Hi everyone, if you're seeing this video for the first time, the pre-order website is up and running at www.knurledgrips.com/ There you can see and pre-order Grip Kits for quite a few models of Powerblock dumbbells. As always, thank you for your support!
12:05 regarding hex key sizes. For my PBs (purchased in 2011), on each side, there are 3 silver bolts and 2 black bolts at the bottom. The silver bolts are 5 mm and the black bolts are torx T30.
Heya Candi! Awesome. You can follow along with the progress as well over at www.knurledgrips.com You will definitely hear more news as I introduce new grips sizes and attachments over the next couple years. Stay tuned!
Bro, I absolutely love these. The fact that something like this has not been produced already is kind of baffling, it's such a simple and genius idea. Can't wait to get some as soon as they're available!!
Hiya Sean, thanks for your kind words. I've been wanting to do this to my PBs since my first pair back around 2000. Only took me 22 years to finally get around to it...lol. I'd like to claim it's an original idea, but it's not. Pretty much the entire adjustable dumbbell community has been vocal about wanting knurled grips for the past couple decades. I've seen one other aftermarket grip out there, and one very interesting DIY solution where the guy made his own grips from old barbell/dumbbell handles. My goal here is just to make something better-looking, better-performing and more affordable than what exists today. I look forward to being able to provide these for you all.
I just added the 40mm to my powerblocks, feels awesome, the regular grips with heavy weight were skinny and would press against my hands causing pain, this knurled grip is great, highly recommended and it adds more weight!!!!
Thank you thank you. 🙏 Everything I do is a work in progress and there's always room for improvement. My customers are an indispensable, invaluable source of feedback. Cheers, Joe
Hey hey T, I'm glad you love the grip, but the 54s never went into production. There just wasn't enough demand for an ultra fat grip. I've kept the prototypes for my PBs. These days I offer three options: 30, 35 and 40mm. That's 1.2", 1.4" and 1.6". Although the 40s are no 54s, they're pretty thick compared to a commercial dumbbell. Cheers, Joe
Awesome, Thomas. Me too...ever since my first pair back around 2000. I never imagined I'd be making parts for them 22 years later. If everything goes as planned this week, I anticipate kicking off pre-ordering next weekend...likely Sunday. Stay tuned!
Hiya BK. Totally agree. At some point, as capital permits, I'd like to introduce 35 and 45mm. Possibly even 25s (female Olympic barbell size). Definitely expect to see more sizes down the road.
Awesome E! Already have some samples in the queue. They'll machine those for me some time in the next couple weeks. The overall appearance will be the same, but with the appropriate length and shoulder. So that version will be included in pre-ordering too. 🔥
The large knurl wheels/drums that my manufacturer uses are not ordinary knurling wheels like you might use with a lathe. You may be thinking of the small straddle knurlers similar to this one: ua-cam.com/video/FdsTONRV8fY/v-deo.htmlsi=8niSKDtJrSu47WMf&t=27 My manufacturer uses massive knurl wheels mounted on a specialized piece of equipment used for thread rolling and knurling. If I recall correctly, they cost a few grand per pair and we replace them after a certain number of parts. I have no idea where they buy them. Possibly from that machine's manufacturer. Cheers, Joe
Hi hi ST,! If you haven't seen it yet, over on my pre-order website knurledgrips.com you'll find a section with photos to determine the grip type. Elite EXPs are what I refer to as Type A. USA Elites are Type B. Grips like these are niche. Very low volume and relatively few people in the Powerblock community are aware the option even exists. Unless there's a massive increase in demand, I don't anticipate the costs or prices going down at all. And I hope like heck that costs later this year don't rise further as they did over the past several months. I've been doing my best to try to keep these more affordable. Any other Qs feel free to send me an email at joe@averagejoeinnovations.com
Hiya Josh. The short answer is, it depends. Below is a more detailed answer. Rogue (and other) barbells are available in a few grades of steel and different finishes. The finishes/coatings somewhat alter the feel of the various knurl depths. So there isn't just one type of knurl feel on their products. The closest they offer to mine is their top-of-the-line which is an uncoated stainless steel. I did a quick search of their marketing materials and could not verify whether they're using a high grade 316 as I am, or more of a 302, 303, 304 type which is cheaper, easier to machine, and less corrosion resistant. It's why 316 is referred to as "marine grade" stainless. Regarding the feel of the knurl, I have found that it is more art than science. Even the folks at Rogue describe it as "more a beer tasting process than exact measurement." Aggressive/passive. Fine/coarse. Hill/Volcano/Mountain. Coated/uncoated. Out of the 1000+ knurled grips of my last order for Bowflex 552 and 1090 dumbbells, I'd say 90% were of the type commonly referred to as volcano knurl. That's what I spec'd, but because I know there will be manufacturing variation I ask the manufacturer to not waste any parts just because the knurl is a little more of less aggressive than the spec. Instead, I have those shipped to me too. I inspect each grip, separate them into groups and match pairs as closely as possible. If I know a customer happens to prefer something a little more/less aggressive/coarse than my spec'd grip, I pull a pair that most closely fits his/her preference from what I have available, if any. So chances are excellent that I have grips similar to, and more/less aggressive/coarse than the stainless steel Ohio. And I expect the same will be true of the PB grips when they arrive. Long answer, I know. But hopefully that answered your question.
