JAXJOX - DumbbellConnect - Adjustable Dumbbell Pair - Cool Gray

Jaxjox is one of the first, if not the first to implement smart tech into a dumbbell. While bowflex selectech has dominated this segment in years past, Jaxjox attempts to “one up” the home gym giant. Pros: • Replaces 16 dumbbells for space saving • Modern flair • Enough weight to challenge most Cons: • Even though its expensive it’s still cheaper than main rival • App is horrendous • Not the fastest to change weights There is so much to unpack here that I think it’s best to break this review down to a few categories and my review score for each category. (1 for worst and 10 being best) Dumbbells: 8.5 out of 10 In the box are 2 sets of 50lb max dumbbells, dumbbell docks, a manual and 2 USB-C charge cables. You will need to provide your own USB power outlet. Make sure to initially charge the dock/base with the dumbbell handle to “unlock” the shipping mode. Without both the base and handle charged, you will not be able to pair your smart dumbbells to the Jaxjox phone app (Bluetooth). You don’t need the phone app to function the dumbbells but there are benefits that I’ll describe in more detail in the App section. After setup and charging, the dumbbells can only be changed via the 2 buttons on the base. Battery life appears to be good for what it needs to do. I haven’t fully depleted the batteries yet after a few workouts so I can’t comment on the longevity. The left/right buttons cycles the weight options from 8lbs to 50lbs in 6lb increments. Why 6lb increments? Who knows… It takes roughly 10-12seconds for the weights to change. This speed is ok for some workouts but not all. More on this later. The aesthetics of the dumbbells is great. I never thought I would judge a dumbbell by it’s look but it does look great. The dumbbells do feel substantial with very little play for an adjustable dumbbell. The knurled grip is perfectly sized. Why 8.5 score? A few things that kept the actual dumbbells from a perfect score are the following: • Display is hard to see at certain angles. I have these sitting on the floor and it’s hard to see the display while I’m standing. The screen also turns off in a few seconds. Why can’t the display stay on during my entire workout? • No plate numbers so I have no idea what the total weight of each dumbbell is without waking the base to show me • Changing weights is easy but you can easily overshoot your selection since the left and right buttons keeps cycling from 8-50 and 50-8. An easy solve would be to have the left and right buttons stop at the lowest or highest weight option without cycling through the whole list again. With this suggestion, I would then be able to select the highest or lowest weight without looking. During a workout session with heavy breathing, setting the next weight can be daunting as my trembling fingers always over or under shoots the desired weight setting. Maybe a 3rd button to confirm my choice without accidental weight selections. • No handle or a place to carry on the actual base so very cumbersome to move your weights for storage. I work out in my living room so I tuck these dumbbells into the corner of the room when I’m not working out. Without a handle or hand slot, I find it best to keep the weights at 50lbs and move the base and dumbbell separately to where you need it. • And lastly, every time I need to do a weight change, the base shows me the “Jaxjox” logo for a second or two and that takes me out of the rhythm of the workout. Why bother showing me a logo every time I need to change weight? App: 5 out of 10 While you don’t need the app to function, the app does allow the dumbbells to be a bit smarter than the competition. The dumbbells pair to your phone with the app and the app allows you to change the weight via the app. While gimmicky as the weights can be changed on the base, the app does track sets and reps with the accelerometer in each handle. After a workout, the summary screen shows your total weight lifted, how much calories estimated you burned and total reps/sets you completed. All sounds great but why 5 score out of 10? Here is why: • Not intuitive app to use • The app is free to download, but the workouts are not (more on this later) • Need to remember to pair the dumbbells to your phone before your workout. They will not automatically pair with your phone. • Did I mention that the app is hard to use? Workouts: 3 out of 10 Jaxjox has their own workout classes in an already heavily saturated streaming workout platform. Copying the likes of Peloton, Apple Fitness+, Beachbody, etc, it falls a bit short. It sounds like it makes sense they should have their own workout classes since each equipment they sell is smartly connected to the app but it falls short to my expectations and here is why: • The workouts are paid monthly with no contract. I’m on the free trial period and I will not renew (more on this below) • The workouts can be casted to my smart TV which is the only silver lining. • Sorting and filtering through the different workouts is a bit daunting. They have zero descriptions on what each workout does and limits it to the vague title of the video of what the workout attempts to do. • Having experience with Apple Fitness+, these trainers on Jaxjox is highschool production compared to the others. • The workouts are extremely fast pace and some of the 30m workouts barely gives you time to switch weights before going to the next muscle group. I was hoping that the app would be smart enough to change weights for me based on the workout im streaming through their app. A big swing and miss here. The 45m program I tried did give me a 20sec rest period between sets so I can change weights. But why can’t I preset weights I want for each muscle and have the app do it for me based on the fitness video? • The workouts are not only fast pace but not geared for the aspiring couch-to-fitness user. I’m doing burpees for a strength program? What is this…crossfit training? In summary, the weights are great but could be better with a firmware update to fix the issues I mentioned above. The app and workout programs are downright awful. The bright side is that it can only get better from here and future updates can easily make this better. Did I need the weights to be digital vs a knob to change the weights? The verdict is still out on that one.

