I don’t like loadable dumbbells. They’re stupid. It takes forever to add weights and it is only really suitable for single arm work. So I sold my other one of these and kept one and rarely use it. Expensive paperweight.

Another great product from Bare Steel. Works like a charm for when you need to add additional weight to your stack. Great for loading in between plates, or getting your big boy pants on and loading up a 45lb plate. That’s all I’d recommend, however, before this starts to angle down and come off the stack.

Absolutely love these things. They are excellent for your weight stacks. The magnets are not too strong to remove comfortably, but you never have to worry about them coming off while exercising.

I've ended up with two of these things some how. I think one is Cap and the other is Body Solid, and neither of them are worth a shit. They're really awkward to use. I don't think I've used them more than twice in the seven years I've been a home gym owner. Problem is, no one else wants this crap either. So now I have two. C'mon. Someone please come to my house and take one from me. See? You don't want one either.

When I first started my gym, I played around with a lot of weight plates. I decided on thinner profile bumpers and Strength Co. irons after a time. And I did this merry-go-round with bumpers. At one point, I got in a set of Rogue urethanes because I wanted to cut down on the smell of the bumpers that I had been moving in and out. Let me tell you something. Listen here, because it is crucial to your sanity. Stay the hell away from these if you have ribbed sleeves on your barbell. You know that sound of fingernails on a chalkboard. This sound makes that sound sound quiet and mild. I don't understand why any company that ribs their barbell collars would then go ahead and sell a plate that has ribbed inserts. That's bananas. But they don't smell at all. So there's you tradeoff.

This powder coat is really well applied. An axle is just an axle, so nothing special there. But the price is good on it and man, the powder coat is so damned grippy, it just begs to be used. My hands are usually pretty beat up after a heavy session with this, especially if I do holds. Love the thing. Spend the extra $25 or whatever and don't get some imported bar with shiny black paint.

Rogue stopped making this a few years ago, and I managed to snag this and the Beam (which was a square Saxon bar, 3"x3" or 3"x4", can't remember). I snagged both from a PT's practice that had bought them for a client who had moved away and they no longer had use for them. I ended up selling the Beam but keeping the Branch. This is a TOUGH grip challenge from the floor and it's a great overhead press bar as it really forces you to balance the bar in front of you with heavier loads. I'm really happy I landed this because I don't see many options for a bar like this on the market currently. I think Titan offers one and BWTG has a 2.5" but that's about all I'm aware of on offer.

I've got a whole bunch of uprights and shelving for this thing, both in the 41" and 72" length (shelving), and including dumbbell shelves, flat shelves, and bumper shelves. The finish is great, with a nice metallic black finish on the shelves, though I wish they offered colors like they do on the uprights and crossmembers. I had Rogue shelving before this and this is superior, IMO, because you can stack the shelves higher. I've since attached the stand alone modular shelving to my rack, creating a real Frankenstein's monster of a rack system. I'm happy with it but it sure cost a lot of money. And the different feet to use with it are so-so and cannot match up to the other types of feet Rep sells.