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I did pay for both of these sets of Adjustable Dumbbells on my own. I purchased the BowFlex 1090 SelectTech second hand and I purchased the Trulap 8592 direct from Trulap. Trulap was kind enough to offer me a bit of a discount as I offered in return to make this review for them. I paid the majority of the costs for each unit out of pocket so this review is going to be 100% based on my own personal opinion without outside influence.
I while back I ordered a set of Trulap 8592 Adjustable Dumbbells to replace a full set of standard dumbbells I was using in my home gym that where taking up a lot of space, I had a significant monetary investment in my standard dumbbell set. The idea behind adjustable Dumbbells is that they can replace a substantial amount of free weight dumbbells, for example the Trulap Adjustable Dumbbells replace 52 individual dumbbells with only 2 adjustable dumbbells. The Trulap Dumbbells offer weight ranges from 8.5 pounds right up to 92 pounds in about 2-3 pound weight increments so you have a ton of weight options. I’ll get more into this later on.
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Unfortunately my Trulap 8592 Adjustable Dumbbell order went missing while being shipped, this was not Trulap’s fault directly but by the time it was realized that my order was not going to make it, Trulap was already out of product as it was on backorder. So I had to wait if I wanted to reorder another set. Trulap did refund me my original order but I had sold my full set of standard dumbbells already, so in the meantime I purchased some BowFlex 1090 Adjustable Dumbbells on the used market so I would have something for at home I could use. The good news is now I have both sets of Adjustable Dumbbells and I can now make a Comparison Review and offer my take on which set I like best, or at least what I like best about each set.
So let’s get into my comparison of both of the Trulap 8592 versus BowFlex 1090 Adjustable Dumbbells…
Price: (Trulap 0 - BowFlex 1)
In terms price, both sets of Adjustable Dumbbells are not too far apart, but the BowFlex 1090s are the less expensive option. Without stands the Trulap 1090’s are $799 US but currently Trulap is offering a $70 discount, so they are now $729 US which is around $950 Canadian. The BowFlex 1090s are regularly $999 Canadian but right now are selling with a $200 discount so they are going for $799 Canadian. Both sets of adjustable dumbbells include free shipping at least right now. if you want stands for either version you are looking at an additional $150-$200 Canadian so keep that in mind. Based on price alone the BowFlex 1090s win this section.
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Looks: (Trulap 1 - BowFlex 1)
I think it is rather obvious that the Trulap 8592 Adjustable Dumbbells are by far the best looking set of Adjustable Dumbbells, they simply look more like a standard set of dumbbells and that stainless steel finish look really stands out. they are almost a work of art in my opinion and I can just stare at them for a while in admiration. The BowFlex 1090 Adjustable Dumbbells are not ugly by any means and have a unique look to them which do make them stand out. I can’t say I dislike the way the Bowflex 1090’s look, but the Trulap 8592 Adjustable Dumbbells for sure win this category.
Durability: (Trulap 2 - BowFlex 1)
This category will be probably the hardest for me to weigh in on as to really understand a products durability, you need to own and use it for an extended period of time. So I will have to go more on what I can see in terms of how each adjustable dumbbell is made. Starting with the BowFlex 1090s, they do have more plastic as each weight is plastic coated and there are plastic parts even in the handle mechanics. The Trulap 8592s are mostly metal but with some plastic within each handle, I also feel like the 8592s maybe are less complicated in design which means there may be less to go wrong over time? Neither system suggests dropping the weights but this is kind of standard with most adjustable dumbbells on the market. You do get a 3 year warranty on both systems and Trulap does allow for one accidental drop repair if that were to happen. BowFlex does offer a 5 year warranty for an additional $79. In this category I am going to give the slight edge to Trulap.
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Ease of Use: (Trulap 3 - BowFlex 1)
Both Adjustable Dumbbells have completely different adjustment systems. The Trulap 8592s have a center handle adjustment system where all you need to do is twist them left or right to adjust the weight up and down, you can easily see the weight on either side of the handles so you know exactly what weight you are using. With the BowFlex 1090’s there are round dials on either end of each dumbbell and both dials need to be twisted separately, you also need to make sure the weight listed on either end is matched up to get the correct weight listed. The Trulap 8592 Adjustable Dumbbells win another category as they are much easier and quicker to adjust weights with.
Weight Ranges: (Trulap 4 - BowFlex 2)
Both the Trulap 8592s and the BowFlex 1090s go from around 10-90 pounds, the Trulap 8592s can technically go a bit lower and higher, down to 8.5 pounds and up to 92 pounds respectively. This is not a deal breaker at all and should not really be factored in. Where the Trulap 8592s have the biggest advantage is when it comes to the weight increments, you get 26 different weight settings for each dumbbell, which is a ton! Here are the weight jumps for the Trulap 8592s (8.5 - 12 - 15- 19 - 21 - 25 - 28- 32 - 35 - 39 - 42 - 45 - 48 - 52 - 55 - 59 - 62 - 65 - 68 - 72 - 75 - 78 - 82 - 85 - 89 - 92). The BowFlex has very usable weight jumps, but BowFlex sticks with standard 5 pound across the board weight jumps, so you get (10 - 15 - 20 - 25 - 30 - 35 - 40 - 45 - 50 - 55 - 60 - 65 - 70 - 75 - 80 - 85 - 90). People in general are kind of programmed into a 5 pound weight jump like what the Bowflex uses, but I do like the smaller weight jumps the Trulap 8592s offer. It really comes down to what you are use to and if you want smaller incremental weight jumps or more standard weight settings. So for this portion of the battle I am going to call it a draw.
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Overall Function and Balance: (Trulap 5 - BowFlex 2)
This may be a bit more of a subjective category but I will give my two cents. The Trulap 8592 Adjustable Dumbbell in my opinion are more conventionally shaped and are also more compact in design, their balance feels really good, similar to a conventional dumbbell and they are close in size to what you would expect using a conventional dumbbell. They do have fairly thick handles which for people with smaller hands may be a bit large and the handle texture is aggressive but I like that. The Bowflex 1090 Adjustable Dumbbells are much larger in both length and width, they remain the same length all the time as the handle is full length no matter what weight you are using, the BowFlex 1090’s can be thin in diameter when using lower weights as the large wide width plates are left in the base plate. In terms of handles the BowFlex 1090s are less aggressive in texture but have a weird oval shape which for me made them want to twist a bit in the hand when using them. Both sets of Adjustable Dumbbells work just fine but the BowFlex 1090s will take a bit more getting use to than the Trulap 8592s compared to what most people have become accustomed to. So another win here for Trulap!
And the Winner is:
According to my records the Trulap 8592 Adjustable Dumbbells are the clear winner (5 to 2) for me compared to the BowFlex SelectTech 1090 Adjustable Dumbbells, but you may feel differently? Either way no matter which set you decide to pickup, Adjustable Dumbbells offer great value and are space savers in any home gym setup. There is also little to no compromise when compared to a standard set of non-adjustable dumbbells so unless you like throwing your dumbbells around like an animal, then I don’t see any reason not to grab a set of one or the other.