Back when I first began fixing and modifying my dumbbells in 2019 I wondered just how far I could push Bowflex's existing design. One of my goals was to significantly increase the weight of the dumbbells by 40-60%. In this video I'll take you through some of the considerations, whether you wait to see how mine turn out or take a crack at fabricating your own. Weight expansion kits are not available from Bowflex nor endorsed or supported by it. Note that modifications such as this would absolutely void any factory warranty. In the video I should have mentioned that I don't know how well the OEM discs will support the increased weight plates. I expect my custom aluminum discs to handle it without breaking a sweat. Cheers, Average Joe
i'm designing a new adjustable dumbbell. nice to see my addresses a lot of issues you point out in your videos. Would have been nice to find you sooner before commiting to the final design at this point.
Man oh man, Paul, thank you for your kind words. Seriously. I appreciate it. I've been somewhat quietly (and slowly) working on a couple of my own adjustable dumbbell concepts as time permits. I'm not exactly sure when or if I'll have something worth demonstrating, but you can bet that I'll share more when that time comes. Cheers!
This is great. I cant wait to see the process. Interested as well to see cost vs functionality stability and durability . If its worth it def can see myself getting mine upgraded though
Awesome, Kevin. I can't wait to see it too...lol. It may end up being a few months before I get to the next step in this design just because I've been busy with other products, but I wanted you all to know I haven't forgotten about this. I've been chipping away at it as time permits.
Excellent concept and demonstration. I'd definitely be interested in an upgrade to my 552 v2s. 80 would be amazing, especially if it's possible for just a few hundred. Maintaining compatibility with the original plates is a bonus, too. On that note - I wouldn't mind at all if the upgrade came with its own unique base at a slightly higher cost. That way I could quickly switch between the original and the heavy weights as desired.
Thanks Randy! From a technical perspective, I have no doubt I'll be able to make these plates for my dumbbells. The real challenge is going to be finding a way to make these "affordable" for all of you. Especially since it's an extremely low volume niche. There is no economy of scale. And I expect shipping alone to be costly since I'm not able to subsidize it like Amazon. It's a fun project. We'll just have to wait to see if I can make the leap from project to product. The base is another one of those components that isn't part of my current plan, but that could change down the road. Thank you for all of your input about what you'd like to see. I appreciate it!
@@AverageJoeInnovationsLLC Thanks! I appreciate the info and insight. At the very least, congrats on making some creative, intelligent, and successful content! I'll be looking forward to seeing your future progress.
This is an exciting project, and one I would definitely be purchasing. While I understand the reasoning behind not replacing plate 4 and 5 (cost of manufacture, shipping, etc) I do hope that there is a market for replacing these disks as well, as there are certain exercises like shrugs where a 150 lb dumbell would be of great benefit. And if you want to mix and match the OEM plates with your plates, it's a simple matter of just swapping them in the base (recognizing the dail numbering would be thrown off).
Awesome, Jason, and an excellent point. I should have mentioned in the video that there's no need to toss/sell the OEM plates. It'll be a little less convenient to swap them out, but on occasions when someone wants a smaller increment they could totally do that. I'm glad you brought it up. Depending on how the current plates turn out, I might circle back in the future and see about plates 4 and 5. Plate 4 can't be made much heavier without increasing the dumbbell's diameter further due to its current size and position in the weight stack. Plate 5 could be thickened inward toward the center of the dumbbell where the grips are. At the moment I have so many other things to get to on the to-do list that I don't know when I'd explore this further. The good news is that every single one of my current mods are compatible not only with OEM but with each other too. No matter what I do down the road, I'll continue to make sure those upgrades fit everybody's SelectTechs, even if they are bone stock.
Great point on the bottom heavy. I noticed it too and I compensate by the way I pick up and set the weight to my start position. I'm used to it now. Interesting to see how you address it.
