Man, I’m up at work right now and not two minute after the last post one of the other trainers asked how my set-up was coming. We started bs’ing and he brought up that the promaxima warehouse is just a few miles from here and they sell shit right out of the warehouse at cost 'cause you’re eliminating the middle man! He said he’s picked up all kinds of stuff there for 1/2 of what he would’ve paid through a retailer. I wish I had known about this sooner. Gonna go check 'em out manana. I’ll keep ya’ll posted.
[quote]WhiteFlash wrote:
Man, I’m up at work right now and not two minute after the last post one of the other trainers asked how my set-up was coming. We started bs’ing and he brought up that the promaxima warehouse is just a few miles from here and they sell shit right out of the warehouse at cost 'cause you’re eliminating the middle man! He said he’s picked up all kinds of stuff there for 1/2 of what he would’ve paid through a retailer. I wish I had known about this sooner. Gonna go check 'em out manana. I’ll keep ya’ll posted.[/quote]
Right on man. Good lookin out. For what it’s worth: http://houston.craigslist.org/bfs/1660520129.html
Not as good a deal as I’m looking at but not bad http://houston.craigslist.org/spo/1697612293.html
Bpt, you’re a G man, thanks. I’ll give both those dudes a shout tomorrow and see what kind of deal I can sucker 'em into.
So I went to check out the DB set that goes up to 140, and first of all the dude obviously used to be a beast and still is, but he’s probably in his early 50s. Anyway, I went to meet him at his storage facility and I checked out the stuff. It’s legit for sure, but it’s old and needs work. Some of them are loose and might need new SDH handles, but still I talked him down on the price a little bit, which I’ll get to. So as part of the deal I got him to throw in a couple things.
$1,500 - First of course, as part of the deal I did get the set of DBs up to 140 including the stands (2), and I think he’s throwing in the set from 5-30# as well (i’m picking them up tomorrow, so we’ll find out the details then).
Included in the DB price - So although I couldn’t exactly get him to come down in price, I did get him to throw in a super hardcore looking, solid (welded), non bolted, power rack. I like the fact that it’s solid and hardcore looking, and it has a bracket welded on which bolts to the wall, and of course has a pullup bar.
$150 - Also, I’m getting a supposedly badass cable crossover (although it’s disassembled in it’s current state). It’s ultra smooth (so he says) and it’s super heavy duty and it has a 200# weight stack on each side. it’s completely adjustable to any height and for some reason it’s like 10 foot tall, which I haven’t determined whether this is a bad thing, or a strange indication of quality. I’ll have to see when I get it put together. He says it’s operational though, and for the price, that’s all that matters.
Total: $1,650
Not bad for the poundage.
Thanks everyone for the advice on the DBs. I’m super stoked that I bought both sets.
I think I’m gonna eventually cannibalize my prostyle set and split it into two sets** and sell one off (after I spruce them up)
**The main reason are space, money, and the fact that I have magnetic 2.5s.
I have a set of 4 2.5s that are magnetic and slap on to the sides of the DBs. This would mean that any 20,40,80,90# (etc) DB pair could become a 25,45,85,95# (etc) set of DBs in about 4 seconds flat. Also the space factor would mean that there is more room for other (training related) stuff in my garage gym. Booya. F# lawnmowers. LOL.
Also, as far as sprucing them up (because they’re in need of it) when I split the set up, I’ll probably slap the standard plates (after I paint them) onto a new set of SDH handles like these which have a contour handle: HDS-5A Pro Style Dumbbell Handle Contour 85 to 100 lbs
Oh, and some day I’ll trade in the old school power rack for one of the elite FTS ones.
For now though I have enough stuff for a sick ass home gym.
Dude, your setup is gonna be ridiculous. How much room do you have to play with?
a little over a two car garage but with high ceilings
Sounds awesome, man. Throw some pics up when it’s training ready.
Out of curiousity, why do people like the pro style standard sized dumbbells over the hex dumbbells? I prefer the hex.
Will do!
[quote]LankyMofo wrote:
Out of curiosity, why do people like the pro style standard sized dumbbells over the hex dumbbells? I prefer the hex.[/quote]
I can’t speak for other ppl, but for me the main reason is psychological for sure. They’ve always had pro style DBs at any serious gym I’ve been to, whereas I’ve always seen hex at the hotel gyms, and friends’ unused home gyms. Prostyle DBs get used, and I don’t want a set that’s not going to get used. I want to build a personal gym that has the feel of a hardcore place that I can have fun lifting in. Honestly I wish I preferred hex because they are cheaper. Also, besides the professional look and feel, you can do mods or repairs much more easily with prostyle. To each his own I guess. I won’t hold it against you if you prefer hex DBs though 
[quote]BulletproofTiger wrote:
[quote]LankyMofo wrote:
Out of curiosity, why do people like the pro style standard sized dumbbells over the hex dumbbells? I prefer the hex.[/quote]
I can’t speak for other ppl, but for me the main reason is psychological for sure. They’ve always had pro style DBs at any serious gym I’ve been to, whereas I’ve always seen hex at the hotel gyms, and friends’ unused home gyms. Prostyle DBs get used, and I don’t want a set that’s not going to get used. I want to build a personal gym that has the feel of a hardcore place that I can have fun lifting in. Honestly I wish I preferred hex because they are cheaper. Also, besides the professional look and feel, you can do mods or repairs much more easily with prostyle. To each his own I guess. I won’t hold it against you if you prefer hex DBs though ;)[/quote]
For me it’s the exact opposite. I don’t prefer one over the other, I just think the hex db’s look and feel more hardcore. There’s something about the welded cast iron clanging together that looks and feels badass. And, like you said they’re significantly cheaper which is a nice bonus. The problem is I haven’t found anywhere that has 'em over 120’s. That’s not really a problem yet seeing as I can only bench the 120’s 3 or 4 times, but it will eventually be an issue. Guess you could get some custom made, but that takes the “cheap” part out of the equation.
^ Isn’t there a way to make your own pro style (any time I’ve seen hex dbs over 100 pounds they’re expensive as all hell) dumbbells for when you need heavier ones? Just buy the handle and some standard weights?
I thought I read that somewhere, although I could be very wrong.
You can totally make your own prostyles. Turns out I have up to 165s so I don’t need to make any heavier than that for now 
So about half my DBs need replacement handles, which sux, but i got em for a price at which I can afford to replace some of them. I’m in no rush so I’ll probably sit back for a good deal. I’m looking for a place with a decent price on replacement handles. If anyone knows of a place to get a pair for less than $20, please let me know! Thanks. Right now, I’ve got a place on ebay that has a good price, but I know there’s got to be a lot of places selling these things.