Finally just got to it and busted out this project. I ordered from Joe and got my replacement disc in a week! Great service and awesome quality, I’m 1000% going to buy the full disc replacement now that I have seen quality difference in the one I already got. I dropped ball bearing and springs and sure enough Joe has a video to fix that, thanks for the great video man. Cheers 🍻
Awesome, Julio. Thanks for sharing your experience, man, I appreciate it. Super stoked that you are happy with the quality too. I haven't published a video in months, but I do have some on the way. Wishing you and your family happy holidays and a happy new year!
Thanks so much for this video and making the replacement kits. Also thanks for adding the part of the video letting us know that we can sale our unbroken discs.
I'm glad you found the video helpful, Mike. As far as reselling the original discs, just keep in mind that as more people invest in my kits, they're also selling their old discs online these days. So sites like ebay are chock full of discs now. The vast majority of Bowflex owners aren't even aware yet that I exist. So there's still plenty of opportunity to resell OEM discs, but i suspect it may take a while. In short, it's not something that'll sell quickly unless they are priced dirt cheap. Cheers, Joe
This guy is a genius! I have replaced the disc on my 1090 at least twice with the originals and the cost of a few hundred dollars if you want the whole set. they break within weeks even if you take care of them. Joe is a godsend. I was losing my mind and at the point of dumping these and calling it a loss or trying this upgrade. I am so glad I did. They even look nicer and more sturdy with these aluminum disk. Installed in 10 minutes. Slid right in to the stack. I evened gave it a little more testing abuse than I would with the original disk.. its night and day. What was Bowflex thinking. These will definitely last a lifetime just buy them!
Man oh man how am I only just now seeing your feedback here? So sorry. I suck at this TH-cam comment stuff. Thanks for taking the time to let others know about your experience...i don't do any formal marketing so feedback from folks like you is really appreciated! I hope you're as happy with the upgrade today as you were that first week. Thanks again!
I just got my 1090 fix kit today 8.28.20, it was a breeze to install and very solid. It was well worth the wait. Can wait to see what other modifications Joe comes up with.
Awesome Erik, really appreciate the kind words, and support, and super happy that you're back to using your dumbbells safely. Stay tuned....more to come!
Hi, Julio. Sorry about the delayed reply. I was away on a trip for 5 weeks overseas with limited internet access. I'm back in the States now and playing catch up with filling orders and answering questions. Absolutely, yes. My upgrade kits have come a long way since that video. Visit my website www.averagejoeinnovations.com for more information. Cheers.
Turns out I already have one socket wrench and just need another one for $29. However, the nuts and bolts are so tight that I still am not confident to unscrew them. Joe, what do you say?
Hi again, please check out the links in my response to your other question. If you're in the States, you should be able to get a ratchet and socket for about $15 (plus tax/shipping where applicable), but even $29 is far less than the cost of a single dumbbell handle. If you discover that the nuts are on extremely tight, you'd need to find pipes that fit over your wrenches to increase their length (a.k.a. "cheater bars"). They'll allow you to apply more torque to the nuts to break them loose: th-cam.com/video/FtnogLf6C2A/w-d-xo.htmlsi=uEt_sFTkMGOCbK05&t=8. Once the nuts are loose you will not need to continue to use the pipes. You might want to enlist a third person to hold the dumbbell firmly on the table/ground, while two other people operate the ratchets. That way you and your son aren't trying to do both at the same time. Cheers, Joe
I just got my 1090 Discs yesterday! I installed them with the help of this video and couldn’t be happier. Thanks for the great product. Are we going to get an update on the custom end caps you have been working on?
Awesome! That's great news Andrew! End caps are still a ways out. I don't have an exact timeline yet...but a couple months minimum. I had put the selector dial design on-hold too after my father passed. I've been playing catch-up on existing orders for the past couple weeks. I did speak with the local shop owner this week about restarting the dial and end cap projects. Hope to get those going again shortly....at least the prototypes so I can test them out and film some sneak peek videos for you all. Stay tuned man!
