Olympic Bumper Plates

Name: Olympic Bumper Plates
Brand: Northern Lights
Rating: 5.0 (4 reviews)

The Northern Lights Olympic Bumper Plates are the brand’s standard rubber bumper line, sold individually across six weights (10, 15, 25, 35, 45, and 55 lb) with a 2” stainless-steel insert for a snug fit on Olympic bars. Northern Lights is a Canadian manufacturer based in Cornwall, Ontario; the plates carry a matte black finish, raised lettering, and a resilient rubber shell built to protect flooring and hold up to repeated drops with minimal bounce. Reviewers who’ve handled the plates found their 17.625” diameter lines up closely with other-brand steel and bumper plates, letting them mix cleanly into an existing set, and note the line undercuts pricier competitors on price. The 45 lb and up plates carry a 1-year warranty against manufacturing defects, though the cheapest 10-15 lb plates carry a shorter 3-month warranty and were flagged by retailer staff as noticeably less durable than the heavier weights.

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

Color	Black with raised lettering
Sold as	Individual plates (not sets)
Diameter	17.625" (45 lb; consistent across the line per manufacturer copy)
Material	Rubber shell over a steel core
Warranty	1 year (45-55 lb); 3 months (10-15 lb)
Sleeve size	2" Olympic standard (stainless-steel insert)
Manufacturer	Northern Lights Fitness Products
45 lb thickness	3.75"
Available weights	10 lb, 15 lb, 25 lb, 35 lb, 45 lb, 55 lb

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

	Olympic Bumper Plates	Micro Gainz Multi-Color Olympic Size Fractional Weight Plates Set	Atlas Barbell Vintage Weight Plates	4SPORT Olympic Fractional Plates
GymRadar rating	5.0/5	5.0/5	5.0/5	5.0/5
Price	$48.08	$44.99		$31.94
Color	Black with raised lettering
Sold as	Individual plates (not sets)
Diameter	17.625" (45 lb; consistent across the line per manufacturer copy)	3.5" (all plates)
Material	Rubber shell over a steel core	Sintered metal	Cast iron	Alloy steel
Warranty	1 year (45-55 lb); 3 months (10-15 lb)	30-day money-back guarantee
Sleeve size	2" Olympic standard (stainless-steel insert)	2" Olympic standard
Manufacturer	Northern Lights Fitness Products	Micro Gainz	Atlas Barbell (Canada) -- defunct, no longer manufactured	44Sports (brand: 44Sport / 4Sport)
45 lb thickness	3.75"
Available weights	10 lb, 15 lb, 25 lb, 35 lb, 45 lb, 55 lb		1.25 lb change plates up through 45 lb plates

5.0/5 · 4 GymRadar reviews

Reviews by source

Expert	5.0/5	4 reviews
Youtube	4.0/5	2 reviews

The Northern Lights Olympic Bumper Plates are a budget-tier rubber bumper line sold individually across six weights (10-55 lb), positioned by reviewers as an “affordable alternative” to premium bumpers. Value is the standout: the 45 lb plate runs well below flagship competitors, its 2” stainless insert slides smoothly onto the bar, and its diameter lines up closely enough with other brands (CAP steel plates) to mix cleanly into an existing set. Durability is the weakest dimension – the retailer’s own staff single out the cheaper 10 lb plates as noticeably less durable than the heavier weights, and beyond two brief unboxing videos there’s no independent long-term or drop-test coverage to confirm how the line holds up over time.

+Value: sold well below premium bumper lines -- $67.50 CAD (marked down from $90) for the 45 lb plate, called an "affordable alternative" by reviewers (YouTube: Danboarding)
+Functionality: 2" stainless-steel insert and standard Olympic sleeve slide onto the bar smoothly for a snug, near-perfect fit (YouTube: Tutor Brian)
+Versatility: diameter closely matches other-brand plates (CAP steel) and paired without issue on a Northern Lights barbell, so it mixes cleanly into an existing set (YouTube: Tutor Brian)
+Build quality: matte black finish with raised lettering and a clean stainless bore, no rubber odor out of the box (YouTube: Danboarding)

−Durability: the retailer's own staff flagged the cheaper 10 lb plates as noticeably less durable than the pricier weights, recommending care when dropping them (YouTube: Danboarding)
−Build quality: reviewers noted some play around the sleeve and a small gap when stacking two 45 lb plates together (YouTube: Danboarding, YouTube: Tutor Brian)
−Durability: no independent long-term or drop-test coverage exists beyond first-impressions unboxing videos, so wear-over-time is unverified
−Functionality: no expert or user reviews turned up for this exact plate -- the correct GymRadar listing shows zero submitted reviews, so claims rest on manufacturer copy and two brief unboxing videos

$48.08

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