September 27

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Is The Core Home Fitness Adjustable Dumbbell Set Worth Your Money? [A Review]


Core Home Fitness is a US home training equipment company. Based in Ohio, the company offers a new, easy, and clutter-free way of staying fit. Their Adjustable dumbbell weight set is designed considering the same problem of storying a professional gym’s worthy dumbbells in the everyday joe’s home gym. 

Because of their super convenient twist-and-lock- mechanism, these adjustable dumbbells offer you 10 different pairs while taking up the space of a single dumbbell pair. These 10 pairs range from 5 to 50 pounds. Hence you can exercise more without lending any extra space to your exercise equipment. 

So, the space-saving benefit of this weight set is obvious. However, you should consider its financial advantage as well. If you have bought a dumbbell pair before, you know how easily the cost can shoot once you add new pairs. Adjustable dumbbells are a one-time investment. This way, they save the additional costs that you have to make otherwise. 

Well, but what about this set as a whole? Can you consider it worth your money (because it’s obviously expensive than other models you can usually find on Alibaba or similar online websites)? In this article, we will try to find an answer to this question. We will delve deep into everything you need to know about this set. This way, hopefully, you will arrive at the answer yourself. Sounds good, right?

Without further ado, let’s go!

The Core Home Fitness Adjustable Dumbbell Weight Set 

Core Fitness Adjustable Dumbbell Weight Set
Buy It Now at Amazon

Adjustable fitness equipment makes a lot of sense for people who live in apartments or those who are short of space. In the case of adjustable dumbbells, you can have an entire set of dumbbells without leaving an entire room to them. 

While Bowflex was one of the pioneers of adjustable dumbbells who made them popular, Core Fitness takes their idea. It makes them at a relatively budget price. So far, their adjustable dumbbell set has been reviewed favorably on Amazon and other online shopping websites. And the customers seem satisfied with their purchase. 

Let’s take a look at its features in detail now. 

Construction, Durability, and Build Quality

There’s a lot to unpack about the construction of this dumbbell set. Starting with the components, you don’t actually see any plastic parts or components. There are also no bulky dials to move here or there. Each dumbbell is made up of a handle along with a series of skinny plate-style weights that are attached to the ends. 

The handle and plates are made of steel. So, it’s not like you are getting a compromise on the quality of the material. Moreover, the weight plates come with a thin layer of urethane coating. This ensures minimum rattling when you are working out and minimum rusting in the long run.  

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    What’s more, the coating also adds a layer of sleekness to each plate. The handles also have the same coating, but it’s slightly contoured, giving you a much more comfortable and stable grip. Therefore, you don’t have to worry about accidentally dropping dumbbells on the floor or getting your hands sweaty. 

    All in all, we were pleasantly surprised by the quality of the construction. They are well-crafted and super comfortable to use. Besides, they should hold up pretty well to your extensive workout regime and for a very long time. However, we did notice that the coating can crack if you accidentally drop them. So, be careful there!

    Weight Selection and Ease of Adjustment

    Weight selection is often the dealbreaker in most cases of purchasing a home workout adjustable dumbbell set. After all, adjustments are their major draw, so it should better work according to your work requirements. The Core Fitness dumbbells – being reviewed here – can be adjusted in 5 lb increments. 

    The handle – without the weights – weighs exactly 5 lbs. And the other weights add anywhere from 5 lbs to 50 lbs. Therefore you can get quite a varied exercise experience if you want. Switching between two weights is also convenient. All you need to do is place the dumbbells in the cradle, twist the handle unless your desired weight shows up through the window, and just lift the handle. Easy peasy! 

    While you turn the handle, it extends through the plates and connects them to each other and the handle. This mechanism is slightly different from other adjustable dumbbell sets we reviewed earlier. Other sets need you to set each side of the dumbbells separately. Core Home’s design makes it much simpler. It also ensures you don’t accidentally put more weight on one side.

    The weight plates, connected with each other and the handle, work as a single unit. They don’t move here and there or spin around on the handle as you lift. We also quite liked the rounder plates. They remind you of the old-school dumbbell weights where you had to manually add each plate. 

    Last but not least, the twist-lock mechanism is also excellent. It’s much more efficient and convenient to use than the previous ones we used to get. As for assembly, the set doesn’t come fully assembled, as it’s pretty obvious. You have to assemble the unit yourself. Luckily the manual does an excellent job of explaining it if you are a beginner. So, no issues there either. 