Hello, i have two broken dumbbells and want to combine their parts to create a good one. But i cannot even unscrew the nuts because they are so tight. I dont have the professionaltools you showed in the first 2 minutes in the video, and I used two adjustable wrenches. My son and I each hold one side and rotate, and that doesn't work. I suspect it may cost more to buy the professional tools than buy a dumbbell no plates from Bowflex. What do you think?
Hi. It'll be virtually impossible to accomplish your goal with adjustable wrenches. There isn't enough space around the nut for the wrenches to grip and turn properly. I've seen someone manage to fit vise grips, but just barely. Sockets and ratchets are the way to go, especially if you know of anyone who'll loan the tools to you for an hour to do the swap. Alternatively, they can be purchased relatively inexpensively depending on where you live. You'd need two ratchets. For example: www.harborfreight.com/12-in-drive-composite-quick-release-ratchet-70147.html or www.amazon.com/Mr-Pen-10-Inch-Direction-Vanadium/dp/B086TZ5796 And two 19mm or 3/4" sockets like this: www.harborfreight.com/12-in-drive-19mm-deep-impact-socket-67788.html or www.amazon.com/DEWALT-PT-Drive-Socket-19/dp/B019YWU04K Somewhere around $30 usd total Definitely less than the cost of buying a new handle, but, again, that'll depend on where you live. I hope this was helpful. Cheers, Joe
Hey Tay. It works on OEM and knockoffs, and I do ship to Canada. Any other questions, feel free to shoot me an email at joe@averagejoeinnovations.com Wishing you and your family a Happy New Year!
Good evening. You can head over to my website: www.averagejoeinnovations.com for more information. You'll see my email there as well at the bottom of the page if you have questions. Cheers, Joe
Hiya, Jonathan. Sorry about the super late reply. I'm not on TH-cam often. I hope by now you've already figured it out without waiting for an answer from me. the second nut doesn't need to be loosened. If you head on over to my website I have installation videos. Check out Steps 4 and 5 to understand why you only need to loosen one nut/bolt. www.averagejoeinnovations.com/#installation My best guess is that Bowflex's assembly line jams the first nut/bolt on the shaft with an air tool. Then they assemble the handle, and tighten the second bolt/nut. 99.999% of the time, only one will loosen when you take them apart. To loosen the other one, I've had to place the dumbbell shaft into a vice. But again, there's no need to do that. Cheers, Joe
Not all 1090s start out exactly at 10 lbs from the factory. Most seem to be right around 10lbs, but I've encountered some customers with empty handles that weigh as little as 8lbs. I attribute that to inconsistencies across the various manufacturers. Some of my upgrades don't change the weight of the handle, while other upgrades add anywhere from a few ounces to a few pounds. The change in weight will depend on the combination of upgrades. Feel free to send me an email if you have more questions. Cheers, Joe
What's the chances this works on the "knock off" 1090's? Bought a set online and didn't realize they were knock offs until I received them, made due because of Covid though, was looking at this fix as they look identical from pictures though!
Heya Madison. My kits are in use on OEM and knockoffs for both 552 and 1090 all over the world at this point. My own OEM and knockoffs are all upgraded. It's less about whether yours are OEM or knockoffs and more about the nuance of your specific pair of dumbbells. Think of it this way...both the OEM and knockoff manufacturers aren't exactly making precision equipment. So even their own parts aren't perfectly interchangeable between their own dumbbells. It is possible to buy a used part on eBay that doesn't fit quite like it should because the dumbbell from which it came wasn't exactly like your own. I cover some of that craziness here: th-cam.com/video/FWIXejwvSys/w-d-xo.html And I have another video about the inconsistencies coming out soon. So a general rule of thumb is that my Disc Fix Kits and Locking Pin Kits will fit most OEM and knockoffs straight out of the box. But about 3-5% of customers to-date have to tweak their disc kits and pin kits to fit the quirks of their particular dumbbells. I discuss the various tweaks here: th-cam.com/video/Wum-k-1DXPA/w-d-xo.html and here: th-cam.com/video/p_MFrMN0ZAQ/w-d-xo.html. Yes, I know. It's definitely more than any of us ever thought we'd need to know about these dumbbells. In any case, feel free to hit me up at SelectTech.Fix@gmail.com if you have any other questions. And thanks for inquiring!
