This just shot into my email inbox from Amazon - Bowflex SelectTech Dumbbells have an extra $50 instant rebate right now.
I don't get excited about fitness equipment, but I actually have these dumb bells as well as the dumbbell stand and SelectTech Bench. I have the older models and have been using them for at least 3 years I believe. Not sure that much has really changed as they look almost identical and have the same weight range.
I figured I would do an honest review of the SelectTech Dumbbells, since I have have owned the Bowflex dumbbells for about 3 years and have used them consistently 3 or more times a week.
The attractive thing about the SelectTech dumb bells is that you essentially can dial-up the weight you want to use for your exercises as opposed to having many, many dumbbells of different weights. This is a great space saver. I only have 1 set of dumbbells that I can adjust anywhere from 5lbs - 52.5lbs. If that isn't enough, you can purchase a different set that goes from 10lbs to 90lbs. Personally, if I was going up to 90lbs, I would just go to the gym, because I don't want to be dealing with that kind of weight at the house. 5lbs to 52.5lbs is perfect for toning and building lean muscle. The dumb bells are actually in the corner of my bedroom on their nice dumbbell stand as a constant reminder that I need to do a little muscle toning right before going to sleep. Although we have a room that would be more suited to place the weights and workout, I need the weights right by my bedside as a reminder to workout. Laugh, but it works!
If you are used to working with dumb bells, you will know that the lighter weights are smaller in size. Hence if you are only use 5 to 20lb dumbbells, they are much smaller than the dumbbells that are say 40 - 50lbs. This isn't true of the Bowflex SlectTech Dumbbells. You dial your weight so the size of the dumbbells stay the same, but are only lighter. This may throw you off if used to small 5lb dumbbells as the SelectTech dumbbells have to accommodate up to 52.5lbs and thus are bigger when dialed down to 5lbs. Personally I am used to it now and it is no big deal, but I did notice it when I first used them.
The other thing worth noting is that even though they are made extremely well ( again I have had mine for 3 years ), I wouldn't bench with them to complete exhaustion and drop them on the floor like you might at the gym. I gently let them down to the floor as a rule just because they are not one solid weight like you get at the gym. They are composed of round plates ( so to speak ) and thus are probably more fragile. However, let's get serious, these things are not breaking unless you are truly dropping them to the floor constantly when working out. And, to be honest, I don't know if they actually will break, but I don't want to find out :)
As for me, I actually use the full range of the weight, which is why the SelectTech is ideal for me. I often bench and do military presses at the higher weights. You will probably be working the biceps and triceps at a lower weight, and doing back and chest flies / butterflies at even a bit lower weight, etc. When you have this varying workout then you will truly appreciate only having 1 set of dumbbells as opposed to 5 or 6. When done, I also have the added benefit of setting them to their highest weight so the kids can't pick them up and hurt themselves.
Even though I have a gym membership it is not as convenient as being at home where I can literally get a good workout in 20 minutes in front of the TV with my favorite music video on demand. If say I only have 20 minutes, I can get a good workout ( if only the chest ) in the same amount of time at home as it would take for me to just get to the gym. If you are limited on space or just don't want to have a bunch of dumbbells hanging around, the Bowflex SelectTech Dumbbells have served me well.
Hopefully this helps!