HyGYM Hex Dumbbells Review: I LOVE them!

HyGYM’s hex dumbbells set is one of the best budget-friendly options available in the UK for fixed dumbbells. They arrived well packaged and are absolutely solid in use despite their competitive price point. In this review I will jump in to the key points to consider when buying a fixed dumbbell set – namely availability, functionality and – maybe most importantly – VALUE FOR MONEY!

Best bits:

• Rubber heads are excellent quality
• Included stand is excellent for keeping your gym organised
• Shipping was quick and reasonably priced
• Competitively priced
• Good range of standard weights included
• Ideal for drop and super sets

Considerations

• Straight handle would be a nice upgrade over the standard tapered one

Why you can trust me…

Peckmeout is a labour of love started way back in 2013 and built around a hobby I hold dear – home fitness and gyms! In the intervening years I’ve worked out in my home gym almost exclusively – so I have spent in to the THOUSANDS of hours with some of this equipment.

To provide a useful review I have integrated the hex dumbbells in to my workouts for a number of weeks to ensure I’ve got a good grasp of the pros and cons of using these over the competition (for example the Bulldog Gear hex dumbbells or adjustable offerings from Ironmaster.)

While this might seem like overkill I hope it’s useful for you guys out there, and it’s sure been fun 🙂

What are hex dumbbells, and why should I care?

If you’re looking to use dumbbells in a home gym there are three options:

• Loadable dumbbells using plates (with either 1” or 2” holes) to increment
• Adjustable dumbbells with bespoke, usually quicker, loading mechanism (Ironmaster or Powerblocks)
• Fixed dumbbells

Hex dumbbells are FIXED – that means you buy a set weight and that is it. You simply lift it for ever more. The benefit to hex dumbbells over adjustable is speed and ease of use, you just grab and go. With an adjustable dumbbell you need to adjust the weight each time.

Design is pretty much identical between brands where two rubber heads are joined by a metal handle. The rubber heads have six sides (thus the name ‘hex’) and the handle is typically knurled to make it easier to grip. 

How can fixed dumbbells improve my training?

While I previously was an advocate of adjustable dumbbells in a home environment I have flipped that on its head – I absolutely LOVE fixed dumbbells. Since adding them to my home gym I’ve been able to hit MORE sets in the SAME time compared to lifting with my Ironmaster’s. 

Even though changing the weight on a Powerblock or Ironmaster is quick, it’s still NOTHING like as quick as simply picking up the next dumbbell on the rack.

HyGYM Complete Hex Dumbbells Set with Stand: The REVIEW

I jumped in with two feet and bought the complete dumbbells set by HyGYM for this review. They offer a pretty awesome ‘build your own’ package where you can pick and mix dumbbells pairs, but I went with the standard set as I think the range is pretty good and I wanted to test it ‘off the shelf’.

Space-saving stand included

HyGYM ship these with a stand which has room for 7 pairs of dumbbells. The stand is a simple A-frame design that bolts together in around 10 minutes. It comes with rubber feet which is really good for protecting your floors and avoiding it moving around.

While it may seem counter-intuitive I find the stand is a SPACE SAVER – having 7x pairs of dumbbells stacked on top of each other in the same 55cm x 41cm footprint (and only 106cm tall) is more convenient for me than piling them up in a corner in a jumble. It also unlocks the main benefit of a hex dumbbell over an adjustable equivalent – the ability to GRAB and GO!

Rubber heads are good quality

The rubber used on each dumbbells appears of good quality with no cracks or dimples. When unpacked there is a slickness on the rubber due to the oils used in manufacturing to preserve the rubber and prevent cracking. This wore off in a single session, but if you’re a fan of white lifting gear you may want to give them a wipe down first!

Despite being fresh rubber there was no odour – not even when initially unpacked.

Metal handle is knurled with a taper

Both rubber heads are joined with a metal handle that is thicker in the middle before tapering down towards the rubber ends. The metal is partially knurled with a thick strip over the centre flanked by a thinner strip at each end. 

The knurl itself is passive and while HyGYM don’t list an exhaustive spec the handle feels to be chrome plated. The heavier weights use a thicker handle.

