Equipment Review - SelectTech Dumbbells

To serious athletes, Bowflex (Nautilus) is a company with a significantly low amount of credibility as far as being a supplier of useful fitness equipment.

The first thing that comes to mind with the name 'Bowflex' are rubber-band based home gym systems, and while any strength training workout is certainly better than none at all, it is commonly agreed that these systems are not optimal for intensive functional strength training. It is true that there is a very good benefit in having a 'complete' system that fits within the home as it allows some people to maintain a level of health that they would not be able to do for a variety of reasons, but in general, we probably do not have to explain the benefits of weight training with dumbbells (as opposed to rubber-bands) to anyone reading this article.

However, the problems with assembling an effective set of dumbbells in one's home are obvious. Plate-based systems are not ideal to use and are basically ugly in a home-environment (sounds like a flimsy reason, but these plates seem to often end up unused in the corner of an apartment). On the other hand, dumbbell sets (like those in commercial gyms) are expensive and take a large amount of space.

Surprisingly, Bowflex actually has a solution to this with its SelectTech Dumbbell line. These are adjustable dumbbells where one simply turns the dials on the ends of the dumbbells to the desired weight, and then you simply lift the dumbbells and what you end up holding is the amount of weight that you 'dialed' in.







The difference in the product line are as follows:

• SelectTech 220: (2.5 - 20 lbs) - $149
  
• SelectTech 552: (5 - 52.5 lbs) - $399
  
• SelectTech 1090: (10 - 90 lbs) - $599
  

After using the SelectTech 552 for several years, and recommending it to friends, we can say that like the product very much. The dumbbells are easy to use and making weight changes are fast and quiet. The system is very efficient in terms of taking up space, and the weight range is broad enough to handle a robust set of exercises. The handles are also very comfortable in comparison with the other somewhat viable adjustable dumbbell system on the market, Powerblock.

What are the negatives when considering this purchase? Well, first, the cost is somewhat expensive although we admit that once you have a set in your lifting range, you are pretty much set on dumbbells.

The only real negative we can say is that Bowflex as a company is garbage. Like the majority of fitness equipment suppliers whose target market is not serious athletes or those involved in intense training, they do not value their customer base. Within the MMA community, information on products, equipment, and other training tools, is often shared through a network (training partners, friends, internet forums, etc), as well as at MMAembrace.com, and there is a new breed of equipment suppliers out there which really cater to ensuring that the athletes and customers of their products are happy and satisfied with their products. This not only builds a certain amount of loyalty within the customer base, but it is a tool for viral marketing within the target demographic. Further, quick responses to customer needs, problems, and issues tend to be resolved by these companies quickly and without complaint - this builds in a certain dynamic quality control and real-time product design and evolution.

Expect none of this at Bowflex (Nautilus).

We bring this point up because for years we were saying that the SelectTech set needed a heavier version (until recently, the 552 with a 52.5 lbs upper limit was the heaviest). Voila, the company finally introduced its 1090 series recently, but with no compatibility to the other versions (meaning, the sets have nothing to do with each other, so if you have an older version, you are basically stuck with it). Why couldn't the company build in a system that builds on the older system - perhaps using heavier plates etc. Ok, if that was not possible from a technical design point of view, what about providing some sort of upgrade discount to prior owners of one of the other systems?

We mentioned this to the company and their response was basically that there is no discount and "Another option would be to sale your 552 and put that amount towards the purchase of the 1090" - yes with the typo. What kind of company wants to piss off their end-user community by ridiculously suggesting the obvious as if it was out-of-the-box thinking? The same kind of company that does not cater to real athletes (who generally form more of a community about gear and equipment than recreational fitness users) and does not have the requisite level of customer focus for this target market.

Overall, although we can definitely recommend the product, it difficult to support a company that you know will eventually just put out another product and render your initial purchase less valuable.

We should mention that the products come with a DVD called "Secrets of the 4 Step Rep" - this is basically useless unless you don't have any idea of what to do with dumbbells. The one useful accessory which is available for purchase is a stand which is actually pretty handy (often there are specials available online where the stand is sometimes included or a discounted price).

Here are some links if you're thinking about picking up a set:

[Click for SelectTech 552 on Amazon.com]

[Click for SelectTech 552 Dumbbell Stand on Amazon.com]

[Click for the Bowflex SelectTech homepage]