Hi Lou, I'll be sending out a more thorough update to email subscribers this evening....first 1090 U.S.-made kits begin shipping later this week all through next week and likely into the following week. These are all of the June and July preorders.
Hiya Mark. In a nutshell, SelectTechs are prone to dropping weight plates eventually. They slip out of the dumbbell handle for a variety of reasons, but the main one is that the discs holding the plates in the handle eventually begin to fail. Some folks experience this days or months after buying a pair. While other people claim to own them 10-15+ years with no issues. I personally experienced dropped weights on all of my 552 and 1090 pairs beginning back a few years ago (I own several pairs). I got tired of replacing the discs. And when I couldn't find a better fix than the crappy OEM parts, I decided to make my own. Folks eventually convinced me to make my fixes for them too. The rest is history.
@@Mark-te8ky Sadly, yes. Many people get "lucky" and the plates fall from the handle shortly after lifting them from the cradles. Some aren't so lucky and the plates fall at some point during a workout. Fortunately, over the past year, I've only learned about a dozen or so incidents that involved an injury. The rest were misses where the plates fell out of their handles, but nobody was injured. Mind you, I'm not talking about 10 plates simultaneously falling from the handle. I've never heard of that happening. Nor have I heard of 5 plates falling at once. It's usually 1 or 2...which is what I've experienced. But as you can imagine, even one is too many unless you're a gambling man...lol. Back about 9 years ago Bowflex issued a very limited scope product recall for dropped plates. They alleged to have identified a small number of affected 1090s and only for broken dials. They completely missed the boat. Dials do break, but a lot less frequently than discs. And this problem affects their entire product line including their new barbells. Generally speaking, quite a few people like the SelectTech. They just wish it was made better straight from the factory. If you're thinking, well, just buy a different brand. It's not that simple. I own other brands as well. several pairs of Powerblocks and Core. Each has its own shortcomings. I just happened to arbitrarily choose to fix my SelectTechs first. Later this summer I plan to begin fixing my PBs and Core too. Eventually I'll design my own adjustables to address the safety, durability and usability flaws of the brands currently on the market.
Hiya Steve. I know we've already communicated by email. I'm just letting other folks know that they can send an email to SelectTech.Fix@gmail.com for more info.
Hi Tu. The short answer is that I would not recommend it. I would love to say yes, but the challenge is the subjective term "lightly". One person's lightly is another person's not-so-lightly. My cast and machined wrought discs vastly outperform OEM discs under "ordinary circumstances"...which is to say during regular traditional dumbbell exercises. But dropping the dumbbells (or using them as pushup handles for exercises such as devil's press and renegade rows) exposes them to significantly higher dynamic forces than anything encountered during ordinary exercises. The following is a more detailed explanation if you have a couple minutes to read it. When I made these discs and pins for my own dumbbells (long before some of my TH-cam followers asked me to make kits for them too) I had two major considerations: 1) overall cost, and 2) OEM compatibility. I could have used much more robust materials than aluminum, but at significantly higher costs. Folks who think the aluminum is expensive might faint upon seeing the cost of, say, stainless steel discs. I needed to make something I could actually afford. And my parts had to fit the rest of the OEM dumbbell so I couldn't do much with the size of the discs. For example, I couldn't just make them 2 or 3 mm thicker to make them stronger. I would have loved to make them even larger, but then they'd never have fit my dumbbells. Believe me, I tried. In some of my early 2020 TH-cam videos I talk about what happened when I made my discs just a little too thick. That did not go well. The only way around this would have been a complete dumbbell redesign. And I wasn't about to do that since I just wanted to replace my broken OEM discs. My kits today are as affordable as I could