I just got the handles for bowflex. compared to my Vulcan elite olympic bar 4.0, the knurl is more aggressive. i also have a cheap Titan regular bar (which they call a 'medium' knurl but it's more aggressive than my vulcan), and the knurl is more similar to that one.
Hi Blake, do you mean something along the lines of the existing PB accessory, but for the Elites? powerblock.com/product/powerblock-ez-curl-bar/ It isn't clear to me why Powerblock didn't create a version for the Sport/Elite models. Seems like that would have been a natural extension of the concept. Kickstarter JayFlex put their own spin on the concept but it is not compatible with Powerblocks: www.jayflexfitness.com/pages/hyperbell-ez-curl-bar Down the road it could be an interesting addition to the product line-up. Especially if enough people begin standardizing on my grip sizes such that I can use them as the basis for attachments. Then it might be worthwhile looking into developing various attachments. Especially attachments that do not require you to buy additional full handles the way that the PB EZ Curl does. I understand why PB did it that way, but I wouldn't use that approach. Thanks for your input man, I appreciate it!
@@blakecourtney7528 Ha! Well hot damn! You're right. I had never really researched this beyond what I had already seen. I wasn't a fan of the idea that we'd need to align two stacks of weights just to use their bar. A quick Google search and voila! An EZ Curl model that they no longer appear to offer: ua-cam.com/video/YyEHQp1FqYs/v-deo.html So there must be at least a small quantity of used ones floating around out there in the used market.
@@AverageJoeInnovationsLLC so is that something you’d be interested in doing? I know awhile back I had posted about it on garage gym on Facebook and people were interested in it. I would really love to have one.
@@blakecourtney7528 It's a possibility down the road. As a one-man-band with a limited budget it takes me a while to go from sketches to prototypes to finished parts. For example, the 552/1090 selector dials coming out this summer are the result of a project that I began about 15 months ago and went through many iterations before I was happy with the results. I have another half dozen products in the queue that'll take me well into 2023. So it's an interesting product, but chances are that you wouldn't see it any time soon from me. I've been socking away funds to tackle my own adjustable dumbbell design as well. And I hope to build-in the ability to use attachments from the start. We shall see. I hope you'll stop by the channel to see what I've got cookin'.
Hi Robert, I have quite a few customers using them on 9.0s now. If you uninstall one of the grips and compare it to what is on my site www.knurledgrips.com/ chances are it'll be what I call "Type A". One caveat. I'm out of stock on Type A now, but you can hop on www.knurledgrips.com/ and pre-order 30 (1.2"), 35 (1.4") or 40mm(1.6") from the upcoming shipment expected to arrive in the Spring. Any questions, hit me up by email since I'm not always available to provide timely replies to UA-cam comments. Thanks man!
Hi everyone, if you're seeing this video for the first time, the pre-order website is up and running at www.knurledgrips.com/ There you can see and pre-order Grip Kits for quite a few models of Powerblock dumbbells. As always, thank you for your support!
12:05 regarding hex key sizes. For my PBs (purchased in 2011), on each side, there are 3 silver bolts and 2 black bolts at the bottom. The silver bolts are 5 mm and the black bolts are torx T30.
I just got mine 35mm, and they are awesome!!!!!. great guy to do business with....highly recommend the product.