Heya, Sealion. I wish I had good news for you, but I stopped the project after completing the first pair. They were very cool on paper, but impractical. Here's the update if you've not seen it yet: ua-cam.com/video/kAYggBlCQeM/v-deo.html
Awesome, Tom. 1090 compatible steel plate prototypes are in the works as I write. I should be able to share the result with all of you in about 3 weeks. I can't guarantee yet that I'll ever be able to manufacture these. That remains to be seen. Cost is going to be a huge factor one way or another. They simply may not end up being affordable. But, at least I can start by showing you all what the nearly finished result looks like, and discuss the pros and cons of the approach. I hope you'll stay tuned!
Would it be possible to make the plastic inner parts of the handle (where the springs are) out of cast iron or steel so the handle itself weighed 25-30 lbs? Maybe the shaft itself could be heavier, too. I'd be stoked if I could just bump the range of my 552s up to 30lb-77.5lb using the original plates and increments.
Hi Randy! A metal crossbar assembly is possible for sure. At the moment I'm not sure I'd go down that road. I have no immediate plan at least. But it isn't out of the realm of possibility. The shaft is about as heavy as it can be given its relatively fixed dimensions. Steel is the highest density, heaviest metal for that application. I saw that you have another separate comment. I'll answer that one momentarily.
@@AverageJoeInnovationsLLC Thanks for your reply! One more thought - how much weight would it add if the discs and selector were all steel instead of aluminum? Even if it just added 10-15 lbs, it would still be an improvement for my uses, and probably a lot of other people. I have a couple 5's and 10's floating around, and I'm guessing most people with home gym equipment do as well.
@@randyh3761 My stainless steel dials add about 5.5lbs per dumbbell versus OEM. Stainless discs, which I currently have in the works, should add about another 5+ lbs to each handle. Though I will not know the exact amount of weight for the discs until the prototypes are in my hands in November. I haven't even formally announced that I'm working on them yet. I should mention two important points. First is that I am unlikely to order another production run of stainless parts before the end of the year. I'm hoping raw material pricing will decrease considerably between now and then. And the second is that the kits will cost much more than my aluminum versions. We'll have to see how the numbers work out first when I finally place that order.
Hiya, Edward. I may have gone just a bit overboard with modifications over the past few years. It's my Ship of Theseus...LOL. But I'm glad you like the possibilities.
@@AverageJoeInnovationsLLC I just installed my new 40mm grips yesterday, as well as some new pins. Soooo much better. I will be ordering the disc kit soon as well. These dumbells are finally starting to feel premimun
Hypothetically speaking, you *could* potentially stick even more magnetic adder weights to a SelectTech equipped with steel plates. Or come up with an accessory weight that fastens to the dumbbell mechanically. But I currently estimate that my fully loaded 1090s will weigh in very close to 140 lbs each...and that's only with extensive upgrades (discs, dials, grips and plates).
Could you add weight with replacing the aluminum disks with a heavier steel. If the end cap added 8 pounds. Then you still can go up by 2.5 but have a higher starting weight.
@AverageJoeInnovationsLLC I know you worked hard to cut unneeded material. However, you could get even more than 3x with some bulky stainless disks. You can also replace the hollow pipe and the grey plastic tab that says boflex from 552 series 1. That gray cross tab would add top weight for balance. You could probably add alot of weight without touching the plates much. If you make the plates too heavy... Even the aluminum disks could be too weak.
@@shsch492 Unfortunately, what you're talking about isn't feasible/possible without a fairly extensive redesign of the dumbbell. The discs can't be thickened any more than I have already, and the diameters can't be made larger. The former would require redesigning the weight plates, and the latter would require redesigning the crossbar (which you had mentioned). Only the shaft on the 552 Series 1 is hollow. The Series 2 and 1090 already use solid steel shafts. With my stainless dials and discs, and my 40mm stainless grip, I more than doubled the weight of the empty OEM handle. I should mention that I'm several months behind on an update to the video above. I hope to make an update video this summer. I nixed this project due to costs. It was an interesting concept on paper, and the final result--my one-off pair of 140+lb 1090s--pushed the 1090 frame to its limit. But it would be a costly upgrade for many 1090 owners. I've instead turned my focus to my own original adjustable designs to see where those lead.