make them, and as compatible with OEM as possible. One other thing I should mention. My original fixes for my personal dumbbells were CNC machined wrought 6061 aluminum. But the cost meant quite a few potential customers couldn't fit them in their budgets. I wanted to provide safer discs to more people so I went back to the drawing board and came up with cast versions. With that there's a trade-off. From a metallurgical perspective, due to physical differences in the materials, wrought metal will outperform cast metal in certain strengths such as elongation. For example, if you whack a billet aluminum part with a sledge, you'll eventually begin to deform the part (i.e. bend it) and at some point once the bend stretches/elongates enough it'll break. In contrast, if you whack at a cast metal part, you are unlikely to see visible elongation and it'll eventually just snap. So wrought metal is, in a general sense, more impact resistant even though cast and wrought have very high tensile strengths. Consequently, my wrought metal parts would be more likely to survive repeated drops than the cast parts. It's not guaranteed, but it's more likely. And finally, there's the rest of your dumbbell. Even though my discs are significantly better than OEM, the rest of the dumbbell is still just OEM. If you drop your SelectTechs, you risk bending the shaft or breaking the tabs on your weight plates. So even in situations where my discs are unscathe, you may find yourself with one or more broken weight plate tabs. You'd either have to buy new weight plates off of eBay at ridiculous prices, or fix them yourself using one of the techniques I explain here: th-cam.com/video/P7sgmcXm66o/w-d-xo.html and here: th-cam.com/video/-a-gqVB-oOw/w-d-xo.html For folks still reading this reply, I hope I've helped you understand why it isn't a good idea to drop your adjustable dumbbells even after they've been upgraded. Adjustable dumbbells in general aren't really robust enough to survive repeated drops. If you plan to do any exercises to failure (with intent to drop the dumbbells afterward) please don't use your adjustables whether they're SelectTechs, Powerblocks, Ativafit, Merax, NUO, Core, etc. You'll end up costing yourselves more in repairs or replacement in the long run. Stay safe all.
Hi Marcus, I know I answered you over in the comment section of another video. I'm just letting others know the answer to your question here too. If you all head on over to www.averagejoeinnovations.com you'll find product, pricing, and ordering info along with some FAQs and more. And if you have any other questions my email is there as well. Thanks folks!
Hey hey Richard, I may have already answered this in an email to you, so I'm posting an answer here for others too. In a nutshell, folks, there is only one current "Series" or "generation" of the 1090. Even though Bowflex definitely tweaked the designed over the years, they never gave the product a new model name. So, while the 552 has a Series 1 and 2, the 1090 does not. So far my kits work on nearly all the 1090s right out of the box.
Finally just got to it and busted out this project. I ordered from Joe and got my replacement disc in a week! Great service and awesome quality, I’m 1000% going to buy the full disc replacement now that I have seen quality difference in the one I already got. I dropped ball bearing and springs and sure enough Joe has a video to fix that, thanks for the great video man. Cheers 🍻
Awesome, Julio. Thanks for sharing your experience, man, I appreciate it. Super stoked that you are happy with the quality too. I haven't published a video in months, but I do have some on the way. Wishing you and your family happy holidays and a happy new year!
Thanks so much for this video and making the replacement kits. Also thanks for adding the part of the video letting us know that we can sale our unbroken discs.
I'm glad you found the video helpful, Mike. As far as reselling the original discs, just keep in mind that as more people invest in my kits, they're also selling their old discs online these days. So sites like ebay are chock full of discs now. The vast majority of Bowflex owners aren't even aware yet that I exist. So there's still plenty of opportunity to resell OEM discs, but i suspect it may take a while. In short, it's not something that'll sell quickly unless they are priced dirt cheap. Cheers, Joe
Great service, great product and quick shipping! Thanks Joe!
