1.25LB Dumbbell Fractional Weight Plates

Name: 1.25LB Dumbbell Fractional Weight Plates
Brand: Micro Gainz
Rating: 4.81 (21 reviews)

Micro Gainz’s 1.25lb Dumbbell Fractional Weight Plates are clamp-on micro-loading plates for dumbbell training, sold as a 2-piece pack that adds 2.5lb total (1.25lb per side) to a compatible dumbbell handle. A patented internal-spring, riveted clamp grips the handle without tools, and each plate is machined from sintered steel to a tight +/-10 gram tolerance. The line is built for lifters running a linear-progression program who want smaller jumps than a gym’s fixed dumbbell increments allow, letting a single pair of dumbbells stand in for several sizes instead of buying more weight. Plates ship in a range of colors, are made in the USA, and carry a 1-year warranty plus a 30-day money-back guarantee.

Buying guide

Best Weight Plates for Your Home Gym — July 2026 Bumper Plates or Iron Plates? How to Pick Your First Set — July 2026 Do You Need Calibrated or Competition Plates? — July 2026 How Much Do Weight Plates Cost Per Pound? — July 2026 What Weight Set Should a Beginner Buy? — July 2026 Will Dropping Weights Damage Your Floor? — July 2026

Origin	Made in USA
Diameter	4.25 in
Material	Sintered steel, powder coated
Warranty	1-year warranty, 30-day money-back guarantee
Thickness	3/8 in
Clamp design	Patented internal-spring clamp, riveted construction
Compatibility	Most standard dumbbell handles
Weight per plate	1.25 lb (2.5 lb added per dumbbell as a pair)
Weight tolerance	+/-10 grams

What is a Weight Plate?

What weight plates are

Weight plates load your barbell — but “plate” covers two very different tools. Bumper plates are rubber discs around a steel hub, all the same ~450mm diameter, built to be dropped from overhead without damaging your floor or bar; they’re the default for Olympic lifting and CrossFit. Iron/steel plates are denser and thinner per pound, cheaper, and quieter to load, but most aren’t made to be dropped — better for slow, controlled powerlifting-style work.

What actually matters

Bumper vs. iron. Buy bumpers if the bar might hit the floor; iron (or rubber-coated iron) for controlled lifts and compact loading.
Weight tolerance. How far a plate strays from its stated weight (±1% is tight, ±3% loose). It barely matters for general training but adds up if you chase a specific total — which is why serious lifters add small change / fractional plates.
Collar fit & bounce. The center hole should fit your bar’s sleeve snugly; rubber durometer (around 88 Shore A) controls how “dead” a dropped plate lands.
Coating & set composition. Virgin rubber holds up and smells less than recycled crumb rubber; plan a starting set (usually a pair each of 45/25/10/5 lb plus change plates) around the lifts you actually do.

Who it’s for

Every barbell gym needs plates. Most home lifters should start with a bumper set, then add iron, change, or specialty plates as a second purchase once they know what their training is missing.

How it compares

	1.25LB Dumbbell Fractional Weight Plates	Thor Barbell Vintage Weight Plates	Ivanko Chrome OMC Vintage Weight Plates	Savage Bumper Plates
GymRadar rating	4.81/5	4.8/5	4.83/5	4.83/5
Price	$54.99		$65.00	$94.00
Origin	Made in USA	Canada
Diameter	4.25 in
Material	Sintered steel, powder coated	Cast iron	Cast iron with chrome-plated finish	100% virgin rubber, low-odor; tiger-stripe color-through pattern with raised (not painted) lettering
Warranty	1-year warranty, 30-day money-back guarantee
Thickness	3/8 in
Clamp design	Patented internal-spring clamp, riveted construction
Compatibility	Most standard dumbbell handles
Weight per plate	1.25 lb (2.5 lb added per dumbbell as a pair)
Weight tolerance	+/-10 grams		Historically within -0%/+2% on Ivanko's Olympic-machined line; individual vintage sets may run outside this depending on wear

4.8/5 · 21 GymRadar reviews

Reviews by source

Expert	4.81/5	21 reviews
Youtube	4.7/5	4 reviews
Reddit	4.6/5	3 reviews

Micro Gainz’s 1.25lb dumbbell fractional plates do what they promise: clamp onto a dumbbell handle via a patented torsion-spring mechanism and add a precise 1.25lb (2.5lb per pair) increment for progressive overload. Coverage converges strongly positive across independent sources – GymRadar’s sizeable sample (4.81/5, n=21), Garage Gym Lab’s SKU-specific review (9.4/10), and four independent YouTube reviewers all praise the secure clamp and machining accuracy, echoed by owners on r/homegym. Functionality is the standout dimension – the spring clamp holds through heavy sets without loosening – while value is the weakest: shoppers note the $54.99 pair price is steep next to plain iron, and the thicker stacked-pair configuration doesn’t fit some adjustable-dumbbell shafts.

+Functionality: the torsion-spring clamp holds securely through heavy sets without working loose, even under stacked-plate loads (Garage Gym Lab; YouTube: Camber Fitness)
+Build quality: sintered-steel plates machined to a tight +/-10 gram tolerance (manufacturer product page; Garage Gym Lab)
+Value: a $54.99 pair lets one dumbbell stand in for several sizes -- one reviewer estimated it saved him buying an entire extra set of dumbbells (YouTube: Camber Fitness; YouTube: Carp's Gym)
+Versatility: fits most standard 1-inch dumbbell handles and doubles as an add-on for kettlebells per owner reports (manufacturer product page; r/homegym)
+Durability: backed by a 1-year warranty, with a reviewer reporting the clamp held up daily across a full year of client use with no failures (Garage Gym Lab; YouTube: Nick Bardsley)

−Versatility: the thicker 2.5lb-stacked configuration doesn't fit certain adjustable-dumbbell brands (NUOBELL, PowerBlock, Pepin) due to shaft-length limits (Garage Gym Lab)
−Value: some shoppers consider Micro Gainz's pricing steep relative to plain iron plates (Garage Gym Reviews)
−Functionality: the plate's edge can press uncomfortably against the thumb or hand during heavy curls for users with larger hands (Garage Gym Lab; YouTube: Camber Fitness)
−Value: independent editorial coverage is a mix of family-level (Garage Gym Reviews covers the broader fractional-plate line, not this exact SKU) and SKU-specific (Garage Gym Lab) reviews, rather than several dedicated write-ups of this pack

$54.99

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