Bowflex SelectTech 552 Dumbbells [Discontinued]

 (115 customer reviews)

I've been keeping my eyes on this product for the last few years thinking it would be the perfect solution for me in my cramped workout area in my home. Finally this Christmas I bought them. Here's what I found:

Pluses:

- Eliminates the need to have many dumbbells.

- The stand was free on a promotion.

- The handle is fairly comfortable.

- Nice variety of weights to choose from.

Minuses:

- Bulky for a dumbbell.

- The weights shift as you are lifting them, making balance an issue.

- Have to adjust not one, but two dials to dial in the correct weight for each dumbbell and you dial them in opposite directions.

- The weights feel like they are about to come off. They didn't for me, but they just didn't feel solid.

Conclusion:

Bottom line on this one is try them before you buy them. They may be great for you, but for me they are awkward and that's...Read more

This is an exact duplicate of a review I wrote on March 6, 2005. It and the other reviews were deleted for some reason.

Select Tech Dumbbells are the same things whether they are credited to Nautilus or Bowflex or both. The reason I really wanted these: space. Space is premium: not because I don't have room but because I like things as small as possible as a matter of policy (which is probably why I have room).

More Good: 1) They are well made: a) good quality plastic covered metal; b) the locking mechanism is sturdy and seems like it will last. [Another review, which was removed, covered this: that person was concerned if the locking mechanism could take being dropped. I hadn't thought of it since I've never dropped a dumbbell in my life but that's just me. I'll offer a guess that if you dropped it two feet onto a semi-padded floor, the mechanism should be fine. If you drop it six feet onto a concrete floor... you are on your own.] 2) The only wear-and-tear...Read more

I've been an Amazon shopper for a long time now, and when I decided to buy a set of these, I was very disappointed in the reviews. Not the scores, but the lack of information about these dumbbells. So, I did my homework from going to sports stores and trying them out to reading professional reviews, which weren't any better than the member reviews here, and now I've had these for a month or so and feel comfortable enough with them to review them completely and hopefully, informative enough to help you decide.

The design is very nice, these were originally known as the Nautilus Select Tech Dumbbells. Nautilus to me is a better known name than Bowflex is for quality, so take that into consideration when looking at these. Though the Bowflex name is on these, they are still made by Nautilus. These are high enough quality to be found in a professional level gym.

Some things that I questioned and couldn't find answers to, that I now know.

These dumbbells...Read more