Eleiko Evo Fixed | EVO Rotating Dumbbell Review (2023)

The Eleiko EVO dumbbells are some of the best dumbbells in the fitness market today, so it wasn’t by chance that I wanted to get a closer look to see what these bad boys were all about. To that end, I had a chance to visit the new Eleiko US Headquarters right in my own back yard of Austin Texas. Needless to say I was stoked to come home with 5 sets of dumbbells in both rotating and fixed.

Eleiko pronounced E-Lake-o hails from Sweden and make some of the finest “Swedish steel” fitness equipment in the industry. It’s true Sweden makes some outstanding steel products and the steel Eleiko uses is known to last and be darn right amazing to workout with.

Eleiko EVO Fixed VS Eleiko EVO Rotating Dumbbells

Eleiko offers the EVO dumbbells in both fixed and rotating. The difference is pretty significant not only because one of them spins, but also because the size of the grip is much bigger. The EVO Fixed dumbbells come in a 30mm / 1.28 in. vs the EVO rotating with its 38 mm / 1.5 in diameter. That is a huge difference.

To give you some insight, a women’s specific barbell usually has a grip of 25mm. Men’s barbells usually range around 28mm to 29mm, so having something that starts off at 38mm is very unfamiliar with most people who lift, that is unless they are using something like an axel bar or some other large diameter piece of equipment.

The rotating EVO handles start at 38mm and jump to 42 mm at 32 kg/70 lbs and up.
The fixed EVO handles start at 30mm and jump to 32 mm at 32 kg/70 lbs and up.

For people with small hands and for many women, the larger diameter of the EVO rotating dumbbells might not work.

Rotating VS fixed

The concept behind the Eleiko Rotating Dumbbells is to provide an easier on the body and joints experience. It is the same reason why using a barbell with good ball bearings makes lifts more enjoyable than one that needs servicing.

“The rotating EVO Dumbbell is designed for dynamic explosive movements such as the dumbbell snatch and other weightlifting-movements. The rotating handle also puts less stress on joints in movements such as biceps curls and delivers a unique smooth feeling that you immediately understand when you experience it.”

Eleiko

Commercial Grade Urethane and Steel

The EVO Dumbbells are commercial grade dumbbells, which means you will probably not find them in most home gym and garage gym setups. Not because they aren’t good, but simply due to the cost.

BUY ONCE, CRY ONCE

Most of your typical Home Gym| Garage Gym owners want good equipment, but not when the price is 2 to 4 times as as much as they want to spend. Your typical fitness buff will often go for less expensive brands or loadable dumbbells to save space.

Eleiko uses commercial grade German polyurethane on the dumbbell ends which adds to the overall cost rather than cheaper rubber materials. The dumbbells are also Swedish made vs rather than Chinese made, which almost always means better materials and quality standards.

EVO Dumbbell Testing

One of the most important tests that Eleiko used to test the dumbbells was the usage drop test.

Eleiko tested the EVO for different drops including:

• 500,000 drops from 10 cm (with a 30 kg and a 68 kg dumbbell, 66/150 lb)
• 500 drops from 1,5 m (with a 16 kg and a 30 kg dumbbell, 35/66 lb)
• 5 drops from 5 m (with a 16 kg / 35 lb dumbbells

Below is a fun video Eleiko made to show just some of the wacky tests.

14 Sided Dumbbells

The dumbbells are designed with 14 sides to help prevent rolling and make them more ecstatically pleasing than dumbbells with fewer sides. I do find they roll much more easily than any of my 8 sided dumbbells, but certainly do a much better job than round dumbbells.

Key Features of the Eleiko EVO Rotating Dumbbell

• Anti-roll and revolving design
• Offer optimal grip, smooth movements and maximum comfort
• Manufactured using barbell steel
• Multisided head and embossed weight markings
• Ultra-durable design, delivering an incredibly smooth rotation
• Range of weight sizes, up to 60kg
• 60 years of expertise and specially formulated engineering

The EVO Fixed dumbbells have all the features listed above, except they don’t spin and their handles are smaller.

EVO Rotating Dumbbells Vs Watson Pro Dumbbells

The main competition to the EVO Rotating Dumbbells comes from the UK in the form of the Watson Pro Dumbbells.

Both dumbbells have rotating handles, but there are a few differences

The Watson is all steel vs the EVO’s steel and urethane

The Watson Pro Dumbbell is also is

• Fully customizable, allowing you to change out the name plate.
• Comes with a lifetime warranty vs a 5 year warranty with Eleiko
• Available in marine grade stainless steel – Can’t say this is any better than Swedish Steel.
• Has a 50mm grip handles vs EVO’s 38mm – 42mm
• Has better spin qualities (Spins more than the EVO)
• Makes more handle noise (from observations of shaking both dumbbells)

Bottom Line

Eleiko has done an incredible job designing and creating dumbbells that look as good as they perform. For those looking to get a high performance dumbbell for a commercial gym or high end garage gym, you will not be disappointed. They look fantastic and will probably last a very long time.

The old saying “Buy once, Cry once” is definitely the motto when you purchase Eleiko equipment. The higher price tag means you will be paying more than similar products, but in the end you will have something that is awesome.