I love the utility of PowerBlocks. Their space-saving design and cost-per-pound value are both fantastic. I am on my second set. Years ago I had a set of PowerBlock Sport 9.0 dumbbells with up to 90 lbs per hand. They were great, but a bit noisy. Sold those and got the PowerBlock Pro set with urethane-coated plates. I like these better. For pressing and pulling exercises (bench press, rows, etc), it's hard to notice a difference between these and traditional dumbbells. For rotational exercises (curls, lateral lifts, etc.) with the adder weights in, the feel is a little off, a little harder, as the additional weight is further from your elbow, changing the rotational mass distribution. Not a deal-breaker, but different, and may result in needing to step down your weight lifted by 5 lbs. Some exercises are downright difficult (goblet squats, tricep extensions) due to difficulty gripping a single block with two hands. For that reason, I bought the PowerBlock Curl Bar, which has worked great. The only other item to note is that the weight adjustment slider works great on flat, hard, surfaces. If you set the block on a padded bench, yoga mat, etc. the groves may not align properly and it takes some finesse to get the sidebar into place. Again, not a deal-breaker, but something to note.