Bells Of Steel Bumper Plates – Dead Bounce Conflict Review
Overall
User Review
( votes)Summary
The Bells of Steel Dead Bounce Conflict Bumper plates are a virgin rubber-made product with a solid build, low bounce, and very little odor.
Pros
- Low Order on Delivery.
- Virgin Rubber build provides very little bounce.
- The collar anchoring system is solid.
- The colored print on the bumper plates is easy to spot.
- Enter-level pricing.
Cons
- 90-Day warranty on 10 and 15 pound plates could be better.
- The 1-year warranty is at the low end of industry standard on all other weights.
Bells of Steel bumper plates are among some of my favorites on the market and the company’s Dead Bounce Conflict plates check a lot of the right boxes when it comes to price, design, bounce, and more.
Bells Of Steel Bumper Plates – Dead Bounce Conflict Design
I admit I’m a fan of great design and an even bigger fan of finding my weight quickly. Bells of Steels Dead Bounce Conflict Bumper Plates check both boxes. The company built these plates with a boldly raised lettering panel that clearly showcases the company’s branding alongside a weight indicator.
On top of that, Bells of Steel chose coloring that matches IWF standards for weight totals, making these even easier to spot and grab.
Here’s a quick look at the Dead Bounce Conflict design when placed on a barbell.
All Bells of Steel Bumper Plates fit on Olympic-style barbells. As you can see, there is a tiny gap between the collar and the bar, which means the plates do have a little extra spin.
Here’s a closer look at the attached collar.
The slight spin wasn’t noticeable enough to cause any issues during deadlifts, Crossfit movements, or any other barbell utilized but it’s not on the same level I talked about in my recent Bells Of Steel Competition Bumper Plates review.
The plates also feature a standard size of 450mm across all weights, ensuring an even experience for every lift. As a guy in his 40s, I prefer to maintain even lifts and practice safety first, yet another reason I use bumper plates in my garage gym.
Bells Of Steel Bumper Plates – Dead Bounce Conflict Build Factor
The collars on these Bells of Steel bumper plates feature three prongs that grip onto the plate’s virgin rubber. Those are two important factors.
The three prongs help prevent the bumper rubber from separating from the center ring. This is fairly standard practice in the industry these days and in my experience, it’s an absolute must-have if you’re lifting heavy or dropping your bar down from higher heights during Crossfit, HiiT, and other movements.
The virgin rubber is also crucial for providing a lower amount of bounce than crumb rubber bumpers that tend to fly sky-high when dropped. The virgin rubber also features a very low odor which is an added bonus for anyone who has ever used recycled rubber products and had to deal with the smell.
Bells Of Steel Dead Bounce Conflict Bumper Plates Specs
| Diameter | 450mm – IWF Standard |
| Inserts | Stainless Steel |
| Weight tolerance | +/- 1% of claimed weight |
| Bounce | Minimal |
| Warranty 90 days | 10lb & 15lb |
| Warranty 1 year | 25lb, 35lb, 45lb |
I found that the plates were within the 1% claimed weight which is great for training purposes before a competition. Some low-end plates can be off by 10% or more.
The plates are also surprisingly thin. The 45-pound plates are just 3.15″ which means on a standard 15.5″ sleeve you can fit four plates on each side of the bar and add in a few lower-weight plates at the same time. In total, we’re talking about 440 pounds of loadable weight.
From a floor protection standpoint, I always recommend bumper plates. The plates provide shock absorption when dropped which protects flooring from damage. They are also quieter than steel plates, in case you need to keep noise to a minimum.
If there’s one complaint I have with the product, it’s the shipping boxes my bumper plates came in. Every single box had a small section torn open. Thankfully, the plates are covered in plastic which protected them from damage. I can see how some damage could occur. In fact, one reviewer shows how badly their boxes were damaged in the review section of the Bells of Steel Bumper Plates review section of the company’s website. You can see more reviews here.
Bells Of Steel Bumper Plates – Dead Bounce Conflict Reviews
Overall, I have really enjoyed using these bumper plates for the past few weeks. They are very well priced, and even better priced if you buy them in sets. The design is top-notch, even if simplistic, and the bounce is minimum thanks to the virgin rubber design.
With a three-point anchor system for the collar ring and a standard 450mm diameter alongside a relatively thin design, it’s easy to see why these low-bounce bumper plates are well-reviewed and worth the buy.
If you’re still on the fence and money is a concern, check out our recent list of the best bumper plates on a budget.
