Twist Lock – 1 Second Adjustment Time
And they don’t lack quality either they’re a robust set, and best of all, they use the super-fast twist-lock adjustment system taking just a second to adjust. They have a few drawbacks, large weight increments, and long handles, which I’ll discuss later, but for under $300, these bells punch well above their price tag.
In today’s review, we’ll take a close look at everything this set of dumbbells from Ipow has to offer, including their bad points. At the end of the review, I’ll also compare them with another similarly priced set, the ProForm Rapid Select Dumbbells, and we’ll see how they match up.
First, let’s take a quick at the Ipow Adjustable Dumbbells product specs!
Product Specifications
Weight – 44lb per dumbbell
Sold as a pair – can also buy singles
Adjustment system – twist lock
Weight Increments – 6.6lb, 15lb, 25lb, 33lb, 44lb
Material – allloy steel and plastic
Why Do We Like The Ipow Adjustable Dumbbells?
We no longer need to take off and load weight plates and spin locks onto dumbbell bars. The old school sets of bars and weight plates took valuable time away from our training, and exercises like drop sets were impossible because of the slow adjustment times.
Under 5 seconds adjustment time is what we should look for when considering an adjustable dumbbell. No advanced or basic bodybuilding technique requires a weight change faster than 5 seconds.
The Ipow Adjustable Dumbbells use a Twist Lock system. It’s one of my favorite adjustment systems because it can be done with one hand and takes a second. It’s the fastest of all adjustment systems and by far easiest to use. Just twist your wrist to select the weight you wish to lift. It’s that easy.
Space-Saving Design
Something else I like about this set of dumbells is how much space they save. You’re replacing five sets of fixed-weight dumbbells with this set. That’s a heck of a lot of room to save especially when space is at a premium in most home gyms.
Are The Large Jumps in Weight a Deal Killer?
The Ipow Dumbbells have relatively large weight increases; there not as bad as some sets that adjust in increments of 10lb but still, you’re looking at 8lb, 9lb increments with this set which is a big jump in weight for most lifters, even seasons lifters prefer much smaller weight increments.
Small weight increases are one of the keys to progress, no matter the apparatus or exercise. Using dumbbells with larger increments will slow your progress. Ideally, we need increments of 5lb even 2.5lb for dumbbells.
Large increments of weight aren’t just a problem with the Ipows. I’ve reviewed many sets with 10lb increments, so while it may not be a deal-killer for most of you, just bear in mind, your progress will be slower than someone who buys a dumbbell set with smaller weight increases. Cheaper dumbbell sets nearly always have larger and fewer weight increments.
No Weight Expansion Packs Available
Because gains in strength and muscle mass come fast when you first start lifting, you must think ahead when choosing a set of adjustable dumbbells.
44lb is pretty heavy, and many of you may never outgrow a dumbbell with a max weight of 44lb, but it’s also likely that some of you could outgrow this set within a year. And because there are no weight expansion packs available for this set, you’ll have to buy a new heavier set when you outgrow this one.
If you take your lifting seriously, you might want to consider sets like the PowerBlock Elites or Ironmaster sets. Both of these sets offer expansion packs for when you outgrow the max of each dumbbell. The PowerBlocks offer packs up to 90lb and the Ironmaster up to 120lb.
Long – Fixed Length Handles
The problem with a lot of these fast-to-adjust sets is that they have fixed-length handles. Fixed length handles are handles that stay the same length no matter how much weight you’re lifting; it doesn’t matter if you’re lifting 6.6lb or 44lb. The handle is still going to be 17″ long.
17″ is pretty long for a dumbbell handle which means you won’t have that natural feel of a fixed-weight dumbbell. The Ipow’s are certainly not a compact dumbbell.
Still, fixed-length handles are something you can get used to. I’ve trained with the Bowflex 552s many times, which have similar length handles. It will take a few weeks if you’re a beginner to get used to the handle length, but it’s not something you should worry too much about.
The main issue you’re ll have with a long-handle dumbbell is setting up for presses and curls. And when performing presses as the handles can clash.
Don’t Drop From Height.
You may have noticed a plastic casing surrounding the weight plates of this set. This is pretty common as many of the adjustable sets use plastic casings for their weight plates, including the Bowflex 552s.
With anything plastic, you have to be careful. One of the main problems people have with sets like this is cracked plastic casing from drops. When they crack, they are unusable, and because drops aren’t covered in the warranties, you’ll end up with a hefty repair bill.
Also, there’s a ton of plastic in the adjustment system, again something I see on many of selectable dumbells sets. So sadly no training to failure with this set as you cannot drop them from height. They’ll survive drops of 6″ or so but don’t risk anything higher.
Anything Else Worth Mentioning?
If you’re a beginner and want to avoid the long handles and the large jumps in weight? It might be worth considering the Ipow 25lb dumbbells. There’s less weight with the 25lb dumbbells which means the handles are shorter with a length of 13″ rather than the near 18″ handles of their 44lb dumbbells.
13″ handles will feel much more natural to train with, more like a fixed weight dumbbell you may have used in a local gym.
Also, the 25lb dumbbells adjust in increments of 5lb, allowing for faster progress. And just like the 44lb set they’re a great price. However, remember the 25lb Ipow dumbells are only sold in singles, so you make sure to buy two. There is no point in buying one dumbbell as you can not perform any compound movements.
The Good
Fast to adjust twist-lock adjustment system – 1 second adjustment times
Space saving design – replaces 5 sets of fixed weight dumbbells
Great price for a pair of twist lock dumbbells
Come with their own cradles
One year warranty
Easy to use
The Bad
large weight increases can slow progress
Long handles take time to get used to
Can break when dropped from height – drops are not covered in the warranty
Alternative
ProForm Rapid Select Adjustable Dumbbells
The ProForm Adjustable Dumbbells are another affordable pair of adjustable dumbbells. The max weight per dumbbell of this set is 50lb, so a little heavier than the Ipows, which is a good thing as it allows for more growth.
The price tag for the ProForms is relatively low compared to other 50lb per dumbbell sets. The Proforms are just under $300 right now on Amazon. I wanted to show you the ProForms because they’re a compact dumbbell. The handle only increases in length when more weight is added. Compact is what we want it gives that natural feel similar to fixed wight dumbells—making them much easier to train with.
Still, just like the Ipows, the ProFroms also have their drawbacks, such as 10lb weight increments. However, you can adjust each side of the ProForms independently, giving you the 5lb increments, but you do end up with an unbalanced dumbbell.
Also, we have plastic casings surrounding the weight plates, and plastic parts in the adjustment system. But when you consider the ProFrom costs half that of some of the adjustable sets on the market and you have the compact handles. The positives of this set far outweigh any bad points.
To Sum Up
Let’s think about the price. You’ll get two 44lb twist-lock dumbbells for around $260 with the Ipows; that’s a heck of a deal considering what else is out there. Yes, the Ipows do have too much plastic in their build, and the handles are long, but these are issues that also plague sets costing twice that of the Ipows. Nearly every set of selectable fast-to-adjust dumbbells has some plastic in the adjustment system, surrounding the plates, or both. You can’t really avoid it. It’s not something that only affects the cheap sets like the Ipows.
Overall for the price, this is a great set of dumbbells, super fast to adjust thanks to the twist lock adjustment system, there’s enough weight there for beginners and intermediates, and they save you space by replacing five sets of fixed weight dumbbells.
If you’re careful and can avoid training to failure and dropping them, there’s no reason the Ipow Adjustable Dumbbells shouldn’t last.
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