My pleasure, Michael. Thank you so much for leaving some feedback. Rock on, man.
This guy is a genius! I have replaced the disc on my 1090 at least twice with the originals and the cost of a few hundred dollars if you want the whole set. they break within weeks even if you take care of them. Joe is a godsend. I was losing my mind and at the point of dumping these and calling it a loss or trying this upgrade. I am so glad I did. They even look nicer and more sturdy with these aluminum disk. Installed in 10 minutes. Slid right in to the stack. I evened gave it a little more testing abuse than I would with the original disk.. its night and day. What was Bowflex thinking. These will definitely last a lifetime just buy them!
Man oh man how am I only just now seeing your feedback here? So sorry. I suck at this TH-cam comment stuff. Thanks for taking the time to let others know about your experience...i don't do any formal marketing so feedback from folks like you is really appreciated! I hope you're as happy with the upgrade today as you were that first week. Thanks again!
I purchased the 1090 disks and they are awesome. I no longer have to worry about weights dropping on my toes. Thank you Average Joe.
I just got my 1090 fix kit today 8.28.20, it was a breeze to install and very solid. It was well worth the wait. Can wait to see what other modifications Joe comes up with.
Awesome Erik, really appreciate the kind words, and support, and super happy that you're back to using your dumbbells safely. Stay tuned....more to come!
I received my 1090 disc fix kit, today. Install was easy and everything was as advertised. I recommend 👍
Jodi thanks for the kind words, I appreciate it! Hoping all is well for you....and I hope you're back to curling like a madman.
Are these still selling? 👍🏽
Hi, Julio. Sorry about the delayed reply. I was away on a trip for 5 weeks overseas with limited internet access. I'm back in the States now and playing catch up with filling orders and answering questions.
Absolutely, yes. My upgrade kits have come a long way since that video. Visit my website www.averagejoeinnovations.com for more information. Cheers.
Awesome, thanks Joe.
Turns out I already have one socket wrench and just need another one for $29. However, the nuts and bolts are so tight that I still am not confident to unscrew them. Joe, what do you say?
Hi again, please check out the links in my response to your other question. If you're in the States, you should be able to get a ratchet and socket for about $15 (plus tax/shipping where applicable), but even $29 is far less than the cost of a single dumbbell handle.
If you discover that the nuts are on extremely tight, you'd need to find pipes that fit over your wrenches to increase their length (a.k.a. "cheater bars"). They'll allow you to apply more torque to the nuts to break them loose: th-cam.com/video/FtnogLf6C2A/w-d-xo.htmlsi=uEt_sFTkMGOCbK05&t=8. Once the nuts are loose you will not need to continue to use the pipes.
You might want to enlist a third person to hold the dumbbell firmly on the table/ground, while two other people operate the ratchets. That way you and your son aren't trying to do both at the same time.
Cheers,
Joe
I just got my 1090 Discs yesterday! I installed them with the help of this video and couldn’t be happier. Thanks for the great product. Are we going to get an update on the custom end caps you have been working on?
Awesome! That's great news Andrew! End caps are still a ways out. I don't have an exact timeline yet...but a couple months minimum. I had put the selector dial design on-hold too after my father passed. I've been playing catch-up on existing orders for the past couple weeks. I did speak with the local shop owner this week about restarting the dial and end cap projects. Hope to get those going again shortly....at least the prototypes so I can test them out and film some sneak peek videos for you all. Stay tuned man!
Hello, i have two broken dumbbells and want to combine their parts to create a good one. But i cannot even unscrew the nuts because they are so tight. I dont have the professionaltools you showed in the first 2 minutes in the video, and I used two adjustable wrenches. My son and I each hold one side and rotate, and that doesn't work. I suspect it may cost more to buy the professional tools than buy a dumbbell no plates from Bowflex. What do you think?