@AverageJoeInnovationsLLC I thought your aluminum disks were smaller than the plastic OEM disks. However, It is probably easier at this point to just make your own. I look forward to seeing what you come up with.
@@shsch492 The 1st and 2nd Gen were smaller diameter. You're correct. By 3rd Gen, released last Fall, I had bumped the diameter up several mms. You can see those in my more recent videos. Awesome man, thanks for staying tuned. I haven't produced much content over the past 12 months, but you can expect to see more new vids this summer. Cheers
No, sorry. I go into detail about why in this update video: ua-cam.com/video/kAYggBlCQeM/v-deo.html The gist is that there were practical design and cost reasons for nixing the project. Great on paper, and a fun design exercise, but impractical.
I definitely think if they ever reach out it will not be a love letter...lol. I agree with you. I just have no idea which direction they'd attempt to pursue. The 560 was all but dead on arrival. And it seems they intend to milk the current design for several more years.
lead weighs 1.4 times that of iron, but its melting point is low, so coating it would be a challege,unless you coated it with something else first, so you could make it cheaper, and heavier.
I'm just seeing your comment now. Yes, in terms of density, lead is one of the few affordable and readily available heavy metals. For practical and potential liability reasons, I'd avoid it completely. It's just not worth the effort/risk for the ~33% higher density. Lead has a Mohs of 1.5 so it is incredibly soft. To put that into context, our fingernails have a Mohs of approximately 2.5--hard enough to scratch lead. It would definitely have to be poured/cast into a hard shell to protect it from damage. More importantly, lead is generally not something you want around the house--even it is seems safely contained. I know it's fairly common in other industries (e.g. fishing) and you'll hear some people say it is perfectly fine in its solid form. Decades ago I helped a company make a PSA about the lead contamination on various products found in homes, and the impact on health, especially for kids. That was an eye-opener. The risk isn't worth it...at least not for a business producing equipment for use by the general public. Still, I appreciate you taking the time to comment. Thanks!
Hey Diddy. Excellent question for which I don't currently have an answer (yet). The "easy" part was the design. The real challenge is finding a way to make low volume upgrades like this affordable for the average SelectTech owner. That's a lot of steel to tool up, to manufacture, to package well, and to somehow ship out to customers without costing an arm and a leg. 900lb gorillas like Nautilus or Amazon could pull this off without breaking a sweat. But at my small scale (a company of one), this is no easy feat and a massive up-front expense. I hope you'll stay tuned. Later this month I'll make a video about my ~140lb 1090s and some of the design and usability challenges of modifying the dumbbell in the ways that I have. And in early 2023 I plan to start shopping the project around to see if there are any manufacturers who could make and package these kits more cost effectively than I can today.
Hi KP, could you clarify for me please? Do you mean the grip spinning freely around the dumbbell shaft? It's certainly possible, but I don't see myself introducing one at the moment. At least not in the short term anyway. It would require a two piece grip. One piece serving as a core that locks into the plastic assemblies on either side of the grip, and the other piece a sleeve that spins freely around the core. In such an instance, a slightly bottom heavy dumbbell would aid in keeping the dumbbell facing "upright" which is important when it comes to using it with its base. Definitely a doable mod.
@@AverageJoeInnovationsLLC yessir, I heard you mentioning some dumbbells are wanting to shift due to weight. With a handle that swivels, the weights would stay down during all motions.
This is a good idea. But why not just make your own dumbells and sell them? They would be a better design than what’s out there now. Pepin now makes a all metal design 120lb dumbell. This would be the second. You would do much better as there is a market for it. You seem very skilled in what you do. Or at least sell already made replacement handles for those that want them.
price and market, many may already have dumbbells they want to upgrade if it would cost less than buying a whole new set plus the significant costs of getting a product from design to storefronts vs. selling upgrade kits that are an "at your own risk" type of deal.
