Hex dumbbells vs round dumbbells: Which one should you buy? 

Hex and round dumbbells are some of the best choices for the youth today. But it’s confusing whether to choose hex dumbbells or round dumbbells. 

So if you are thinking about a pair of dumbbell sets for your commercial gym or home gym, you came to the right place.

To ease your troubles, we have come up with hex dumbbells vs rounds dumbbells comparison. Let’s explore then, buddy. 

Hex dumbbells vs round dumbbells; direct comparison

Dumbbells are strength training equipment that is essential gym equipment. Both hex dumbbells and round dumbbells are fixed dumbbells. At first, I thought they served the same purposes, but it is not the case. 

Both dumbbells offer distinctive features, and they have their own pros and cons. Let’s talk about hex dumbbells vs round dumbbells.

1. Design

Hex dumbbells are dumbbells with heads in the shape of a hexagon. They won’t easily roll because of their flat edges. The main reason behind this shape is to keep you in control when doing push-ups or any other exercise with these. Most hex dumbbells come with a contoured handle.

On the contrary, round-shaped dumbbells have a round head. They tend to roll because of their rounded weight plates. You can not do pushups with them on an uneven surface. 

Round dumbbells are kind of fixed-weight dumbbells, but often you can find dumbbells in which the weight plates are machined. That’s why they can weigh up to 100-130 lbs. They are available in both straight and contoured handles.

2. Material

Most of the hex dumbbells are rubberized hex dumbbells. This means they have rubberized heads with chrome or iron handles. Some of the hex dumbbells use cast iron as a material. 

However, some hex dumbbells have a coating of neoprene or vinyl. 

On the other hand, the round dumbbells can either be rubberized or they can be made from iron. 

Sometimes, you can find round dumbbells, in which urethane covers the round head. Urethane is a type of rubber that is stronger and lasts longer. 

3. Durability

The quality of materials determines the durability of a dumbbell. The rubber hex dumbbells tend to crack if you repeatedly place them to the surface roughly. Besides, direct sunlight exposure can also harm the dumbbell. The rubber of hex dumbbells is also not a good shock absorbent object.

However, the round dumbbells perform much stronger if you drop them on a hard surface. The urethane of these dumbbells is much more rigid than rubber or other materials. It’s also quite a good shock absorbent as compared to the rubber.

4. Rust

Any kind of iron dumbbell tends to rust. Both round and hex dumbbells can get rusty. But since round dumbbells use solid iron as materials, rust may spread over a broader region. 

On the contrary, hex dumbbells are not purely iron dumbbells; rather, it is a cast-iron dumbbells. Sometimes, they are made from solid steel. So, they tend to rust less. 

However, irrespective of nature, if they have a coating of rubber or urethane, they will rust less. But the handles can get rusty since they don’t have any cover.

5. Usage

Though there’s nothing much difference between these dumbbells, the usage of each is different. Likewise, rubberized hex dumbbells are common tools in a home gym. They are comparatively cheap and fragile at the same time. 

They can get a crack if you drop them harshly, and once they get a crack, you cannot repair them. The whole thing becomes useless. Besides, they serve less purpose, which is suitable for a home gym.

But in commercial gum, you can always find round dumbbells. The reason behind this is that they serve multiple purposes. They are much more strong, so when you drop them to the surface, they will not crack or chip. Moreover, it’s easier to repair a round dumbbell set. 

6. Storage

Hex dumbbells set will normally get bulky once the weight is over 30 lbs. It makes a dumbbell rack harder to store too many dumbbells. The diameter of the hex dumbbells changes with the weight. 

But on the contrary, the dimeter doesn’t change in the case of round dumbbells. So, they take less space in a dumbbell rack. In addition, some round dumbbells are adjustable. You can simply remove the plates and store them in a congested area. 

7. Features

It may seem that both of these dumbbells offer you the same efficiency. But in reality, you’ll need each of them for different exercises. Likewise, rubber hex dumbbells offer you workouts such as Crossfit. 

You need not worry about the dumbbell during these workouts since they won’t roll. Moreover, contoured grips on hex dumbbells make them more user-friendly while doing heavy repetitions.

But round dumbbells have straight short handles, which means you can do more balanced exercise without putting much pressure on your wrist.

8. Price

The price of hex dumbbells is lower than that of a round dumbbell set. The reason behind this is the round dumbbells are often made with urethane. Urethane is much more expensive than rubber.  

Hex dumbbells vs round dumbbells: Advantages and Disadvantages

How can we finally judge which dumbbells are better? Well, I think we should look into the advantages and disadvantages of each. Here are some pros and cons of both of these dumbbells.

Pros of hex dumbbells:

• They are cost-efficient.
• Don’t roll. So you can use it on uneven surfaces.
• Serves multiple purposes.
• You can store them on top of each other due to the hexagonal shape.

Cons of hex dumbbells:

• It’s hard to find rubberized hexagonal dumbbells.
• Don’t come with straight handles.
• Takes more space as compared to round ones.
• Provide less rigidity, i.e., can crack or chip easily.

Pros of round dumbbells:

• Come in both straight and contoured handles.
• more strong.
• You can store it easily.

Cons of round dumbbells:

• Expensive than hex dumbbells.
• Not suitable for ground-based workouts since they can roll.

Which Dumbbell you should choose?

So as you can see that each type of dumbbell can offer you distinctive features. If you are fond of practices like CrossFit, you should go for a hex dumbbell set. 

Besides, if you are only looking for the best dumbbell set to use in your home gym, they will fulfill the purpose cause they will cost you less.

But if you are fond of various strength training, go for a round dumbbell set. Moreover, it will suit the muti purpose of a gym that is mainly for commercial use.

Final Verdict

A dumbbell is a piece of essential gym equipment. Though it may seem that the only difference between hex and round dumbbells is the shape of their head, it’s much more than that. 

They have many differences regarding design, material, usage, storing, and even pricing. Now it’s completely up to your choice which one meets your requirements. Hasta la vista, buddy!

FAQ:

1. Which is better hex or round dumbbells?

Both hex and round dumbbells are excellent strength training equipment in a gym. It’s hard to say which one is the best dumbbell as they serve different purposes. In some aspects, the hex dumbbells are outstanding, and in other aspects, the round ones. Anyways, the round dumbbells outperform in some particular areas.

2. Why are hex dumbbells so expensive?

Best hex dumbbells are so expensive because they are made from cast iron. Iron ore is actually expensive. Additionally, the hexagon shape is another reason as it needs perfect engineering. But as compared to round dumbbells, it is quite cheap. 

3. Which dumbbell is best for beginners?

If you are a beginner, then you should start your training with round dumbbells because the hex dumbbells are for a functional trainer or experts. A functional trainer needs to do an advanced workout. But for beginners, a set of round dumbbells is good enough.

4. Which type of dumbbells is best for home?

You can have both round and hex dumbbells in your home gym. But it is undoubtedly best to have a hex dumbbell set for your home gym because they cost the least. Besides, they serve multiple purposes, and you can use them on uneven surfaces too.

5. Are all dumbbells the same?

No, all the dumbbells are not the same. There are various types of dumbbells available for different purposes. Like, For hex dumbbell’s non-rolling feature provides stable workout privileges, whereas round dumbbells provide functional workout privileges.