Personally I think an optional upgrade to straight, fully knurled handles would be a nice touch and a good way to get a few extra pounds out of us, but this may be because I am used to this format on the Ironmaster dumbbells kit I also have in the garage!

High durability (and a 24 month warranty just in case)

What sold me on these was the 24 month warranty – in my experience with gym equipment any issues tend to arise quickly so if I don’t need the warranty in the next couple of months then I doubt I will ever need it (famous last words?!)

I’ve been using these as much as I can in day-to-day workouts and I’ve had absolutely NO signs of wear and tear on them. I won’t admit to dropping dumbbells, but I’ve been known to place them down ‘heavily’ after repping out flat bench or dumbbells rows and there has been NO issues with the product, or any damage to the heads.

HyGYM haven’t explicitly stated that the heads are friction welded on to the handles (this is a technique to bind two different materials) so I can’t confirm that at this stage. All I can say is that my dumbbells are rock solid at the moment despite some abuse.

Price point is competitive & includes stand

List price for the complete set of dumbbells – at the time of writing – is £595 for:

• The A frame stand
• 2x 5kg dumbbells
• 2x 7.5kg dumbbells
• 2x 10kg dumbbells
• 2x 15kg dumbbells
• 2x 20kg dumbbells
• 2x 25kg dumbbells

That’s quite a lot (165kg!) of weight for the money. It is possible to pick up individual dumbbells excluding the stand for a little cheaper, but the convenience of having a matching bundle all together at a competitive price is excellent and the stand makes drop sets far easier.

Customer Reviews: What do others think?

I have quoted a few of the reviews below – to read them all check out the HyGYM site here:

• “What’s not to like ! After searching for a set of reasonably priced dumbells this was a very competitive rate that was hard to beat with a stand as well. VERY HAPPY” – 17th January 2022
• “Fantastic purchase! The dumbbells feel great and the weight range is perfect. The stand takes 5 minutes to build and it’s solid. Standard delivery was super quick too. Really happy with them!!” – 20th December 2021
• “Great robust set and delivery was quick!” – 12th October 2021

The reviews are resoundingly positive with most commenting on their value and delivery speed. One user in Northern Ireland did think shipping was a bit expensive – so that is something to consider if you’re in NI.

HyGYM vs competitors dumbbells

The closest direct competitors would be the Bulldog Gear 1.0 and 2.0 dumbbells. Both of these dumbbell sets are available in the UK and are similar fixed rubber hex head design.

HyGYM vs Bulldog Gear 1.0

The 1.0 range is available to order in individual pairs and is a virtually identical design to that offered by HyGYM – so similar in fact I suspect they are made in the same place and just rebranded. Bulldog undercut HyGYM in price for a complete set by around £50 when delivery is taken in to account (Bulldog charge a lot more for delivery than HyGYM) BUT this excludes the stand, and they do not sell it separately.

So if you want an organised gym space I would lean towards the otherwise identical HyGYM set which comes with the A frame stand for a few quid more. If you’re happy without then you could save a little by going with Bulldog.

HyGYM vs Bulldog Gear 2.0

The 2.0 dumbbells are pretty cool to look at – they have a more bespoke design on the head with the Bulldog logo and a splash of colour. The main difference vs HyGYM’s offering is that the handle is coated in rubber… That and the price. The 2.0’s are priced above the HyGYMs – for example a single pair of Bulldog Gear 2.0 25kg dumbbells runs £30 more than the HyGYM equivalent.

That may be worth it to you and you won’t be disappointed with them – but over a full set of weights that is a lot of extra money compared to the HyGYM or Bulldog 1.0 offerings.

Conclusion

Overall the HyGYM hex dumbbells are an excellent product – and we can get them readily here in the UK! The price is competitive when you consider the stand is included and the dumbbells feel excellent in use. If you are particularly short on space then adjustable options might work better for you, but I have managed to fit these in a 3m x 3m home gym so I would recommend trying REALLY hard to fit these in… Your biceps will thank you for it 🙂

Best bits:

• Rubber heads are excellent quality
• Included stand is excellent for keeping your gym organised
• Shipping was quick and reasonably priced
• Competitively priced

Considerations

• Straight handle would be a nice upgrade over the standard tapered one