When looking for new weight plates to add to a home gym, most athletes will want to snag some bumper plates, like the Rogue Echo Bumper Plates. Because of the rubber coating, the Rogue Echos can be used for more lifts, and shouldn’t ruin your floors if dropped. These bumper plates also absorb shock more effectively than traditional plates do, so your barbell will hold up just fine during a heavy power clean.
The Rogue Echo Bumper Plates feature stainless steel inserts and a virgin rubber coating, which means these are quite durable and should last you at least ten years. Since bumper plates are often used for Olympic and CrossFit style lifts, you’ll love the 88 durometer rating. This rating for bumpers ranges from 65 to 100, and determines the amount of bounce to expect when the plates are dropped — the higher the number, the lower the bounce. Since these bumpers are of such high quality and competitively priced, we think they’re a great choice for beginners and experts alike.
Main Takeaways
- These bumper plates are thinner than most of their competition, creating more space on your loading sleeves.
- The durometer rating of 88 leads to a dead bounce, so you shouldn’t have to worry about harming your equipment.
- The Rogue Echo Bumper Plates are approved for the Army Combat Fitness Test.
The Rogue Echo Bumper Plates are made out of quality virgin rubber and have steel inserts to limit bouncing when dropped during various exercises.Â
Rogue Echo Bumper Plates Video Review
Our Reviews Writer, Jake, tested these bumpers out for himself in the BarBend garage gym. In his video review, he walks you through their pros and cons, pricing, design, and more.
Rogue Echo Bumper Plates Highlights
The name of the game with home gyms is convenience, and that’s why most people tend to lean toward bumper plates since they can handle it all. Rogue designed the Echo Bumper Plates with stainless steel, virgin rubber, and a solid durometer rating of 88. The virgin rubber plays a big role in the high durometer rating. Some bumpers of lesser quality use recycled rubber, which leads to more bounce, but that’s not something you have to worry about here.
One of our favorite things about these plates is how thin they are. This may not be ideal for everyone since you run the risk of them bending when dropped — mainly for those who don’t have multiple plates on the loading sleeves to evenly distribute the shock absorption. However, elite lifters will love that the 45’s are only 2.4 inches thick, so they can load on some eye-popping weight.
These Rogue bumpers are also approved for the Army Combat Fitness Test. This six-event assessment determines a soldier’s physical fitness, and includes a three-rep max deadlift. These plates do not range up to 55 pounds like Rogue’s Color Echo Bumper Plates, but you still have some variety in your purchases as Rogue offers pairs or full sets. The plates range from 10 pounds to 45 pounds, and you have three options with the sets — 160, 230, and 260 pounds with varying weight plates. Since they’re still thicker than competition bumpers, they may not be ideal for competitors to practice with — though they do meet the IWF diameter standards.
Who Should Buy Rogue Echo Bumper Plates
- Olympic and CrossFit athletes looking for some long-lasting bumpers will enjoy the durability of these virgin rubber-coated bumper plates.
- Elite-level athletes looking to create more space on their barbell’s loading sleeves will appreciate how thin these plates are.
- Folks who want big-name bumper plates without breaking the bank will love that these plates are competitively priced.
Who Shouldn’t Buy Rogue Echo Bumper Plates
- Even though the thin profile is one of our favorite traits about these plates, those who are not putting multiple plates on either side of their loading sleeves for their lifts may want to find some thicker bumper plates to decrease the chance of the plates bending.
- Athletes who are only powerlifting may want to save some money and opt for some iron plates.
- Anyone who wants a full set heavier than 260 pounds will want to explore other options as that is the heaviest set here.
Price
You can purchase these Rogue Echo Bumper Plates in individual pairs and full sets. A pair of 10-pound plates is going to run you about $65, the 15’s are around $80, the 25’s are nearly $115, the 35’s are around $150, and the 45’s are going to cost you about $190.
In terms of full sets, you have three different choices. The 160-pound set is going to be ideal for beginners, and is going to cost you about $400. The 230-pound set is priced at around $560, and the 260-pound set is about $640.
