The Bowflex SelectTech 552 you have probably seen recommended everywhere isn’t the same product anymore. In June 2025, Johnson Health Tech recalled nearly 4 million SelectTech 552 and 1090 units after weight plates started dislodging from the handle during use. If an article compares “the 552” to a Nuobell without mentioning that, it’s either outdated or wasn’t checked against current information.
What’s sold under the SelectTech 552 name now is the Results Series 552, a redesigned version built after the recall. This article compares that current product against the Nuobell 80, not the recalled one. If you already own a pre-2025 552, stop using it and check Bowflex’s recall page for a replacement or refund before doing anything else.
One more thing worth knowing before the numbers: Bowflex sells the Results Series 552 as a single dumbbell. You need to buy two for a full set. Nuobell sells the 80 lb version as a pair. Keep that in mind when you compare the price tags below, because they are not measuring the same thing.
Quick Comparison
| Weight range | 5 to 52.5 lbs per dumbbell | 5 to 80 lbs per dumbbell |
| Increments | 2.5 lbs up to 25 lbs, then 5 lbs | 5 lbs throughout |
| Settings per dumbbell | 15 | 16 |
| Sold as | Single dumbbell (buy two for a pair) | Pair |
| Adjustment mechanism | Dual end dials, one per side | Single handle twist |
| Plate material | Metal-reinforced, redesigned post-recall | Machined steel |
| Handle | Rubber-covered, ergonomic taper | Knurled steel, traditional dumbbell feel |
| Track record | New design, launched 2025 | On the market since 2020 |
| Warranty | Standard Bowflex coverage, verify current term on listing | 2 years standard, extendable to 3 to 5 years |
The Recall, in Plain Terms
Here’s what actually happened. The original SelectTech 552 and 1090 used plastic internal discs to hold the weight plates in place when you turned the selector dial. Over time and repeated use, those discs could crack. When one failed, the plate it was holding could come loose mid-lift, which is exactly as dangerous as it sounds for something you’re holding over your face on a bench press.
Johnson Health Tech, which bought Bowflex’s assets out of Nautilus’s 2024 bankruptcy, issued the recall in June 2025 covering both the current owners and anyone who bought the dumbbells going back over 20 years. If you bought a 552 or 1090 between April 2024 and May 2025, Bowflex owes you a free Results Series replacement or a full refund voucher. Earlier purchases get a prorated refund voucher instead. Go through Bowflex’s official recall claim process, not a third-party reseller, to make sure you get the real remedy.
The Results Series models replace the failure-prone plastic discs with reinforced metal components. That’s a real fix, not just a rename. But it also means the Results Series 552 doesn’t have years of owner reviews behind it the way the old 552 did. When you see a competitor site quote “4.8 stars from 21,000 reviews” for the 552, that number belongs to the recalled product, not the one currently for sale.
Bowflex Results Series 552
8.4/ 10
The dial system is still the 552’s biggest selling point. Turn the dial on each end to the weight you want and lift. There’s no twisting a handle, no pins to pull, just two dials and you’re moving in under 5 seconds. If your workout involves supersetting curls into presses into rows, that speed matters more than it sounds like it would on paper.
The weight ceiling is the real limiting factor here. At 52.5 lbs per dumbbell, you’ll outgrow this for lower-body compound work (goblet squats, Romanian deadlifts, weighted lunges) well before you outgrow it for anything upper body. If you’re already benching in the 40s or squatting with real load, think about whether 52.5 lbs gets you through the next two or three years of progress, not just this year.
One quirk worth knowing: the two-dial design lets you set each dumbbell to a different weight, which the single-dial Nuobell can’t do. That matters for offset training, like doing single-arm presses at different loads to correct a strength imbalance between sides. It’s a niche use case, but if you have one shoulder or arm noticeably behind the other, it’s a real advantage.
- Fastest weight changes of the two
- Offset loading lets each dumbbell be set differently
- Rubber handle stays comfortable on high-rep sets
- Redesigned metal components address the recall's failure point
- Sold as a single unit, budget for two
- 52.5 lb ceiling limits long-term lower-body progression
- New design means limited real-world durability data so far
- Bulkier profile than a traditional dumbbell shape
The Results Series 552 is a genuinely fixed version of a product that had a real safety problem, not just a rebrand. If your training stays in the 5 to 50 lb range for the next few years, the adjustment speed and offset-loading option make it worth the price. If you’re already pushing past that, you’re buying a ceiling you’ll hit fast.
Nuobell 80
9.0/ 10
Nuobell’s single-dial twist mechanism does the job of Bowflex’s two dials with one motion. Grab the handle, twist to your weight, lift. It’s genuinely faster in practice than it sounds, and once you’ve used it a few times it becomes automatic. The tradeoff is you can’t set each dumbbell to a different weight the way you can with the 552’s dual dials.
The 80 lb ceiling is the headline feature, and it’s a real one. That’s 27.5 lbs more per dumbbell than the 552 tops out at, which is the difference between needing a second set of dumbbells in two years and not needing one for a decade. The steel plates and knurled handle also give it a closer feel to a traditional fixed dumbbell than Bowflex’s more angular, plastic-accented design.
