So says the BowFlex website regarding their innovative dumbbell design. The unique technology uses a locking mechanism that locks in the weight the user selects with a dial. Pick the weights up off the cleverly designed (but expensive) stand or floor and go to work.
Change resistance with one turn
The weight system goes from 10 lbs to 90 lbs, with the SelectTech® 1090 Dumbbells in five pound increments, while the Selecttech 552 goes from 5 to 52lbs. in 2.5
pound increments.
Shop for Bowflex® SelectTech® dumbbells.
Want to lift just 10 lbs? No problem. Just set the dials to 10 and lift. It's just that quick. Want a bigger challenge? Say 40 lbs? Move the dials to 40 and lift.
All you have to do is rotate the dials to the weight you want SelectTech tumblers automatically fasten to the weight you want to lift.
So, they're dumbbells, right? Can't I get the same thing from a $30-$100 pair of adjustables with spinning collars? The answer is yes and no. The Bowflex db's are the Mercedes (or Porsche if you prefer) of dumbbells.
Sure you can pick up a cheap pair and spin collars every time you need to adjust, risking metal splinters and clanging plates, but the Bowflex 1090's or 552's are just so dang cool. Get the stand and those sleek, black powerful weights are more like an artistic centerpiece for the smoothest bachelor pad in town-that just happens to double as a hardcore workout.
You can't get that kind of style from anything else on the market, but there is a practicality to the Bowflex design, as well. For people who would never buy the spinning collar variety of weights in any form, preferring hex or other fixed weight dumbbells, the Selecttech makes a lot of sense.
The weight system goes from 10 lbs to 90 lbs, with the SelectTech® 1090 Dumbbells in five pound increments, while the Selecttech 552 goes from 5 to 52lbs. in 2.5
pound increments.
Shop for Bowflex® SelectTech® dumbbells.
Want to lift just 10 lbs? No problem. Just set the dials to 10 and lift. It's just that quick. Want a bigger challenge? Say 40 lbs? Move the dials to 40 and lift.
All you have to do is rotate the dials to the weight you want SelectTech tumblers automatically fasten to the weight you want to lift.
So, they're dumbbells, right? Can't I get the same thing from a $30-$100 pair of adjustables with spinning collars? The answer is yes and no. The Bowflex db's are the Mercedes (or Porsche if you prefer) of dumbbells.
Sure you can pick up a cheap pair and spin collars every time you need to adjust, risking metal splinters and clanging plates, but the Bowflex 1090's or 552's are just so dang cool. Get the stand and those sleek, black powerful weights are more like an artistic centerpiece for the smoothest bachelor pad in town-that just happens to double as a hardcore workout.
You can't get that kind of style from anything else on the market, but there is a practicality to the Bowflex design, as well. For people who would never buy the spinning collar variety of weights in any form, preferring hex or other fixed weight dumbbells, the Selecttech makes a lot of sense.
Do the math: Bowflex says these two dumbbells replace 34 pairs of fixed weight db’s (for the 1090's). Now if you buy 34 pairs new, the least you will pay is $1 per lb. Used, the best price is probably .50cents a pound, assuming you can find all the weight ranges you need.
Let’s see, off the top of my head that’s about 1700 lbs. in 5 lb. increments, for a cost between $850 to more than $1,700 dollars; and all those dumbbells take up a lot of space. The Selecttech 1090 is $599 plus shipping, $129 to the lower 48, for a grand total of $728.
Shop for Bowflex® SelectTech® dumbbells.
Shop for Bowflex® SelectTech® dumbbells.
The Bowflex Selecttech 552, which provides from 5 to 52 lbs. of resistance per dumbbell in 2.5 lb. increments, is $399 + $0 shipping (temporary glitch on the Bowflex website?) This single set replaces 17 pairs of fixed weights, for a savings of ...uh, wow, that's a lot of counting...well at least several hundred dollars, if you need to move up in 2.5 pound increments that is. Chances are five pound increments is adequate, which equates to a savings of roughly $200, if you by hex dumbbells new.
So are two heavy dumbbells enough to work everything? Absolutely, especially if there is enough weight to create continual challenges. Add some resistance cables or a suspension trainer and you will have plenty of variety to keep the workouts exciting for years.
So are two heavy dumbbells enough to work everything? Absolutely, especially if there is enough weight to create continual challenges. Add some resistance cables or a suspension trainer and you will have plenty of variety to keep the workouts exciting for years.