@@M.TTT. . What about just the handles as I mentioned? That would be a upgrade as what fails on most of these dumbbells is the handles. Most people cannot be bothered to put together these "kits". Or don't care too. If you are already selling the kits, why not just sell the handles? He would clean house in profit. Or make a better handle, patent it, and sell the improved handle patent back to the manufacturer? Millions there to be made. The most popular handles on the market is the Nuobells. They are fantastic. Other than the handles. He would literally make millions.
@@chelious1973 I didn't know the handles fail on these - as in where you grip? I don't see how they could fail really, but AJI does sell upgraded handles as well. And sadly, you may be right that most people are mechanically inept and couldn't/wouldn't do such easy, but worthwhile upgrades that AJI offers.
I'd argue that the stock dial was never accurate to begin with, lots of complaints of the numbers being out 10-15%. I see them as more of a "relative" numbering system that doesn't correspond to any particular units of measure.
I believe that's by design, Kevin. The variability in Bowflex manufacturing is such that the precision is low, especially at the price point they're making and selling these at. On the the bottom of page 5 in the 552 user manual it states "Note: Weight increments represent estimated values only. Exact values can vary due to manufacturing variances." For some reason that statement does not appear in my 1090 user manual, though it may in some revisions of the manual. Consequently, even with my mods I can't control their imprecision, so my own weight numbering is rounded to the nearest weight (up or down) that makes sense for the overall numbering scheme on the dial. Also, once I select the LB increments that make sense, I then need to convert to KG and, once again, round upward or downward for a KG numbering scheme that makes sense. It's every bit as much fun as it sounds, but not entirely unexpected on today's adjustable dumbbells. I'm going to run into this same challenge when I finally design my own dumbbells. I'm doubtful they'll be ounce- or gram-accurate.
@@AverageJoeInnovationsLLC you're correct on all counts, even gym plates and dumbbells suffer from manufacturing variation. However, the way Bowflex constructs their plates the range of variation is always going to be greater than with a single cast or machined plate.
Hi Moe, it's definitely one of my goals. Think of all of these mods as baby steps toward a larger goal. The cost of development of a completely original dumbbell design is significant. I suspect it'll end up costing me somewhere around $250-500k minimum just to repeatedly prototype and test original designs until I land on something viable. I'm probably underestimating the costs there even with my own "free" labor. Then there's the capital required to tool up to manufacture potentially dozens of parts, with molds/jigs costing between several hundred and several thousand dollars each. Then there's the initial outlay for production of all of the parts many of which may come from different manufacturers, each with their own minimum order quantities. And the now massive upfront costs (freight, tariffs, etc) of shipping and storing those finished dumbbells. And after all of that, I'm left with potentially months or years to ramp up sales and marketing as I have to now educate customers about why they should buy my dumbbells and not the competition's. None of this is insurmountable. It just requires the resources to make it happen, resources that I do not yet have. I'll get there. For now I'm building a brand and reputation and capital based on improving equipment that already exists. Preserving and improving the value of customers' existing investments. Baby steps toward that larger goal. Hope that helps answer your question. Cheers, Joe
@@AverageJoeInnovationsLLC Or just show your videos to Bowflex, they'll see you're smarter than any of their engineer, hire you (or do a royalty contact) and you'll design the next version of the Bowflex dumbbells.
@@AverageJoeInnovationsLLC Hey Joe, if you're looking for some backing I recommend something like Kickstarter. I will support you on this adjustable dumbbell journey.
Back when I first began fixing and modifying my dumbbells in 2019 I wondered just how far I could push Bowflex's existing design. One of my goals was to significantly increase the weight of the dumbbells by 40-60%. In this video I'll take you through some of the considerations, whether you wait to see how mine turn out or take a crack at fabricating your own.
Weight expansion kits are not available from Bowflex nor endorsed or supported by it. Note that modifications such as this would absolutely void any factory warranty.
In the video I should have mentioned that I don't know how well the OEM discs will support the increased weight plates. I expect my custom aluminum discs to handle it without breaking a sweat.
Cheers,
Average Joe
i'm designing a new adjustable dumbbell. nice to see my addresses a lot of issues you point out in your videos. Would have been nice to find you sooner before commiting to the final design at this point.
