In this Domyos Weight Training 20 Kg Threaded Weights Kit review, we put these old-school weights through their paces to see how they perform under test conditions and if it’s worth an investment for your home gym.
Adjustable dumbbells were as popular as sourdough starters in lockdown, but whereas the trend for baking has petered out, the popularity of home workouts does not appear to be waning even as people slowly return to offices and gyms.
However, the adjustable type of dumbbells are expensive. You pay for the advanced tech that makes changing the weight quick and easy, and threading the dumbbells yourself becomes a thing of the past.
That’s not to say threaded dumbbells have faded away: they remain popular, as you can see in our best dumbbells guide. They’re usually lower in price than their adjustable siblings, and the Domyos Threaded Weight Kit 20kg is a case in point. One of their biggest plus points is their price: they’re affordable, making them a perfect entry point to home workout dumbbells if you’re new to them.
Domyos Weight Training 20 Kg Threaded Weights Kit review: Price and availability
Domyos is Decathlon’s in-house brand. Domyos kit is generally dependable, well-built and surprisingly robust – I say surprisingly because often with Domyos kit you have to look twice at the price, not because it’s high but rather because it’s unexpectedly low. You can buy Domyos products at Decathlon in the UK and Europe and Walmart in the US.
The Domyos Weight Training 20 Kg Threaded Weights Kit is available in-store and online at Decathlon for a recommended retail price of £44.99.
Domyos Weight Training 20 Kg Threaded Weights Kit: Setup
The Domyos Threaded Weight Kit comes in a plastic carry case that holds all the parts in a moulded interior. Open it up and inside you get 4 x 2kg weights, 8 x 1kg weights, plus two bars (2kg each) and 4 x rubberised collars to hold the weights in place on the bar.
It all packs away tidily, with the bars and collars clicking into their positions in the moulded case, while the weights neatly stack on top of each other. The case can also be clicked close so it won’t open while you’re carrying it via the handle. The box is low quality and plasticky, though, and feels like it could break relatively easily.
Setup of the weights themselves is straightforward and is the standard, ‘old-fashioned’ way of loading weights onto a bar – simply slide the weights you want onto the 35mm long bar, then spin the collar on the thread until it’s tight against the weights.
Domyos Weight Training 20 Kg Threaded Weights Kit: Design
The design of these weights is refreshingly straightforward. The weights are cast iron rather than coated in rubber, vinyl or plastic, which gives them a traditional look and feel. However, drop them on your smart new wooden floor and you’ll be cursing.
The way they fit into the case is also well thought out, and all the parts slot nicely together and click into place so the case can be closed and stashed out the way with ease.
The bars themselves are crafted from steel and feature an ergonomic grip and criss-cross pattern on the grip itself to stop the bar from slipping if your hands get sweaty.
Domyos Weight Training 20 Kg Threaded Weights Kit: Build quality
The build quality of this weights kit is high. It may not be the most expensive on the market but, as they are cast-iron weights, you can see and feel the quality.
The weights slot onto the bars smoothly – I had no problems sliding various combinations of the weights on, and the collar spins freely and quickly down the thread to tighten the weights in place. The rubberised rim of the collar is designed to lock onto the weights and hold them in place so, in theory, it shouldn’t start to work itself loose – I found that this didn’t work 100% of the time, as you will read later.
Equally, loosening the weights is a breeze, and the collars take just a few seconds to undo. In fact, I timed how long it took to add one 1kg weight on to each side of the bar – 37 seconds in total to undo both collars, add the weight and re-tighten the collars.
Admittedly, not as quick as the technologically advanced adjustable dumbbell sets, but you’re not paying for the tech – for these, you’re going old-school and changing the weights yourself. More time-consuming but more rewarding (keep telling yourself).
Domyos Weight Training 20 Kg Threaded Weights Kit: Performance
For cardio or HIIT workouts where you’re looking to torch fat and use weights as part of the exercises, the Domyos Threaded Weight Kit is ideal. It provides plenty of options to thread your own choice of weights on, up to 10kg per dumbbell, and then use them as part of a workout.
In terms of building muscle, the kit might be restrictive for those who like to lift heavier weights due to the fact it only goes up to a total of 20kg.
The problem with these threaded weights when compared to the more expensive adjustable dumbbells is that, undoubtedly, unscrewing and replacing different weights takes time out of your workout and can interrupt your flow. I found also that the collar occasionally began to work itself lose during workouts if I hadn’t twisted it as tight as it will go, which meant the weights then became wobbly on the bar and I’d have to re-tighten the collar. Not a major inconvenience, but an irritation that you wouldn’t find on fixed dumbbells or adjustable dumbbells.
The other problem with cast iron dumbbells, as mentioned, is their potential for damaging hard floors – in particular wooden, tiled or linoleum surfaces. If they slip out of your hand, or you drop them from a height, you could cause damage to the floor and potentially the weights.
Domyos Weight Training 20 Kg Threaded Weights Kit: Verdict
A solid, robust weight kit that’s ideal for those doing cardio, HIIT or other fat-burning workouts at home, this is a high-quality piece of kit for the money. The build quality is impressive, the design and unprotected iron weights feel old-school, and although adding or removing weights takes a little extra time, it’s a small price to pay for the cash saving. Get a set before they’re all snapped up.
Domyos Threaded Weight Kit 20kg review: Also consider
The dumbbell market is full of different models of various weights and types, and it can quickly get confusing if you’re not sure what will suit your needs best.
If you have a bigger budget and want more weight options, we’d recommend the Musclesquad 32.5kg Adjustable Dumbbell. They’re not the priciest adjustable dumbbells, so if you want more options, heavier weights and a system that allows for rapid weight changes, these will do the job at a fraction of the price of some other higher-end models.
The HyGYM 40KG Loadable Adjustable Dumbbells are seriously hefty weights that can be a great addition to home gyms of bodybuilders who like to go heavy in their workouts. The dumbbells are a bit bulky but will last a lifetime thanks to their sturdy construction. Recommended for intermediate-to-experienced lifters.
