Neoprene dumbbells are a great tool for building muscle and adding resistance to your cardio workouts. Here’s a breakdown of the best neoprene dumbbells for at-home and on-the-go workouts.
Neoprene dumbbells are an excellent dumbbell for a variety of reasons.
Although neoprene dumbbells generally have the same shape, there are some subtle differences between brands.
Price is usually the most obvious one, but neoprene dumbbells come with differently shaped heads (hexagonal, circle, etc), in different colors, and are offered in singles, doubles and sets (sometimes with a rack, sometimes not).
In other words, there are lots out there to choose from. Which might leave you feeling overwhelmed about which ones are the best for you.
No worries. I’ve cut through the good ones and the lousy ones and listed out the top neoprene dumbbells for the money and for every kind of gymgoer.
Read on, find the best neoprene dumbbells for you and your workout goals, and let the gains fly!
CAP Barbell Neoprene Dumbbell Set with Rack
CAP Barbell makes some of the most popular home fitness equipment for lifters and people of all abilities. Whether it’s their lat pull down bar, Olympic E-Z curl bar, or flat workout bench, CAP Barbell consistently delivers on quality at an affordable price.
These black neoprene dumbbells simply look badass. Wrapped in black neoprene, and with just the weight (lbs) of the dumbbell adorning the end of the weights, they look great and work even better. The hex-shape of the weights means they won’t roll away when you put them down between sets and workouts, and the black tree rack CAP ships them with gives you storage between workouts.
[CAP Barbell also sells brightly colored versions of these dumbbells in singles and pairs, ranging from 3lb to 10lb. You can view them at Amazon here.]
Prices are a little bit all over the place with these dumbbells. As with most pieces of fitness equipment since Covid started, inventory has been inconsistent, but when Amazon does have them in the stock they sell the 20lb set and rack for around $52 (check Amazon for current stock and pricing).
Fitness Alley Neoprene Dumbbell Set with Steel Rack
A more complete set of neoprene dumbbells comes via Fitness Alley, who makes a wide range of dumbbell sets.
Their 5-pack of neoprene dumbbells are available in 3-12lb or 2-10lb, both in 2lb increments. The weights themselves are cast-iron and they are wrapped in neoprene, which helps wick away moisture and keeps them snug and secure in your hands in sweatiest of workouts.
I love the rack that Fitness Alley ships with the DBs, a steel A-frame rack that has five tiers and a footprint that is small enough that you don’t need a ton of floor space to store them.
Although a little pricier (both sets retail for around $300—check Amazon for today’s pricing and stock), they are well-built, very well reviewed by users, and will take everything you can throw at them.
Gaiam Neoprene Dumbbells (Singles)
Looking for just a single or pair of neoprene dumbbells, and don’t need the whole rack and set?
Gaiam makes an excellent range of multi-colored neoprene dumbbells that are available in singles. With thousands of 4+ star reviews, users love these weights, noting the comfort and slip-free experience that comes with using them.
Neoprene dumbbells are often offered in the higher weights, but Gaiam sells them in up to 15lb per dumbbell.
Price-wise, these things are very competitive, with a 3lb weight costing about $6 and the heavier weights, like 12lb and 15lb, ranging from $16-24. Pricing is a bit unpredictable as Amazon frequently gets cleaned out of these dumbbells (check here for current stock and pricing on Amazon).
Sunny Health Neoprene Dumbbell Set with Carry Case
The Sunny Health Neoprene Dumbbell Set is an awesome little set of dumbbells that has one over-riding feature: a carry case that makes transporting these things a piece of cake.
The dumbbells have a cast-iron core and is wrapped with thick neoprene for the moisture-wicking and steady-grip benefits of this kind of dumbbell. Each set has three pairs of weights (2lb, 3lb, and 5lb pairs). The case is a foot wide and five inches thick, which means it’s also exceptionally small on space, perfect for people who workout at home but don’t want their exercise gear laying about.
In terms of cost, the Sunny Health set is on the low-cost side, costing me $50 (Canadian) when I purchased a set at the end of 2020.
The last time I checked Amazon had sold out of them, but if portability is a big concern for you and your workouts, keep the Sunny Health dumbbells at the top of your list.
Fitness Alley Neoprene Dumbbell Sets
Another entry by Fitness Alley, and these ones are geared for people who are ready to take their lifting to the next level.
Fitness Alley is one of the few brands that make neoprene dumbbells in the higher weights (20lbs is about as heavy as you will ever see with this kind of dumbbell).
This particular set features pairs of 15lb, 17lb, and 20lb dumbbells. The outer shell is made of—you guessed it, neoprene—and the hexagonal shape of the ends of the dumbbell makes them easy to stack and store between workouts (they don’t ship with a rack, sadly).
Fitness Alley consistently delivers dumbbells that are very accurate in weight (you might be surprised to know that weights, especially cheaper cast-iron weights, are rarely exactly the weight listed), durable, and look good.
Amazon reviewers love them too, but note that the handles are larger than the smaller dumbbells (this should seem obvious, the heavier the dumbbell, they larger it has to become to distribute the weight).
More Dumbbell Buyer’s Guides
Didn’t find the dumbbells you were looking for?
I’ve written a whole bunch of other in-depth guides on dumbbells here on this site.
Here are the most popular ones:
- 7 Best Dumbbells for Home Gyms. Looking for the best dumbbells for your home workouts? Get stronger and fitter with the best dumbbells for every budget and type of lifter.
- 6 Best Adjustable Dumbbells for Working Out at Home. Adjustable dumbbells have improved dramatically in recent years. Here’s a breakdown of the best ones on the market.
- 5 Best Cast-Iron Dumbbells. Go old-school with these excellent fixed adjustable cast-iron dumbbells for lifting at home.
- 5 Best Rubber Hex Dumbbells. Rubber hex dumbbells are my favorite DBs for home or garage gyms. Here is a full breakdown of the top DBs for working out at home.
