Loadable Dumbbell Handles

As a preface, I never thought I would own Olympic Dumbbell Handles.  I dislike them for a number of reasons including:

• Weights can slip off
• Bulky
• Damage if dropped
• Plates over 9 inches are hard to manage

That being said, I do find myself in a circumstance where I need one.  The USAWA Postal Championship will be contested on the following 3 lifts:

• Bench Press - Reverse Grip
• Deadlift - Dumbbell - One Hand
• Zercher

I cannot Bench Press reverse grip.  I have equipment for the Zercher, but not a loadable dumbbell that can handle 200+ pounds.

I originally wanted a Kroc style 36" loadable dumbbell ($66 from Titan Fitness).  One was listed on Facebook Marketplace a while ago for $90 and it included 90 pounds of plates.  

The USAWA rules state the maximum length to be 24"

I found a pair of loadable dumbbells on Facebook Marketplace (Radha Snyder) for $30.  The posting included (2) handles (brand could not be identified), (3) collars, and (4) 10 pound plates.  I asked for a reduced price and the seller was willing to let them go for $20.  I hopped in the car.

The handles turned out to be 20" CAP handles with hex bolts to secure the sleeves.  The sleeve length is 7 inches.  With a collar, I could load about 6 inches of plates.  They have been sold on Amazon for as low as $29.99 each.  Current price is $39.99 each with collars.  Maximum loading claims 150 pounds, but I will certainly be testing that.  I did lubricate these with 3 in 1 oil and the handles spun reasonably well.  One handle was great, the other had light rust on it.

The CAP plates were in rough shape with a lot of rust spots and paint peeling.  New they could go for $1-$2/lb.  If the handles were worth $10, I figure the plates are worth $10 also.  25 cents/pound is pretty cheap.  I hit them with PB Blaster and then some 3 in 1 oil.  They need to be painted, but I would love to strip the paint and do them up white to match standard plate colors.  They look pretty good just cleaned up, but I may touch up the lettering anyway.

The ad did mention 3 collars, but the 4th collar was actually there, but it was missing the set screw.  A pair of collars would cost me $20 and I have no intention of paying that.  I have some screw lock collars that came with my axle bar and plenty of nice collars (which unfortunately are wider than screw lock).

Plate Standard Colors (Rogue)

55 - red

45 - blue

35 - yellow

25 - green

10 - white

5 - black/blue

2.5  - chrome/green

1.25 - chrome/white

1 - chrome/red

0.75 - blue

0.50 - chrome/yellow

0.25 - chrome/green