Maintaining Rubber Dumbbells

Are there any good tips for maintaining rubber dumbbells, such as these from Power-Systems?


[img]http://ewf.sm/img/rubber-octagonal-dumbbell-20-lb_28411_500.jpg[/img]
[url]http://www.power-systems.com/p-2431-rubber-octagonal-dumbbells.aspx[/url]

Ivanko recommends this for their dumbbells:
[url]http://www.ivankobarbell.com/products/sp80/[/url]
[img]http://www.ivankobarbell.com/content/wzj8zvym5y_248.jpg[/img]


Cemco recommends:
" DO NOT use any solvents or degreasers containing ammonia or alcohol."
[url]http://www.cemcofitness.com/Care&Maintenance.htm[/url]


The Power-Systems are great dumbbells, I would just like to make sure they last a very long time.

Not sure why you would really need to put something on them unless you are just wanting to clean them? Maybe some armor all, or some other type of automotive rubber cleaner/conditioner. Rubber mainly breaks down and gets brittle when exposed to the sun a lot. So indoor use shouldnt be an issue. Also these types of products most likely will make the ends slick and difficult to grip on excersises where you grab the ends of the dumbbells. My 2 cents..

[QUOTE=KLG73;1191783791]Not sure why you would really need to put something on them unless you are just wanting to clean them? Maybe some armor all, or some other type of automotive rubber cleaner/conditioner. Rubber mainly breaks down and gets brittle when exposed to the sun a lot. So indoor use shouldnt be an issue. Also these types of products most likely will make the ends slick and difficult to grip on excersises where you grab the ends of the dumbbells. My 2 cents..[/QUOTE]

Good point. Here's what Ivanko says about maintaining their dumbbells and other rubber products:

"To clean & condition our RUBBER PRODUCTS, we use SP-80. This is a set of rubber care products which we think offer good results. We have used the product for over twenty-five years. ...This procedure should be done as normal maintenance, every 30-60 days depending on the size of the club."

"It works for all Ivanko rubber products, including plates. You may find that other high-quality CARE PRODUCTS will do the job as well. However, we suggest you avoid Armor-All spray. In our experience, it dries out the rubber."

I was reading about some rubber-coated plates with pieces flaking off over time, and that even some urethane plates had this problem. If you read about rubber and urethane coated dumbbells, many of the manufacturers recommend against using plain steel dumbbell stands without rubber saddles because of wear and tear on the dumbbells.

I don't know how long the Power-Systems dumbbells will last, but maybe some treatment applied to the rubber can prevent any degradation in the long term. So far SP-80 looks like the best option to achieve this.

[url]http://www.sp80man.com/[/url]

Id buy it and try it! Report back with your thoughts, other guys out there with rubber dumbbells might care to know.

I would be very curious as well. I purchased some Hampton DB used and they already have several nicks and chips out of the rubber. The rubber has seemed to dry out some over the last few years and it seems to have made them more prone further damage.

[QUOTE=oxbeard;1191945691]I would be very curious as well. I purchased some Hampton DB used and they already have several nicks and chips out of the rubber. The rubber has seemed to dry out some over the last few years and it seems to have made them more prone further damage.[/QUOTE]

Do you keep your DB's in the garage, or inside the house? I would think that Hampton rubber would be pretty high quality, since their plates are so highly regarded. Maybe the prior owner was hard on them.

Hampton states: "Our competitors manufacture theirs by using a hexagon-shaped head and then rubber-coating it, which will cause rubber to tear from the inside out. Theirs is also made with a scented recycled rubber as well. It maybe cheaper than the urethane coating we use, but in the long run, when your Dura-Bells are still in use, you'll be glad you paid for the quality."

To me, those Hampton DB's look like rubber, not urethane.

[url]http://hamptonfit.com/shop/product.asp?intProdID=15&strCatalog_NAME=Dumbbells&strSubCatalog_NAME=&strSubCatalogID=&intCatalogID=10001&CurCatalogID=[/url]