Hi. It'll be virtually impossible to accomplish your goal with adjustable wrenches. There isn't enough space around the nut for the wrenches to grip and turn properly. I've seen someone manage to fit vise grips, but just barely. Sockets and ratchets are the way to go, especially if you know of anyone who'll loan the tools to you for an hour to do the swap.
Alternatively, they can be purchased relatively inexpensively depending on where you live.
You'd need two ratchets. For example:
www.harborfreight.com/12-in-drive-composite-quick-release-ratchet-70147.html
or
www.amazon.com/Mr-Pen-10-Inch-Direction-Vanadium/dp/B086TZ5796
And two 19mm or 3/4" sockets like this:
www.harborfreight.com/12-in-drive-19mm-deep-impact-socket-67788.html
or
www.amazon.com/DEWALT-PT-Drive-Socket-19/dp/B019YWU04K
Somewhere around $30 usd total
Definitely less than the cost of buying a new handle, but, again, that'll depend on where you live. I hope this was helpful.
Cheers,
Joe
Does the upgrade kit work on the off brand versions that look identical? Also, do you ship to Canada?
Hey Tay. It works on OEM and knockoffs, and I do ship to Canada. Any other questions, feel free to shoot me an email at joe@averagejoeinnovations.com Wishing you and your family a Happy New Year!
I believe other people asked , but where to buy the upgrade discs?
Good evening. You can head over to my website: www.averagejoeinnovations.com for more information. You'll see my email there as well at the bottom of the page if you have questions. Cheers, Joe
Any tips for removing the both nuts (to swap plates) when only one end will loosen?
Hiya, Jonathan. Sorry about the super late reply. I'm not on TH-cam often. I hope by now you've already figured it out without waiting for an answer from me. the second nut doesn't need to be loosened. If you head on over to my website I have installation videos. Check out Steps 4 and 5 to understand why you only need to loosen one nut/bolt.
www.averagejoeinnovations.com/#installation
My best guess is that Bowflex's assembly line jams the first nut/bolt on the shaft with an air tool. Then they assemble the handle, and tighten the second bolt/nut. 99.999% of the time, only one will loosen when you take them apart. To loosen the other one, I've had to place the dumbbell shaft into a vice. But again, there's no need to do that.
Cheers,
Joe
@@AverageJoeInnovationsLLC Ahh ok, makes sense. Thanks for your helpful reply!
Still available?
Hi Dominic, yes they are still available. You can head on over to www.averagejoeinnovations.com for more information. Cheers
Os the dbell atill exactly 10 lb with the upgrade part installed? Thanks.
Not all 1090s start out exactly at 10 lbs from the factory. Most seem to be right around 10lbs, but I've encountered some customers with empty handles that weigh as little as 8lbs. I attribute that to inconsistencies across the various manufacturers.
Some of my upgrades don't change the weight of the handle, while other upgrades add anywhere from a few ounces to a few pounds. The change in weight will depend on the combination of upgrades.
Feel free to send me an email if you have more questions. Cheers, Joe
👏👌
What's the chances this works on the "knock off" 1090's? Bought a set online and didn't realize they were knock offs until I received them, made due because of Covid though, was looking at this fix as they look identical from pictures though!
Heya Madison. My kits are in use on OEM and knockoffs for both 552 and 1090 all over the world at this point. My own OEM and knockoffs are all upgraded. It's less about whether yours are OEM or knockoffs and more about the nuance of your specific pair of dumbbells. Think of it this way...both the OEM and knockoff manufacturers aren't exactly making precision equipment. So even their own parts aren't perfectly interchangeable between their own dumbbells. It is possible to buy a used part on eBay that doesn't fit quite like it should because the dumbbell from which it came wasn't exactly like your own. I cover some of that craziness here: th-cam.com/video/FWIXejwvSys/w-d-xo.html And I have another video about the inconsistencies coming out soon.
