. I considered the Bowflex, Universal, and the other classic Powerblock set. This is the newer Powerblock set that you can buy additional weights for if you ever need them, and is priced for less. This set is built very well, and the design is great. I can’t imagine a reasonable scenario where they could break. It works simply, with no dialing or moving parts. There’s a piece you slide between blocks like you would see on a weight machine. You can change weights as quickly as you can on those machines, just take it out and put it back. Another advantage these have is they can be used as push up bars, so you can do push/pull exercises that you can’t do with other adjustable bells. And they are more stable as push up bars than hexagonal dumbells.

I can’t stress the durability aspect of these enough. There’s just nothing on here that can easily break due to the strong materials and smart simple design. You can change weight amounts on both bells in literally about 6 seconds, without multiple dials to turn. With less weight, they are smaller, with more weight they get bigger, unlike other designs that basically remain the same size no matter if you’re lifting 10 or 50 lbs. I fully expect my 2 year old son to be using these in high school. They are made in America and carry a 10 year warranty. If you are in the $300 budget range and are looking for a set that is durable, easily adjustable, and versatile, I highly recommend these.

Pros
– quick adjustment
– good grip
– stays small on lower weights
– made in the USA
– expandability

Cons
– rattles when using so wa a it concerned during bench presses but I’ve gotten use to now
– hands feel a bit contained in the cage. Especially if hands bigger

I needed free weights that wouldn’t cluster my workout area and cost me a lot of money. These did the job perfectly. Takes little space and much cheaper then buying a dumbbell set for the same weight range. I also love this elite set for its expansion capability as I’m sure I’ll be adding weight as I go along.

I was reviewing these against the bow flex select system but choose these as they were highly recommended by the body building community and there were less complaints around quality. Also important, these retain a small footprint when lower weight is selected. The bow flex are the same width (long) all the time making some exercises awkward.

All in all, highly recommend these for anyone wanting an adjustable set of Dumbbells.