Schisler Deep Dish Vintage Weight Plates

Name: Schisler Deep Dish Vintage Weight Plates
Brand: Schisler
Rating: 4.53 (5 reviews)

Schisler’s tri-spoke “Centennial” plates are 1980s-90s deep-dish Olympic weight sets from Buckeye Barbell (Columbus, Ohio) – a company founded by four nationally ranked powerlifting brothers that also produced the brand’s better-known eagle-head-emblem plates before closing in the 1990s. A complete 310 lb set (advertised for $209 in a 1988 Muscle & Fitness spread) paired 45/35/25/10 lb deep-dish plates and 5/2.5 lb change plates with an 86in Olympic bar and leather-lined spin-lock collars, and was also offered in “Prestige” pewter-gray and “Executive” mirror-chrome finishes alongside this black-enamel “Centennial” version. The 45s cast “Schisler” into the face, the 35s/25s read “Olympia Standard Barbell,” and the smaller change plates carry only the weight number. As a decades-discontinued line, it’s bought and sold entirely on the collector/resale market rather than through any current retail channel.

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

Finish	High-gloss black enamel coating (also offered in "Prestige" pewter gray and "Executive" mirror chrome finishes)
Collars	Spin-lock collars with leather lining
Markings	45s cast "Schisler"; 35s/25s cast "Olympia Standard Barbell"; 10/5/2.5 lb change plates unmarked apart from the weight number
Plate style	Tri-spoke deep-dish Olympic plate ("Centennial" set); no eagle-head emblem
Availability	Discontinued -- collector/resale market only, no current manufacturer or retailer listing
Manufacturer	Buckeye Barbell / Schisler, Columbus, Ohio -- founded by four nationally ranked powerlifting brothers
Hole diameter	2in Olympic
Production era	1980s-1990s; company closed in the 1990s
Weight accuracy	Generally within a quarter to half pound of marked weight, though the 45s run noticeably off and can show casting flaws
Historical price	$209 for the complete 310 lb set as advertised in Muscle & Fitness magazine (1988); not a current price
Included barbell	86in "high alloy heat treated" Olympic bar, generic end bolts (no end caps/split sleeve), no center knurling
Available weights	45, 35, 25, and 10 lb deep-dish plates, plus 5 and 2.5 lb change plates (a 310 lb set also included two 2.5 kg plates)

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

	Schisler Deep Dish Vintage Weight Plates	LB Economy Black Bumper Plates	Calibrated Chromed Plates - Silver	Olympic Machined E-Z Lift Plate w/Round Openings \| OMEZH
GymRadar rating	4.53/5	4.53/5	4.53/5	4.54/5
Price		$449.97	$3,229.00	$79.00
Finish	High-gloss black enamel coating (also offered in "Prestige" pewter gray and "Executive" mirror chrome finishes)		Silver / chrome (color-coded by weight)
Collars	Spin-lock collars with leather lining
Markings	45s cast "Schisler"; 35s/25s cast "Olympia Standard Barbell"; 10/5/2.5 lb change plates unmarked apart from the weight number
Plate style	Tri-spoke deep-dish Olympic plate ("Centennial" set); no eagle-head emblem
Availability	Discontinued -- collector/resale market only, no current manufacturer or retailer listing
Manufacturer	Buckeye Barbell / Schisler, Columbus, Ohio -- founded by four nationally ranked powerlifting brothers
Hole diameter	2in Olympic
Production era	1980s-1990s; company closed in the 1990s
Weight accuracy	Generally within a quarter to half pound of marked weight, though the 45s run noticeably off and can show casting flaws
Historical price	$209 for the complete 310 lb set as advertised in Muscle & Fitness magazine (1988); not a current price
Included barbell	86in "high alloy heat treated" Olympic bar, generic end bolts (no end caps/split sleeve), no center knurling
Available weights	45, 35, 25, and 10 lb deep-dish plates, plus 5 and 2.5 lb change plates (a 310 lb set also included two 2.5 kg plates)

4.5/5 · 5 GymRadar reviews

Reviews by source

Expert	4.53/5	5 reviews
Youtube	4.0/5	1 reviews

Schisler’s tri-spoke “Centennial” plates are 1980s-90s deep-dish Olympic iron from Buckeye Barbell (Columbus, Ohio) – the same nationally-ranked powerlifter-founded maker behind the brand’s more famous eagle-head design, but in a plainer three-spoke pattern with “Olympia Standard Barbell” lettering on the 35s/25s and unmarked 10/5/2.5 lb change plates. Its standout dimension is value: a reviewer who restored a full 310 lb set called it worth picking up at current secondary-market prices, with an easy-to-grip deep dish and weight accuracy generally within a quarter to half pound. Its weakest dimension is build quality: the accompanying 86in bar has generic end bolts and no center knurling despite being designed by powerlifters, and the 45 lb plates specifically show casting flaws and run noticeably off their marked weight. As a decades-discontinued line from a company that closed in the 1990s, it’s bought and sold entirely on the collector/resale market rather than through any current retail channel.

+Value: reviewer recommends picking the set up at current market prices despite its flaws (YouTube: VintageWeightsPGH)
+Functionality: plates other than the 45s are accurate within a quarter to half pound of marked weight (YouTube: VintageWeightsPGH)
+Functionality: deep dish design is easy to grip on the bar (YouTube: VintageWeightsPGH)
+Versatility: 310 lb set spans 45/35/25/10 lb plates plus 5 and 2.5 lb change plates for fine loading (YouTube: VintageWeightsPGH)
+Value: same manufacturer and era as the highly sought-after Eagle Head line, appealing to the same vintage-iron collector demand (Garage Gym Experiment)

−Build quality: accompanying 86in bar has generic end bolts and no center knurling -- "the weakest part of the set" (YouTube: VintageWeightsPGH)
−Durability: 45 lb plates specifically show casting flaws in the cast lettering (YouTube: VintageWeightsPGH)
−Functionality: 45 lb plates run noticeably off their declared weight, unlike the rest of the set (YouTube: VintageWeightsPGH)
−Build quality: 10/5/2.5 lb change plates are unmarked, making them hard to identify at a glance (YouTube: VintageWeightsPGH)
−Value: discontinued since the 1990s -- collector/resale market only, no manufacturer or retailer left (YouTube: VintageWeightsPGH; Garage Gym Experiment)