I’ve been reviewing Flybird gym gear for years; these guys don’t make high-end gear. It’s low to mid-level. Still, it’s easily good enough for a home gym, and if you don’t want to spend a ton of cash but still want a quality product? Flybird are one of the best choices out there. And today, we’re going to take a close look at the recently released Flybird Adjustable Dumbbells.

25lb Flybird Dumbbell- compact – small weight increments, and super fast twist lock system.

The Flybird adjustable dumbbells are available in a couple of weight ranges, 55lb, and 25lb. The 55lb Flybird dumbbell is not as impressive as the 25lb dumbbell, the handles of the 55lb dumbbells are too long, and the weight increments are too large even for seasoned lifters.

The 25lb is a much better-designed dumbbell. The handles are 14″, so much easy to train with, the weight increments are smaller so progress will be quicker, and they use the super-fast twist-lock adjustment system.

single flybird adjustable dumbbell

This set of bells feels solid.

It’s rare to come across a cheap dumbbell that doesn’t include some plate movement when lifting. Usually, plates will rattle a little, which can be annoying, but the Flybird dumbbells feel solid. They feel like a conventional fixed weight dumbbell, which is exactly what you want—a natural feeling solid dumbbell.

“Before we get on with the rest of the review, let’s take a quick look at the product’s specs, and for those interested at the end of the review, I’ll compare the 25lb Flybird dumbbell with its bigger brother, the 55lb.”

Product Specifications

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Product dimensions –  14″L, 7.9″W 6.7″H

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Weight – 25lb per dumbbell

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Adjustment system – twist lock

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Weight increments – 5lb, 10lb, 15lb, 20lb, 25lb

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Material – Steel and plastic

Why Do We Like The FlyBird Adjustable Dumbbells?

We all want easy-to-use fast-to-adjust dumbells for our workouts, not because we are short on time but because many advanced and basic bodybuilding techniques such as drop sets require the weight changes to be fast. Under 5 seconds is the desired weight change speed you’ll need from an adjustable dumbbell.

And that’s the feature I love most about this dumbbell from Flybird, the twst lock adjustment system; its the fastest adjustment system available and the easiest to use, just a twist of your wrist, and you can select the amount of weight you wish to lift, it’s that easy and takes just a second.

Another handy thing about these dumbbells is how much space they save. If you buy a pair of the 25lb Flybird dumbbells, you’ll be replacing five sets of fixed-weight dumbbells.

No Plastic Casing Surrounding The Weight Plates

One of the first things I noticed about the FlyBird Dumbbells is that there isn’t a plastic casing surrounding the weight plates, which is good news. Companies like Bowflex, Core Fitness, and many other well-known brands have made the mistake of choosing to use plastic casings, and it’s the first thing that breaks on the selectable dumbells sets. And because none of these sets are covered by drops, many people have ended up with hefty repair bills.

Still, that doesn’t mean there isn’t anything to break on the Flybird dumbbells. All it means is there is less to break. There’s still some plastic in the adjustment system and handle. You’ll need to be careful, no drops from height which sadly means no training to failure. They’ll survive drops from 6″ or so, but I wouldn’t risk anything higher.

man holding flybird single 25lb dumbbell

Increments of 5lb Mean You’ll Progress at a Decent Pace.

Small weight increases are one of the keys to progress no matter what exercises you are doing or what piece of equipment you are using. With dumbbells, 2.5lb increments are ideal for adaptation, not just for beginners even seasoned bodybuilders prefer smaller weight increases.

The 5lb increments of the 25lb Flybird dumbbell is still okay. It’s an improvement on what many affordable dumbbells offer and shouldn’t slow your progress too much. Think of it this way if you can curl a 15lb dumbbell for 10 reps and you want to continue adapting, curling a 20lb dumbbell represents a 25% increase in the load. That’s a pretty big jump, but it’s not a deal killer.

However, if you were considering the Flybird 55lb dumbbells with increments of 10lb, you’d be dealing with a 50% increase in the load! For beginners or anyone performing isolation exercises, that’s a huge jump and will certainly slow your progress.

