Pros:
*The ability to change their weight easy is a plus.
*They are shiny and nice to look at.
*The metal is solid, despite small missing chunks.
*Hand grips are nice and non-slippery, and wide enough to fit two small hands.
Cons:
*Their name is misleading. In order to obtain the 33 lbs, you have to use ALL of the weights on one. As is, the max you can get on both at the same time is 16.5 lbs. It is not possible to obtain two 33 lb dumbbells unless you buy two sets (and even then the bars are too short to fit all the weights onto one).
*The bars are extremely long. If you want to use them both for exercises you will hit them together a lot, or will not be able to fit it around your body. (Example exercises you cannot do, or will have a very hard time doing, with this are upright rows, any sort of kickbacks for triceps, close hand curls such as the Congdon curl, or Hammer curls that require them to be to your side, etc.).
*The hand nuts that are used to keep the weights on the bar will come undone easily. They must be tightened every 5-10 minutes, and often slip mid exercise and could cause damage for the sudden shift in weight / balance.
*Their are no upgrade weights that I can find (such as 5 lbs, 10lbs).
Other thoughts:
*Many people commented on the structure of the carrying case. I give the case itself a 0/5. It was broken in several key pieces upon delivery, and the weights slide out of it when open. There is no way to 'lock' in the weights to the case (as you would a socket wrench set for example).
*The weights are in strange increments, 1.25 lbs and 2.5 lbs. Can make recording reps/weights interesting.
*It is not clear how much the bars themselves weigh, as the nuts may or may not be included.
*If you are serious about lifting then I would suggest something that you would not grow out of so fast. If you are looking for a little something to do now and then, then these would be for you.
- Did the product fit true to size? The ends of the bars are much too long
- How is the quality of the product? Shiney, but several chunks of metal are missing (estimated 0.2 kg total from all pieces)
- Was the product free of any manufacturer defects? No