The known complaint across owner reviews is occasional sticking during the twist-lock adjustment, usually reported as needing an extra half-turn or a firmer twist to fully lock in. It’s not a safety issue like the Bowflex recall, more of a minor annoyance that a few owners mention. Nuobell’s customer support has a reputation for sending replacement parts quickly when something like a cracked cradle shows up out of the box, based on the pattern in verified owner reviews.
- 80 lb ceiling handles years of progression without buying a second set
- Single-twist adjustment is faster in practice than dual dials
- Steel plates and knurled handle feel closer to a real dumbbell
- Five years on the market with a large base of owner reviews
- Higher price than the Bowflex, especially once you factor Bowflex is priced per dumbbell
- Occasional stiff or sticky twist reported by some owners
- Can't set each dumbbell to a different weight
- Heavier overall, which matters if you're moving them around a small space often
The Nuobell 80 costs more up front, but the 80 lb ceiling means you’re not replacing it in two years the way you might with a 52.5 lb set. For anyone who already lifts seriously or plans to, this is the safer long-term buy.
Head to Head
Price
This is the comparison everyone gets wrong, including some of the sites ranking for this exact search. Bowflex prices the Results Series 552 per dumbbell, so a full set means buying two. Nuobell prices the 80 lb version as a pair. Check the live prices in the buttons above rather than trusting a flat “Bowflex is cheaper” claim, because once you double the Bowflex price for a full set, the gap closes fast and can flip depending on current deals.
Weight Ceiling
52.5 lbs versus 80 lbs per dumbbell. If you’re a beginner or focused mostly on upper-body work, 52.5 lbs covers you for a long time. If you’re already lifting with real load, or you do any lower-body work with dumbbells (goblet squats, RDLs, walking lunges), the extra 27.5 lbs on the Nuobell is the difference between a five-year purchase and a two-year one.
Adjustment Speed
Both are fast. Nuobell’s single twist edges out Bowflex’s dual dials in most side-by-side tests, mainly because it’s one motion instead of two. The Bowflex trade-off is the offset-loading option the Nuobell doesn’t have.
Build and Durability
Nuobell has the track record: steel plates, knurled handles, five years of real owner data with no safety recalls. Bowflex’s Results Series is a genuine redesign that fixes the specific failure that caused the 2025 recall, but it’s a new product without years of use behind it yet. That’s not a knock on the engineering, just an honest statement about what data exists so far.
Why the Recall Matters More Than a Spec Sheet
Most comparison articles for this topic treat it as a pure numbers exercise: weight range, price, done. What that misses is that adjustable dumbbells all share the same basic failure mode risk, a mechanism holds a stack of loose plates against a handle, and if that mechanism fails, the plates come off while you’re holding the thing over your body.
The 2025 Bowflex recall happened because the plastic discs in the original 552 and 1090 wore down faster than expected under repeated use. Nuobell hasn’t had a recall of this kind, which says something about their steel-plate approach, but it also doesn’t mean twist-lock mechanisms are immune to wear over enough years of use. Whichever one you buy, check the mechanism periodically (make sure the dial or twist-lock engages fully and the plates don’t shift when you tap the dumbbell against your palm before a heavy set) instead of assuming a working product stays working forever.
Buying Guide: Which One Should You Get
Get the Bowflex Results Series 552 if:
- You’re new to strength training and 52.5 lbs covers your near-term goals
- You want the fastest possible transitions between exercises in a circuit or superset
- You have a strength imbalance between arms and want to load them differently
- Budget is tight and you’re comfortable buying one dumbbell now, a second later
Get the Nuobell 80 if:
- You already lift with real weight, or expect to within a year or two
- You do lower-body dumbbell work where 52.5 lbs would feel light fast
- You want a design closer to a traditional dumbbell’s feel and balance
- You’d rather pay more once than buy a heavier set later
FAQ
Is the Bowflex SelectTech 552 still recalled?
The original SelectTech 552 and 1090 were recalled in June 2025 for a weight plate impact hazard. If you own a pre-2025 unit, stop using it and file a claim through Bowflex’s official recall page. The Results Series 552, which is what’s currently sold under the SelectTech name, is the redesigned replacement and is not part of the recall.
What’s the difference between the old 552 and the Results Series 552?
The core dial mechanism and weight range are similar, but the Results Series uses reinforced metal components in place of the plastic discs that caused the original recall. Think of it as the same concept with the failure point fixed, not a totally different product.
Can the Nuobell 50 lb version be upgraded to 80 lbs later?
Nuobell has sold expansion kits for this in the past, but availability and pricing change, so check the current listing or Nuobell’s site directly before assuming you can upgrade later instead of buying the 80 lb version now.
Do either of these work with a weight bench for pressing exercises?
Yes, both are standard-shaped adjustable dumbbells that work with any flat, incline, or adjustable bench. Neither requires a special bench or attachment.
Bottom Line
If you’re deciding purely on “which is the better dumbbell,” it’s close. The Nuobell 80 wins on ceiling, feel, and track record. The Bowflex Results Series 552 wins on adjustment speed and the offset-loading option, and it fixed the real problem that caused the recall in the first place.
The honest answer is that this decision comes down to how much weight you actually plan to lift. If 52.5 lbs per dumbbell covers your next few years of training, the Bowflex Results Series 552 is a legitimately fixed product worth considering again. If there’s a real chance you’ll want more than that, buying the Nuobell 80 now saves you from replacing a dumbbell set in two years.
For more options across every price point, see our full adjustable dumbbells roundup.
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