Yes4All Adjustable Dumbbells

The case for screw-collar adjustables

In an era of $400 selector-dial dumbbells, the basic screw-collar adjustable dumbbell looks like a relic. Steel handles, cast iron plates, threaded outer collars that screw down to lock the plates in place. The technology is essentially unchanged from gym equipment manufactured in the 1970s.

The case for buying this format in 2026 comes down to two factors: indestructible build and lowest possible price. Cast iron and steel do not break. There are no plastic cradles, no slide dials, no electronic components, no warranty parts. A set bought today will still function in 50 years with basic care.

For a lifter whose primary constraint is budget rather than time, the Yes4All set delivers the unilateral training capability of a dumbbell pair at well under $100 for a usable starting weight inventory.

The speed tradeoff

The single largest reason most home lifters do not buy screw-collar adjustables is the time cost of weight changes. A complete weight change on a pair of dumbbells means unscrewing 4 outer collars, removing plates, adding new plates, and screwing the collars back down. Total time: 60 to 90 seconds for a full change.

For lifters doing straight-set strength work with 2 to 3 minute rest periods, this is fine. The change happens during rest and does not interrupt the training flow. For lifters doing circuit work, supersets, or drop sets where weight needs to drop within 10 seconds, the screw-collar format is unworkable.

The right buyer for this format is the lifter who already trains with longer rest periods, who does compound work rather than tempo circuits, and who can absorb the time cost of weight changes during normal rest.

Cast iron and rust

Cast iron plates are heavy, durable, and rust if left damp. In a dry indoor space, the plates can sit unprotected for years without surface oxidation. In a humid garage with seasonal moisture swings, surface rust appears within months.

The fix is straightforward: wipe the plates with a rag and a small amount of mineral oil every 2 to 3 months. The oil layer is invisible and odorless after a few minutes, and it prevents rust effectively. Plates that already have surface rust can be cleaned with a wire brush and treated with the same oil.

Deep rust that compromises the plate's structural integrity is rare on plates that have not been outdoors. The cast iron is thick enough that surface oxidation does not affect the weight or function.

Noise considerations

Cast iron plates clanging together is one of the louder home-gym sounds. Setting the dumbbells down on a hard floor amplifies this further. For apartment dwellers or anyone with shared walls or floors, this is a real consideration.

The mitigation is simple but adds cost: a horse stall mat under the lifting area dampens the impact noise significantly. Most home gyms in shared-space buildings will need stall mats anyway, so this is not a unique cost to screw-collar dumbbells.

For lifters in detached homes with concrete basements or garages, noise is less of a concern.

Compared to selector-dial sets

The Bowflex SelectTech and Core Home Fitness sets cost 4 to 6 times more than Yes4All but change weight in seconds. The selector-dial sets are also significantly more compact in storage. A Bowflex pair sits on a footprint of about 18x12 inches. A Yes4All set with full plate inventory takes a small shelf or floor space of roughly 24x18 inches.

For a buyer who can afford the selector-dial format and who values speed, the upgrade is worth the cost. For a buyer whose budget cannot stretch to $400 to $700, the Yes4All delivers most of the function at a fraction of the price.

A reasonable upgrade path is to start with the Yes4All set as the entry point, train on it for 1 to 2 years while building the rest of the home gym, then upgrade to a selector-dial format when budget allows. The Yes4All set retains some resale value or can be repurposed as a backup pair or as a loadable accessory for specific lifts.

1-inch versus Olympic

The Yes4All set uses 1-inch standard plates with 1-inch handles. This is incompatible with Olympic-diameter plates and Olympic-diameter bars. If the lifter already has an Olympic barbell setup, the dumbbell plates cannot share inventory with the barbell.

For lifters building from zero with budget as the priority, this is not a problem. For lifters who already have an Olympic plate inventory and want to share plates between their bar and dumbbells, an Olympic-handle adjustable dumbbell is the better choice despite the higher cost.

Sequencing

Budget adjustable dumbbells fit at sequence position 3 in a foundational home-gym build, between the barbell and the bench. They provide unilateral training capability that the barbell cannot easily replicate, and they do so at the lowest possible price point. The lifter can postpone the dumbbell purchase entirely if budget is tight, since the barbell covers most foundational work.

Bottom line

The Yes4All adjustable dumbbells are the right pick for the budget-constrained home lifter who values indestructible cast iron over fast weight changes. Accept the slow screw-collar swap, plan basic rust prevention if storing in humidity, and the set will deliver decades of reliable unilateral training capability at well below the cost of any selector-dial alternative. For lifters who can afford selector-dial sets and value speed, the upgrade path through Bowflex or Core Home Fitness is the better choice. For lifters who cannot, Yes4All remains the practical entry point into adjustable dumbbell training.