Best Dumbbell Sets For Home Workouts

From enormous weight ranges for serious lifters, to floor-friendly designs, here’s our pick of the best dumbbell sets for 2023…

If you could only own one item of fitness kit for the rest of your life, you’d do well to pick the humble dumbbell. Even the heaviest are small enough to fit in the corner of a room, and you can perform virtually every strength training exercise – and just about every workout protocol – with a dumbbell set.

The best dumbbell sets can elevate the calorie burn of high-intensity workouts, and help you develop the functional strength and power required for numerous sports.

However, while dumbbell sets are one of the best and easiest bits of home gym kit to snap up, they weren’t all created equal. Generally speaking, for most people’s home workout needs, a rubber-coated ‘fixed dumbbell’ set is going to be the best bet: these tend to be the most durable and forgiving to fragile floors.

As with any exercise equipment, the options are endless and choosing the right type for you can be bewildering. Which is why we’ve pulled this list together: to help you find the best dumbbell set for your own home workout needs.

Best dumbbell sets for home workouts

Best for

Huge weight range	Jordan Fitness Premium Urethane Dumbbells
Premium feel	Eleiko Vulcano Dumbbell
User-friendly design	Blk Box Rubber Hex Dumbbells
Beginners	Corength Hex Dumbbell
Sweaty workouts	Mirafit Rubber Dumbbell Set
Hard floors	DKN Rubber Hex Dumbbells

1. Jordan Fitness Premium Urethane Dumbbells

Best for huge weight range

Pros:

• Excellent weight range
• Floor-friendly design

Cons:

• Expensive

Grip: 5/5
Durability: 4.5/5
Weight range: 5/5
OVERALL: 5/5

Buy now

These durable urethane dumbbells can be picked up in pairs, all the way up to a monstrous 165lb (75kg). Granted, that’s if you have a cool $1,553 (£1,260) to spare, but if money is no object there really is no better option if you want to shift serious tin.

Equally, if you have floors prone to damage when heavy things are dropped on them, the rubber coating to these premium-quality dumbbells can set your mind at rest.

There’s also steel underneath that urethane, which has been heat treated with a handle that offers plenty of metal to grab onto. And while these are going to appeal to experienced gym-goers who want to lift big, but there’s also a good range of weight options for less seasoned lifters.

2. Eleiko Vulcano Dumbbell

Best for premium feel

Pros:

• High-grade appearance
• Floor-friendly design

Cons:

• Expensive for a set
  

Grip: 5/5
Durability: 5/5
Weight range: 4.5/5
OVERALL: 5/5

Buy now

Eleiko’s Vulcano dumbbell sets don’t come cheap, especially as they’re sold individually. You do get what you pay for, though, in a well-constructed dumbbell that will work for whatever workout you throw at it.

The dumbbells feature chrome steel handles that are sloped and knurled to make sure you can get a good grip even with sweaty hands, while handle length and diameter are accommodating for both smaller and bigger gripping styles.

The ends are coated in protective polyurethane, which softens the sound if you accidentally drop the dumbbells onto the floor. That makes them better suited to home workouts, particularly if you’ve got hard floors and are worried about potential scuffing. Plus, it’s a nice bonus that the polyurethane outer shouldn’t give off any bad smells when sweat comes into play.

From curls to squats to bent-over rows, you have something well-equipped to cover the key dumbbell exercise bases, and with weight options ranging from 2.2lb to 88lb (1kg to 40kg), you have the scope to go light or lift heavy.

It’s going to be pricey to assemble a dumbbell set, but if you just need a single or pair for home use, Eleiko’s Vulcano stands out for all the right reasons.

3. Blk Box Rubber Hex Dumbbells

Best for user-friendly design

Pros:

• Big weight range
• Sturdy hex design
• High-quality build

Cons: 

• Pairs of heavier weights can be expensive

Grip: 4.5/5
Durability: 5/5
Weight range: 5/5
OVERALL: 4.5/5

Buy now

These heavy-duty fixed hex dumbbells go all the way up to 132lb (60kg), making them strong options for anyone that wants serious weight to hand. The cast iron frame is covered in rubber to protect floors, and there’s chrome-plated knurled handles to get a good hold of.

That hex-style design means they’re not going to roll around, making them well suited to press-up style exercises – think renegade rows or dumbbell press-up. Plus, the lighter weights won’t break the bank – although the dumbbells are sold individually, so a pair of the heavier options is going to set you pack several hundred pounds ($375 / £300 for two 132lb / 60kg weights).

However, compared to other options in this list, that is surprisingly good value.

4. Corength Hex Dumbbell

Best for beginners

Pros:

• Affordable
• Stable design perfect for floor exercises

Cons:

• Relatively light weight range

Grip: 5/5
Durability: 5/5
Weight range: 4/5
OVERALL: 4.5/5

Buy now

This fixed dumbbell from Decathlon’s Corength brand wraps its iron frame up in rubber for a more stable design compared to round plates. It works well for dedicated weight training and functional workouts.

There’s a good-sized metal, knurled handle to wrap your hands around, although weight options range from 2.5kg-22.5kg, so it definitely sits at the lighter end of the weight spectrum. The hex plate design makes this range ideal for floor-based dumbbell exercises, because the flat sides of the weights will stay put as you work away.

They feel built to last and you’re safe in the knowledge that when you put them down and away after a session, they’re still going to be there when you need to go again.

5. Mirafit Rubber Dumbbell Set

Best for sweaty workouts

Pros:

• Good grip
• Sturdy design

Cons:

• Expensive for heavier weights
• Weight range could be better

Grip: 5/5
Durability: 5/5
Weight range: 4/5
OVERALL: 4.5/5

Buy now

These come in pairs, with the heaviest weighing in at 35kg per dumbbell. The rubber coating on the weights mean they’re kinder to hard floors and the knurled steel handle offers a strong and durable place to grip.

You can also pick them up in sets if you want a greater variety of weights (a set of 5kg-30kg at 2.5kg increments will set you back a cool £999.95) and Mirafit even makes racks for your dumbbell set, to give you that proper gym feel at home.

6. DKN Rubber Hex Dumbbells

Best for hard floors

Pros:

• Stable design
• Good looks

Cons:

• Limited weight range

Grip: 4.5/5
Durability: 5/5
Weight range: 4/5
OVERALL: 4/5

Buy now

DKN’s hex dumbbell sets come in pairs up to 30kg per dumbbell. That hex design means they’ll stay put in-between sets and there’s solid steel handles with a knurled pattern to provide a reliable grip even when you start to sweat.

That rubber coating ensures a good amount of durability, too, and won’t do damage to your floor should you accidentally drop them.

What makes a good dumbbell?

When it comes to investing in a dumbbell set, there are a few key points you should be looking out for. Firstly, we recommend looking for an option with a good weight range, as this will allow you to progress to heavier weights as you get stronger, or try out different weights for different exercises.