Rep Black Bumper Plates Reviews And Info
Overall
User Review
( votes) Summary
The black bumper plates from Rep Fitness are a low-bounce product with raised lettering that’s easy to spot when grabbing for weights. Rep has taken extra care with its 10-pound weight plates, adding additional width to avoid “tacoing.”
Pros
- 10-pound plates are thicker to avoid “tacoing.”
- Low-bounce.
- Excellent warranty.
- Raised lettering makes spotting weights easy.
- Reasonable priced.
Cons
- Heavier weights are thinner than competitor weights.
The Rep Black Bumper Plates are among our favorite and are some of the best in their class on the market. With a slim profile, strong build, and low bounce, they’re a must-have if you’re focused on preserving your home or garage floors while adding the extra safety of a product with a high durometer rating.
We’ve been gravitating towards Rep Fitness equipment in recent months because of the company’s relatively low pricing and high-quality standards. We’ve raved about the company’s functional trainer and our recent review of the Rep Drop Pad showcases a quality standard we’ve come to expect from Rep Fitness.
Starting with the looks of the plates, Rep has done a great job of embossing the company’s logo and weight notifications on the durable rubber surface of each plate. The white lettering really pops on each plate, a good sign considering these are not colored plates.
One thing you’ll immediately notice if using the 10-pound Rep Black bumper plates is that they are a little on the thicker side compared to many other 10-pound options. While this fact means less space is available on your bar’s sleeve, it also helps prevent “tacoing” which can occur when dropping the lighter weight. The Rep Black Bumper plates feature a 1″ thickness for 10-pound plates which we can compare to the Rogue Color Echo Plates that feature a profile of just 0.83-inches.
To make up for the thicker size of the 10-pound weights, Rep has created a thinner 45-pound option that comes in at just 2.83″. When mixing weights, this allows for a total of 515-pounds on an average Olympic weightlifting bar. In comparison, Rogue’s 45-pound bumper plates are just 2.36″ in thickness.
One of the most important aspects of a great bumper plate in our opinion is the plate’s bounce. The more “dead” a bounce, the safer it will be when dropping from overhead. A dead bounce means there’s a less likely chance the barbell will bounce back on the lifter. The Rep Black Bumper Plates feature a surprisingly dead bounce that’s on par with options we’ve reviewed from Rogue, Eleiko, and other high-end manufacturers.
In a few months of testing and several thousand drops, we haven’t noticed any separation between the rubber and sleeves on our 35-pound weights. The average drop height for overhead lifts in our gym is about seven feet. Rep claims a 12,000 drop rating at eight feet. We drop onto a 1″ rubber surface and the plates have held up incredibly well so far.
If you’re lifting in a home gym there is a 6-month warranty on the company’s 10 and 15-pound plates and a 3-year warranty on all other sizes. The 6-month warranty on lighter plates isn’t’ a surprise and the 3-year warranty is on the higher end of the spectrum.
There is one big consideration when it comes to buying the Rep Black Bumper Plates, the company allows for a +/- 3% weight tolerance. Rogue Fitness, Fringe Sport, and others, offer a 1% tolerance difference. We purchased the 35-pound pair for testing and the weight was right on point but we can’t guarantee that will be the case for everyone. With that being said, unless you are hyper-focused on hitting new PR’s down to the 1/8th of a pound, this shouldn’t be a very big consideration for most people.
The Rep Black Bumper Plates are sold in pairs starting at just $49.99, you can check them out here.
