Cheap Dumbbells- An Inexpensive Must-Have For Your Home Gym

If you’ve been to a department store or sports warehouse lately looking for cheap dumbbells you probably noticed that they aren’t cheap at all. I spent some time trying to find a set of hex dumbbells under $500, and I never found any. The least expensive cheap dumbbell set I’ve found (I’m talking about a non-adjustable, non-neoprene set that goes from 5-50 pounds in 5 lb. increments) is $621 from bigfitness.com, but that doesn’t include a stand, which usually runs between $80 and $100. But this is a pretty good deal, considering most other sets I’ve found are around $850. So with this particular set of iron hex dumbbells you would be paying around $1.15 per pound. Not bad. But, if you want to spend half that then read on.

I’ll cut to the chase- the cheap dumbbell we recommend for the home gym is an adjustable dumbbell. Why? Price and space. Most rooms you set apart for a “home gym” won’t fit an entire rack of hex dumbbells comfortably. But replace that entire 4-5 foot long rack with one set of dumbbells and you free up a lot of room for you to exercise in. An adjustable dumbbell set is small enough to fit nicely in the corner of room without getting in the way at all. You don’t get that with 9 pairs of hex dumbbells on a rack. That takes up almost an entire wall.

Why are adjustable dumbbells cheap? You’re paying for less material and less shipping. With a hex set of 5-50 lb. you get 540 pounds of weight in the box. With an adjustable set from 5-50 pounds you get 100 pounds of weight in the box. Even though you get a fifth of the net weight, you don’t pay a fifth of the price. That would be sweet. But adjustable dumbbells have built in mechanics that allow you to switch between weights, which of course you pay for. Some sets are more expensive, some are less, but overall, you’ll pay around $0.60 per pound. Even the cheap dumbbell sets that are hex-style don’t come close to that price.

Here are three cheap dumbbells that are adjustable and great for a home gym.

Powerblock Adjustable Dumbbells: These are the best out there. They are the most durable, smallest, and have the best warranty of all adjustable dumbbells. Many exercises, like tricep, bicep, and shoulder exercises, can be cumbersome because of the size of some adjustable dumbbells, but are easy to do with the Powerblocks. And you won’t waste any time during your workout adjusting between different weights because of how easy their switch mechanism is. Also, you pay about 55 cents per pounds with the 5-50 lb. set.

Weider Powerswitch Adjustable Dumbbells: These are awesome too, and a little cheaper than the Powerblock. The switch mechanism takes a little getting used to, but after some workouts you’ll get the hang of it quickly. I own these and love them. They come with a stand and cost $299. You can’t beat that price.

Lifecore Adjustable Dumbbells: These are very comparable to the Weider Dumbbells. Though they aren’t as inexpensive, they do come with a stand, and go up to 55 lbs. instead of just 50. That added weight is really nice, especially for back and leg workouts.

So before spending $700-$900 on some “cheap dumbbells” take a look at what adjustable dumbbell sets have to offer you and your home gym. You’ll save money, save some space, and get an equally great work out.