13:49 glad you are well aware of the competition that's out there. Can't wait to see this come full circle :)
Heya Candi! Awesome. You can follow along with the progress as well over at www.knurledgrips.com You will definitely hear more news as I introduce new grips sizes and attachments over the next couple years. Stay tuned!
Bro, I absolutely love these. The fact that something like this has not been produced already is kind of baffling, it's such a simple and genius idea. Can't wait to get some as soon as they're available!!
Hiya Sean, thanks for your kind words. I've been wanting to do this to my PBs since my first pair back around 2000. Only took me 22 years to finally get around to it...lol.
I'd like to claim it's an original idea, but it's not. Pretty much the entire adjustable dumbbell community has been vocal about wanting knurled grips for the past couple decades. I've seen one other aftermarket grip out there, and one very interesting DIY solution where the guy made his own grips from old barbell/dumbbell handles. My goal here is just to make something better-looking, better-performing and more affordable than what exists today.
I look forward to being able to provide these for you all.
I just added the 40mm to my powerblocks, feels awesome, the regular grips with heavy weight were skinny and would press against my hands causing pain, this knurled grip is great, highly recommended and it adds more weight!!!!
Awesome, Tariq! Super stoked to hear that you like your new grips man! Thank you for sharing your experience.
Your attention to detail is beyond reproach. I may get a pair just for that!
Thank you thank you. 🙏 Everything I do is a work in progress and there's always room for improvement. My customers are an indispensable, invaluable source of feedback. Cheers, Joe
That thick grip… love it, gonna have to throw an order in for those
Hey hey T, I'm glad you love the grip, but the 54s never went into production. There just wasn't enough demand for an ultra fat grip. I've kept the prototypes for my PBs. These days I offer three options: 30, 35 and 40mm. That's 1.2", 1.4" and 1.6". Although the 40s are no 54s, they're pretty thick compared to a commercial dumbbell. Cheers, Joe
I’ve been waiting for this day! Can’t wait to place my pre-order and get a pair.
Awesome, Thomas. Me too...ever since my first pair back around 2000. I never imagined I'd be making parts for them 22 years later. If everything goes as planned this week, I anticipate kicking off pre-ordering next weekend...likely Sunday. Stay tuned!
A 35mm width option might be popular as well
Hiya BK. Totally agree. At some point, as capital permits, I'd like to introduce 35 and 45mm. Possibly even 25s (female Olympic barbell size).
Definitely expect to see more sizes down the road.
I have elite USA.. that being said, can't wait for them to come out!
Awesome E! Already have some samples in the queue. They'll machine those for me some time in the next couple weeks. The overall appearance will be the same, but with the appropriate length and shoulder. So that version will be included in pre-ordering too. 🔥
May I please know where you get your knurling wheels from?
The large knurl wheels/drums that my manufacturer uses are not ordinary knurling wheels like you might use with a lathe. You may be thinking of the small straddle knurlers similar to this one: ua-cam.com/video/FdsTONRV8fY/v-deo.htmlsi=8niSKDtJrSu47WMf&t=27
My manufacturer uses massive knurl wheels mounted on a specialized piece of equipment used for thread rolling and knurling. If I recall correctly, they cost a few grand per pair and we replace them after a certain number of parts. I have no idea where they buy them. Possibly from that machine's manufacturer.
Cheers,
Joe
Keep an eye on it, are your preorder prices lower than what they will be when in stock?
Need to figure out with type I need for my elites.
Hi hi ST,! If you haven't seen it yet, over on my pre-order website knurledgrips.com you'll find a section with photos to determine the grip type. Elite EXPs are what I refer to as Type A. USA Elites are Type B.
Grips like these are niche. Very low volume and relatively few people in the Powerblock community are aware the option even exists. Unless there's a massive increase in demand, I don't anticipate the costs or prices going down at all. And I hope like heck that costs later this year don't rise further as they did over the past several months. I've been doing my best to try to keep these more affordable. Any other Qs feel free to send me an email at joe@averagejoeinnovations.com
Can you compare the knurling on your powerblock handles to popular barbells? For example, is it similar to the rogue ohio bar or ohio power bar?
Hiya Josh. The short answer is, it depends. Below is a more detailed answer.
