I really have the urge to get back in shape and am shopping for some home gym equipment. While I was shopping I spotted two Costco dumbbell sets and, while neither one got me really excited, I thought I would share some research on them just in case other folks were also checking them out.
Keep reading and we will cover:
- Key Features of the Inspire 210 Pound Dumbbell Set
- Key Features of the Proform 32 Pound Dumbbell Set
Inspire 210 Pound Dumbbell Set with Weight Rack
The first dumbbell set I spotted was from Inspire and it includes 210 pounds of weights and a rack to hold all 12 dumbbells. The set comes with two each of the following weights:
- 5 lbs
- 10 lbs
- 15 lbs
- 20 lbs
- 25 lbs
- 30 lbs
The dumbbells feature a rubber coating on the ends to minimize scratches to your floors. The grips are textured chrome plated for a somewhat “non-slip” grip.
The rack appears to be solidly built and does not take up a lot of floor space.
It is important to note that the dumbbell set comes in three different boxes. If you decide to buy these then make sure you get one of each box marked Box 1, Box 2 and Box 3 and not three boxes marked “Box 1”, etc.
The Inspire 210 pound set of weights is currently priced at $349 the warehouse but I struggle to view this as a bargain. Inspire has this weight set for sale on their website and on Amazon for around $500 but that doesn’t necessarily make the Costco price a bargain.
A good benchmark for any type of weights is a price or around $1 per pound. At the Costco price you would be paying about $210 for the weights and $140 for the rack.
Other than overall price I am not a fan of this set as I simply would not use all of the weights provided and I don’t think that I am alone. I simply have no use for the 5, 10 and 15 pound weights and would be better off going down to Academy sports and buying a couple of 20 pounders.
Proform 32 Pound Neoprene Dumbbells Set
If you are in the market for a lighter set of weights then the Proform 32 pound dumbbell set might be perfect for you.
The 32 pound set comes with two each of the following weights:
- 3 lbs
- 5 lbs
- 8 lbs
The weights are completely encased in a neoprene coating for an easy grip surface that should not scuff your floors.
The dumbbells come in attractive colors and have a slender grip that will fit small and large hands alike.
The weights of these dumbbells make them great for use in cardio training as well as adding some resistance for your physical therapy exercises.
I actually have a set of 8 lbs barbells that are almost identical to the ones in this set and, while they are lovely, they are so light that I never use them for anything.
I grabbed the customer reviews for these dumbbells from the Costco website to see what customers thought about them. There were over 300 reviews and the overall customer satisfaction rate (combined 5 and 4 star reviews) was 95%.
The few negative comments concerned weights that had been damaged during shipping or the odd smell the weights had when they came out of the box.
The Proform dumbbells have a normal price of $29.99 which is pretty much spot on with what weights ought to cost (about $1 per pound) so I consider these fairly priced. My Costco had them on sale for $19.99 which is an extremely great deal.
If you are in the market for a smaller set of dumbbells then the 32 pound set from Proform is a high quality bargain.