    A few words on the cradle

    We have seen that the cradle of the dumbbell sets gets ignored in quality assessment. It’s a very important part of the set, as you have to place the dumbbells in it before you make any weight selection. Therefore, we took time to examine the cradle of the Core Homme fitness adjustable dumbbell set. Below are our thoughts.

    Alright, let’s recall how the whole mechanism works here.  You actually have to add the weights as you twist the handle. The unused weights remain in the cradle. If you want to change the weights, you have to place them first in the cradle. Some users noticed selecting heavier loads gets awkward because the cradle comes off the ground as you lift. And it’s true. We noticed the same. 

    However, it’s a very common issue in most of these adjustable dumbbell sets available today. You can easily solve this problem by placing one foot in the cradle as you lift weights to stabilize it. Alternatively, you can get Core Home Fitness’s dumbbell stand. It’s sold separately, unfortunately. But, it can solve the problem by holding the cradle in its place. 

    If you are good with your DIY home improvement projects and don’t want to shell out extra money, you can make a stand for yourself at home. Then you can attach the cradle to it and use it as much as you want. Just make sure it’s made of aluminum, as aluminum cradles are sleek, lightweight, and looking pretty great as well. Aluminum can be expensive, though. 

    Warranty 

    Core Home Fitness backs up their equipment with a 2 years parts warranty. It’s the same with their adjustable dumbbell set. You can use it for two years without worrying about the parts giving up on you. It’s a fair warranty tbh. It’s the same warranty period most other competitors are offering. As a matter of fact, there aren’t many moving parts in this set. So, we don’t think much can go wrong here. 

    Why Do We Like The Core Home Fitness Adjustable Dumbbell Set? 

    Well, now it has become obvious that we really like this dumbbell set overall. It has a very compact design, which makes the storage even less challenging. Plus, it’s an adjustable unit, so you can get the benefit of using more weights than one without making room for more units. Also, no matter what weight you use, the length of the handle remains the same. Training with this unit isn’t awkward. You can maintain your natural posture. The twist-lock system makes it even easier. 

    Pros 

    • Durable steel construction
    • Urethane coating makes it rust-resistant and reduces the rattling noise
    • Contoured handles
    • TwistLock technology makes them convenient to use
    • Adjustable weights
    • Very Sleek and lightweight cradle
    • Easy to assemble with or without the helpful manual
    • Market Competitive Warranty
    • Moderately Priced

    Cons

    • You have to hold the cradle down if you want to choose heavyweights.

    Alternative 

    Well, if, for some reason, the price and features of the Core Home Fitness Adjustable Dumbbell set won’t work for you, below is our top recommendation for an alternative. 

    Bowflex 552 Adjustable Dumbbells 

    Bowflex 552 Adjustable Dumbbells
    Buy It Now at Amazon

    Being the very first adjustable dumbbell set (or first that we know of), Bowflex’s 552 is another top-of-the-line set to consider. It has several advantages that make it another top choice. We will be discussing some of them below: 

    First, it’s a very well reputed company. Bowflex has been in the business longer than another exercise equipment manufacturer in the US. They enjoy an excellent reputation because of the quality of their equipment and always receive positive reviews. 

    Starting with weights. The weights on this set are super easy and fast to adjust, all thanks to the select dial adjustment mechanism. It’s not as fast as the Core Home Adjustable Set we reviewed earlier, but they are still pretty fast to drop sets. 

    They are also available in 2.5 lb weight increments. This is something that even the Core Home Fitness adjustable dumbbell set doesn’t provide. 2.5 lb weight adjustments are great for any isolation exercise and give you better overall progression. 

    However, to achieve this 2.5 lb weight adjustment, the Bowflex 552 uses long fixed handles. Not everyone can get adjusted to longer handles, though. For a newbie, this adjustment can take as much as a few weeks. Once that period is over, you can reap the benefits of 2.5 lb increments. 

    Final Thoughts

    That’s all, folks. We hope now you can make a much better decision for yourself whether you want to go for Core Fitness Adjustable Dumbbell Set or not. They are very well priced, lifting the financial burden off of your shoulders. It is compact, sleek, easy to hold, comfortable to train, durable construction, and an overall better deal. We can confidently say it’s worth your money. Give it a try and we assure you, you won’t be disappointed.