NÜOBELL-S Adjustable Dumbbells

I’ve owned adjustable dumbbells from a number of companies over the years, as well as dedicated options. Both have their pros and cons, but adjustables often feel like you are trading that “dumbbell” feel for something blocky. When I first saw the NÜOBELL-S Adjustable Dumbbells my immediate reaction was “Those actually look like dumbbells”. The contoured shaped, handles, everything is pretty dang close to what we’d expect from a dumbbell. So I had to get a pair and test them for myself.

The NÜOBELL-S Adjustable Dumbbells are now on the Review Pipeline.

Transparency Note

Bells of Steel sent the NÜOBELL-S Adjustable Dumbbells over for free, for sake of review. Bells also sponsors my Garage Gym Competition. I am also an affilliate with NÜOBELL and Bells of Steel.

Using the links in this article will give me a small kick-back and cost you nothing, which helps manage this website, my YouTube, and the various things I do in the home gym community. I appreciate your support.

NÜOBELL-S Adjustable Dumbbells Overview

NUOBELLs were one of the first quick adjust adjustable dumbbells that truly looked like an adjustable dumbbell. Unfortunately, they had some longevity issues. They were destined to break after drops due to a weak connection point. So the team went back to work and brought us the NÜOBELL-S Adjustable Dumbbells, aimed at providing that same experience with improved longevity.

Adjustable dumbbells take a lot of unique paths for adjustments, these have a twist design. You simply rotate the handle left or right to adjust the weight up and down. There is a visible dial on the handle that shows you which direction to twist, and how much weight you have loaded. A quick demo for even the least experienced lifters would have them off and running.

The system works off the base frame that holds the plates in the exact right position where they interlock, twist, tighten, and load in the correct fashion. From the lifters perspective, as long as you rack it and load it, you are good to go. This is also a fairly quick adjustment process. From 5lb to 100lb, takes only a few seconds, and any more reasonable adjustments that you’d take for drop sets, warm-ups, you name it, would take even less time.

NÜOBELL-S Adjustable Dumbbells Specs

• Brand: NÜOBELL
• Made In USA: No
• Product Dimensions: L-548 X H-181 X W-200 mm
• Handle: Length – 110 mm, diameter – 32 mm, material – aluminum.
• Stand Dimensions: L 660, W 620, H 260 mm
• Stand Weight: 59lb
• Total Weight Capacity: 100 Pounds Per Dumbbell (200lbs per pair)
• Weight range (Ib): 5–10–15–20–25–30–35–40–45–50-55-60-65-70-75-80-85-90-95-100
• Warranty: 2 year warranty with 2 year extension if bought from their site (key note that there are multiple exclusions on the warranty including dropping and cosmetic wear)
• Assembly: About 1 hour, including stand

Shipping & Assembly

The NÜOBELL-S Adjustable Dumbbells were packaged IMMACULATELY. Some of the best packaging I have seen. The white foam inserts were perfectly fit to the equipment, and each piece was individually wrapped as well. The boxes were stout, and everything was very well thought out here.

The assembly wasn’t terrible. Since this was my first go-around with NUOBELLS, I had to figure out the overall design first. Once I got that figured out, figured out what plates needed to go into the rack in what order, direction, you name it, I was good. The blown out schematics in the instructions were pretty solid and helped. They were detailed enough to help me make the right call in orientation.

The ONLY issue I had with assembly, was with the stand. The main support frame in the back has an angle to it, so you can step inside the stand to grab and rack the NÜOBELL-S Adjustable Dumbbells. The problem, is that it isn’t marked to let you know what angle to install it. So it wasn’t until I got it assembled and got the dumbbells in place, that I realized it was backwards. I fixed it the next morning, but would like my 15 minutes back.

NÜOBELL-S Adjustable Dumbbells Features

The NÜOBELL-S Adjustable Dumbbells go from 5 to 100lbs per handle, in 5lb jumps. This means you won’t have any 2.5lb increments, so those smaller jumps are going to require the use of some Micro Gainz. What you’ll notice in first use, is that the dumbbells don’t adjust in a very straight forward fashion. The handles are 5lb, with the first 3 discs each being 5lb as well, with the larger 4th and forward discs are 10lbs. So they bob and weave between using the smaller 5lb discs, paired with the 10lb discs, to make the math make sense as you move up and down.

A big selling point from my end, compared to something like the Ironmasters or Powerblocks, is that these truly look much more like a normal dumbbell. They have that normal open handle design, round plates, you name it. Key note, the plates do have a flat base, so if you place them on the ground they won’t roll away.

One thing I noticed immediately compared to the Powerblocks, is the difference in the handles. The Powerblocks have essentially a fat handle that is stainless steel and well knurled. These might be the exact opposite in every factor. The handles are coated, which dulls the knurling. This is a win for the average human being, but for those of us that have held onto too many deadlifts over the years, I find the knurling very underwhelming. The handle is also a much more normal thickness, which was a big win for my wife out the gate.

I noted that the packing was done exceptionally well, unfortunately I don’t think the actual coating was done well. Multiple plates had chips and peeling out of the box. I’m not super worried about my gym equipment having some battle wounds, but I’d like to put it there myself, not unpack it that way. So there might be some room for improvement there.

The dials that show off the weights are prominent are right where you would want them. I also appreciate the + and – call out, as it tells you exactly which way to turn your wrist to get what you want. The beauty here, is that if you were to pick up the dumbbell, rotate it 180 degrees, and put it back on the rack, the + and – would be reversed. But they still work as marked, and the dumbbells still work as intended. So the team clearly did some 100 monkeys with 100 typewriters testing before putting out the NÜOBELL-S Adjustable Dumbbells.