With an 8 to 50 pound weight range these offer a lot of room to grow for beginners and save space. The weights are well built and the work out tracking works well. The app and training are a good place to start, but not perfect. Pros - Saves space compared to a traditional dumbbell set - Tracks reps, sets and total weight lifted during each session and tracks your overall progress - Build quality is excellent. Weights feel solid, have good grips and the sides and base are covered with a soft touch material - Adjusting the amount of weight is easy from the base using add/subtract buttons with clear indication of the amount of weight on an LED screen. Once you set them, the weights are secure. Things to Consider - The phone app does help you get started as a beginner. There are a variety of classes that target different work out styles (sweat, strong, restore and skill) and help you isolate different muscle groups. The app lets you filter classes by your device, but some classes used multiple devices and it was not clear which were only for the dumbbells. The trainer led classes at times felt canned and you had to keep up - the app counts reps, but does not provide any feedback to adjust the pace of the class. You also have to adjust the weighs yourself between reps (the trainer does this during short rest), but it is clunky and adjusting the weight from the phones touch screen via the app is slower/harder than using the base. There seem to be some misses with how integrated the weights are in the training session. - While changing weight settings is not particularly hard or slow, it is noticeable during super sets and can throw off your tempo. - No USB charger is included and the charging cables are short (3ft). I have been using them daily for a week without having to recharge them, but it is still inconvenient when they need to be charged and seems like an oversight on a premium set.

The adjustable dumbbells themselves are great. Very simple to use by themselves or with the phone integration. The dumbbells come as pairs, with two independent bases. Each base can be charged via USB-C (Cables included, but charger is not included). The bases have batteries on them, as well as the dumbbells that connect and charge from the base when resting. Each dumbbell has 6 sets of weights (So 12 weights total per dumbbell, 6 on each side). The dumbbells themselves weight 8 lb each. Each weight is 3 lb, but have to be set as pairs, so 6 lb increments So weight combinations as follows: 8 lb 14 lb 20 lb 26 lb 32 lb 38 lb 44 lb 50 lb The way it works is that once the dumbbells are resting on their bases, there are left and right buttons from the center screen of the base to adjust the weights. The dumbbells have a mechanized rod that connects the weights. Each weight has strong magnets and interlock themselves, so they do not come off once the center rod is in place. There is no power button, they're ready to go as soon as the weight is changed or they're lifted. iPhone App: The JAXLOX app works with all connected fitness equipment from this brand and also connects to Apple Health. It can be used to adjust the dumbbell, manually keep track during exercising or to be used with a subscription. The subscription is currently $ 12.99 / month, with the 1st month free, and gives access to several trainer-led classes. The subscription is not required unless taking the classes. Classes: There is a short selection of trainers, both male and female, and pre-recorded exercise videos can be filtered by type of exercise (Strength, cardio (sweat), etc.) length, equipment used, muscle groups, etc. Videos classes range from 15 to 45 minutes. The classes can be pre-loaded on the phone and supports Airplay to a compatible large screen. Real-time vitals are shown on the video. It also integrates with Apple Health, so if one is wearing an Apple Watch, it will also show BPMs and other stats. Without it, it will still show how many sets, lifts done, and overall weight, which is an excellent motivation. Customer Service: I initially had an issue pairing the dumbbells, and tech support via email was helpful and responsive. Overall, the dumbbells are excellent on their own. Bear in mind that these are not starter sets. If you're looking to start with smaller weights, options are either 8 lb or 14 lb. Nothing else in between. I think the iPhone app needs a bit of work but once we get to know its kinks, it works as expected. The monthly subscription might be a bit steep although videos provide great motivation to make exercises more appealing and so that's worth it. I like that subscription is completely optional and there is no need to use the app unless you want to track the exercise.

