Schisler Eagle Head Vintage Weight Plates

Name: Schisler Eagle Head Vintage Weight Plates
Brand: Schisler
Rating: 4.73 (5 reviews)

Schisler Eagle Head Vintage Weight Plates are spokeless, deep-dish Olympic plates made by Buckeye Barbell of Columbus, Ohio – a company founded by four nationally ranked powerlifting brothers that produced barbells and weight sets through the 1980s and into the 1990s before closing. The Eagle Head line, the brand’s best-known design, is instantly recognizable for the eagle-head emblem and distinctive retro lettering cast into the face, offered in gray, metallic blue, or black finishes. Despite the patriotic emblem, the plates were manufactured overseas (likely Taiwan) – a point of debate among vintage-iron collectors, some of whom discount the value for that reason. As a decades-discontinued line, they’re bought and sold entirely on the collector/resale market rather than through any current retail channel, and have become one of the most sought-after designs in vintage weight collecting for their distinctive look.

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

Finishes	Gray, metallic blue, or black -- blue is the most sought-after colorway among collectors
Markings	Weight marked in both lbs and kg (e.g. 45 lb / 20.4 kg)
Material	Cast iron
Dish depth	~1.6in (shallower than genuine 2in deep-dish designs like York or Weider)
Plate style	Spokeless deep-dish Olympic plate with eagle-head emblem and retro lettering
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 some 45s run noticeably overweight
Fit on a barbell	Moderate play/slop reported on a standard Olympic bar
Available weights	45, 35, 25, and 10 lb deep-dish plates, plus 5 and 2.5 lb change plates
Production origin	Manufactured overseas (likely Taiwan) despite the American eagle emblem

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 Eagle Head Vintage Weight Plates	Le Master Deep dish barbell plates	6-Shooter Olympic Grip Plates	5 LB Set Color Fractional Plates
GymRadar rating	4.73/5	4.72/5	4.71/5	4.75/5
Price		$231.00	$207.00	$44.99
Finishes	Gray, metallic blue, or black -- blue is the most sought-after colorway among collectors
Markings	Weight marked in both lbs and kg (e.g. 45 lb / 20.4 kg)
Material	Cast iron	Cast from 90%+ post-consumer, post-military recycled steel
Dish depth	~1.6in (shallower than genuine 2in deep-dish designs like York or Weider)
Plate style	Spokeless deep-dish Olympic plate with eagle-head emblem and retro lettering
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 some 45s run noticeably overweight
Fit on a barbell	Moderate play/slop reported on a standard Olympic bar
Available weights	45, 35, 25, and 10 lb deep-dish plates, plus 5 and 2.5 lb change plates
Production origin	Manufactured overseas (likely Taiwan) despite the American eagle emblem

4.7/5 · 5 GymRadar reviews

Reviews by source

Expert	4.73/5	5 reviews
Youtube	4.0/5	3 reviews
Reddit	4.6/5	6 reviews

Schisler Eagle Head plates are 1980s-90s deep-dish Olympic plates from Buckeye Barbell (Columbus, Ohio), instantly recognizable for the eagle-head emblem and retro lettering on the face, in gray, metallic blue, or black. Its standout dimension is versatility as a collector’s centerpiece: reviewers and the r/Vintageweights/r/homegym community consistently call the look unmatched among vintage plates, driving strong secondary-market demand (a pair of 45s trades around $400). Its weakest dimension is build quality: at roughly 1.6in thick, the deep dish is noticeably shallower than genuine 2in designs like York, Weider, or Jackson; owners report moderate play on the bar, occasional casting flaws, and – despite the patriotic eagle emblem – overseas (likely Taiwanese) manufacture that some collectors weigh against the plates. Weight accuracy is generally within a quarter to half pound, though reviewers note some 45s running noticeably overweight. 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.

+Versatility: unmistakable eagle-head emblem and retro lettering -- reviewers say it draws more attention than any other vintage plate design (YouTube: Home Gym History; YouTube: VintageWeightsPGH)
+Value: strong and rising collector demand, with a pair of 45s trading around $400 (YouTube: Home Gym History)
+Functionality: weight accuracy generally within a quarter to half pound on most plates (YouTube: VintageWeightsPGH)
+Versatility: available in three distinct colorways (gray, metallic blue, black), with blue singled out by both reviewers and the Reddit community as the most desirable (YouTube: VintageWeightsPGH; r/Vintageweights)
+Value: consistently described as beautiful and a rare/valuable find across Reddit's vintage-weight community (r/homegym; r/Vintageweights)

−Build quality: deep dish is shallower than genuine 2in designs at roughly 1.6in, more in line with lower-tier vintage plates (YouTube: VintageWeightsPGH)
−Build quality: moderate play/slop on a standard Olympic barbell (YouTube: Home Gym History; YouTube: VintageWeightsPGH)
−Durability: occasional casting flaws on individual plates (YouTube: VintageWeightsPGH)
−Functionality: some 45 lb plates run meaningfully overweight of their marked weight (YouTube: VintageWeightsPGH)
−Value: discontinued since the 1990s with no manufacturer or retailer left -- only available on the resale/collector market, and some collectors discount the value for overseas manufacture despite the American eagle emblem (YouTube: Home Gym History)