Fractional plates, worth buying?

dr3w_s

I found a website that is selling it for $100 plus $20 shipping www.ironedge.com.au which is also the website I got my weightlifting shoes, I found a seller on ebay selling it for $69.99 + $12 shipping, which is SMAI brand, any Australian here has any experience with that brand?

For other members who got fractional plates, is it worth buying?

christianteach

I've been wondering the same thing. I have them on my wish list with Amazon. They have them for $60 and I would get free shipping. I would love to buy them but I've spent so much over the past week trying to get my home gym set up I hate to ask my husband to buy me something else now. (I did have Amazon send him an email though.)

JustJennie1

I don't see why not. I use them all the time at the gym. They're great for when you know the next 5-10 lbs up will be a bit too much but 2.5lbs (or whatever the amount is) is just enough.

claston77

This is a US based website but perhaps you can find something similar in Australia at a hardware or home improvement store:

http://www.mcmaster.com/#91081a046/=nrdtyp

Each of those washer weigh approx. .625 pounds (some are bit heavier, some lighter)...they fit onto a bar or if you need them for dumbbells like I did you can put some rare earth magnets on them and affix them. Admittedly they do look cray cray when I whip them out of my bag and slap them on the dumbbells at the YMCA but I'm not paying the price for "pretty" fractionals :laugh:

HelloDan

Depends what you're doing in the gym and why.

For strength sports, I think it's very worthwhile, as in a competition, it's this fraction that may be important, for general training, as long as the jumps you have currently available aren't too coarse (say 1.25kg plates) I wouldn't necessarily bother.

Off topic, I remember talking about the shoes, which ones did you go for in the end?

geebusuk

Sounds like a lot of money!

I got some old spare sockets (mechanics tools), weighed them out to the weight I wanted (.625g in this case so two makes up a 1.25kg plate) in a plastic bag and hang that over the end of the bars.

I also got a section of 3mm thick 2" ID steel bar - about £5 for a metre as an off cut.

Might make some fractional weights with that too at some point.

dr3w_s

Depends what you're doing in the gym and why.

For strength sports, I think it's very worthwhile, as in a competition, it's this fraction that may be important, for general training, as long as the jumps you have currently available aren't too coarse (say 1.25kg plates) I wouldn't necessarily bother.

Off topic, I remember talking about the shoes, which ones did you go for in the end?

I'm doing SL, I got the Romaleos 2, it was brilliant!

GetSoda

How accurate your actual plates? I bet not very. Unless they are calibrated plates....

rick_po

I bought fractional plates, but after the first week, I didn't use them. If I'm struggling that much to increase weight 5 pounds, I figure it's time to reset anyway.