Really amazing dumbells and wonderful design. Best adjustable dumbells I've used thus far. The fact that it's electric is something to consider when buying. If the lights go out, you won't be able to change the weight. But that's not a concern of mine. The weights change pretty quickly, about 5 seconds max to go from 12lbs to 50lbs. The only reason I'm giving it 4 stars instead of 5 is the fact that all the cool aspects like rep monitoring and stats require a $12/mo subscription to their app service. I guess I overlooked that when reading about this, but it was a bummer to see. I would understand a subscription to see their workouts, but to pay additionally for something that was the main selling point for an already expensive 'smartbell' (these ain't dumb) was very, very disappointing.

I already own Bowflex SelectTech 552 dumbbells, and was curious how these JAXJOX DumbbellConnect compared. I liked how the dumbbells’ weight selection was controlled by an app and these weights included programs to help get fit, so I wanted to give them a try. Setup Setup was easy enough, as one of the dumbbells was easily added within the app, but the other one took some tinkering to get to add. Use I liked how I had the option to change the weight of the dumbbell from either the app or the dumbbell base. It made my workout easy to be able to transition from one exercise to another without needing to be near the base to change the weight. I really liked how the app keeps track of your workout schedule. I also liked how this weight system changed weights to a lower one without keeping an awkwardly lengthened bar where the heavier weights would go. This allows for a compact dumbbell, especially compared to the competition (see photo of both dumbbells at 20lbs). The only issue I ran into with these dumbbells was when I changed from 20lb to a heaver weight. The additional weights in the base were leaning outward, and when I placed the handle back on the base, the tracks did not align properly and there was a gap (see photo). I did not attempt to see if the weight could be changed, but would worry that if it could, the next weight in the series would not be properly tied into the handle and could cause it to fall off and cause an injury. I hope JAXJOX has a failsafe to prevent this, but I was afraid of testing this. Pros Motiving app Training videos within the app Can upgrade to a personal trainer Unlike other quick changing weights, the length is not awkward Cons Weights don’t always align correctly Unsure how longevity of battery impacts useability Overall, I would recommend these weights for someone trying to avoid the gym and needing extra motivation to stay on track.

Buying pairs of dumbbells can be expensive and take up a lot of space. As someone who is limited on space, these dumbbells are an admirable size for limited space. I am collecting gym equipment to hopefully one day have my home gym and the JAXJOX dumbbells have so far been an amazing addition to my gym equipment. But I will be addressing a few flaws with these in my review. In this review, I will go into depth with my experience while using these JAXJOX dumbbells. ================================= IN THE BOX/SETUP/APPEARANCE: The box is heavy, the box weighed around 100lbs, but JAXJOX did an amazing job at packing the equipment so it won’t get damaged. In the box, you get a pair of JAXJOX dumbbells that can be adjusted from 8lbs to 50lbs. There is a USB-A to USB-C cable but no charging brick. And finally, a detailed instruction manual that comes in a myriad of languages. I’ve used JAXJOX equipment before, so I was familiar with the setup and how to adjust the weights on the dumbbells. I do recommend you read the manual before doing anything for safety reasons as well as to avoid damaging the equipment. Setup is straightforward, set the base on a sturdy floor, place the weights on the base, and finally place the 8lb dumbbell in the middle. Make sure all the weights are properly aligned. Aligning the weights is tedious but I will have more on this later. Both bases do require to be charged so you will need to fork out another USB-C cable to charge the other base unless you want to use the included one interchangeably when one base runs out of battery. Appearance-wise, the dumbbells are on the larger side which is understandable. I’ve used 50lb dumbbells before and they are a lot smaller than these but for space-saving reasons, I am okay with having bulkier dumbbells rather than 10 pairs of dumbbells. The base is still plastic and unfortunately, I do not think this base will take the beating it will get overtime. I’ve read a few reviews on here where these JAXJOX dumbbells have stopped working after a couple of months which is concerning. On the other hand, the dumbbells themselves feel sturdy. But I wouldn’t drop these on the ground as the sensors could be roughed and damaged making the entire product useless. ================================= TESTING/JAXJOX APP: Testing went well for the most part. The dumbbells do change weight quickly and since I have been testing these I have yet to experience any problems changing weights. The dumbbells are on the bulkier side so conducting certain exercises can be awkward but so far, I have been enjoying my workouts. Placing the weights back on the scale can be a bit tedious when the weights aren’t properly aligned. I did find this a burden but I just used it as an excuse to get an extra forearm workout in. A simple detail that I dislike about these is how often the weights move around when performing reps. The movement is minuscule but a bit annoying. I do want to address the negative reviews here. A lot