robotnut's Full Review: Cap Barbell OSG 300 Olympic 300lb Weight Set
I purchased this weight set in Dec '04 after my membership with Gold's Gym finally ended (read my other review for that horror story). I had enough with commercial gyms, but I am a workout addict, so I decided to set up my own home gym.
Although I already had a bunch of standard weights at home, I had bought a Smith Machine based home gym which requires free weights but it only accepts Olympic plates. The machine itself was pretty expensive so I didn't want to spend much more for the weights.
The Cap Barbell 300lb Olympic Set was the cheapest set I could find. I got it for $99 on sale. That comes to about $0.33 per pound. It's cheaper to buy a whole set rather than buying plates individually.
The set includes a 7' Olympic barbell bar(45lbs), two 45lb plates, two 35lb plates, two 25lb plates, two 10lb plates, four 5lb plates, two 2.5lb plates, and two spring clip collars.
These are your basic round iron plates painted black with raised lettering which are painted silver. The 45, 35, 25 and 10lb plates have a deep grip edge so they are easy to handle. The 5lb and 2.5lb plates are quite thin. The overall finish on these plates is very, very rough. Although, that may actually help give you a better grip on them.
The 7' Olympic bar that comes with this set is chrome plated. I've been using it for two months now and some of the chrome plating is peeling off on one end, I guess due to sliding the plates on and off so many times.
The first few times I used the bar, some of the plates were a pretty tight fit and were difficult to slide on. That's because the center holes on some of the plates were not smoothly finished and had bits of extra iron in them that should have been machined out. I told you the finish on these plates was rough, didn't I? After two months of using them though, they're sliding on more easily. Also, the spring clips that come with the set are very difficult to use. I don't use them. Instead, I use the spring clips that came with my Smith Machine.
As for effectiveness, well, what can I say? Weights are weights, gravity has the same effect on these weights as any other. I've been getting as good a workout with these weights as I did with any weights they have at the commercial gyms. The key to getting good results from your workout is consistency. As long as you stick to your exercise program, these weights will work for you too!
Sure, you can get the fancy rubber coated plates or plates that have built-in handles, but you can also expect to pay at least twice as much and they won't make your muscles grow any faster or bigger. And besides, I personally like the sound of iron plates clanging together. That's what it's all about, pumping iron.
You are purchasing a brand new factory sealed CAP BARBELL OSG-300 300LB OLYMPIC WEIGHT SET.Features: One 45 pound, 2" Olympic style bar Two 2" spring ...More at eBay
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