You can see the reinforcements made to the weight plates on the NÜOBELL-S Adjustable Dumbbells. They have steel gussets and “bolts” for lack of a better term, that interlock between plates. These are held in place by several bolts that were factory installed, which SHOULD mean they are rock solid. We aren’t going to deal with a faulty issue of an iron casting losing a bit of detail and the entire thing coming loose.

This was the issue with the older BowFlex models that have been recalled a number of times over the years. One small iron pin is responsible for your safety. Here, we’ve got metal on metal holding it all together. In theory, we’d need a pretty big failure to happen, to have anything dangerous happen.

Storage

The NÜOBELL-S Adjustable Dumbbells Storage rack, which is called the NÜOBELL-S Pylon Floor Stand, has some unique features but it overall lacking in two that I believe are the most important.

It has a design similar to a sit of saw-horses. The powdercoat is nice, the overall look and feel is much less “gym equipment” and much more “interior design”, in what I might call a good way. It isn’t terrible in a gym, but it would also look fine in a front room of your apartment.

The bottom feet have rubber caps, which is good for whatever flooring you have. The most unique feature is the pop-pin adjustments to raise and lower the dumbbell height for the rack. I’m not sure I’ve seen this before, and it is a welcome addition for a gym with multiple athletes. You do need to remove the dumbbells first, for safety reasons, but otherwise the pop-pin works well.

Unfortunately, that pop-pin and adjustment introduces some play to the system. Anytime something isn’t rock solid bolted in place, it often has movement. It isn’t terrible, but when re-racking a heavy handed 100lb dumbbell, it can be a LITTLE concerning at the highest height.

The real downside here, is no wheels. With the movement in the stand already, and the overall design, I don’t anticipate adding wheels to this guy like I did my Powerblock Cart. Right now we have to pick up the dumbbells, fully loaded, move them onto the ground, move the stand, reset the dumbbells, and get to work. If I set it up a little in the wrong place, or maybe I finished my set and want the dumbbells moved for the next exercise, I gotta do it again. And then again when the workout is done.

Things in a home gym should be on wheels, mobile, easy to store, etc. This ain’t it.

Size Comparison

This is one of the biggest struggles for an adjustable dumbbell. On the left is 80lbs on the NÜOBELL-S Adjustable Dumbbells, and on the right is an old school 80lb Iron Pro Style Dumbbell. We are talking a LOT of extra length to accommodate the same weight here. This extra length starts to turn dumbbells into a balancing act for pressing purposes. For an exaggerated example, think about trying to press a 45lb barbell in one hand, versus pressing a 45lb dumbbell in one hand. That barbell is going to twist, turn, swing, and pivot all over the place. That dumbbell is going to feel like a dream compared to it.

We aren’t quite getting that far here, but the extra length is noticeable at the heavier weights. This is a reason why adjustable dumbbells often cap out at 100lbs. They just get completely unmanageable.

I’ll be taking notes here, especially compared to other offerings, around the balance and feel of these in use, and how it impacts my workouts.

What I’m Looking For In The NÜOBELL-S Adjustable Dumbbells

I use dumbbells a few times a week, every week. RDLs are better with dumbbells than a barbell. Lots of pressing variations to start my bench day. Curl variations, rows, you name it. And the kiddos in our space, alongside the ladies, are always using them for something. I’ve even got guys doing one arm carries with them. So they are going to see a wide variety of uses.

If these want to be the ONLY dumbbells you own, they better handle it all. It better be doable for me, my wife, and my daughter, and everyone in between.

I need them to adjust fast between athletes, be easy enough to rack, unload, and put back after a hard set. I want to not hate the stand, but I think I already do. So I’ll try and think through these on a better stand solution that moves around easily.

The previous NUOBELL versions had some flaws in design that lead to damage issues. Will these do the same? Or did they fix that? I’m not super destructive with my equipment, I’m not tossing dumbbells across the gym, but I’m also not going to gently set it down after a set. If these can’t handle a 100lb drop onto the floor from 6 inches away, it is gonna be a no from me.

These are expensive, and they should be a one time purchase. And with so many other options on the market, they absolutely need to be the right fit. So we’ll see after multiple months if they check the right boxes, or fall flat.

Other Options On The Market

There are a METRIC TON of adjustable dumbbells on the market, and more coming almost every week. As I was writing this I saw another buddy of mine unboxed a new set I had never seen before. There are a TON of white label offerings (meaning that one company makes it, and another puts their name on it), tons of slight tweaks on similar designs, and more.

So I can’t possibly mention every option out there, BUT here are a few that have stood the test of time and are at the top of the list for most home gym owners.

Powerblocks are one of the original options for adjustable dumbbells. They have a unique block style that some love, and some hate. They are one of the fastest adjustment options on the market, and their commercial line gets STUPID heavy.

IronMaster Adjustable Dumbbells are more like normal dumbbells than Powerblocks, but are very slow to adjust. The REP x Peppin’s, MX Select, and even the Trulap adjustable dumbbells have unique features that separate them from the rest of the competition. Every pair is different, with pros and cons, just depends on your use case.

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✅ I’ll have a full review on the NÜOBELL-S Adjustable Dumbbells here and over on my YouTube channel. If you have something specific you’d like answered, let me know.

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