TROY vs. IVANKO Deep Dish Olympic Plates...No holds barred... Death match.

[morebarbell]

I have a handful of the Troy "premium wide flanged" plates and thought I'd share some photos and opinions about the plates. I'll also compare and contrast them with Ivanko's OM and discontinued O/O2B plates.

Overall, I think they are very nice plates. I think I would place them somewhere in between the newer machined Ivanko OM plates and the older Ivanko plates (the older Ivanko OM as well as O and O2B). Keep in mind there may be differences in the manufacturing over time. I only have a few of the newly manufactured Troy plates.

Troy "premium wide flanged" plates are available in black (PO) and silver (HO). Although the Troy website describes the machining differently, I was unable to find any differences in the plates besides the color. Both the PO and HO plates appear to be fully machined on all surfaces despite differences in the descriptions on the website. And both the PO and HO plates are also priced the same.



Although it is sometimes light, I can see the the lines left by the metal lathe on all of the surfaces...front, back, and edges.



According the product information, Troy uses ASTM Grade 20 cast iron. Ivan has posted on the forum that Ivanko uses ASTM grade cast iron but he did not specify the grade and I couldn't find it on the website. It might be the same. From what I understand, on less expensive plates lower grade cast iron is often used. If I understand correctly, the lower grade cast iron is cheaper and also easier to pour for casting.

In the stock photos of the black plates, there appeared to be a lot of paint splatter and running. But having seen the plates close up, I think the splatter is actually intentional rather than accidental. It looks like the plates were painted flat black and then splattered with a gloss paint....sort of like brand new jeans with holes in the knees. It kind of makes me want to throw the weight around. It actually looks better than it sounds. But one drawback is that the splattered paint will quickly scratch off from the backs and edges of the plates.

[morebarbell]

The paint is not nearly as nice as the German polyester paint on the current Ivanko OM plates but I haven't seen anything that comes close from any other manufacturer.

The current German polyester paint on these OM plates is my favorite...

I'd also say the black paint on the Ivanko O2B plates is a bit nicer. But the Troy plates have a nicer machined surface. (unlike the Ivanko OM plates, the O2B plates are not machined except for the center hole)

One thing that I noticed is that the Troy plates are not completely uniform in diameter. There are some very small differences in the diameter of some of the plates. In this photo, there are (from left to right) four Ivanko OM plates, two Troy PO plates, and four vintage York plates. You can see that the diameter of the Ivanko plates is very uniform but there are slight differences in the size of the Troy plates.



Here are couple comparison photos of Troy PO and Ivanko OM plates.

[2MoreRepz]

Nice review, as always your pics are top notch. I have never seen the Troy's in person, but have always liked the old school look to them.

[morebarbell]

Thanks! They do have an old school look to them. It surprises me that they can be found for about the same price as the lower end plates in Troy's VTX and USA Sports lines even though the Troy commercial plates are much higher quality.

For the lurkers, here are some photos of some other machined cast iron plates for comparison:
Old and new Ivanko OM plates: http://forum.bodybuilding.com/showth...post1103348293
Cemco grip plates: http://forum.bodybuilding.com/showth...hp?t=155506073
Evergreen Pro: http://forum.bodybuilding.com/showth...hp?t=161479893
Cap Slim Line: http://forum.bodybuilding.com/showth...hp?t=153169061

[59phinz]

Don't forget the Ivanko OMC.... Even though it's no longer in production, it's still sexy as fawk!

[AttyGuy]

Old school? There are two choices and Troy isn't the other one.

Nice plates, though. . . .

[Paulie_G]

I have 800+ pounds of the Troy Wide Flanged plates. I sold the rest of my Ivankos to complete my Troy set last year, simply because I could find the Troys slightly easier without going broke. Quality wise, I honestly don't notice much difference. The Troys are quite accurate. The Ivankos certainly didn't have any magical powers that the Troys do not. .

[morebarbell]

Don't forget the Ivanko OMC.... Even though it's no longer in production, it's still sexy as fawk!

http://forum.bodybuilding.com/attach...1&d=1398163226

And you can check your hair in the reflection between lifts. Here's a partial lineup of the Ivanko plates...

L to R: OM, OMC, RUBO, OU

Old school? There are two choices and Troy isn't the other one.

Nice plates, though. . . .

I know one is the Bullworker.

