— Recommendations are independently chosen by Reviewed’s editors. Purchases you make through our links may earn us a commission.Adjustable dumbbells are a great addition to any home gym: Because they can pack the weight loads of 10 to 15 pairs of dumbbells in one compact set, they’re a worthwhile investment that saves you floor space and money. Plenty of options abound, but the NordicTrack iSelect adjustable dumbbells are a sleek set, equipped with snazzy features like voice control and programmable preset weights that can make your home gym more high tech.
What are the NordicTrack iSelect adjustable dumbbells?
A simple twist adjusts the weight load and you're good to go!
The NordicTrack iSelect adjustable dumbbells offer a convenient, compact way to build strength gradually. The load adjusts from 5 to 50 pounds, and can be made lighter or heavier in 5-pound increments with the twist of a dial. The textured metal handles provide a secure grip, and the slim, square, black weight plates on each end make them as inconspicuous as they are functional.
Depending on how many plates you engage, the dumbbells range from 8 to 18 inches in length, and their shared tray measures roughly 1½ by 2 feet. The tray has a silver knob in the center, which you use to change the loaded weight, and a small digital screen that displays the current load.
In addition to the adjustable weight, the iSelects have special features that set them apart from similar brands. For one, they’re Alexa-enabled, so you can adjust the weight via voice command instead of manually. They also come with a 30-day free trial for iFit, NordicTrack’s exercise streaming platform, which allows you to save preset loads for common exercises, so your dumbbells adjust automatically during future workout sessions when you tell them you want to, e.g., “Alexa, set to curls.”
The iSelect dumbbells cost $600 if you purchase them from NordicTrack, but you can likely find them for less on Amazon: As I was writing this, I found them for $429 on Amazon. At full price they’re more expensive than most other pairs we’ve tested, but on sale, they’re equivalent to our top pick, the Bowflex SelectTech 552.
How we tested the NordicTrack iSelect adjustable dumbbells
If you’re using one set of adjustable weights for your entire workout, you’ll want them to adjust seamlessly so as not to disrupt your flow. We evaluated how easy it was to change the loaded weight, how smoothly the dumbbells slid in and out of their trays, and how comfortable they felt in-hand during use. Once we established what we were looking for, we used the dumbbells for three 20- to 30-minute sessions, including a multitude of exercises involving various loads, to see how they performed.
What we like about the NordicTrack iSelect adjustable dumbbells
NordicTrack’s iSelect dumbbells were quite easy to handle.
They rack smoothly
Adjustable dumbbells typically sit in individual trays that hold the extra plates not being used. During testing, I discovered that a seamless racking of dumbbells had a big impact on my workout experience. Some pairs are sticky or get jammed during re-racking, but not the NordicTrack iSelects. The plates don’t shift at all in their tray or wobble once loaded onto the handle. The iSelects slid in and out of their tray with ease, no matter how many times I changed the load during my workout. They offered one of the smoothest transitions of all the adjustable dumbbells I tested.
The process of changing a load is also quick and easy. You twist the dial in the center of the tray until the screen displays the amount of weight you want to lift, listen for the weight to click into place, and you’re back to your workout. The switch takes maybe 3 to 5 seconds.
They’re comfortable to hold
The iSelects’ handles are easy to grasp and allowed me to keep a firm grip throughout my workouts, even as my hands became slick with sweat. The textured metal is comparable to what you’d feel when gripping a set of dumbbells at the gym and is more comfortable than the rubber coating on some dumbbells that can leave a sticky residue on your palms. The iSelects are also shorter in length than our best overall set of dumbbells, the Bowflex SelectTech 552, which makes them easier to maneuver during workouts, particularly for users who have smaller frames or hands and may find a long dumbbell unwieldy.
What we don’t like about the NordicTrack iSelect adjustable dumbbells
No charge? No workout!
The two weights must be loaded equally
One downside of the motorized adjustment and the shared storage tray is you can only change the weight with both dumbbells in the tray, and there’s no option to adjust each one so they are different weights. During one workout, I tried to change the load to create one 10-pound weight and one 15-pound weight, so I could perform multiple movements in a row without having to adjust the load after each exercise. I was disappointed I couldn’t adjust them independently. Performing multiple exercises with, say, 10 pounds, before moving on to exercises for which you use heavier weights requires some mental prep. If the need to mix up your loads quickly is a common situation for you, you may spend more time than you expect racking and re-racking compared to other pairs.
They require electricity to work
To change the loaded weight, the tray must be plugged into a power source. This could cause issues for those with limited (or no) outlets in their workout space. Additionally, if the power shuts down or the wire wears out, your weights will be temporarily out of commission.
Their “smart” features fall flat
Voice commands can be helpful for those who don’t want to manually adjust their dumbbells’ weights—as well as some extra options, such as “increase my weight by 5 pounds” or “set to shoulder press”—but that’s about as far as the “smart” features go. Unlike other smart dumbbells, like the JaxJox DumbbellConnect, the iSelects don’t count your reps or give you any performance feedback. And these dumbbells are only compatible with Alexa, so those without Amazon devices won’t be able to take advantage of the voice commands.
What other people are saying about the NordicTrack iSelect adjustable dumbbells
The NordicTrack iSelects have 4.2 stars on Amazon from just over 100 reviewers. Most say they love the look and feel of these dumbbells and are in agreement that the weights feel sturdy and are easy to use. They also highlight the same downsides I found.
“I’ve now had these weights for approximately two weeks and have had no issues with them,” one reviewer says. “They work great and look better than most weights on the market. I have not used the Alexa voice command yet, as I find it easy enough to just use the knob. The only downside is that you can only select one weight amount at a time. So it can be a bit difficult when doing a workout that requires multiple weight types.”
What is the return policy and warranty for the NordicTrack iSelect adjustable dumbbells?
NordicTrack offers a 30-day return window, though their return policy does not cover fees you might have paid to have the weights shipped to you.
The minimum return shipping charge is $250, but it’s possible that you might be charged more for damage outside of normal wear and tear (such as missing parts, for example).
The iSelects also have a one-year warranty for parts and labor, which is average for a set of adjustable dumbbells.
Are the NordicTrack iSelect adjustable dumbbells worth it?
A worthy piece of workout gear despite some technical shortcomings.
Yes, if you’re looking for a sleek set of dumbbells and don’t mind the price
The NordicTrack iSelects are exceptionally easy and comfortable to use, thanks to their compact and practical design. It’s also quick to change the loaded weight and re-rack the dumbbells.
But if you’re interested in their smart features, you may feel they aren’t as robust as you’d like. Additionally, you can’t adjust the dumbbells’ loads individually, and they only work if connected to a power source. They also adjust in 5-pound increments, while others can adjust by 2½ pounds. Because of this, they don’t beat out our favorite adjustable dumbbells, the Bowflex SelectTech 552.
Still, the iSelects are a worthy competitor if you’re looking for a sleek, high-quality, easy-to-use set of dumbbells.
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Prices were accurate at the time this article was published but may change over time.