Rep Fitness Iron Plates Review.  

I started my home gym not really knowing exactly what I was getting.  COVID-19 had just shut down my local gym.  I wanted to lift and keep those gains lol.  So I looked around and saw everything was sold out! I was able to pre-order my power rack, barbell, and plates from Rep Fitness.  I was using iron plates at my local gym so naturally I gravitated toward buying similar to what I was used to lifting with.  That and they were the least expensive type of plates you can buy and I wanted to save some money while trying to outfit a home powerlifting gym set up from scratch.
I was so excited when the cast iron plates finally arrived.  I started unboxing the plates and started seeing some inconsistencies in the finish of the 45 pound plates.  More on the 45’s in a minute.  Surprisingly the 25 pound plates looked nothing like the other plates.  They don’t even look like what is advertised on the Rep website.  The 25 pound plates must have been sourced from a different supplier.  The finish is different, the writing is different and they only have print on one side, versus two sided writing like the other plates.  Honestly if all of the plates looked like the 25’s, I’d be perfectly happy.

Back to the 45 pound plates. The weight of the plates are all over the place.  I ordered ten 45 pound plates.  All but two are within the 3% tolerance stated on the website. Below is a list of the actual weight of every plate I received from Rep.  There are some inconsistent weights between the plates.  I was disappointed with the look, feel, and finish of the plates.  Some were decent.  Some were very porous and rough, almost spongy looking.  Some plates had sharp pieces sticking off of them that could cut you like a razor if you aren’t very careful. Some of these sharp pieces are under the lip of the outer edge of the plates, some had those sharp pieces in the center hole where the barbell goes. These iron plates look nothing like the iron plates I was using at the commercial gym, and I guess that was what my expectation was before receiving these plates.  The lettering on the plates have a silver paint on them which helps it stand out and generally looks nice.  I don’t like that some of the silver lettering paint was smeared onto the plates.  I was disappointed in the look of a lot of these plates.  I’m already looking to buy different plates to replace these 45’s. I haven’t decided if I’m going with iron or bumper plates.

Buy the Rep Iron Plates Here.

Rep Fitness Cast Iron Weight Plates Actual Weight:

I used my postal scale to weigh each iron plate I received from Rep Fitness. So my weights may not be 100% accurate but I believe they are very close to the actual weight of each plate. I also know that if I wanted to get accurate plates, I would need to buy calibrated or completion plates. But, starting out I didn’t really understand that.

45 Pound plates actual weight:

• 45 pounds 2 ounces

• 43 pounds 8 ounces

• 44 pounds 13 ounces

• 43 pounds 11 ounces

• 44 pounds 13 ounces

• 43 pounds 6 ounces

• 46 pounds 9 ounces

• 43 pounds 3 ounces

• 45 pounds 12 ounces

• 46 pounds 1 ounce

25 pound plates actual weight:

• 25 pounds 5 ounces

• 25 pounds 0 ounces

• 25 pounds 0 ounces

• 24 pounds 13 ounces

5 pound plates actual weight:

• 5 pounds 2 ounces

• 5 pounds 3 ounces

• 5 pounds 2 ounces

• 5 pounds 2 ounces

• 5 pounds 3 ounces

• 4 pounds 14 ounces

2.5 pound plates actual weight

• 2 pounds 7 ounces

• 2 pounds 8 ounces

As you can see most of the plates are well within the 3% tolerance that Rep advertises. I wish that the 45 pound plates were closer to 45 than what they are. I am not a competition lifter, and only lift as a hobby. But when you load the bar with three plates that are 43 pounds on one side and the other side you have a couple 46 pound plates and a 45 pound plate, when you unrack that bar for a bench or squat, you are instantly off balance. I ended up writing the actual weight on the plate with a paint marker and separated them in similar weights.

I do have concerns about RepFitness website reviews in general.  I have left two separate three star reviews on these plates and neither was posted to their site.  In contrast, I’ve left several 5 star reviews on some of their other products and they were posted immediately.  I’m not sure if they have to approve any reviews under 4 star?  But it doesn’t look good to me.  Looking around their website, I have yet to find anything less than a 4 star review.  Either everyone that leaves reviews are completely happy with their products or the 3 star and below reviews don’t get posted.  It doesn’t sit well with me in that area.  It won’t stop me from ordering their products because everything I’ve gotten from them has been great with the exception of the 45 pound plates. If you want to order your own, check them out here: https://www.repfitness.com/#5eebe4e556e54

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