Hi, Donrobert. Awesome and exciting! Can't wait to see what you've come up with!
I'm definitely interested as I have used your upgraded parts for my 1090's. 👍💯
Joe you should make your own dumbells for sale. You have a passion and knowledge that beats the crap out of the competition.
Man oh man, Paul, thank you for your kind words. Seriously. I appreciate it. I've been somewhat quietly (and slowly) working on a couple of my own adjustable dumbbell concepts as time permits. I'm not exactly sure when or if I'll have something worth demonstrating, but you can bet that I'll share more when that time comes. Cheers!
@@AverageJoeInnovationsLLC looking forward to seeing it someday!
This is great. I cant wait to see the process. Interested as well to see cost vs functionality stability and durability . If its worth it def can see myself getting mine upgraded though
Awesome, Kevin. I can't wait to see it too...lol. It may end up being a few months before I get to the next step in this design just because I've been busy with other products, but I wanted you all to know I haven't forgotten about this. I've been chipping away at it as time permits.
Excellent concept and demonstration. I'd definitely be interested in an upgrade to my 552 v2s. 80 would be amazing, especially if it's possible for just a few hundred. Maintaining compatibility with the original plates is a bonus, too. On that note - I wouldn't mind at all if the upgrade came with its own unique base at a slightly higher cost. That way I could quickly switch between the original and the heavy weights as desired.
Thanks Randy! From a technical perspective, I have no doubt I'll be able to make these plates for my dumbbells. The real challenge is going to be finding a way to make these "affordable" for all of you. Especially since it's an extremely low volume niche. There is no economy of scale. And I expect shipping alone to be costly since I'm not able to subsidize it like Amazon. It's a fun project. We'll just have to wait to see if I can make the leap from project to product.
The base is another one of those components that isn't part of my current plan, but that could change down the road. Thank you for all of your input about what you'd like to see. I appreciate it!
@@AverageJoeInnovationsLLC Thanks! I appreciate the info and insight. At the very least, congrats on making some creative, intelligent, and successful content! I'll be looking forward to seeing your future progress.
@@randyh3761 Awesome Randy, thank you for staying tuned!
This is an exciting project, and one I would definitely be purchasing. While I understand the reasoning behind not replacing plate 4 and 5 (cost of manufacture, shipping, etc) I do hope that there is a market for replacing these disks as well, as there are certain exercises like shrugs where a 150 lb dumbell would be of great benefit. And if you want to mix and match the OEM plates with your plates, it's a simple matter of just swapping them in the base (recognizing the dail numbering would be thrown off).
Awesome, Jason, and an excellent point. I should have mentioned in the video that there's no need to toss/sell the OEM plates. It'll be a little less convenient to swap them out, but on occasions when someone wants a smaller increment they could totally do that. I'm glad you brought it up.
Depending on how the current plates turn out, I might circle back in the future and see about plates 4 and 5. Plate 4 can't be made much heavier without increasing the dumbbell's diameter further due to its current size and position in the weight stack. Plate 5 could be thickened inward toward the center of the dumbbell where the grips are. At the moment I have so many other things to get to on the to-do list that I don't know when I'd explore this further. The good news is that every single one of my current mods are compatible not only with OEM but with each other too. No matter what I do down the road, I'll continue to make sure those upgrades fit everybody's SelectTechs, even if they are bone stock.
Keep it up, man!
Great point on the bottom heavy. I noticed it too and I compensate by the way I pick up and set the weight to my start position. I'm used to it now. Interesting to see how you address it.
definately interested
Heya, Sealion. I wish I had good news for you, but I stopped the project after completing the first pair. They were very cool on paper, but impractical. Here's the update if you've not seen it yet: ua-cam.com/video/kAYggBlCQeM/v-deo.html
this would be killer!
