These Olympic bar weights are a great buy. The pricing is solid and the quality is there. They fit the bar properly, feel durable, and hold up well during regular training. A few things to know before buying. Like most new rubber weights, they come with a strong chemical smell and an oily coating from the factory. That’s normal. Wash them with soap and water, scrub them down, dry them thoroughly, and let them air out, ideally outside…for one to two weeks. The smell does go away with time. If you notice scratches in the pictures, that’s from real use. I use these constantly and sometimes drop or slide them on the floor. The cosmetic wear doesn’t affect performance at all…they’re built to be used, not babied. Overall, these are a very good deal for the quality. Once you get past the initial break-in, they’re excellent plates and well worth the money. Read more
I picked up the CAP bumper plate set recently and I’m genuinely impressed for what you pay. These plates feel rugged and well built, they’ve taken plenty of drops without cracking, chipping, or breaking down. The rubber is thick and dense enough that they don’t bounce all over the place, and they sit nice and flat on the floor. The weight accuracy is legit too. I cross-checked them, and they’re right where you’d expect for the price point. The collars fit snug, nothing rattly, and they slide on/off the bar great without feeling loose. For folks building a home gym or just adding a set of bumpers without dropping a ton of cash, these are hard to beat. Performance-wise, they’re neutral not fancy, but they get the job done. Deadlifts, squats, presses, you name it, they feel consistent. If you want premium feel or competition level precision, you’ll spend more but for most lifters? This set delivers strong performance at a real value. One last thing I’d mention is that they are slightly greasy but that’s something you can fix by spraying them down with some soapy water and wiping them down. Bottom line: dependable, solid, and worth every dollar. Highly recommend. Read more
So, getting out of the way I have no experience with any other rubber bumper plates, I think these are great. For starters, since Amazon reviews aren't always clear, this review is for the 260 lb Economy - Speckled set. Getting to the elephant in the room, yes, they have an odor and are they slippery out of the package, but there are valid reasons for that and many other bumper plate brands and products are like this at first so it's not really a point of contention, just something that potential buyers need be aware of. So, they smell and are slippery. To solve that, first I opened the boxes, removed them from their plastic bags, and sat them in the garage for a few days with a fan blowing over them. Then, I washed each plate with Dawn and a sponge, one of those double-sided blue kitchen sponges in a utility sink (but you could do this in a tub or anywhere really). I washed each plate twice. Load the soft side of the sponge with Dawn and soap down each side of the plate and then switch to the scour side of the sponge and work the plate into a good lather all over. Get each side, the center hole, and the outer rim of the plate. Rinse and repeat the process. Then dry with a towel. You'll know you're good when after drying you leave a finger streak that disappears in a few seconds completely. If finger marks remain then there is still oil to be removed. Note: you should see the water/suds turning black/grey as you wash each plate and those suds clearing up on the second (or if need, third wash). So, set them out a few days under a fan in a well ventilated area then wash each one twice with Dawn to a good lather and towel dry. Now you'll be able to put them in your house without odor if that is where you plan to use them. I didn't weight every plate but a 45lb weighed 45.4lb on my home scale but the scale could easily be off and a sample size of one is useless, basic take away, the weights are close enough. Also, some people complain that the 10 and 15 lb are flimsy and they are but they also aren't designed with side loads in mind or to be used without the 25+ plates to help spread out the load, so be aware of that. Basically, don't leave the 10 or 15s on your barbell by themselves, especially in heat, for longer than your workout or they may flex and break. You can leave them on the bar with larger weights no problem, just not themselves. One last thing, while cleaning, don't scrub TOO hard with the scour side. You don't want to shed rubber or rub off the letters and numbers. Pound for pound tho, very happy with the set and are competitively priced to iron plates making this set an excellent set an excellent value (One last thing actually, I do find the speckling makes reading the numbers on the plates a big challenging as the speckling and numbers are the same color but it's not all that bad either, it's not like you're reading them a lot and they've color coded...and size coded, lol) Read more
The weights themselves work great and are solid, well-made, and exactly what I was looking for in terms of functionality and performance. They feel durable and perform well during workouts with no issues at all. However, when they arrived, they had a very strong cigarette smoke smell and an oily residue on the surface. I had to wipe them down multiple times and air them out before using them, which was disappointing and unexpected. Once cleaned, they function perfectly. Read more
I got such a good deal on these weights and they are perfect for my home gym. The included stand was very easy to assemble and holds all the weights with ease, plus some additional ones I bought. It says it has a capacity of 800 lbs which is more than enough for me. Plus, there are four barbell holders on the stand for additional convenient storage. The weights slide on and off with ease. These were the least expensive bumper plates I could find but the quality is just as good any any others I have used. The lighter weights are definitely bendable under a lot of strain but no the heavy weights. They have been super durable so far and they don’t dent, crumble, or scratch with normal use. Overall these weights are about as good as you could ask for and at a price that is very affordable. I’ll probably order more as my weight needs increase. Read more
These weights are great for the price, fit on my barbell and cable machine just fine. They do come a little oily so beware of that as it does have a faint scent that wears off after a little bit. So far, so good no complaints! Read more
