4 Best Adjustable Dumbbell Sets: Don’t Buy The Wrong One

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Adjustable dumbbells are a great way to save money and space in a home gym. There are tons of sets that are all a little different. Here are the four best adjustable dumbbell sets:

It’s hard to go wrong with either BowFlex or PowerBlock adjustable dumbbells. The best options for most people are:

• BowFlex ST522
• BowFlex ST1090
• PowerBlock EXP
• FLYBIRD Adjustable Dumbbells

Below you can find the best sets of adjustable dumbbells. At the bottom you can also find what to look for when shopping for a set.

#1: Best Overall: BowFlex ST552

The best set of adjustable dumbbells for most people is the BoxFlex ST552. They are affordable, well built, have a range of 5-50 lbs., and have a solid but easy to use adjustment mechanism.

If you’re wondering if you should get adjustable or fixed dumbbells, click here to learn more.

Up to 25 lbs. the weight increments are 2.5 lbs., after 25 lbs. the increments are 5 lbs. This means you have plenty of adjustment to pick exactly the weight you need. The adjustment mechanism is a simple dial so adjusting the weight is super easy. Just return the dumbbells to the base station, turn the dial and the dumbbells will pick up the right weight. It’ll just take a few seconds.

These look like normal dumbbells and can be used in the same way as any other dumbbell so there is no learning curve there. On top of all that, they aren’t too expensive, especially compared to a similar range of fixed dumbbells, and they come with a 2 year warranty.

#2: Heavy: BowFlex ST1090

Need more weight? BowFlex got you covered with the BowFlex ST1090. These have a weight range from 10 to 90 lbs. with 5 lbs. increments. This is a very wide range and should cover the needs of most avid weightlifters. 90 lbs. per hand is more than most people need. These are basically the bigger version of the ST552. The lowest weight is 10 lbs. which might be a bit too much for the smallest exercises but a separate pair of 5 lbs. dumbbells is easy and cheap to get. Much cheaper and smaller than getting a pair of 60 lbs. dumbbells if you’d need them.

Of course you’ll have to make some compromises. A dumbbell this style that goes up to a high weight is larger. So even when you leave most of the weight off, the core of the dumbbell is larger than the lighter dumbbells. They are also more expensive but that is to be expected since you have more weight.  

These are sold as singles so you’ll need to order two.

#3 Expandable: PowerBlock EXP

Not sure if you need heavy dumbbells and would like the option to expand your weight later on? While you could buy a light and a heavy set, there are other options. Some of the adjustable dumbbells are expandable. The dumbbells where this is (sometimes) a possibility is the Power Block style of dumbbells.

PowerBlock EXP models have this option. The EXP stands for expandable. That means you can buy add on weights that attach to the original dumbbells. You can get 20 or 40 lbs. extension weights to get the maximum weight up to 70 or 90 lbs. There is a pretty big BUT here. The expansion weights are made by a different company. While they are endorsed by PowerBlock, it’s still a risk. The fit and finish could be slightly off.

If you’re sure you need the heavier weight at some point, just get the heavier dumbbells from the start.

#4: Small and cheap: FLYBIRD

Don’t want to spend that much money? Check out the FLYBIRD adjustable dumbbells. They range from 5 to 25 lbs. and are significantly cheaper than the other dumbbells on this list. There is also a model that goes up to 55 lbs. but that one is not much cheaper than the BowFlex ST552 which have better features so that should be your choice if you need more than 25 lbs.

Suggested: How much do adjustable dumbbells cost?

These FLYBIRD dumbbells are simple but well built. The plates don’t move once they’re attached to the handles and the adjustment mechanism works well and is easy to use. The 25 lbs. versions adjust in 5 lbs. increments and are quite a bit cheaper than anything on this list.

What Makes Adjustable Dumbbells Good?

You might wonder what good adjustable dumbbells should do. Here are the most important points you should look for.

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• Easy to use selection mechanism: The weights should be very easy to select. With fixed dumbbells you can grab another pair in just a few seconds. Adjusting an adjustable dumbbell shouldn’t be much more difficult.
• Sturdy selection mechanism: The selection mechanism should be long lasting. This is often the weak point of an adjustable dumbbell so you don’t want it to be built in a cheap way. If this part breaks you’ll have to fix it before you can use the dumbbells again or it turns into a very expensive fixed dumbbell.
• Comfortable to use: Think about which type of exercises you want to use it for. For many exercises the shape doesn’t matter. For others the shape does. The PowerBlock shape can get in the way on exercises like a pullover. There aren’t too many exercises where this is a problem but give your workout program some thought.
• Customer service: Because adjustable dumbbells have more points of failure than fixed dumbbells, buy from a brand that has good customer service and parts availability.
• Weight range: The weight range for most people should be from 5 to 50 lbs. That is enough range for most people to do most exercises. If you’re strong and know you’ll need more than 50 lbs., go for a model that goes up to 70 or 90 lbs.
• Increments: The weight should be possible to increase in small enough increments. Big jumps in weight might cause you to plateau because the next step is too heavy. The best increment is 2.5 lbs. up to about 15 lbs. and 5 lbs. increments after that.
• Expandability: Not a necessity but very nice to have is expandability. Some PowerBlock models have the option to add 20 or even 40 lbs. of extra weight on top of the 50 lbs. maximum.

Want to compare to sets of fixed dumbbells? Here are two links to articles on this site that will help you out.

Suggested: The best sets of fixed dumbbells with rack.

Suggested: How much do fixed dumbbells cost?