Weider Hammertone Olympic Plates

Name: Weider Hammertone Olympic Plates
Brand: Weider
Rating: 4.05 (7 reviews)

Weider’s Hammertone Olympic Plates are a budget cast-iron plate line sold individually across a wide weight range (2.5-50 lb) and as pre-packaged barbell sets, through mass retailers like Walmart and Home Depot rather than direct from Weider. The standout feature is a 3-spoke grab-handle design cast into every plate – reviewers consistently find it easier to load, unload, and carry than a typical single-lip plate, and the handles double for carries and halo-style movements. The tradeoff is manufacturing consistency typical of this price tier: multiple buyers report plates running under their stated weight, paint chipping or a strong chemical odor out of the box, and at least one report of a plate cracking at the collar. The outer diameter also runs about an inch smaller than true Olympic/bumper plates, which shows up as a bar-height deficit when mixed with standard-diameter plates. For a casual home setup prioritizing price and easy handling over tight tolerances, it’s a reasonable pick; buyers who need calibrated accuracy or plan to mix it with true Olympic-diameter plates should look elsewhere.

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	Hammertone coating (gray)
Sold by	Mass retailers (Walmart, Home Depot); no direct manufacturer storefront
Material	Cast iron
Sleeve size	2" Olympic standard
Diameter note	Outer diameter runs roughly 1 inch smaller than true Olympic/bumper plates
Handle design	3-spoke grab handles cast into each plate, for easier loading/unloading and use as carry weights
Weight tolerance	Inconsistent per buyer reports -- some plates weighed meaningfully under their stated weight
Available weights	2.5, 5, 10, 25, 35, 45, and 50 lb, sold individually or as pre-packaged sets (e.g. 210 lb, 300 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

	Weider Hammertone Olympic Plates	Calibrated LB Steel Plates 2.0 - Black	Old School Iron Plates	Calibrated LB Steel Plates 2.0 - Chrome
GymRadar rating	4.05/5	4.06/5	4.03/5	4.07/5
Price	$48.99	$1,200.00	$22.50	$1,453.00
Finish	Hammertone coating (gray)
Sold by	Mass retailers (Walmart, Home Depot); no direct manufacturer storefront
Material	Cast iron	ductile cast iron, black E-Coat on raised surfaces/lettering with bold white lettering (back, sides, and markings precision-machined before coating)	cast iron (unmachined casting, left as-cast), matte black coating with raised silver lettering	ductile cast iron, chrome-plated on raised surfaces/lettering (back, sides, and markings precision-machined before plating)
Sleeve size	2" Olympic standard
Diameter note	Outer diameter runs roughly 1 inch smaller than true Olympic/bumper plates
Handle design	3-spoke grab handles cast into each plate, for easier loading/unloading and use as carry weights
Weight tolerance	Inconsistent per buyer reports -- some plates weighed meaningfully under their stated weight
Available weights	2.5, 5, 10, 25, 35, 45, and 50 lb, sold individually or as pre-packaged sets (e.g. 210 lb, 300 lb)

4.1/5 · 7 GymRadar reviews

Reviews by source

Expert	4.05/5	7 reviews
Youtube	4.5/5	2 reviews

Weider’s Hammertone Olympic Plates are a budget-friendly way to fill out a barbell across a wide weight range, and their standout feature is the 3-spoke grab-handle design – reviewers consistently call it easier to load, unload, and carry than a typical lipped plate, to the point that at least one reviewer rates it above other grip-style plates on ease of handling alone. The weakest dimension is durability and build consistency: multiple buyers report plates running meaningfully under their stated weight, flaking paint with a strong out-of-box odor, and in one case a plate cracking at the collar. Value is solid for a casual home setup, but the outer diameter runs about an inch under true Olympic/bumper plates, so buyers stacking them alongside standard plates will notice a deficit in bar height.

+Functionality: 3-spoke grab handles make loading, unloading, and carrying noticeably easier than lipped plates (YouTube: bench175; Walmart reviews)
+Versatility: handles double for carries and halo-style movements, and the line spans 2.5-50 lb so it covers most home-barbell needs (Walmart reviews)
+Build quality: solid, non-hollow cast iron construction rather than a hollow shell (Walmart reviews; Amazon reviews)
+Value: priced well below comparable Olympic plates, with individual plates available from about $49 (25 lb) at retail (retailer pricing research)

−Durability: multiple buyers report plates running under their stated weight, in one case averaging about 0.8 lb light across a 45 lb sample (Walmart reviews)
−Build quality: paint chipping on first use and a strong chemical odor out of the box on some units (Walmart reviews; Amazon reviews)
−Durability: at least one report of a plate cracking at the collar and shedding sharp cast-iron fragments (Walmart reviews)
−Functionality: outer diameter runs about 1 inch smaller than true Olympic/bumper plates, creating a bar-height deficit when mixed with standard plates (Walmart reviews; Amazon reviews)

$48.99

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