So a general rule of thumb is that my Disc Fix Kits and Locking Pin Kits will fit most OEM and knockoffs straight out of the box. But about 3-5% of customers to-date have to tweak their disc kits and pin kits to fit the quirks of their particular dumbbells. I discuss the various tweaks here: th-cam.com/video/Wum-k-1DXPA/w-d-xo.html and here: th-cam.com/video/p_MFrMN0ZAQ/w-d-xo.html. Yes, I know. It's definitely more than any of us ever thought we'd need to know about these dumbbells. In any case, feel free to hit me up at SelectTech.Fix@gmail.com if you have any other questions. And thanks for inquiring!
Where do you get these?
Hi hi Louis, head on over to www.averagejoeinnovations.com for more information! Thank you for inquiring.
Where i can purchase the kit?
Send an email to SelectTech.Fix@gmail.com for complete ordering/pricing info. Thanks!
Any idea when 1090 kits will be shipped
Hi Lou, I'll be sending out a more thorough update to email subscribers this evening....first 1090 U.S.-made kits begin shipping later this week all through next week and likely into the following week. These are all of the June and July preorders.
Average Joe Innovations looking forward to arrival
what's the point of this upgrade?
Hiya Mark. In a nutshell, SelectTechs are prone to dropping weight plates eventually. They slip out of the dumbbell handle for a variety of reasons, but the main one is that the discs holding the plates in the handle eventually begin to fail. Some folks experience this days or months after buying a pair. While other people claim to own them 10-15+ years with no issues.
I personally experienced dropped weights on all of my 552 and 1090 pairs beginning back a few years ago (I own several pairs). I got tired of replacing the discs. And when I couldn't find a better fix than the crappy OEM parts, I decided to make my own. Folks eventually convinced me to make my fixes for them too. The rest is history.
@@AverageJoeInnovationsLLC so you are saying while a person is doing work out, these plates can fall off and hurt someone?
@@Mark-te8ky Sadly, yes. Many people get "lucky" and the plates fall from the handle shortly after lifting them from the cradles. Some aren't so lucky and the plates fall at some point during a workout. Fortunately, over the past year, I've only learned about a dozen or so incidents that involved an injury. The rest were misses where the plates fell out of their handles, but nobody was injured.
Mind you, I'm not talking about 10 plates simultaneously falling from the handle. I've never heard of that happening. Nor have I heard of 5 plates falling at once. It's usually 1 or 2...which is what I've experienced. But as you can imagine, even one is too many unless you're a gambling man...lol.
Back about 9 years ago Bowflex issued a very limited scope product recall for dropped plates. They alleged to have identified a small number of affected 1090s and only for broken dials. They completely missed the boat. Dials do break, but a lot less frequently than discs. And this problem affects their entire product line including their new barbells.
Generally speaking, quite a few people like the SelectTech. They just wish it was made better straight from the factory.
If you're thinking, well, just buy a different brand. It's not that simple. I own other brands as well. several pairs of Powerblocks and Core. Each has its own shortcomings. I just happened to arbitrarily choose to fix my SelectTechs first. Later this summer I plan to begin fixing my PBs and Core too. Eventually I'll design my own adjustables to address the safety, durability and usability flaws of the brands currently on the market.
Where can I buy an upgrade for a 1090 set
Hiya Steve. I know we've already communicated by email. I'm just letting other folks know that they can send an email to SelectTech.Fix@gmail.com for more info.
Can i drop them lightly after upgrading them?
Hi Tu. The short answer is that I would not recommend it. I would love to say yes, but the challenge is the subjective term "lightly". One person's lightly is another person's not-so-lightly. My cast and machined wrought discs vastly outperform OEM discs under "ordinary circumstances"...which is to say during regular traditional dumbbell exercises. But dropping the dumbbells (or using them as pushup handles for exercises such as devil's press and renegade rows) exposes them to significantly higher dynamic forces than anything encountered during ordinary exercises.
The following is a more detailed explanation if you have a couple minutes to read it.
