The Dark Lord's Reviews (125)


(4.67)
3/10/2026
Inexpensive package of pulldown bars that add a lot of variety to your cable work. I love these. The neutral grip feels very strong and solid. I think they could probably do away with one of the middle bars and one of the small bars and make an even cheaper option with only three in it, but whatever... buy it and give two away to a buddy. I find the two versions of the middle and little ones to be largely interchangeable; I don't feel much difference in the lifting from that minimal change in hand position. But I do feel a big difference in going from overhand grip to neutral grip, so if you don't have that in your arsenal yet, these are worthwhile to get that extra couple inches of squeeze at the very bottom of a pulldown or row as you bring it in tight to your core. UPDATE: while I have been very happy with these in my own gym, I'm the only one using them and I don't abuse them. It is worth noting that they are not durable in a commercial setting. I'm changing the photo to show one of these handles that has been at my local Y for less than six months.
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(3.67)
3/10/2026
I love this thing. I use it several times per week to get my cardio minutes in. You can cruise leisurely in zone 2 or you can HIIT hard to get into Zone 4 or 5 pretty quickly (well, my fat ass gets there quickly, anyway). The LCD screen is simple and clear, powered by double A batteries that usually last a couple months even with frequent use (I've switched to using rechargeables so the consumable cost is minimal after the initial battery purchase). I don't know how accurate the mileage or calorie counts truly are, but it does provide them. My only construction complaints with this air bike are 1) the sliding phone tray is flimsy and when riding hard the phone always seems to vibrate out of it eventually 2) the water bottle is mounted so high on the LCD screen stem that it becomes a real PITA to pull it and replace it while actively peddling. A couple things to bear in mind: it gets pretty noisy when riding hard (not relevant if you're wearing earpods but it's hard to hear music on your phone or a smaller bluetooth speaker) and it also produces quite a good air blast, so depending on where that jet stream is pointed it might make an impact if you're setting it up in your house. One aspect that is really nice, is that even though the bike is quite stable, this is light enough to readily roll it away or even pick it up and reposition it when not in use. I set mine on our treadmill when not using either to get it out of the middle of the floor in the basement.
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(4.67)
3/10/2026
I keep several pairs of these in my office at work, just to throw around a bit when I have a little down time. These metal hex heads (or others identical to them) are often regularly available on FMP for a fraction of their retail cost, sometimes even free. They will last forever and withstand any possible abuse you can throw at them. You really can't go wrong if you're just looking for some iron to hoist.
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(3.33)
3/10/2026
Rubber hex head DBs are pretty much all the same, and the branding is largely irrelevant. I got a bunch of these when I first started my home gym. I've used them a ton, but now I've started replacing them with York roundheads. The rubber ones are relatively inexpensive, but they are also functionally limiting esp. in the larger sizes, like around 75 lb and up. The heads start to get so bulky that they limit range of motion. You can't get as low as you want for an overhead press or as close together in the center of a bench DB fly. These are great for the smaller denominations but don't waste your money on the bigger sizes. Even when the Black Friday deals of offering free shipping and these are going for less than $1/lb, its no bargain if they're just paperweights in a corner.
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(3.67)
3/10/2026
A very useful little training bar for the minions in your life. My little ankle biters have gotten a lot of use out of this thing and it still looks like new. Only weighs 22 lb. so it is useful for teaching technique and getting the smallest ones doing some play-training. My 5 year old loves to deadlift with this bar and the 9 year old favors it for her benching. The sleeves will catch in the J hooks on the rack but the barbell itself is not rackable in the traditional sense. It's definitely not a top build quality bar, but it is super cheap and when you're just teaching little ones the basics, it is more than adequate for the job.
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(4.33)
3/10/2026
I added these to the gym when my kids starting insisting on joining me. The littlest ones are really only playing, but they still want to go through the motions. For the 5 year old, these combine well with a 5 lb training bar to teach the fundamentals of bench press and other upper body movements. My 11yo is benching with a real bar and plates, but every few weeks he hits new PRs and these fractional plates have helped a lot in boosting his confidence to jump up to the next 5 lb weight increment. I have the colored versions and like those better than the chrome; much faster to know which is which just based off color, don't even need to look for the tiny text showing the weight. An inexpensive and useful addition to the gym.
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(5.00)
3/10/2026
Solidly built, spins smoothly. No complaints. Very heavy triceps pushdowns feel quite stable. Good short bar for pronated or supinated movements with elbows in tight to the core.
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(5.00)
3/10/2026
Well built and inexpensively priced, these are a great deal. They are far more comfortable and steady than the cheap nylon strap handles that came with the Major Fitness Drone rack. The grips lock into the hand well and rotate smoothly, taking grip issues out of the lift and letting you concentrate on the movement. A big improvement for cable flies compared to the nylon handles.
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125 total