Dumbbells / BUYING GUIDE

Which adjustable dumbbells should you buy?

How much weight comes in the box, how small are the jumps, and can you add more later?

Rack & RoomUpdated 17 Oct 20264 min read

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If 24 kg per hand is enough, the LSG pair-and-stand package is a useful starting quote. Elite EXP leaves a route beyond its 50 lb base pair. For heavier work from day one, Ironmaster includes about 34 kg per hand and REP × PÉPIN includes 42.5 kg. Price the weight you need now, then any expansion you expect to use.

In this guide

The shortlist

Include the stand in the first quote

LSG V1 24 kg pair with stand

The V1 package supplies two dumbbells, 15 settings from 2.5 to 24 kg per hand, and a stand. It avoids a separate storage purchase when its weight range is sufficient.

A$449Listed 17 Oct 2026

Details & retailers

Start at 50 lb, leave room to expand

PowerBlock Elite EXP — Stage 1 pair

Elite EXP Stage 1 reaches about 22.7 kg per hand. Matching stages are extra, so it suits someone who needs that range today and plans to add weight later.

Details & retailers

More included weight, manual plate changes

Ironmaster Quick-Lock 75 lb pair — no stand

The no-stand pair reaches about 34 kg per hand. Partial-turn locking screws and loose plates suit straight sets better than constant load changes.

Details & retailers

For presses and rows beyond 32 kg

REP × PÉPIN FAST Series — 42.5 kg pair

The Australian base pair reaches 42.5 kg per hand. Separate kits raise it to 52.5 or 62.5 kg; 5 kg selector steps use micro-plates for finer changes.

Details & retailers

Check what the base pair includes

Selected pair	Included maximum per hand	Expansion or package consequence
LSG V1 with stand	24 kg	Two dumbbells and the stand are included
PowerBlock Pro 100 EXP Stage 1	40 lb / about 18.1 kg	Three further stages are needed to reach 100 lb
REP QuickDraw 60 lb	About 27.2 kg	60 lb is the system ceiling
NÜOBELL 32 kg	32 kg	Twist-handle selection in 2 kg steps
Ironmaster Quick-Lock 75 lb	About 34 kg	120 lb and 165 lb add-on kits are separate
REP × PÉPIN FAST	42.5 kg	52.5 kg and 62.5 kg need expansion kits

Vulcan: a local screw-lock alternative

Vulcan Fitness listed its adjustable pair at A$849 on 17 October 2026. Steel interlocking plates and twist-lock screws give it a similar buying role to Ironmaster: manual changes, with an expansion package available separately. It belongs in the comparison if that loading routine suits your training.

The listing advertises 36 kg per hand, but its empty-assembly weight and plate inventory work out to 34 kg per hand. That arithmetic is not a verified delivered maximum. Get a written plate count and assembled weight before ordering; choose a documented capacity elsewhere if reaching exactly 36 kg is essential. The advertised 49 kg extension is a separate package.

Smaller exercises need smaller jumps

NÜOBELL’s 2 kg steps are simple to use, but a 2 kg increase per hand can be substantial for lateral raises. MX55 EVO uses roughly 2.25 kg standard steps; optional magnetic plates provide finer changes. VERVE’s 32.5 kg model uses 1.5 kg steps.

Micro-weights add another adjustment. QuickDraw has removable 2.5 lb weights inside each handle; using only one leaves that dumbbell unevenly loaded. PÉPIN uses separate 1.25 kg plates alongside its main sliders. Choose the sequence you will actually use for lighter work.

Choose the loading routine you can live with

A selector system is convenient for supersets, shared sessions and repeated changes between pressing and arm work. Ironmaster requires somewhere to put its loose plates during a change. In a session with long rests and a few straight sets, that may be an acceptable trade.

Handle space matters too. The open grips on MX55 EVO and NÜOBELL have a different shape from a nested PowerBlock. If you often hold one dumbbell with both hands, that grip position deserves attention before the maximum weight figure.

Use several retailer quotes for the same order

The catalogue includes LSG Fitness, Gym and Fitness, Sam’s Fitness, Vulcan Fitness, Dynamo Fitness, Flex Fitness Equipment and VERVE. Their packages differ. VERVE’s listed 32.5 kg unit is a single dumbbell; LSG’s selected package is a pair with a stand. Put quantity, per-hand range and storage on each quote so a smaller order cannot masquerade as the cheaper pair.