Ivanko Unbranded Vintage Weight Plates

Name: Ivanko Unbranded Vintage Weight Plates
Brand: Ivanko
Rating: 4.29 (7 reviews)

This is Ivanko’s original unbranded Olympic plate: a classic three-spoke cast-iron design, often associated with West Coast gyms, that predates the branded “Ivanko” Olympic mark the company later added to its plates. Compared to Ivanko’s modern machined lines, these carry a deeper recess around the hub. The design has been out of production for decades – Ivanko’s current catalog no longer lists an unbranded or three-spoke SKU – so it’s found today only on the used/vintage secondhand market, not through any current retailer.

Owner sentiment on GymRadar (4.29/5 across 7 reviews) is consistently positive on look and value: reviewers describe it as an affordable, good-looking entry point into vintage iron, often picked up for well under a dollar a pound and clangier/more characterful than modern bumper plates. The main open question is weight accuracy – because these are decades-old secondhand castings with no calibration standard, owners report a real spread, from “within 2% of nominal” on a well-kept refinished set to a nominal 45 lb plate actually weighing 43-47 lb on another. Buyers sourcing a set on the used market should also watch for confusion with the similar-looking but less-sought “skinny script” unbranded plates from the same era.

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

Bore	Olympic, 2" (standard Olympic barbell fit)
Material	Cast iron
Grip style	Three-spoke integrated handles with a recessed hub, deeper than Ivanko's modern machined plates
Availability	Used/vintage secondhand market only -- no current manufacturer or retailer sells it new
Thickness 45lb	1 5/8" per an owner's measurement -- thinner than a true deep-dish plate
Weight accuracy	Unregulated/varies by set -- owners report anywhere from within 2% of nominal to roughly 4-4.5% off on decades-old secondhand plates
Production status	Discontinued -- Ivanko's original unbranded casting, predating the branded Olympic mark; not in current production or catalog

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

	Ivanko Unbranded Vintage Weight Plates	Weider Hammertone Olympic Plates	BalanceFrom Olympic Bumper Plate Weight Plate with Steel Hub, Color Coded
GymRadar rating	4.29/5	4.05/5	3.86/5
Price		$48.99	$54.99
Bore	Olympic, 2" (standard Olympic barbell fit)
Material	Cast iron	Cast iron
Grip style	Three-spoke integrated handles with a recessed hub, deeper than Ivanko's modern machined plates
Availability	Used/vintage secondhand market only -- no current manufacturer or retailer sells it new
Thickness 45lb	1 5/8" per an owner's measurement -- thinner than a true deep-dish plate
Weight accuracy	Unregulated/varies by set -- owners report anywhere from within 2% of nominal to roughly 4-4.5% off on decades-old secondhand plates
Production status	Discontinued -- Ivanko's original unbranded casting, predating the branded Olympic mark; not in current production or catalog

4.3/5 · 7 GymRadar reviews

Reviews by source

Expert

4.29/5

7 reviews

A discontinued three-spoke Ivanko design – the brand’s original unbranded plate before the Olympic mark was added – that owners on GymRadar rate highly (4.29/5 across 7 reviews) for its classic vintage look and lower price versus branded Ivanko, though it’s now found only on the used/vintage market rather than through any current retailer. Value is the standout dimension: owners consistently describe it as an affordable entry point into vintage iron, often bought well under a dollar a pound. Functionality is the weakest dimension – reviewers split sharply on weight accuracy, with one owner reporting a 45 lb set running 43-47 lb (up to 4.4% off) against another who says theirs stay within 2%, a spread likely explained by decades of variable wear and no calibration standard across secondhand sets.

+Value: routinely available for less than branded Ivanko plates, with owners citing prices around a dollar a pound or less on the used market (GymRadar)
+Build quality: solid iron with good hole tolerances and a clean, classic three-spoke design most owners find visually appealing (GymRadar)
+Durability: decades-old sets are still in daily use and owners say they "age well" and gain character with use rather than degrading (GymRadar)
+Functionality: at least one owner reports a refinished set accurate to within 2% of nominal weight (GymRadar)
+Versatility: standard Olympic 2" bore fits any Olympic barbell, and the plates double as a way to build a vintage-look setup piecemeal over time (GymRadar)

−Functionality: one owner reports a nominal 45 lb set actually running 43-47 lb, a 4.4% spread, calling the plates "wildly inaccurate" (GymRadar)
−Build quality: measurably thinner than true deep-dish plates -- a 45 lb plate measured 1 5/8" thick in one review (GymRadar)
−Value: no current manufacturer or retailer sale channel exists -- pricing and availability depend entirely on the used/vintage secondhand market
−Functionality: buyers need to actively distinguish this specific unbranded Ivanko casting from similar-looking "skinny script" unbranded plates when shopping listings, since the two are easily confused (YouTube: VintageWeightsPGH)
−Durability: no independent editorial or long-term wear testing exists in this KB -- all signal is a small sample of 7 GymRadar owner reviews