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Traditional cast iron adjustable weights (20 pounds) are about 13.5 inches in length. The length of the Powerblock is a little over 12 inches, with a 15-pound hex dumbbell being around 10 inches. However, it is more compact in terms of overall length than the Bowflex 552. In comparison to a standard-sized hexagonal dumbbell, the Powerblock is a little larger. If you do that, the weight will not come out and the selector may be damaged. This takes extra time and maybe a hassle for some people.Īnother potential negative is that you may mistakenly place the selector into different color codes at each end when you are in a hurry or simply fatigued from your workout. If you are after either 45 or 47.5 pounds, you will have to also remove one or both of the steel rods that are in the handle. For example, if you are working with the green color code, the selector will give you a total of 50 pounds. However, this will only provide you with the heaviest weight in that color band. You simply slide the selector into the color-coded section corresponding to your desired weight. Operation of the selector is pretty straightforward. The fewer parts, the fewer things that could go wrong. This in contrast to the Bowflex adjustable dumbbells, which have more moving parts. Overall, there are not a lot of moving parts, which is a good thing. The middle section of the block is completely reversible, so it doesn’t matter what direction you put it in. This is a good thing when you are quickly changing between weights. There is a little bit of flexibility in the plate end. They have a smooth urethane finish (five pounds on each side) and metal pins connect the two sides. The Powerblock weight plates are ten pounds each. You can then buy an add-on pack that takes you up to 70 pounds (stage II) and another that gets you up to 90 pounds (stage III). The base unit goes up to 50 pounds in total (green). The Powerblock U90 is expandable up to 90 pounds, with the purchase of two additional weight packs. When you lift the handle from the base, the selected weights come out along with it.
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Each of the plates which are housed on the ends of the units is ten pounds. To select your weight, you slide the selector into the color-coded area on the side of the Powerblock that corresponds to the weight you wish to use. The handle has a slight contour to provide ideal grip ergonomics. The center section has two parallel bars that are padded, while the handle in the middle of the unit has a rubber grip around it. The selector slots into these ridges to allow you to select the weight that you want. On the end, bases are ten ridges that run the length of the base. So, each color provides you with an empty handle weight, one rod inserted weight and a two-rod inserted weight. Each color provides you with three weight options, depending on whether the handle rods are inserted or not. On the bottom of the base is a chart that indicates the different weights by way of color-coding. In the open position, you can remove the stainless-steel slugs which are each 2.5 pounds.Ī selector tool or indexer allows you to pick the weight that you want. It has close positions on either side and an open position in the middle. A lever at the top of each side of the base allows you to remove the weights on the bottom of the unit. Each of those rods is 2.5 pounds in weight so that you can set it at 2.5, 5, 7.5 or 10 pounds. However, the handles have removable rods so that you can reduce it down to five pounds.