When I made these discs and pins for my own dumbbells (long before some of my TH-cam followers asked me to make kits for them too) I had two major considerations: 1) overall cost, and 2) OEM compatibility.
I could have used much more robust materials than aluminum, but at significantly higher costs. Folks who think the aluminum is expensive might faint upon seeing the cost of, say, stainless steel discs. I needed to make something I could actually afford.
And my parts had to fit the rest of the OEM dumbbell so I couldn't do much with the size of the discs. For example, I couldn't just make them 2 or 3 mm thicker to make them stronger. I would have loved to make them even larger, but then they'd never have fit my dumbbells. Believe me, I tried. In some of my early 2020 TH-cam videos I talk about what happened when I made my discs just a little too thick. That did not go well. The only way around this would have been a complete dumbbell redesign. And I wasn't about to do that since I just wanted to replace my broken OEM discs.
My kits today are as affordable as I could make them, and as compatible with OEM as possible. One other thing I should mention. My original fixes for my personal dumbbells were CNC machined wrought 6061 aluminum. But the cost meant quite a few potential customers couldn't fit them in their budgets. I wanted to provide safer discs to more people so I went back to the drawing board and came up with cast versions. With that there's a trade-off.
From a metallurgical perspective, due to physical differences in the materials, wrought metal will outperform cast metal in certain strengths such as elongation. For example, if you whack a billet aluminum part with a sledge, you'll eventually begin to deform the part (i.e. bend it) and at some point once the bend stretches/elongates enough it'll break. In contrast, if you whack at a cast metal part, you are unlikely to see visible elongation and it'll eventually just snap. So wrought metal is, in a general sense, more impact resistant even though cast and wrought have very high tensile strengths. Consequently, my wrought metal parts would be more likely to survive repeated drops than the cast parts. It's not guaranteed, but it's more likely.
And finally, there's the rest of your dumbbell. Even though my discs are significantly better than OEM, the rest of the dumbbell is still just OEM. If you drop your SelectTechs, you risk bending the shaft or breaking the tabs on your weight plates. So even in situations where my discs are unscathe, you may find yourself with one or more broken weight plate tabs. You'd either have to buy new weight plates off of eBay at ridiculous prices, or fix them yourself using one of the techniques I explain here: th-cam.com/video/P7sgmcXm66o/w-d-xo.html and here: th-cam.com/video/-a-gqVB-oOw/w-d-xo.html
For folks still reading this reply, I hope I've helped you understand why it isn't a good idea to drop your adjustable dumbbells even after they've been upgraded. Adjustable dumbbells in general aren't really robust enough to survive repeated drops. If you plan to do any exercises to failure (with intent to drop the dumbbells afterward) please don't use your adjustables whether they're SelectTechs, Powerblocks, Ativafit, Merax, NUO, Core, etc. You'll end up costing yourselves more in repairs or replacement in the long run.
Stay safe all.
How can I contact joe so I can buy replacement parts?
Hi Marcus, I know I answered you over in the comment section of another video. I'm just letting others know the answer to your question here too. If you all head on over to www.averagejoeinnovations.com you'll find product, pricing, and ordering info along with some FAQs and more. And if you have any other questions my email is there as well. Thanks folks!
Where is a link to purchase???
Hi GP, I believe you already emailed me, but for anyone else with the same question....email SelectTech.Fix@gmail.com
does your replacements work on the GEN 1 1090's???
Hey hey Richard, I may have already answered this in an email to you, so I'm posting an answer here for others too. In a nutshell, folks, there is only one current "Series" or "generation" of the 1090. Even though Bowflex definitely tweaked the designed over the years, they never gave the product a new model name. So, while the 552 has a Series 1 and 2, the 1090 does not. So far my kits work on nearly all the 1090s right out of the box.
How much are the 1090 fix kit
Hey hey Mohammed. Please send an email to SelectTech.Fix@gmail.com for pricing and preordering information. Thanks!