of the bad reviews have expressed that the dumbbells break after a couple of months. A lot of these do mention that the dumbbells have simply stopped changing weight which is one of my concerns with using these for the long term. The sensors on the dumbbells will get roughed up over time and unfortunately will cause some problems with changing the weight in the future. The base sends a signal to the dumbbells to change the weights and when the base stops working, that’s a whole problem in itself. I have been careful while using these dumbbells, but I could only be so careful considering these are meant to be slammed and roughed up. These dumbbells are amazing when they work but the question is are they durable? Time will tell… There is also the JAXJOX App. I’ve used the JAXJOX app before and I did not find the app to be too helpful in my workouts besides the videos that teach you how to conduct a variety of exercises using the dumbbells. The app does a lot from tracking all your performance data with the dumbbell such as reps, duration of workout, and more. I don’t need such data since I track this myself, but I could see people using this for themselves. ================================= CONCLUSION: If I could use a few words to describe these dumbbells, it would be the following. “These dumbbells are incredible when they work but once they stop working, you got a big problem.” I did enjoy my workout sessions with these dumbbells. I especially loved how much space I save compared to buying a set of dumbbells. But unfortunately, I cannot recommend these due to the uncertainty of how durable these can be over the long term. I have been careful while using these dumbbells, but I shouldn’t have to “baby” these every time I am using them. Dumbbells are meant to be roughed up and beaten, I do not think these will take a good beating over time. Hopefully, JAXJOX can address some of these issues and release the second generation of adjustable dumbbells because I do seriously enjoy the innovation they are doing in the fitness space.

These save a ton of space (see pics). Overall easy to setup and use. They are a little bit bigger than traditional weights (see pic comparing a 32lb JaxJox to 35lb traditional metal), but still comfortable to use. Love that they auto track your reps into the app instead of having to stop and write them down. Same for the follow along video workouts (note paid monthly subscription for most of the workouts). - I was happy to see that I was also able to push the workouts from my phone to my TV - Note this requires a smart tv, AppleTV, etc.to push your phone to your TV – I have an iPhone and an AppleTV and worked perfectly if you want a “bigger” screen than a phone or ipad to follow their workouts. It doesn’t have every weight of a conventional set, but gets close enough to find your equivalent – example you need to use either 32 for 35 or 38 for 40. But once you get used to using these, you just progress like you normally would. These can be set to 8, 14, 20, 26, 32, 38, 44, 50. They have one flat side on the weight discs for setting into the platform/charger or on the ground. If you don’t set these down on the flat side on your floor than can roll a bit, but same goes for any round dumbbell. Hopefully the unit rechargeable batteries last a long time as they are needed to set the weight. Charging units are slim and overall these take up very little room. Note they don't come with a plug, just the 2 usb cables, so you'll need a dual usb plug for charging. Going to get rid of a bunch of our older traditional weights!

Pros Sleek Saves space Tracks reps automatically Doesn’t rattle during workout Display makes weight changes straightforward App and subscription available but not required Changes weights quickly when awake Base uses standard USB-C Cons Batteries reduce the overall lifespan Needs to boot up every time to change weight Weigh increments not standard Rep counter often double or triple counts Extension that holds add on weights are small App doesn’t use Apple Watch heart rate tracker App doesn’t incorporate workouts into Apple Health Filter on app for workouts based on equipment doesn’t work Design and Setup The JaxJox DumbellConnect has an understated sleek design. While most adjustable weights have bright colors and aggressive shapes to them, the DumbellConnect’s simple charcoal color is understated. If you have your exercise equipment in a space where appearance matters, such as your bedroom, the DumbellConnect could easily blend in. Included in the set are two USB-C cables so no worries about proprietary chargers. That said, it would have been a nice touch if JaxJox either included cables with a 90-degree end or change the orientation of the port to allow the set to be up against the wall without risking damaging the cords. The add on weights slot into each other slightly for more stability. To make alignment more consistent, each weight has a corresponding slot in the base as well. The handle portion of the dumbbell has a shaft, split in two, that drives half of the shaft out in each direction to lock into the programmed amount of weight. While it does the job, they do seem thin and the instructions do warn you not to slam them. Realistically, if you are the type who prefers to drop the weights between sets you are probably best served by non-adjustable weights for safety and longevity. Setup is very straightforward. Just take the bases out of the box and plug them in. Next, slot the extra weights into their slots. Finally, place in the main dumbbell. From there you could begin a workout almost immediately if the batteries have enough of a charge. For tracking