Powerblock U90 or Powerblock Sport 9.0

[Coke_Zero]

Hi all,

I'm currently looking for some Powerblocks and I'm not sure which ones to go for. I see the PowerBlock Flex Urethane U90 which get good reviews but so do the Powerblock Sport 9.0 but for much less cash. Is there that much of a difference in quality or useability?

Money isn't a massive issue but if the difference isn't huge I'm alway a fan of saving some lol. I see all 3 can be expanded but one to 59kg and one to 57kg (at least according to one website I looked at).

Forgot to add, Ironmasters are available in the UK now. Not really on a secon hand market yet but I will probably buy new anyway. There is a lot of competition between the two brands. I will probably buy the expansions for either one I buy regardless so it is all down to useability and quality I am after.
So any thoughts?

Thanks

[dskoo65]

Hi all,

I'm currently looking for some Powerblocks and I'm not sure which ones to go for. I see the PowerBlock Flex Urethane U90 which get good reviews but so do the Powerblock Sport 9.0 but for much less cash. Is there that much of a difference in quality or useability?

Money isn't a massive issue but if the difference isn't huge I'm alway a fan of saving some lol. I see all 3 can be expanded but one to 59kg and one to 57kg (at least according to one website I looked at).

So any thoughts?

Thanks

usability...identical

personally, between the two id pay the extra for the urethanes for two reasons. they are much queter and come with a lifetime warranty. they are going to be more durable because of the coating and ability to flex. here in the states the cost difference is really minimal, so its an easy call.

[Mayze]

Urethane IMO. There is no weld that can break. The pin is a strong flexible plastic that you don't have to worry about bending or breaking. They come with a lifetime warranty as opposed to a 10 year warranty the sport has. They are also much quieter. The only time the urethanes make any noise is when adder weights are in.

[Coke_Zero]

Thanks for the quick replies guys, much appreciated.

The cost difference in the UK is a fair amount (equal to ~$250). I had written off getting Ironmasters as I didn't realise they were available here but they seem to br around bow for the same sort of money. They look fairly compact and like "ordinary" dumbbells.

So I guess it would be the U90s and Ironmasters.

[dskoo65]

Thanks for the quick replies guys, much appreciated.

The cost difference in the UK is a fair amount (equal to ~$250). I had written off getting Ironmasters as I didn't realise they were available here but they seem to br around bow for the same sort of money. They look fairly compact and like "ordinary" dumbbells.

So I guess it would be the U90s and Ironmasters.

nothing to decide now except what is the biggest priority...speed of change or solidness and traditional db feel.

[highhung723]

I'd get ironmasters. You only have to expand one time to 120 lbs (~55 kg) which is about the same as the max on the powerblocks

[jamesmetal24]

Ironmasters > any and all Power Blocks

[Coke_Zero]

The Ironmaters do appear to be best suited for me. It was only by luck I searched for them being sold in the UK after reading another thread on this forum so I was pretty set on Powerblocks and hadn't really looked at Ironmasters in detail before tonight. Whilst the Powerblocks look great, indo like the feel of traditional equipment and also I would get the stand included in the price whereby it is an additional ~$200 for the Powerblock one (I use USD as most members are from the US).

Ironmasters seem pretty solid and safe. Safety wad alwasys my biggest concern regarding adjustable dumbbells as I workout alone usually after midnight as I'm A shift worker. Even without that I don't want them falling apart during exercises.

[wannagoheavy]

I'd get ironmasters. You only have to expand one time to 120 lbs (~55 kg) which is about the same as the max on the powerblocks

u 90's can be expanded to 175 lbs per hand now.

[dskoo65]

u 90's can be expanded to 175 lbs per hand now.

i believe this is incorrect. the Heavy Weight 125 set can be expanded to 175, not the u90's....unless they added something that is not on their site.

[mickfortis]

Hi all,

I'm currently looking for some Powerblocks and I'm not sure which ones to go for. I see the PowerBlock Flex Urethane U90 which get good reviews but so do the Powerblock Sport 9.0 but for much less cash. Is there that much of a difference in quality or useability?

Money isn't a massive issue but if the difference isn't huge I'm alway a fan of saving some lol. I see all 3 can be expanded but one to 59kg and one to 57kg (at least according to one website I looked at).

