subject: Bumper Plates - Why Quality Is Paramount [print this page] Bumper Plates - Why Quality Is Paramount Bumper Plates - Why Quality Is Paramount
This article will go into detail why buying cheaper plates is not ideal for the long term. Since these will be taking a pounding over and over, you can't go with cheap ones that will break quickly. I have seen several bumper plates that are only months old break down. This is sad to see because then you have to go out and replace these. After you replace these again and again, you'll end up spending more on cheap bumper plates than if you would have bought good ones from the start.
There are several good vendors of bumper plates out there, but there are a few things you should consider before purchasing a set of plates. First, buying locally is probably not a good idea unless there is a store that specializes in weightlifting equipment. Going to a general sports store isn't a good idea, because they don't usually have quality equipment because they don't specialize. Also, big online stores like Amazon can be put in this category of general fitness stores, even though they sell a great number of other things. So, just be careful when searching for rubber plates at these major outlets.
We will compare a few different popular brands of bumper plates and explain the differences between them, and why one pair may be more suitable for your purposes than another pair. One popular pair of rubber plates are Pendlay bumper plates, and they make both high end plates and middle of the road. However, they do follow some of the great guidelines we will lay out when choosing quality plates. First, they follow strict weight tolerances. Their plates are within ten grams of their claimed weight or they don't ship. It is really hard to find another brand that does this, and only one comes to mind, Eleiko. Eleiko is the supplier at the Olympic Games every year because their equipment is hands down the best. However, you will be paying a great deal for these, so shy away from them unless you are going to compete professionally.
Another thing we look for is quality control. Sometimes people order from bigger suppliers and they don't get what is in the picture, or the product comes damaged. Pendlay prints their plates in South Carolina, and the ink is specially designed to adhere to the plate. The ink doesn't chip off easily like it does on cheaper bumper plates where you can hardly read the numbers at all. Word of mouth gets around pretty fast if a company ships out a poor product in the weightlifting community, since it is such a tight knit community. So, it puts extra emphasis on those who want to do well catering to just weightlifters, to ship a great product every time.
With all this in mind, you can make a great decision when it comes to choosing your own pair of bumper plates and weightlifting equipment. Just make sure you go with quality!
Ryanlee Genterson is a weightlifting guru. He loves to help people choose what type of equipment to buy. For more information on rubber plates go to bumper plates. Also, if you are looking for even more information, head to rubber bumper plates.
