Fitness Gear Weight Plates

Name: Fitness Gear Weight Plates
Brand: Fitness Gear
Rating: 2.9 (20 reviews)

Fitness Gear is Dick’s Sporting Goods’ in-house budget equipment brand, and its Olympic Cast Plates are the brand’s entry-level cast-iron plate line – sold individually (not in pairs) from 2.5 lb up to 45 lb, each with a standard 2” center hole for any Olympic barbell. Pricing runs a consistent ~$1.00 per pound across the whole range, with the line frequently discounted further in Dick’s store and online sales. Cast into each plate are grip handles offering 3 handle positions, meant to make loading and unloading a bar easier by hand.

An in-depth owner unboxing video (covering the 300 lb Fitness Gear Olympic set) measured every plate against a reference set and found weight accuracy tight – within about 0.6 lb of nominal across the board – but flagged that the 45 lb plate’s diameter runs roughly 2” smaller than a standard Olympic plate, which can throw off deadlift setup height without a lift block. r/homegym owners echo the same “no frills, does the job” verdict: multiple long-term owners call it a great value for a garage gym, while also noting rougher, unfinished casting trim and a looser (“wobbly”) fit on the barbell sleeve than machined premium plates, plus at least one report of a 45 lb plate landing a full pound under nominal in practice. There’s no independent editorial review of this specific house-brand line – expected for a budget in-store SKU – so the read here leans on that owner video and community consensus rather than a formal test.

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

Handles	Cast-in grip handles, 3 handle positions per plate
Material	Cast iron, painted finish
Center hole	2" (standard Olympic sleeve)
Weights available	2.5, 5, 10, 25, 35, 45 lb (sold individually)
45lb plate diameter	~2" smaller than a standard Olympic 45 lb plate, per an independent owner measurement -- may require a lift block for deadlifts
Measured weight accuracy	Within ~0.6 lb of nominal per an independent owner scale-check (one 45 lb plate reported ~1 lb under nominal in a separate r/homegym report)

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

	Fitness Gear Weight Plates	Fitvids Cast Iron 2-Inch Olympic Plate	Add-On Change Plate Pair	Fractional Iron Plates - 0.5 LB
GymRadar rating	2.9/5	3.11/5	2.59/5	3.22/5
Price	$2.99	$11.33	$30.00	$31.99
Handles	Cast-in grip handles, 3 handle positions per plate
Material	Cast iron, painted finish	Cast iron	Steel slug core, 4mm thick color-coded TPE rubber outer	Cast iron
Center hole	2" (standard Olympic sleeve)			52mm (fits standard 2" Olympic barbell sleeve)
Weights available	2.5, 5, 10, 25, 35, 45 lb (sold individually)		0.5 lb, 1.0 lb, 1.5 lb pairs; 6 lb complete set (one pair of each)
45lb plate diameter	~2" smaller than a standard Olympic 45 lb plate, per an independent owner measurement -- may require a lift block for deadlifts
Measured weight accuracy	Within ~0.6 lb of nominal per an independent owner scale-check (one 45 lb plate reported ~1 lb under nominal in a separate r/homegym report)

2.9/5 · 20 GymRadar reviews

Reviews by source

Expert	2.9/5	20 reviews
Youtube	4.0/5	1 reviews
Reddit	3.4/5	4 reviews

Fitness Gear’s Olympic Cast Plates are Dick’s Sporting Goods’ budget house-brand entry into cast iron – sold individually at roughly $1/lb, with no pretense of being a premium plate. Value is the standout dimension: a detailed owner unboxing video found weight accuracy tight (within ~0.6 lb of nominal), and long-time r/homegym owners consistently call them “no frills yet work fine” and a great deal for a garage gym. Build quality is the weakest dimension – rougher, unfinished casting trim and a looser (“wobbly”) barbell-sleeve fit than machined premium plates like REP’s Old School Iron Plates or Rogue’s cast iron – and GymRadar’s larger sample (2.9/5, n=20) reads more critical than the anecdotal owner sentiment, likely reflecting a wider mix of buyers who expected premium-plate tolerances at a budget price.

+Value: consistent ~$1.00/lb pricing across the line, frequently discounted further, cited repeatedly by r/homegym owners as a great deal for a garage gym
+Functionality: an independent owner scale-check found weight accuracy tight, within about 0.6 lb of nominal across a full 300 lb set (owner YouTube review)
+Durability: a 5-year owner reports the plates are "no frills yet work fine" with no functional degradation (r/homegym via pullpush.io)
+Versatility: standard 2" center hole fits any Olympic barbell, and each plate is sold individually so buyers can mix weights freely (product listing)

−Build quality: rougher, unfinished casting trim compared to machined premium plates -- "you could probably sand some of the casting trim" (r/homegym via pullpush.io)
−Build quality: a looser ("wobbly") fit on the barbell sleeve than premium brands, a recurring complaint among long-term owners (r/homegym via pullpush.io)
−Functionality: the 45 lb plate measures roughly 2" smaller in diameter than a standard Olympic 45 lb plate, which can throw off deadlift setup height (owner YouTube review)
−Value: GymRadar's larger independent sample (2.9/5, n=20) reads more critical than the anecdotal community sentiment, suggesting inconsistent quality across buyers (GymRadar)

$2.99

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