I have 800+ pounds of the Troy Wide Flanged plates. I sold the rest of my Ivankos to complete my Troy set last year, simply because I could find the Troys slightly easier without going broke. Quality wise, I honestly don't notice much difference. The Troys are quite accurate. The Ivankos certainly didn't have any magical powers that the Troys do not. .

You must not have had the revolvers.

http://forum.bodybuilding.com/showth...hp?t=157824963

[Skyaura]

As always, MoreBarbell, a very nice review. Have to spread some rep before I can get you again.

[59phinz]

And you can check your hair in the reflection between lifts.

Dang... I'm missing one of the requirements to test this... Hint- ain't the plates.

[morebarbell]

Dang... I'm missing one of the requirements to test this... Hint- ain't the plates.

I just enjoy looking at myself.

The OMC plates should really include some instructions. A lot of guys are doing it wrong. This guy clearly has no idea what he's doing. It would be much easier for him to see his own reflection if those hundos had their backs facing him.

[Synthetickiller]

I just enjoy looking at myself.

The OMC plates should really include some instructions. A lot of guys are doing it wrong. This guy clearly has no idea what he's doing. It would be much easier for him to see his own reflection if those hundos had their backs facing him.

I'd be using suicide grip too.

No chrome collars to match the chrome plates? His bling is weak, yo.

[keyboardworkout]

Nice review. The Troys don't look that bad. Although, after my Troy kettlebell experience, I still hate the company.

[Synthetickiller]

Thanks for the review.

Deep dish are nice, but I'd be looking for york/ivankos over troys. The paint job on the black yorks is terrible, IMO. Like OP said, it will wear down over time. Considering the price, I'd never touch them.

The only Troy plates I'm interested in are the rubber VTX for dumbbells & interlocking metal versions.

I'd rep, but on spread, as usual.

[morebarbell]

I think Ivanko is clearly the winner in terms of quality and definitely in terms of service. I think the Troy PO plates are fairly close in terms of quality to the old Ivanko OM plates but they are blown away by the quality of the current production Ivanko OM plates.

http://forum.bodybuilding.com/showth...post1103348293

[Paulie_G]

I think Ivanko is clearly the winner in terms of quality and definitely in terms of service. I think the Troy PO plates are fairly close in terms of quality to the old Ivanko OM plates but they are blown away by the quality of the current production Ivanko OM plates.

http://forum.bodybuilding.com/showth...post1103348293

Could you explain how they are a clear winner in terms of service? Don't get me wrong. Over 15 years, I've owned a fair amount of iron. I've owned Ivanko. I love them. Quality is never in question. Even beat to hell, the paint looked good, and very accurate. I've owned Iron Grip, like them..sort of, but weight was a bit off. Cemco was dead on accurate, but the excessive "pox" on the plates plates drove me nuts. Don't care that it looked bad, it just told me that they didn't seem to care about the quality, and the owner of the company pissed me off. The Wide Flange Troys are very accurate, and look old school. They are a close second in my eyes to the the Ivankos. Thant being said, I've never had the pleasure of owning any old, deep dish Yorks.

The only thing that I've never seen a difference with is actual "service". All of these commercial grade plates were pretty accurate (except maybe Iron Grip), and all hugged the bar about right. What else is there in terms of "service"? I don't mean to be facetious, but I can't think of what the answer might be. For me, it's been more about quality vs. price once I get in this range. I flat out don't give a crap about the way the plates look, as that does not affect performance, despite what some of you maniacs think. Non of the plates ever did me any unspeakable special favors, or anything like that.

[morebarbell]

Could you explain how they are a clear winner in terms of service? Don't get me wrong. Over 15 years, I've owned a fair amount of iron. I've owned Ivanko. I love them. Quality is never in question. Even beat to hell, the paint looked good, and very accurate. I've owned Iron Grip, like them..sort of, but weight was a bit off. Cemco was dead on accurate, but the excessive "pox" on the plates plates drove me nuts. Don't care that it looked bad, it just told me that they didn't seem to care about the quality, and the owner of the company pissed me off. The Wide Flange Troys are very accurate, and look old school. They are a close second in my eyes to the the Ivankos. Thant being said, I've never had the pleasure of owning any old, deep dish Yorks.

