Ironmaster Quick-Lock Dumbbell System Review Part-1
Related Pages:
Quick-Lock Dumbbell Stand Assembly
Ironmaster Quicklock Dumbbells have been around for several years, and I had been eyeing them for a good while prior to this post. The looked tough as nails, functional and designed by men who understood what strength training is all about. Until recently, however, I have been unable to afford a set.
As is often the case, the passage of time brings change. An opportunity presented itself and I was able to get a set of these dumbbells. I want to thank Matt and the folks are Ironmaster for making such a tremendous product.
This is part 1 of a 2 part review.
The purpose in this segment is to give you a better idea of what the Ironmaster Quick-Lock Dumbbell System is and what it looks like up close and personal. The photos in the following paragraphs are clickable.
Click on a picture to enlarge it. Click it again to close it. Have fun!
This photo is a pic from my last post on building the quality stand that comes with your system. The stand is one solid piece of work. It has to be, because of the 240+lbs it will be storing.
You might have noticed something missing in the above photo. Did you happen to catch it? The weights! Where are the weights? Well, as I mentioned earlier last week, they sort of got lost. UPS found them and finally delivered them to me. What follows is a revealing pictorial of that evening. Hopefully, this will help potential buyers have a much better idea of what they are getting.
The standard plates come in two boxes. Each of the two larger boxes seen in the photo contains 12 standard 5 lb. plates and two standard 2.5 lbs plates. That allows you a total of 65 lbs. to add to each dumbbell handle [Note: the boxes have some heft to them, so be careful]. In case you are curious, the dumbbell handles (with screws inserted) weigh 10 lbs each without any plates in place, so that brings the total potential weight of each dumbbell to 75 lbs! Not bad, eh? But it gets better.
If you opt for the 120 lb add-on kit, you will then receive an additional two boxes containing two 22.5 lbs plates each (for a total of four plates). The plates are app. 2 1/2 inches thick, and add an additional 45 lbs to the already stout 75 lbs, for a grand total of 120 lbs. In the 2nd photo, you can see two smaller boxes on the bench. That is the 120 lb add-on kit (and yes, the bench with the white frame is an Ironmaster Super Bench.)
The plates come in three sizes. This photo gives you good idea of what each plate looks like.
At first glance, the plate design seems odd. The Quick-Lock plates are not round like you have come to expect from traditional dumbbell plates. Additionally, the plates are concave on one side and convex on the other. This design serves a very useful purpose, allowing the plates to neatly “stack” into each other as seen in the next photo.
In this photo, some of the benefits of Ironmaster inginuity are readily apparent.
The convex/concave design of the plates allows the them to be stacked, one onto another. This is a space saving feature that allows for safe and secure storage of the plates when not in use. More importantly, this allows you to change weights more quickly and more safely.
In addition, the plate design is a perfect match for the chrome handle face-plate which has a slight concave recess built into it as well. The plates nest into this built in recess which them prevents them from rotating so nothing can come loose. For all intents and purposes, this design creates a solid, single piece of steel once the screws are tightened into place.
Without a doubt, these dumbbells are twice as solid and ten times safer than any dumbbells I have used in any commercial gym.
Not to belabor the point, but a picture is worth 1000 words. This photo shows you just how compact and efficient a design this really is. Folks, that’s over 240 lbs of iron in a footprint of less than two square feet! Amazing!
This design offers several advantages over other similar products on the market. Both the stand and the dumbbell set are so well integrated. Gaining access to your plates when you need to go up or down in weight is a snap. You do not have to hunt for plates. You do not have to worry tripping over them. The stand is plenty roomy enough to keep everyone happy and if you train at home you simply must have a set of these.
The “screws” seen in this photo are the tie that binds, so to speak. The screws are used to hold the plates in place.
The smaller of the two screws is used for the standard 10-75 lb setup. The longer of the two screws is used to accommodate the larger and thicker 22.5 lb plates. The screws have substantial “heads” that are knurled on the edges, permitting a secure grasp so that loosening and tightening is more easily achieved. Each screw has a notch in the heads that allows you to properly line up the screws for insertion into the handles.
As you can see, these very stout and tough screws are partially threaded. The handles are also partially threaded. This approach allows the screws to be inserted into the handles where the thread design comes into play. Once the screws are inserted, you simply “lock” the dumbbell plates into place with no more than half a turn of the screw. Once the screws are locked into the handle the weight is secured. It would literally take a hand grenade to cause them to come loose.
In this photo, the screw is partially inserted into the handle in order to show you how it works.
The partial threading of the screws, combined with the unique threading of the inside of the dumbbell handles, permits the screws to slide freely, back and forth, within the handles. However, this freedom of movement can only happen when the threads of the handle and screw are properly lined up. This is accomplished by observing the notches found in both the handle-plate and the screw head. When the notches line up, the screw can be adjusted back and forth into the desire position. From there, a small turn of teh screw is all it takes to rigidly lock the plates into place. Once that is done, nothing short of an act of God is going to loosen that screw unless you manually loosen it yourself.
Here, we have the standard 75 lb Quick-Lock Dumbbell (in the background) and its better half, the 120 lb Quick-Lock Dumbbell in the foreground.
I hope this pictorial gives you a good understanding of the Quick-Lock Dumbbell System. In part 2 I will offer some tips and suggestions to help you get the most from your system.
[Editors Note: As many of you have pointed out, there is no "Part 2" for the Quicklock Dumbbells. This is largely because of my home burning down the subsequent homelessness which necessitated me having to part with all of my strength equipment. In addition, I got very, very ill. As a result, my duties as webmaster took a back seat to my need to get well and find a home to live in. Part Two is a few months down the road as I begin to rebuild my home gym. Thanks for your understanding.]