When you compare these prices to the rest of the market, you’ll be paying pretty much the standard price for bumper plates. They are, however, more expensive than your traditional iron plates. This goes for all bumper plates, though, since they have the added protection from the rubber coating.
The only bummer is that the max weight on the sets is only 260 pounds. So if you’re built like The Rock, you’ll be forced to either purchase another full set, or individual pairs over time. Either way, you’ll be spending more money than you would if you went with a bigger full set that Rogue offers in their other bumpers, or one from another company.
Overall Build and Quality
Rogue designed their Echo Bumper Plates with stainless steel inserts, and wrapped them in a virgin rubber. The rubber coating will absorb the shock when they’re dropped, and serve as a protectant for your barbell, floors, and any surrounding equipment. The collar and the rubber feel as if they were fused together, which could also extend the life of these bumpers. While these plates are more expensive than ones that feature iron inserts, you’re getting a solid value since they should last you at least 10 years.
Features
Bumper plates don’t have that many features, but there are still a few that stand out to us on these bumpers — specifically how thin they are. The 10-pound plates are actually pretty standard in their thickness at 0.8 inches thick, but as you go up in weight, the rest of these bumpers are thinner than a lot of the competition out there. This thin profile will allow you to pack more plates onto your barbell for a heavy lift.
The diameter of these plates is universal across the board, measuring 17.7 inches (the IWF standard). While these plates are not color-coded, you can still easily see which weight you’re going to grab thanks to the large white lettering. These plates also feature a weight tolerance of +/- one percent of the claimed weight (we weren’t able to weigh them ourselves, but Rogue is known for being pretty spot on with their weights).
Weight Options
Ranging from 10 to 45 pounds, Rogue offers these bumpers in individual pairs and as a full set. Purchasing these plates as a full set is going to be the most cost-efficient way to go about it, and you have three different options to choose from. The 160-pound set consists of two 10, 25, and 45-pound plates. The 230-pound set tosses in a pair of 35-pound plates on top of that, and the 260-pound set will come with an additional pair of 15-pound plates.
The main downside is that the full set’s max weight is only 260 pounds. So if you need more weight than that, you will need to purchase two full sets, or add on some individual pairs of your choosing. Either way, you’ll be spending more money. For example, if you were to purchase two 260-pound sets, you’ll be spending $200 more than you would for a 500-pound set of the Rogue HG 2.0 Bumpers — and you’d only receive 20 more pounds of weight.
Weight Plate Design
Rogue crafted their Echo Bumper Plates with stainless steel inserts, and wrapped them in a virgin rubber with a durometer rating of 88 (this durometer rating can offer a dead bounce). The collars have a standard opening of 1.9 inches, and seem to be co-molded (meaning the two were fused together). While the 10’s are of standard thickness, the other weights here are thinner than the majority of bumper plates out there. They aren’t color-coded, but the white lettering contrasts with the black rubber, so you can easily read which weight you’re grabbing.
Since these are bumper plates, they do not feature any handles to grab. This may make it tough for people to pick them up off the ground, but it’s pretty standard for bumpers, and likely adds to the durability.
Color and Labeling
These bumper plates are all black in color with large white lettering. If you’re interested in color-coded bumper plates, Rogue does offer these bumpers that way, as well. This is technically a separate product that costs more though; other than labeling, the color doesn’t serve any additional purpose.
Handles
Because these are bumper plates, they do not feature any handles. This is standard for bumper plates though, and likely makes them more durable. It is worth noting that without handles, it can be a little more difficult to maneuver them when changing the weight on your barbell, or picking them up off the ground.
Product Specs
These bumper plates are wrapped in virgin rubber, leading to a dead bounce. The rubber coating also protects the steel inserts, your barbell, your floors, and any surrounding equipment. On top of the added protection, these bumper plates are quieter than traditional weight plates, so your neighbors won’t complain about you tossing heavy weight around. While the thickness of these plates varies by weight, the diameter is uniform, and meets the IWF standard of 17.7 inches.