5lb weight increments flybird dumbbell

No Weight Expansion Packs Available

Something else you should consider when buying any set of dumbbells is the max weight of the dumbbell. 25lb is the max of the Flybird dumbbell. It’s not a heavy dumbbell. It’s a dumbbell made for beginners. Once you outgrow them, there’s no way to add any more weight to the dumbbells. You’ll have to buy a heavier set of dumbbells to continue your progress.

Some adjustable dumbbells like the Powerblock Elites and Ironmaster sets allow for weight expansion packs when you reach the max of the dumbbells. The FlyBirds don’t have such an option, nor do most selectable sets of dumbbells. So you need to ask yourself how serious you are about lifting? When you first start training, gains in strength and muscles mass come fast, so you could quite easily outgrow the Flybird 25lb dumbells in 6 months or so.

However, some of you may never outgrow a 25lb dumbbell. It all depends on your training schedule and your goals.

storage trays of the flybird dumbbells

Anything Else Worth Mentioning?

The Flybird Adjustable Dumbbells come with their own cradles to store the dumbbells, which is helpful, but they are not just for storage because the cradles are also used for weight changes. You must always change weight when the dumbbell is in its cradle.

Another thing I should mention is the price. These things are cheap for a pair of 25lb twist-lock dumbbells with cradles. $220 is an excellent price for a set of the fast to adjust dumbbells. Also, they don’t come with that horrible plastic casing surrounding the weight plates, which really is a good thing. And they sell in singles which can be handy if cash is tight right now. However, Id always recommend you buy two of them. Otherwise, you’ll miss out on compound movements, the backbone of any proper weight lifting schedule.

The Good

Twist-Lock 1 second adjustment system

Failry compact easy to train with

5lb increments

Powder-coated steel weight plates without plastic casing – less to break

Affordable – great choice for beginners

Come with their own cradles

Feel solid when lifting, no plate movement

Space saving design – replaces 5 sets of fixed weight dumbbells

The Bad

Plastic in the handle and adjustment system – no drops from height

Only go up to 25lb which limits their use to beginners

                                                                                         

Alternative

flybird 55lb adjustable dumbbell

FlyBird 55lb Adjustable Dumbbell

What I like most about this dumbbell is its 55lb weight; that 11lb to 55lb weight range will allow for a lot of growth. Most people will not outgrow this dumbbell anytime soon.

And the Flybird 55lb dumbbell shares many of the impressive features of its smaller brother, the 25lb dumbbell, such as the twist-lock adjustment systems, the powder-coated steel plates, and that nice solid feel you want from a dumbbell.

Still, while this dumbbell has many positives, it also has some deal-breaking drawbacks, such as the long handle. This dumbbell uses a fixed-length handle, and by that, I mean the handle stays the same length whether you’re lifting 11lb or 55lb. Long handles are awkward to train with. They clash when you press and hit your sides when curing.

The 25lb Flybird dumbbells also use a fixed length handle, but there’s less weight to lift, so the overall handle size is smaller. 50lb sets with fixed length handles like the Flybird don’t feel natural to train with, it’s something you can get used to, but I’d avoid them if you can. If you want heavier dumbbells better to choose one with a compact handle. Heavy compact sets like the Core Fitness or Powerblocks all use handles that only get longer when you add more weight.

Also, we have 10lb weight increments with the 55lb dumbbell from Flybird. This is a huge jump in weight and will slow your progress.

Overall the 55lb Flybird Dumbbell is a well-made dumbbell, solid feeling, and fast to adjust. The quality is there, but the design lets it down, especially the large jumps in weight. And when you consider 2 of these cost over $400, you’d be much better off buying a set of Powerblock Elites if you want a heavy set of bells.

                                                                                         

To Sum Up

While I wasn’t overly impressed with the 55lb Flybird adjustable dumbbell, their 25lb dumbbell is another story. The 25lb Flybird Dumbbell is an impressive lightweight dumbbell for beginners it has everything, a fast adjustment system, a compact natural feel, and small enough weight intrements to allow for proper progression. There’s not much I can fault about the 25lb Flybird dumbbells, apart from the plastic in the handle, but at least it doesn’t have the plastic casing surrounding the weight plates, so actually has less plastic than most selectable dumbbells.