Forgot to add, Ironmasters are available in the UK now. Not really on a secon hand market yet but I will probably buy new anyway. There is a lot of competition between the two brands. I will probably buy the expansions for either one I buy regardless so it is all down to useability and quality I am after.
So any thoughts?

Thanks

Hey man, I live in Europe and I actually ordered my Ironmaster DBs and superbench from the UK. You can order them from this site:

http://www.valleyfitness.co.uk/

[WheyBeastly]

I have IM's and U-125 PB's, I'd rather have both types then just one, .

[Coke_Zero]

Hey man, I live in Europe and I actually ordered my Ironmaster DBs and superbench from the UK. You can order them from this site:

http://www.valley-fitness.co.uk/

Thanks. I had a look on their site a day or so ago. They seem to have the exclusive sales right on the Ironmasters in the UK an possibly Europe. They are only an hour from me so may organise a trip down there and pick them up.

I have IM's and U-125 PB's, I'd rather have both types then just one, .

I wish I had the cash for both (although if I did I would get a set of fixed dumbbells). Until the day I can afford to buy/justify the second, I'll have to pick one of the two, which is a pain to decide lol.

[bluetooth1989]

i got powerblock sport 9.0 off ebay, £400... was going to go for the urethane ones, but decided to save my money... i will say that the sport 9 ones are clangy... especailly where im in a shared house and work out late night... but then the clangyness kind of adds that feeling of old school work out... if i was to moan and groan using my sport 9.0 atleast people would know im working out from the clanging... if i used silent weights, housemates would think i was doing something else! lol

[Coke_Zero]

i got powerblock sport 9.0 off ebay, £400... was going to go for the urethane ones, but decided to save my money... i will say that the sport 9 ones are clangy... especailly where im in a shared house and work out late night... but then the clangyness kind of adds that feeling of old school work out... if i was to moan and groan using my sport 9.0 atleast people would know im working out from the clanging... if i used silent weights, housemates would think i was doing something else! lol

lol. I was tempted to get them from eBay too. I've decided to go for the Ironmasters and will be going to pick them up Monday from the sole UK distributor. Knocked some cash off too which is nice. I'll be reporting back when I get them.

[ninjaturtletavo]

I just got my ironmaster dumbbells with the super bench. All I can say is that they are very awesome! Very compact and switching them, honestly takes less than 30 seconds so its not big deal!!

[Coke_Zero]

Got my Ironmasters yesterday and used them today for the first time the build quality is much higher than I expected (and I expected it to be good).

Took me less than a minute to change out the plates and increase/decrease weight when needed. I saved a fair amount of time between sets and exercises. I like to work with a high intensity with minimal rest between sets and these really helped me do that.

Today was biceps and shoulders and curling then was spot on. I have Olympic dumbbells and whilst they are good, they are somewhat cumbersome and can feel unbalanced at times. Curling the Ironmasters is simple (as you would expect) and you can really squeeze out the reps on shoulder exercises too.

For those in the UK go to http://www.valleyfitness.co.uk/ they are the only company who sell them. I am pretty sure I got the last set though and they don't have any expansion sets in stock. They will come in around October but it's worth the wait.

Highly recommended and I'm very impressed.

Thanks for all the input others gave on this thread.

[flyingscot1]

ironmasters are awesome,had mine for a while now,craigslist find,very easy to adjust and ive dropped mine plenty with no probs

[wannagoheavy]

Been using my U-90 stage 2 dumbbells for a couple weeks now and I have to say that I cant believe I waited this long to get these.

Very solid, quiet (was using spinlocks with cast iron weights) and love the versatility with these.

Pin slides easily in and out and very easy to locate proper slot for pin

I dont find the handle or the block uncomfortable or that it interferes with my lifts.

All in all I can highly recommend these dumbbells and with a lifetime warranty they offer peace of mind.

[MrCrispy]

Can't really go wrong with either of them - both IM and PB are solid choices. I tried them both at a fitness shop for a quick 10min workout, and preferred the PB's. Much faster to change 1 pin/side than 2 sets of plates, and they are a bit more compact. I think the PB stand is a ripoff though, I'm using a $10 side table as a stand