Weight Plate Type
These are bumper plates rather than traditional metal plates, which means they’re coated in rubber. Because of the virgin rubber coating, you’ll encounter a pretty noticeable smell upon unboxing — nothing a little airing out won’t fix, though. Bumper plates have a lot of versatility since they can be used for your traditional power lifts, as well as lifts such as the clean & jerk, or any other exercise where the bar tends to be dropped on the ground. Traditional plates are not the ideal choice for those lifts because they lack the ability to absorb the shock in the same way.
Size and Dimensions
The Rogue Echo Bumper Plates feature a uniform diameter of 17.7 inches, but the plate’s thickness vary depending on the weight. Despite the 10-pound plates featuring a pretty common thickness of 0.8 inches, the rest of the plates are thinner than most bumpers we’ve reviewed. The 15’s are 1.04 inches thick, the 25’s are 1.55 inches thick, the 35’s are 1.9 inches thick, and the 45-pound plates are 2.4 inches thick.
It’s worth noting that these plates are still thicker than Olympic plates though, and won’t be a good fit for competitors to practice with — even though you can still do the same lifts. For example, a 45-pound Olympic plate is 2.1 inches thick. So you can still perform all of the same lifts, but the extra thickness of the plates may lead to more whip on your barbell.
Warranties
While Rogue does not include any type of warranty section for their weight plates, they do state that their products will be free from material defects in workmanship. At the end of the day, Rogue’s equipment is of the highest quality — and there’s no exception with these bumpers.
Places to Buy
You can buy the Echo Bumper Plates directly through Rogue’s website.
Company Information
Rogue has been one of the leaders in manufacturing gym equipment since 2006 with no signs of slowing down. If you need to reach out to someone on their customer support team, you can send them a message on their website, and someone will quickly respond in an email. Or, you can call them at 614-358-6190.
Final Word
These high-quality Rogue Echo Bumper Plates offer ample durability and versatility. They’re an ideal choice for anyone working CrossFit and Olympic-style lifts on top of traditional powerlifting. Even though you may have to drop some money if you want heavier than a 260-pound set, the stainless steel inserts, virgin rubber coating, and durometer rating of 88 combine to create a product that could last you over 10 years.
If you are looking to add a full set, or even just a few pairs for some variety in your workout program, we think these are a great option to consider. Since they’re thinner than most bumper plates, they may be a better fit for anyone tossing on more than one plate on either side of their barbell to share the shock absorption, and prevent bending. They’re still thicker than Olympic plates though, so they won’t be ideal for anyone looking for plates to prep for their next competition. However, regardless of experience level, the Echo Bumper Plates from Rogue can elevate your workouts, and are well worth the price tag thanks to their durability.
FAQs
How much do the Rogue Echo Bumper Plates cost?
The Echo Bumpers are available in individual pairs ranging from 10 to 45 pounds and three full sets — 160 pounds, 230 pounds, and 260 pounds. The 160-pound set is around $400, the 230-pound set is roughly $560, and the 260-pound set is around $640.
If you’d rather build a full set over time by purchasing individual pairs, a 10-pound pair is going to run you around $65, a pair of the 15’s is about $80, the 25’s are around $113, while the 35’s are about $150, and the 45’s are $190. These are some pretty affordable prices, in our opinion, considering the overall quality of these bumpers.
How important is the durometer rating for the Rogue Echo Bumper Plates?
The durometer rating for bumper plates is extremely important. The purpose of bumper plates is to be able to perform workouts where the bar is dropped on the ground — therefore, you’ll want a plate that doesn’t bounce too much. The durometer rating is going to determine how much bounce you should expect to encounter. This rating ranges on a scale of 65 to 100 for bumper plates, and since the Echo Bumpers have a rating of 88, they offer minimal bounce.
What workouts can I do with the Rogue Echo Bumper plates?
The beauty of bumper plates is that you can do it all with them. You can focus on the big three (squat, bench, deadlift), or you can work in some Olympic style lifts, such as a hang clean. This versatility is what makes them such a hot commodity for home gym owners.
