Type bowflex selecttech 552 vs nordictrack select-a-weight into a search bar and you'll get two dumbbells that look nearly identical on a spec sheet: dial-style adjustment, roughly 50-plus pounds per hand, 2.5-pound micro-steps, and molded plates resting in a tray. The differences that actually matter — how the mechanism feels after a year of use, how the plates behave mid-set, and what each one really sells for — only show up in owner feedback and price history. We've dug through both, and the short version is that one of these is the safer default while the other is the better deal.
Bowflex SelectTech 552 vs NordicTrack Select-A-Weight: quick verdict
If you only want the answer: buy the Bowflex 552 at equal or near-equal prices, and buy the NordicTrack when the gap opens to $75 or more. Here's how the two compare at a glance, followed by an honest look at each.
| Spec | Bowflex SelectTech 552 | NordicTrack Select-A-Weight |
|---|---|---|
| Weight range (per hand) | 5–52.5 lb | 10–55 lb |
| Increments | 2.5 lb up to 25 lb, then 5 lb | 2.5 lb micro-steps via inner slider |
| Adjustment | Dial at each end | Outer selector plus inner slider |
| Pairs replaced | 15 | 10 |
| Best for | Smoothest adjustment, proven longevity | Bigger top end, lower sale price |
- Bowflex SelectTech 552
- 5–52.5 lb
- NordicTrack Select-A-Weight
- 10–55 lb
- Bowflex SelectTech 552
- 2.5 lb up to 25 lb, then 5 lb
- NordicTrack Select-A-Weight
- 2.5 lb micro-steps via inner slider
- Bowflex SelectTech 552
- Dial at each end
- NordicTrack Select-A-Weight
- Outer selector plus inner slider
- Bowflex SelectTech 552
- 15
- NordicTrack Select-A-Weight
- 10
- Bowflex SelectTech 552
- Smoothest adjustment, proven longevity
- NordicTrack Select-A-Weight
- Bigger top end, lower sale price
Manufacturer-published specs; confirm details on the current listing before buying.
Best overall: Bowflex SelectTech 552 Adjustable Dumbbells
The SelectTech 552 has been the default adjustable-dumbbell recommendation for more than a decade, and the formula hasn't changed: each dumbbell replaces 15 pairs, running 5 to 52.5 pounds with 2.5-pound steps up to 25. The dual dials — one quick twist at each end — remain the smoothest selector mechanism in this price class, and long-term owner reviews are unusually consistent about the plates staying tight and rattle-free for years. The trade-offs are real: the dumbbell stays roughly 15.75 inches long at every setting, which feels awkward on curls at light weights, the molded plates can't be dropped, and the list price is steep. But as the proven, low-drama option, it's the one we'd buy at equal prices.
Best value: NordicTrack 55 lb Select-A-Weight Adjustable Dumbbells
The Select-A-Weight is NordicTrack's answer to the 552, and on paper it wins: 10 to 55 pounds per hand, 2.5-pound micro-adjustments via an inner slider, and molded storage trays included in the box. In practice, owner feedback describes a mechanism that's a step less refined — the dumbbell needs to be seated squarely in its tray or the selector can hang up, and there's a bit more rattle at the top end. What keeps it firmly in the conversation is price: it typically lists below the Bowflex and discounts harder, often showing up $75–150 cheaper during Black Friday and January sales. If you can live with a slightly fussier adjustment and don't need weights under 10 pounds, the value case is strong.
Weight range, increments, and adjustment speed
The NordicTrack has the stronger numbers at the top: 55 pounds per hand against 52.5. For most buyers that extra 2.5 pounds matters less than what happens at the bottom — the Bowflex starts at 5 pounds, the NordicTrack at 10. If your training includes rehab work, lateral raises, or a partner who's newer to lifting, the Bowflex's lighter floor is the more useful edge. Both offer 2.5-pound jumps where it counts, which is the feature that separates dial dumbbells from cheaper spin-lock sets.
The mechanisms diverge more than the ranges. The Bowflex uses a dial at each end of the handle: set both, lift out, done — owners consistently describe changes taking a few seconds without looking. The NordicTrack splits the job between an outer selector for the main five-pound jumps and a small inner slider for the 2.5-pound micro-steps. It works, but it's a two-motion process, and owner consensus is that the plates engage less positively — misalign the dumbbell in its tray and the selector can bind until you reseat it. For supersets and circuit work, the Bowflex is simply the faster tool.
Size, balance, and durability: what owners report
Neither dumbbell shrinks as you remove weight — both hold a fixed length around 15 to 16 inches, so a 10-pound curl feels like swinging a short barbell. Balance on presses and rows is fine on both; the awkwardness shows up on curls, snatches, and anything overhead at light settings. Handle feel is a wash: knurled-texture grips on molded frames that read as sturdy plastic rather than iron.
On durability, the Bowflex's longer market history is its strongest argument — common complaints are a rattle that can develop after years of use and dials that go out of alignment after a drop, with outright failures relatively rare in owner reviews. The NordicTrack's complaint pattern is louder for a younger product: plates sticking in the tray, more play between plates at heavy settings, and unit-to-unit tolerance variation. Neither pattern is disqualifying, but the Bowflex's record is the one we'd bet on for a decade of use.
Never drop either one
When each one is cheapest
Both dumbbells follow the fitness industry's promotional calendar, and the pattern in recent years has been consistent: the deepest cuts land over Black Friday and Cyber Monday, with a second reliable dip in January when New Year promotions roll out. The NordicTrack is usually the first of the two to fall below $400, and event pricing has historically taken it well under that line — which is exactly when its value case beats the Bowflex. Spring is the dead zone: promotions dry up from March through May, and paying list price then means ignoring two predictable sale windows on either side.
| Window | Typical move | Verdict |
|---|---|---|
| Black Friday / Cyber Monday | Yearly lows on both models | Best |
| New Year (January) | Second dip as fitness promos return | Buy |
| Prime Day (July) | Occasional near-holiday pricing | Maybe |
| Labor Day (September) | Moderate fitness-wide discounts | Maybe |
| Spring (March–May) | List price, little movement | Wait |
- Typical move
- Yearly lows on both models
- Verdict
- Best
- Typical move
- Second dip as fitness promos return
- Verdict
- Buy
- Typical move
- Occasional near-holiday pricing
- Verdict
- Maybe
- Typical move
- Moderate fitness-wide discounts
- Verdict
- Maybe
- Typical move
- List price, little movement
- Verdict
- Wait
Based on typical historical pricing patterns; individual sales vary and are never guaranteed.
Judge the gap, not the sticker
The verdict
The Bowflex SelectTech 552 wins this comparison for most home lifters: the dial adjustment is quicker and smoother, the plates fit tighter, and its long track record makes it the lower-risk buy for something you'll use for years. The NordicTrack Select-A-Weight is a genuinely good dumbbell that becomes the right answer on price — when a sale puts it $75 or more below the Bowflex, its extra top-end weight and included trays make it the smarter spend. Shop the Black Friday or January windows and you'll likely face that exact choice.
If neither needs to be the answer, our roundup of the best adjustable dumbbells under $300 covers cheaper alternatives, and adjustable dumbbells vs fixed weights settles whether a selector set suits your training at all. Buying out of season? The Labor Day fitness equipment sales window is the next realistic discount before the holidays.
