Hex versus adjustable dumbbells

Three formats cover dumbbell training at Lift Sets: fixed hex pairs, selectorised adjustable dumbbells, and spinlock sets that convert into a barbell. They are not interchangeable in a rack, and the plates on the spinlock kits are not sold on their own. Use this page to pick one starting format. Weight bands for hex pairs are unpacked in the hex dumbbell weight guide.

Hex pairs and sets

Hex dumbbell pairs run from 1kg to 60kg, from £8.80. Each bell is a cast iron core with a bonded rubber hex head and a knurled chrome handle. You pick the weight up and put it down; there is nothing to dial. That is the advantage on a busy session and the cost in floor space once you own more than two or three pairs. Graded 3-pair, 5-pair, 6-pair and 12-pair sets are listed on the same range, with no-rack options up to 2.5–60kg. The 2.5kg pair in the photos has black hex heads with the weight moulded into the face.

Selectorised 24kg and 40kg

The 24kg adjustable dumbbell is a 15-in-1 selector, from £159.99 without a rack and £259.99 with a rack. It is meant to replace a run of fixed pairs, from a 2.5kg raise to a 24kg press, in the space of one bell sitting in a cradle. The unit in the product photo is a stack of black plates with a red selector, a chrome handle with a black grip, and a dial at each end, parked in a black tray.

The 40kg adjustable dumbbell is £259.99 and extends that idea to seventeen settings, up to 40kg per dumbbell, for when 24kg is no longer enough on presses. The inner plate is marked do not drop dumbbell. Both models are built around a tray; the adjustable dumbbell stand at £99.99 holds those trays at a natural pick-up height so you are not bending to the floor between sets. The stand is a black steel frame with two strapped platforms.

Spinlock dumbbell and barbell sets

Adjustable dumbbells barbell sets start from £24.99 for the 20kg set, with 25kg at £34.99 and 30kg at £39.99. Two handles plus a connector bar become a pair of dumbbells or one barbell. Solid cast iron versions are listed at 20kg (£61.99) and 30kg (£71.99); a 65kg set is £129.99, which is enough plate weight for squats and rows in barbell mode. The plates in these kits are not sold separately and are not the Olympic 2-inch plates in the plate collection. The 20–30kg kit in the product photo uses black round plates, red spinlock collars, and a knurled connector when assembled as a bar.

Round adjustable pairs are a fourth option if you want a matched selectorised pair with a round head, from £219.99, in 24kg, 32kg, 40kg and 45kg with 2kg or 4kg increments.

Side-by-side

Shop hex dumbbells or adjustable dumbbells once you have picked a format. Mixing a hex tree with selectorised trays wastes the stand. Free standard delivery to UK mainland applies on every order, including the 40kg selectors and the 65kg spinlock set.