Rogue (and other) barbells are available in a few grades of steel and different finishes. The finishes/coatings somewhat alter the feel of the various knurl depths. So there isn't just one type of knurl feel on their products. The closest they offer to mine is their top-of-the-line which is an uncoated stainless steel. I did a quick search of their marketing materials and could not verify whether they're using a high grade 316 as I am, or more of a 302, 303, 304 type which is cheaper, easier to machine, and less corrosion resistant. It's why 316 is referred to as "marine grade" stainless.
Regarding the feel of the knurl, I have found that it is more art than science. Even the folks at Rogue describe it as "more a beer tasting process than exact measurement." Aggressive/passive. Fine/coarse. Hill/Volcano/Mountain. Coated/uncoated. Out of the 1000+ knurled grips of my last order for Bowflex 552 and 1090 dumbbells, I'd say 90% were of the type commonly referred to as volcano knurl. That's what I spec'd, but because I know there will be manufacturing variation I ask the manufacturer to not waste any parts just because the knurl is a little more of less aggressive than the spec. Instead, I have those shipped to me too. I inspect each grip, separate them into groups and match pairs as closely as possible. If I know a customer happens to prefer something a little more/less aggressive/coarse than my spec'd grip, I pull a pair that most closely fits his/her preference from what I have available, if any.
So chances are excellent that I have grips similar to, and more/less aggressive/coarse than the stainless steel Ohio. And I expect the same will be true of the PB grips when they arrive. Long answer, I know. But hopefully that answered your question.
I just got the handles for bowflex. compared to my Vulcan elite olympic bar 4.0, the knurl is more aggressive. i also have a cheap Titan regular bar (which they call a 'medium' knurl but it's more aggressive than my vulcan), and the knurl is more similar to that one.
Have you considered making an ez bar curl attachment for the elite USAs? Is that possible?
Hi Blake, do you mean something along the lines of the existing PB accessory, but for the Elites? powerblock.com/product/powerblock-ez-curl-bar/
It isn't clear to me why Powerblock didn't create a version for the Sport/Elite models. Seems like that would have been a natural extension of the concept.
Kickstarter JayFlex put their own spin on the concept but it is not compatible with Powerblocks:
www.jayflexfitness.com/pages/hyperbell-ez-curl-bar
Down the road it could be an interesting addition to the product line-up. Especially if enough people begin standardizing on my grip sizes such that I can use them as the basis for attachments. Then it might be worthwhile looking into developing various attachments. Especially attachments that do not require you to buy additional full handles the way that the PB EZ Curl does. I understand why PB did it that way, but I wouldn't use that approach.
Thanks for your input man, I appreciate it!
@@AverageJoeInnovationsLLC correct! I think at one point they had them for it but they’re not around anymore. Is that possible?
@@blakecourtney7528 Ha! Well hot damn! You're right. I had never really researched this beyond what I had already seen. I wasn't a fan of the idea that we'd need to align two stacks of weights just to use their bar.
A quick Google search and voila! An EZ Curl model that they no longer appear to offer: ua-cam.com/video/YyEHQp1FqYs/v-deo.html So there must be at least a small quantity of used ones floating around out there in the used market.
@@AverageJoeInnovationsLLC so is that something you’d be interested in doing? I know awhile back I had posted about it on garage gym on Facebook and people were interested in it. I would really love to have one.
@@blakecourtney7528 It's a possibility down the road. As a one-man-band with a limited budget it takes me a while to go from sketches to prototypes to finished parts. For example, the 552/1090 selector dials coming out this summer are the result of a project that I began about 15 months ago and went through many iterations before I was happy with the results.
I have another half dozen products in the queue that'll take me well into 2023. So it's an interesting product, but chances are that you wouldn't see it any time soon from me.
I've been socking away funds to tackle my own adjustable dumbbell design as well. And I hope to build-in the ability to use attachments from the start. We shall see. I hope you'll stop by the channel to see what I've got cookin'.
Will it fix power block sport 9.0 ?
Hi Robert, I have quite a few customers using them on 9.0s now. If you uninstall one of the grips and compare it to what is on my site www.knurledgrips.com/ chances are it'll be what I call "Type A". One caveat. I'm out of stock on Type A now, but you can hop on www.knurledgrips.com/ and pre-order 30 (1.2"), 35 (1.4") or 40mm(1.6") from the upcoming shipment expected to arrive in the Spring. Any questions, hit me up by email since I'm not always available to provide timely replies to UA-cam comments. Thanks man!