Awesome, Tom. 1090 compatible steel plate prototypes are in the works as I write. I should be able to share the result with all of you in about 3 weeks. I can't guarantee yet that I'll ever be able to manufacture these. That remains to be seen. Cost is going to be a huge factor one way or another. They simply may not end up being affordable. But, at least I can start by showing you all what the nearly finished result looks like, and discuss the pros and cons of the approach. I hope you'll stay tuned!
Would it be possible to make the plastic inner parts of the handle (where the springs are) out of cast iron or steel so the handle itself weighed 25-30 lbs? Maybe the shaft itself could be heavier, too. I'd be stoked if I could just bump the range of my 552s up to 30lb-77.5lb using the original plates and increments.
Hi Randy! A metal crossbar assembly is possible for sure. At the moment I'm not sure I'd go down that road. I have no immediate plan at least. But it isn't out of the realm of possibility. The shaft is about as heavy as it can be given its relatively fixed dimensions. Steel is the highest density, heaviest metal for that application. I saw that you have another separate comment. I'll answer that one momentarily.
@@AverageJoeInnovationsLLC Thanks for your reply! One more thought - how much weight would it add if the discs and selector were all steel instead of aluminum? Even if it just added 10-15 lbs, it would still be an improvement for my uses, and probably a lot of other people. I have a couple 5's and 10's floating around, and I'm guessing most people with home gym equipment do as well.
@@randyh3761 My stainless steel dials add about 5.5lbs per dumbbell versus OEM. Stainless discs, which I currently have in the works, should add about another 5+ lbs to each handle. Though I will not know the exact amount of weight for the discs until the prototypes are in my hands in November. I haven't even formally announced that I'm working on them yet.
I should mention two important points. First is that I am unlikely to order another production run of stainless parts before the end of the year. I'm hoping raw material pricing will decrease considerably between now and then. And the second is that the kits will cost much more than my aluminum versions. We'll have to see how the numbers work out first when I finally place that order.
By the end of all of this, my dumbells won't even be boflex anymore. Can't wait!
Hiya, Edward. I may have gone just a bit overboard with modifications over the past few years. It's my Ship of Theseus...LOL. But I'm glad you like the possibilities.
@@AverageJoeInnovationsLLC I just installed my new 40mm grips yesterday, as well as some new pins. Soooo much better. I will be ordering the disc kit soon as well. These dumbells are finally starting to feel premimun
WOuld you be able to add wight add on the top side? like an extra 15lb and 20lb clip on the top?
Hypothetically speaking, you *could* potentially stick even more magnetic adder weights to a SelectTech equipped with steel plates. Or come up with an accessory weight that fastens to the dumbbell mechanically. But I currently estimate that my fully loaded 1090s will weigh in very close to 140 lbs each...and that's only with extensive upgrades (discs, dials, grips and plates).
Could you add weight with replacing the aluminum disks with a heavier steel. If the end cap added 8 pounds. Then you still can go up by 2.5 but have a higher starting weight.
hi hi. Yes, that's correct. In fact, I have a stainless steel version of my discs that are 3x the weight of the OEM and aluminum.
@AverageJoeInnovationsLLC I know you worked hard to cut unneeded material. However, you could get even more than 3x with some bulky stainless disks. You can also replace the hollow pipe and the grey plastic tab that says boflex from 552 series 1. That gray cross tab would add top weight for balance.
You could probably add alot of weight without touching the plates much. If you make the plates too heavy... Even the aluminum disks could be too weak.
@@shsch492 Unfortunately, what you're talking about isn't feasible/possible without a fairly extensive redesign of the dumbbell. The discs can't be thickened any more than I have already, and the diameters can't be made larger. The former would require redesigning the weight plates, and the latter would require redesigning the crossbar (which you had mentioned). Only the shaft on the 552 Series 1 is hollow. The Series 2 and 1090 already use solid steel shafts.
With my stainless dials and discs, and my 40mm stainless grip, I more than doubled the weight of the empty OEM handle.
I should mention that I'm several months behind on an update to the video above. I hope to make an update video this summer. I nixed this project due to costs. It was an interesting concept on paper, and the final result--my one-off pair of 140+lb 1090s--pushed the 1090 frame to its limit. But it would be a costly upgrade for many 1090 owners. I've instead turned my focus to my own original adjustable designs to see where those lead.
