Which Plates to Buy

[BigSteve]

Well, I am in the market for a new Olympic set for my home gym. My current set by Weider is a POS. The plates don't fit the bar quite right. Worse, they are friggin metric.

I am looking at a new set from Ivanko (the ones with handles). I know they are expensive, but Ivanko makes good stuff. I'm just trying to decide between the two styles. One has slotted handles and the other holes (you've probably seen them both in M&F).

I'm just wondering what you guys like the looks of better. Thanks in advance for your ideas.

and

 

[Haz]

I like the ones with the oval shaped handles better then the round holes.

However, I still think the regular standard black ivanko weights are good enough. Its just weight, so why spend the more then twice as much for a hole? My old gym had weights with handles, and I never really thought they helped much. Its only good if you need to carry a couple of 45's clear across the gym.

 

[louden_swain]

I don't know if you specifically want IVANKO, but here are links to olympic sets for a reasonable price:

http://www.wwfitness.com/pltsbars.html

http://www.ironcompany.com/Olympic_Barbells.htm

http://www.newyorkbarbells.com/weightsets.html

Good luck!

 

[spatts]

FYI, big steve, I fixed your links so the pics would show. Didn't alter anything else.

 

[Drunken_Weasel]

i agree on wasting money for looks.. its just weight! i bought mine as cheap as possible, some olympic weights with handles from Wal-Mart. they work just fine, look fine, and do exactly what they are supposed to do.. weigh .. hehe

Thomas

 

[CrimsonKing]

I have all Cap Barbell stuff - DicksSporting Goods or Play it Again Sports both carry.. fine stuff.. good price.. esp for a home gym

 

[BigSteve]

Thanks

Spats,

Thanks. I used UBB code for images, but I guess that isn't active. I appreciate your attention to detail.

The stuff I have now is a Weider weight set I bought at Service Merchandise in the early 1990s. At one time, it was the only Olmpic set widely available. I still cannot fathom why Weider was marketing this set as metric (44, 33, 22 lb plates) in the damn USA which is such a huge market. We are big enough consumers to warrant plates made in English denominations,

I want to move from the Yugo of plates to the Benz. The Ivanko stuff looks really sweet. More importantly, the quality is high. They are very careful to reject any plates that do not weigh what they say they do. I think that I am going to go with the slotted plates (although it seems like every elite DI football school's weight room that I see pictured has the ones with the holes).

I may, however, purchase the bar from one of the companies Louden (great name) recommended. Ivanko wants like $250 for their Olypic bar w/ center knurl, which is pretty steep.

As an aside, when Golds opened here in the mid 1990s, they ended up going with cheap Chinese-made plates. The weights were off badly. Some 45s weighed 40 LBS, others 50. If you got 2 light ones on one side and two heavy ones on the other, it would be like an extra 25 lb plate on one side of the bar. BAD news. They ended up complaining to the dealer, which sent new plates. The old ones were left for use on the leg press machines.

 

[Y_lifter]

Steel is Steel...

If they start looking bad, Spray paint them every so often.
Spend the extra money where it counts..

the bench and other equipment IMO..

 

[endpoint]

what is your problem with metric....it makes more sence

 

[BigSteve]

Metric

It does make more sense. I would have been smart for us to adopt it.

But, as it stands now, it is a pain in the ass dealing with English weights at the gym and metric at home. It's like "damn I feel strong today." Then, I realize that the barbell was 10lbs light because each plate is 1lb light and the bar 5lbs light.