Stepping Up To The Extreme – 500lb+ Weight Sets (Part 3)

A popular brand that we’ve recently come across is Again Faster Equipment. Again Faster offers a variety of products, from bumpers and barbells, to kettle balls and jump boxes and much more. Again Faster specializes in Cross Fit exercises and their name is becoming well known in the lifting scene. Again Faster offers bumper plate sets with 140, 265, 355 pounds. But what is more valuable to this series is their 495 pound bumper plate set and their custom packages.

One thing that we like about Again Faster is the special attention that they pay to bulk clients. They offers great customer service when it comes to large gyms, schools and universities, and most importantly, military, police and fire units. Our experience with Again Faster has proved that they take an interest in what it is exactly that you need, and the best way to go about purchasing weight sets. What parallels their excellent customer service is the quality of their products.

Our test of Again Faster’s bumper plates were done with their Again Faster Team Barbell. While we can’t speak for every barbell combination, these bumpers fit great on their accompanying barbell. The diameter of the bumpers seems to be just the right size for fitting on the barbell, with little wiggle when being lifted. The only downside that we see with this is that Again Faster is a relatively newer line. And while some people may have already invested in other high quality bars, we cannot say how they do specifically with other lines bars. But if they fit as well as they do on the Team Barbell, that’s a great sign.

The quality of the bumpers is also really fantastic. We have become a big fan of colored bumpers. It can’t be said enough how easy it is to step up to a rack and be assured that you have the same amount of weight on each side. That said, the all-black bumpers from Again Faster seem to hold up to a lot of beatings. The gym we tested these in was very clean. And while we don’t know how well their cleaning staff worked before we visited, we do know that a tell for other bumpers has been obvious when we see chipping on the plates, or even traces of paint on the ground.

Established in 2006, Again Faster is quickly making a name for themselves. We are seeing them in more gyms and it is certainly because they deliver a quality product.

One Fit Wonder

OneFitWonder is another company that specializes in huge custom plate sets. While some of our reviews have looked at sets that max out at 1,000 pounds, OFW offers sets of 500, 1,000, 2,500, 5,000 and 10,000 pounds. Ranging from $725 for their 500 pound set and escalating to $13,500 for their 10,000 pound set, this company is perfect for bulk buying.

We tested OFW’s bumpers on a Rogue bar and (although they weren’t quite as snug as the HG Rogue set) we were impressed with how well the two worked together. OFW boasts a stainless steel insert, which didn’t seem to have much damage to it after our lifts. Assuming these weights have been thrown around a lot in the gym, this is a good sign for this brand.

We also noticed that the bumpers didn’t bounce as much when dropped after a heavy lift. This is great for small spaces and avoids injury possibilities with other brands. We assume that the reason they didn’t bounce much was due to the density of the weights. While density can be somewhat hard to tell at times, we noticed we could stack a bunch of weights on the barbell. Much thinner than other weight sets, this is extremely helpful when needing to put more weight on your bar.

Another benefit of OneFitWonder is their company policy. They offer a full year warranty on their plates and will return your products for free. When making a costly investment of thousands of dollars, this is quite comforting to potential customers who may not be happy with their purchase.

The OFW weights did seem to scuff a bit more than other black bumpers (did we mention we love colored sets?!). Both on the outside of the plate as well as the around the edges, scuffing was quite noticeable after a lot of use. Keeping in mind that Olympic Weightlifting is about what you do, not how you look, this is a minor detail and isn’t really enough to offset the fact that you can buy so much weight for a really great price.

There are a bevy of options when it comes to Olympic Weightlifting. Whether you are familiar with the sport, beginning a lifelong journey, or just putting up weight to add to your current fitness routine, there is something on the market for everyone. We still enjoy the tried and true results of well-known and reputable brands like Rogue Fitness, but we also now have our eye on newer brands like Again Faster and OneFitWonder. And for those who are looking to purchase an Olympic Weight Set on a budget, it can be done, but should be done so with caution. But rest assured, as the sport continues to grow and max lifts are taken to the next level, you will be able to keep up with the bulk sets available on the market.