This dumbbell rack is sturdy and very well constructed. One corner had a minor bend in the metal where it had been damaged at the factory. Each level of the rack can hold four pairs of light weights or three pairs of medium weights. It is very stable on my carpeted floor. It would be helpful if the weight-touching surfaces of the rack were cushioned to reduce noise and scratching of the dumbbells. I applied self-adhesive foam weatherstrip to my rack, but this has not been totally satisfactory as the foam does not stay in place, and it slightly sticks to the flat-sided dumbbells. The space between the front and back verticals of the cross members is wider than the handles of my lighter dumbbells (10 pounds and under) causing the bells to rest on the verticals rather than on the horizontal surfaces of the cross members. I eliminated this problem by reversing the front cross member of the lower rack, which is where I store my lighter dumbbells. The cross member verticals are too tall, causing my fingers to occasionally get pinched between them and the handles of my dumbbells. I eliminated this problem on my top rack by reversing both cross members so that their verticals are on the outside rather than the inside. However, in this configuration the dumbbells could fall through. Only one tool is needed for assembly, a 14 mm box end wrench (ratcheting is easiest). Ignore the instruction sheet’s directions to finger-tighten the bolts and nuts. In order for there to be enough play in the assembly to get all of the bolts into the holes, the nuts must be loose. The rack can be assembled more quickly and easily in this order: (1) install all of the plastic end caps, (2) lay the right frame on its side and loosely bolt-in the four cross members, (3) set the left frame on top of the four cross members and loosely install the remaining bolts and nuts, and (4) set the rack upright and tighten all bolts and nuts. The rack’s fasteners are hex head bolts, which have sharp edges that mar the dumbbells. I replaced them with M8-1.25 x 16mm button head socket cap screws, which match the rack’s threads. They also improved the appearance of the rack.
Read More
