By Jacob Chambers, Founder & Lead Reviewer · Updated 30 June 2026
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The Bowflex SelectTech 1090 is the big brother of the hugely popular 552, swapping that model's 24kg ceiling for a far heftier 41kg per dumbbell. It is aimed at people who have outgrown light adjustable dumbbells and want to keep loading the big lifts at home: pressers, rowers and anyone serious about building strength without a garage full of fixed weights. The headline is that a single 1090 dumbbell replaces seventeen pairs, from 4kg up to 41kg, with a turn of a dial. The catch is a premium price and the physical bulk that comes with squeezing that much weight into one adjustable unit.
What you are really buying is space and convenience at heavy loads. Most adjustable dumbbells stop around 24kg, which plenty of trained lifters press or row straight past. The 1090 keeps going, so you can run a complete heavy dumbbell programme from one corner of a room. Progressive overload, adding weight over time, is the engine of strength and muscle gain (resistance training load review), and the 1090's wide range means you will not hit a ceiling for years.
How we review
This review is based on extensive research of verified owner reviews, hands-on testing from trusted expert outlets and Bowflex's published specifications. We have not run our own months-long endurance test of this exact unit, so we have been careful to report only consistent, repeated findings, both the praise and the complaints, rather than one-off opinions.
The 1090 makes sense if you lift heavy and have outgrown, or expect to outgrow, lighter adjustable dumbbells. If your dumbbell presses, rows and shrugs already use 20kg or more, the 552's 24kg cap will hold you back within months, and the 1090 solves that. If you are newer to training, do mostly higher-rep or rehab-style work, or you rarely go above 20kg, the cheaper 552 is the smarter buy and the 1090 is more weight (and more money) than you need.
The 1090 feels like a product that has been iterated on for years, because it has. The metal plates seat with a reassuring click, the dial turns crisply when the dumbbell is properly cradled, and the handle is grippy and comfortable. At heavy settings it feels balanced and secure, with none of the rattle you get from cheap clones.
The honest trade-off is size. To pack 41kg into one unit, the bar is long even when you have only a few plates selected, so at 6kg or 9kg the 1090 feels oversized in the hand and can clatter into your legs on lunges or your chest on flyes. That is the price of the range, and it is the same compromise every heavy adjustable dumbbell makes. For straight pressing, curling and rowing it is a non-issue.
| Weight range | 4 kg to 41 kg (9 to 90 lb) per dumbbell |
|---|---|
| Settings | 17 weight selections per dumbbell |
| Adjustment | Twist dial, weight must be seated in cradle |
| Replaces | Up to 17 pairs of fixed dumbbells |
| Increments | Approx 2 kg to 4 kg steps |
| Handle | Grippy contoured bar, metal plates |
| Best for | Heavier dumbbell pressing, rows, curls, shrugs |
| Sold as | Single or pair (this listing is the duo pack) |
In day-to-day training the 1090 does exactly what it should: it gets out of the way and lets you lift. The dial change takes a couple of seconds, which keeps supersets and drop sets flowing in a way that hunting through a rack of fixed dumbbells never matches. For a home lifter chasing strength, the ability to nudge from 23kg to 25kg to 27kg as you get stronger, without buying a single extra plate, is the whole point.
The two things to respect are dropping and seating. You cannot bail a heavy 1090 the way you can a rubber dumbbell, because the plastic shell and selector dislike impact, so you have to lower it under control or know when to stop a set. And the dial only works when the dumbbell is fully home in its cradle, so the occasional jam owners report almost always traces back to changing weight off the stand or forcing the dial. Treat it correctly and it is dependable. Strength training itself is well worth the effort, with the NHS recommending muscle-strengthening work for all major muscle groups on at least two days a week.
The 1090 is not cheap, and bought as a pair it is a real investment. But the comparison is not against one fixed dumbbell, it is against the seventeen pairs it replaces, plus the rack to hold them and the floor space they would eat. Seen that way, it is good value for anyone who genuinely uses the heavier end of the range. If you do not, you are paying a premium for weight you will not touch, and the 552 or a sensible set of fixed dumbbells makes more sense. When the 1090 is discounted, which it often is, the case for it gets stronger still. To see how adjustable dumbbells stack up against the field, see our best adjustable dumbbells guide, and if you are kitting out a room, pair it with a sturdy weight bench. More strength kit lives in our home gym section.
If you train seriously and want to keep progressing on the big dumbbell lifts, yes. The 1090 replaces seventeen pairs of dumbbells up to 41kg each, saves a huge amount of space and money over individual weights, and is built to last. If you mostly do lighter, higher-rep work, the cheaper 552 (up to 24kg) covers you for far less, so the 1090 is overkill.
Weight range, mostly. The 552 adjusts from 2kg to 24kg per dumbbell in 1kg to 2kg steps, while the 1090 goes from 4kg to 41kg in larger 2kg to 4kg increments. The 1090 is bigger, heavier and pricier. Choose the 552 for general fitness and lighter lifts, and the 1090 if you press, row or curl heavy and would outgrow the 552's 24kg ceiling.
Each dumbbell maxes out at 41kg (90lb), so a pair is a serious lump to store and the bars are physically long even at light settings. That length is the main practical downside: at low weights the 1090 feels bulky in the hand compared with a fixed dumbbell, and the size can get in the way on moves like lunges or chest flyes.
It can if you misuse it. The dial only turns when the dumbbell is fully seated in its cradle, and forcing it, or trying to change weight mid-air, is what causes most problems. Used as intended, seating it properly before turning the dial, the mechanism is reliable. Always rack it on a flat, stable surface.
No. Like all dial-adjustable dumbbells, the 1090 has a plastic outer shell and a selector mechanism that dropping can crack or knock out of alignment. If you train to failure on heavy lifts and need to bail, a set of fixed rubber hex dumbbells is the safer, if bulkier and pricier, choice. Lower the 1090 under control.
Seventeen per dumbbell. A turn of the dial selects 4kg, 6.5kg, 9kg, 11.5kg, 14kg, 16kg, 18kg, 20.5kg, 23kg, 25kg, 27kg, 29.5kg, 32kg, 34kg, 36kg, 39kg or 41kg. That single dumbbell replaces a whole rack, which is the entire appeal.
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