reps and sets and trying out their subscription to coaches workouts you are going to need to install the app and create a JaxJox account. While the subscription is not required to track workouts, it might be worth trying the 1 month trial to see if the workouts suit you. Usage and Performance If you have your own predefined workout, you can start straight from the dumbells. Just tap the screen on each base to wake them up. Set the desired weight and once you hear the beep you are ready to start. A slight annoyance is that the bases go to sleep after 20 seconds. This means that each time you want to change weights you first must wake the bases back up. It would be nice if JaxJox could either make the sleep function adjustable or at least keep them on for 30-60 minutes. This would make weight changes smoother. For guided workouts, you can choose either a single workout or a full scheduled exercise regimen where you set the days you can work out. In the single workouts, a filter option lets you choose which JaxJox equipment you have and how much time you have to work out, but the setup still needs work. For example, if you choose to filter only for DumbellConnect workouts it still shows kettlebell workouts or other workouts requiring equipment you don’t have. Also, the filtered workout set gives you very little information as to what the workout contains. For example, there are names like Tabata Sweat, Sweat Circuit, and Strong. None of the names gives any description of what muscle groups are focused on and even opening the workout tells you nothing. This could lead to you choosing the same muscle group two days in a row and there doesn’t seem to be a way to filter further. Essentially, you must start the workout to figure out which equipment is required and if you have it and then in some cases fast forward through to see what the workout focuses on. Beyond that, the individual workouts seem to be comprised of compound moves. It’s possible there are workouts with more muscle isolation in longer sessions but without running through each one manually it’s hard to be certain. Overall the program seems to be decent but offers a lot of room for refinement and expansion in the future. During guided workouts with a coach, the screen will display the total reps and total weight measured by the dumbells. The rep counter still needs some refinement as it regularly reads a single rep as two or three. Missing is a progress indicator for the workout. It’s nice to have one so you can stay motivated when you start to tank, but then you see the progress shows that you are almost done so you push harder to finish strong. Heart rate is displayed on the screen, but unfortunately it doesn’t use the one built into the Apple Watch. While Jaxjox has their own chest strap heart rate monitor, which is likely more accurate, it will be nice if they opened up to other options. Hopefully this will be added in the future. It would also be great if they could update the current ones or add to the next version to have the app track your previous weights and as you change sets you could just dock the dumbells and it would load the weights automatically based on your history. That would be amazing. Currently, switching weights is a manual process where you must wake up each base, wait for it to boot, and set the weight. Not a dealbreaker, just not as smart. Inside the app after a workout, it will break it down into sets and reps but only for guided workouts. If you decide to have the app track your workout without going through a guided course, you are only going to get stats on the total reps. In either case, the app will ask for permission to access to Apple Health. While it is helpful to have the Jaxjox app have access to your other information it would be great if your workouts could be recorded back to the Apple Fitness app. This way you could see a combined view of your exercises. Hopefully Jaxjox will add this in the future. As for stats in the Jaxjox app, it seems they are trying to simplify the data by summarizing it into a Fitness IQ. It shows you the number of the days of the week you have worked as well as some other stats such as heart rate, peak power, average power, and steps taken. Under the class stats it will show you how many times you have been in each class type such as sweat, strong, restore, and skills. This can be good for a hands-off person, but it would be great if in the future they allow more advanced users to be able to track performance for specific exercises. More exercise enthusiasts are interested in using technology to track stats versus a paper journal and the Jaxjox line-up seems prime to have the solution. It’s possible they already have such functionality in their roadmap, but as it stands now the system is intended to be targeted at people who want a guided workout and a simple basic score to summarize how they are doing. Final Thoughts If you are an exercise enthusiast looking for smart connected free weights, the main question is what information you want to track. If you are an enthusiast that wants to track workout data granularly and automatically to ditch paper journals or other apps, the Dumbellconnect isn’t there at the time of writing this review. If you want sleek, adjustable dumbbells that switch electronically then the Dumbellconnect can easily suit the task. If you like the idea of working out with free weights to better challenge stabilizer muscles, want a more guided workout routine, don’t care about the specifics of each workout, and just want a simple dashboard that shows your progress in basic terms then the Jaxjox Dumbellconnect seems like it could be a perfect fit.