@AverageJoeInnovationsLLC I thought your aluminum disks were smaller than the plastic OEM disks.
However, It is probably easier at this point to just make your own. I look forward to seeing what you come up with.
@@shsch492 The 1st and 2nd Gen were smaller diameter. You're correct. By 3rd Gen, released last Fall, I had bumped the diameter up several mms. You can see those in my more recent videos. Awesome man, thanks for staying tuned. I haven't produced much content over the past 12 months, but you can expect to see more new vids this summer. Cheers
So are you selling these upgrades or no? I have seen two of your vids now but seen no links
No, sorry. I go into detail about why in this update video: ua-cam.com/video/kAYggBlCQeM/v-deo.html
The gist is that there were practical design and cost reasons for nixing the project. Great on paper, and a fun design exercise, but impractical.
Bowflex is wayyyy overdue for an updated design. Hopefully they see you’re videos and reach out.
I definitely think if they ever reach out it will not be a love letter...lol. I agree with you. I just have no idea which direction they'd attempt to pursue. The 560 was all but dead on arrival. And it seems they intend to milk the current design for several more years.
lead weighs 1.4 times that of iron, but its melting point is low, so coating it would be a challege,unless you coated it with something else first, so you could make it cheaper, and heavier.
I'm just seeing your comment now. Yes, in terms of density, lead is one of the few affordable and readily available heavy metals. For practical and potential liability reasons, I'd avoid it completely. It's just not worth the effort/risk for the ~33% higher density.
Lead has a Mohs of 1.5 so it is incredibly soft. To put that into context, our fingernails have a Mohs of approximately 2.5--hard enough to scratch lead. It would definitely have to be poured/cast into a hard shell to protect it from damage.
More importantly, lead is generally not something you want around the house--even it is seems safely contained. I know it's fairly common in other industries (e.g. fishing) and you'll hear some people say it is perfectly fine in its solid form. Decades ago I helped a company make a PSA about the lead contamination on various products found in homes, and the impact on health, especially for kids. That was an eye-opener. The risk isn't worth it...at least not for a business producing equipment for use by the general public.
Still, I appreciate you taking the time to comment. Thanks!
When will you release
Hey Diddy. Excellent question for which I don't currently have an answer (yet). The "easy" part was the design. The real challenge is finding a way to make low volume upgrades like this affordable for the average SelectTech owner. That's a lot of steel to tool up, to manufacture, to package well, and to somehow ship out to customers without costing an arm and a leg. 900lb gorillas like Nautilus or Amazon could pull this off without breaking a sweat. But at my small scale (a company of one), this is no easy feat and a massive up-front expense.
I hope you'll stay tuned. Later this month I'll make a video about my ~140lb 1090s and some of the design and usability challenges of modifying the dumbbell in the ways that I have. And in early 2023 I plan to start shopping the project around to see if there are any manufacturers who could make and package these kits more cost effectively than I can today.
What about a swivel handle?
Hi KP, could you clarify for me please? Do you mean the grip spinning freely around the dumbbell shaft? It's certainly possible, but I don't see myself introducing one at the moment. At least not in the short term anyway. It would require a two piece grip. One piece serving as a core that locks into the plastic assemblies on either side of the grip, and the other piece a sleeve that spins freely around the core.
In such an instance, a slightly bottom heavy dumbbell would aid in keeping the dumbbell facing "upright" which is important when it comes to using it with its base. Definitely a doable mod.
@@AverageJoeInnovationsLLC yessir, I heard you mentioning some dumbbells are wanting to shift due to weight. With a handle that swivels, the weights would stay down during all motions.
This is a good idea. But why not just make your own dumbells and sell them? They would be a better design than what’s out there now. Pepin now makes a all metal design 120lb dumbell. This would be the second. You would do much better as there is a market for it. You seem very skilled in what you do. Or at least sell already made replacement handles for those that want them.
price and market, many may already have dumbbells they want to upgrade if it would cost less than buying a whole new set plus the significant costs of getting a product from design to storefronts vs. selling upgrade kits that are an "at your own risk" type of deal.