The only thing that I've never seen a difference with is actual "service". All of these commercial grade plates were pretty accurate (except maybe Iron Grip), and all hugged the bar about right. What else is there in terms of "service"? I don't mean to be facetious, but I can't think of what the answer might be. For me, it's been more about quality vs. price once I get in this range. I flat out don't give a crap about the way the plates look, as that does not affect performance, despite what some of you maniacs think. Non of the plates ever did me any unspeakable special favors, or anything like that.

I think you misunderstood my use of the word "service". I meant customer service. You seem to be talking about product quality but I don't really understand the point that you are trying to make. It seems like you might be saying "weight is weight". That's fine. There's a milk jug workout video on youtube that you might like.



As for customer service, can you give a positive example of Troy's customer service?

[2MoreRepz]

There are a couple sets of jugs I would like to work out with in that video.....milk comes in both. Sorry, too far.

[AttyGuy]

I know one is the Bullworker.

If you're gonna use the Bullworker, you better have a sweet 70's porn 'stache too.

[morebarbell]

The keywords "porn" and "milk jugs" probably doubled the search traffic to this page from Google.

[Paulie_G]

I think you misunderstood my use of the word "service". I meant customer service. You seem to be talking about product quality but I don't really understand the point that you are trying to make. It seems like you might be saying "weight is weight". That's fine. There's a milk jug workout video on youtube that you might like.



As for customer service, can you give a positive example of Troy's customer service?

No need to go to extremes, though I found the video hilarious. I did misunderstand you. I thought your point of service was refering to performance. In some respects "Weight is weight" is a black and white statement. Obviously, you can't compare wildly inconsistent CAP or Weider plates to a good quality commercial grade plate. My only point (which was obviously out of context), was that between the top brands, there is minimal difference in terms of the results the actual product will yield, therefore it would be hard for me to spend a ton more on one accurate commercial brand than another. I buy what I need within fairly strict quality parameters.

As for customer service, I generally don't buy new plates. It's kind of like buying new vehicles. They depreciate initially so quickly that it never seemed worth it to me. I stick to craigslist, and a used commerial equipment dealer out of Hickory, NC. So, I can't say anything about most new plate companies. The exception is Cemco. All I can say about that is, never again.

Now, I do have to say that I've never owned revolvers, and maybe if and when I ever do...maybe I'll come to some deep understanding.

[AttyGuy]

Needs more cowbell.

[jackbravo]

...maybe I'll come to some deep understanding.

Sorry.... That'll only happen if you get some 50's Yorks

[Paulie_G]

Sorry.... That'll only happen if you get some 50's Yorks

LOL. I did have an opportunity to purchase some York Roundhead dumbbells a few months back, but the guy wanted to sell them as a package with some other stuff, and everything was overpriced.

[morebarbell]

No worries. I was giving you a hard time.

[Paulie_G]

No worries. I was giving you a hard time.

I figured. Context on a forum is always tricky. Sometimes I deserve a hard time when I start to subtly mock brand obsession. It's all good.

[ImStylinOnYaBro]

had a good time w/ the post, awesome images! I recently discovered those troy wide flanges and i think im gonna give a set of 45's a whirl to see how they are as opposed to going right for the OM's. I feel though this would have been better if the troy hammertone plates where used to compare. nonetheless, great thread.

[CropDusterMan]

Ivanko's all the way...like comparing checkers to chess.

[morebarbell]

had a good time w/ the post, awesome images! I recently discovered those troy wide flanges and i think im gonna give a set of 45's a whirl to see how they are as opposed to going right for the OM's. I feel though this would have been better if the troy hammertone plates where used to compare. nonetheless, great thread.

I'd go with Ivanko OM or OMEZH unless they don't fit in your budget or your purchase is based on Craigslist deals.

I also would prefer to have compared the hammertone plates from both companies but I think the black and hammertone Troy plates are similar.....And unfortunately this website doesn't pay me or buy me stuff.

[ImStylinOnYaBro]

I'd go with Ivanko OM or OMEZH unless they don't fit in your budget or your purchase is based on Craigslist deals.

I also would prefer to have compared the hammertone plates from both companies but I think the black and hammertone Troy plates are similar.....And unfortunately this website doesn't pay me or buy me stuff.

the om fit in the budget, but the issue is just 1set of 45's takes up a huge chunk of the budget. i will probably just get a hammertone set of the troys and see how they are, and if i don't like them, return them and pick up om's.