Yakibest Basics Rubber Encased Hex Dumbbell Hand Weight

Summary
– took a year but built the whole set (10 – 50)
– nothing beats the versatility of a good set of dumbbells
– stinky and oily first few days (no big deal for me)
– look like new 1.5years later with nearly daily use
– follow gym etiquette and treat them right, they will last forever
– did not confirm their weight

full review
back story
as was the case everywhere when covid hit, my mma gym shut down.

Previous to that closure, i had barbells and plates that i’d accumulated through the past couple of decades.

But when the everything closed, i quickly found myself missing the variation and breadth of exercises that you get at the gym vs the barbell setup i had at home. Almost immediately, i ordered a cable machine but still felt like i was missing a bunch of exercises.

4 months later, in july of 2020 i found these and ordered what i could — at that time only 10 & 20 pounders were available. That order was just shy of $95. Expensive but seemed like a somewhat fair trade given that i had cancelled my gym memberships, not knowing what was going to happen or for how long places would remain closed.

They trickled in as they could over the next month.

I would check the site daily to see if any more had become available for sale. Most of the time they would come with a warning, stating that there were none in stock but would be shortly and charges would appear on cc until they were shipped. I’d pick up a pair as i saw them available.

April of 2021 (almost a year after i purchased my first pair), i bought the elusive 50 and 35 pound pairs. The last two i needed to complete the 10 – 50 pound set (incremental by 5lbs).

The dumbbells
hiit, being able to switch weights instantly to finish a set out to complete failure, flies and reverse flies, single arm lifts for core strength, etc. Nothing beats the versatility of a good dumbbell set.

Yes, some were oily and had a rubbery smell when they first arrived. I would cut the box top, remove from the plastic bag and let air outside for a couple of days. I’d then wipe down with a cloth and place on dumbbell rack. These two things were never really an issue for me.

After a year and a half of almost daily use, they look and feel as they did when i first got them. Please note, that i follow gym etiquette. I don’t let them slam against the floor (drop), i don’t bang them against each other, i re-rack when done, etc. The highest they ever dropped is from bench after doing chest press (will drop lower my arms by my side and l and these roll off — as anyone would at any gym). They do fall on mats, or carpet. They’ve never dropped on concrete, brick, rock, or similar.

Take care of them, and they will last you forever.

Weight
there are a few reviews that tested the weight to verify how close they were to their stated weights. I haven’t checked mine. Honestly, up until i started to write this review i hadn’t even thought about it. I’m no professional body builder. I need resistance and these seem to be doing a very good job at it. Maybe if i get a calibrated scale in the future i’ll weigh ’em and update this review (but doubtful).

Overall, i really like the 25lbs dbs. As others have stated, they have a strong rubber odor but that doesn’t really bother me so not a negative in my book. Ergonomic grips are good and consistent and they look well made (no obvious blemishes). I weighed them and both where decently accurate (24lbs 14oz within 0.5% of stated weight; 24lbs 7oz within 2.5% of stated weight). The price is where they shine and at $1 per pound they are hard to beat.

I bought these in sets from 10lbs to 30 in 5 lbs increments. Overall i’m pleased. Their a bit stinky and a little oily but it goes away. I’ll be buying sets of 40s and 50s next. Only the 50s are cheaper?

They look great. Has a strong rubber smell but that will go away. Fyi the weights have a black substance all around them so if you’re working out with them on your living room carpet, put them on a workout mat or another surface or wipe them down first!

People complained about a strong smell. But it smells exactly like rubber. (it only lasted 2-3 days) no different than walking into a tire shop. And all weights smell the same. Nice quality and less expensive than going to your local academy

I needed a weight increase for my at home workout and this did the job. I put it on my scale to make sure the weight was indeed accurate and it is. Since it is a rubber weight it does have a ‘scent’ once the box is opened. The smell lasts a few days.

This item is perfect. On a scale it weighs exactly 15.01 pounds and it is made well. Durable rubber bells and a solid handle. Perfect for a quick at home or office lift

Not sure what a review would be for this since it is just a weight, it weighs 15lbs and you left it up and set back down. It does have that rubbery smell to it though.

Fast shipping, well packaged, i purchased 2 as shown in pics. As expected.

This item was 10 pounds it was good and it looked pretty and packaged correctly there was legit no broken pieces and yeah definitely recommend

I purchased two, amazon basics, 20 lb dumbbells. Both were delivered at the same time on 10 september 2022. Each was double boxed in size appropriate boxes, bubble wrap enclosed, with solid foam packing strips that ensured minimal movement. Kudos for excellent packing jobs.

A rather strong rubber smell, mentioned by a few other reviewers of this product, is present on both dumbbells. I sponge washed each dumbbell with some dawn dish washing soap immediately after unboxing them. Then towel dried them off. The washing did little to nothing to alleviate the rubber odor.

The dumbbells will reside in a well ventilated room, and maybe the odor will fade after a while. But i am deducting one rating star for it.

I weighed each dumbbell on two, different model, tanita digital scales, . Both scales are consumer grade versus laboratory precise. I weigh myself on each scale just about every day. The scales usually agree with each other. Otherwise, they’re normally within .2 lb (3.2 ounces) of each other. Each scale displays weight in .2 lb / 3.2 ounce increments.

On one scale, both dumbbells weighed 19.8 lb (9 kg) each. On the other scale, one dumbbell came in at 20 lbs and the other at 19.8 lbs, which is close enough for me.

If nothing else, i’ll make a habit of not always using the same dumbbell in the same hand all the time.

In summary, other than the rather foul rubber odor, which isn’t a deal killer for me, i’m content with this purchase.

These are near identical to most other rubber hex dumbbells. I know because i’ve purchased multiple brands over the last year, based purely on price, and the only noticeable differences are how they stamp the weight designation (“50 lbs” vs “50” for example) and slight variations in the grip knurling.

This is a four star product. What would make it five stars? Beware:

these dumbbells, and not just this brand, come dirty and they will stain your clothes. Always wear dark colors when you use them. I have tried cleaning them with a cleaning agent and a rag and you can go over and over the rubber and still see dark residue left on the rag. It’s a pain in the rear to have to clean these dumbbells but you have to do it. If they shipped clean i would give them 5 stars.

There are sometimes noticeable defects in the surface of the black rubber. See my photo. This doesn’t affect performance so i didn’t knock off any stars.

I have tiny, child-sized hands, and i have difficulty gripping these dumbbells. That being said, i feel like they’re high quality and would be great for someone with better grip strength and bigger hands. I’m looking forward to having them help me with my grip strength.

Has some sort of film to it but you can just wash it off, easy for my grippers, 11/10 very cool

Easy transaction, fast shipping, and 100% as described in post. Would do business with in the future:)

Only negative is that the rubberized coating is very thin. If the weight even lightly taps another weight the coating gets chipped.

Great product and exactly what we were looking for! Best price as well!

Make sure to wipe down the ends of the dumbells… Black paint comes off so if u dont want to stain your pants/shorts make sure to wipe down the ends of the weights

I like the handle and the form factor, only issue is rubber isn’t setup fully. This causes black marks and a strong rubber odor.

I love the weight it is easy to hold and great to work out with