@@M.TTT. . What about just the handles as I mentioned? That would be a upgrade as what fails on most of these dumbbells is the handles. Most people cannot be bothered to put together these "kits". Or don't care too. If you are already selling the kits, why not just sell the handles?
He would clean house in profit. Or make a better handle, patent it, and sell the improved handle patent back to the manufacturer?
Millions there to be made. The most popular handles on the market is the Nuobells. They are fantastic. Other than the handles. He would literally make millions.
@@chelious1973 I didn't know the handles fail on these - as in where you grip? I don't see how they could fail really, but AJI does sell upgraded handles as well. And sadly, you may be right that most people are mechanically inept and couldn't/wouldn't do such easy, but worthwhile upgrades that AJI offers.
@@M.TTT. The mechanics of the handle fail. Why do you think average Joe does what he does? He even breaks down the how and why these fail.
@@chelious1973 maybe what you define as the handle isn't what I define lol.
I'd argue that the stock dial was never accurate to begin with, lots of complaints of the numbers being out 10-15%. I see them as more of a "relative" numbering system that doesn't correspond to any particular units of measure.
I believe that's by design, Kevin. The variability in Bowflex manufacturing is such that the precision is low, especially at the price point they're making and selling these at.
On the the bottom of page 5 in the 552 user manual it states "Note: Weight increments represent estimated values only. Exact values can vary due to manufacturing variances." For some reason that statement does not appear in my 1090 user manual, though it may in some revisions of the manual.
Consequently, even with my mods I can't control their imprecision, so my own weight numbering is rounded to the nearest weight (up or down) that makes sense for the overall numbering scheme on the dial. Also, once I select the LB increments that make sense, I then need to convert to KG and, once again, round upward or downward for a KG numbering scheme that makes sense. It's every bit as much fun as it sounds, but not entirely unexpected on today's adjustable dumbbells.
I'm going to run into this same challenge when I finally design my own dumbbells. I'm doubtful they'll be ounce- or gram-accurate.
@@AverageJoeInnovationsLLC you're correct on all counts, even gym plates and dumbbells suffer from manufacturing variation. However, the way Bowflex constructs their plates the range of variation is always going to be greater than with a single cast or machined plate.
I don’t understand why you don’t make your own dumbbell and sell that
Hi Moe, it's definitely one of my goals. Think of all of these mods as baby steps toward a larger goal.
The cost of development of a completely original dumbbell design is significant. I suspect it'll end up costing me somewhere around $250-500k minimum just to repeatedly prototype and test original designs until I land on something viable. I'm probably underestimating the costs there even with my own "free" labor.
Then there's the capital required to tool up to manufacture potentially dozens of parts, with molds/jigs costing between several hundred and several thousand dollars each. Then there's the initial outlay for production of all of the parts many of which may come from different manufacturers, each with their own minimum order quantities. And the now massive upfront costs (freight, tariffs, etc) of shipping and storing those finished dumbbells.
And after all of that, I'm left with potentially months or years to ramp up sales and marketing as I have to now educate customers about why they should buy my dumbbells and not the competition's.
None of this is insurmountable. It just requires the resources to make it happen, resources that I do not yet have. I'll get there. For now I'm building a brand and reputation and capital based on improving equipment that already exists. Preserving and improving the value of customers' existing investments. Baby steps toward that larger goal.
Hope that helps answer your question.
Cheers,
Joe
@@AverageJoeInnovationsLLC
Or just show your videos to Bowflex, they'll see you're smarter than any of their engineer, hire you (or do a royalty contact) and you'll design the next version of the Bowflex dumbbells.
@@AverageJoeInnovationsLLC
Will you be making mods to Nuobells or just Bowflex?
@@AverageJoeInnovationsLLC Hey Joe, if you're looking for some backing I recommend something like Kickstarter. I will support you on this adjustable dumbbell journey.