Bowflex SelectTech 1090i Adjustable Dumbbells Review

The 1090i is the 552i scaled up. Same two-dial mechanism, same two-second weight change, but instead of stopping at 24kg it runs from 4 all the way to 41kg per hand across 17 settings. For a lifter who already presses, rows or goblet-squats above 24kg, that is the difference between an adjustable that works and one you have outgrown on day one.

What you trade for the range is size, weight and price. This is a long, bulky dumbbell that feels unwieldy at its lightest settings, the plates are still plastic and cannot be dropped, and a pair costs a lot more than the 552i. Get it for the heavy range, not as your first adjustable.

Be honest about your lifts before paying for this range. Most people, on most movements, work well inside 24kg per hand, which is exactly what the cheaper 552i covers. The 1090i earns its place when your main pressing, rowing or squatting already lives above that: heavy dumbbell bench, heavy rows, split squats and goblet squats where 30 to 41kg is your working weight.

If that is you, the 1090i is genuinely good value, because the alternative, a rack of fixed dumbbells up to 41kg, costs far more and fills a wall. If it is not you yet, buy the 552i now and you will still have 24kg of headroom to grow into.

At full load the 1090i is around 41kg and about 44cm long. That length is unavoidable, because the plates have to sit somewhere, and it means the dumbbell feels long and a little awkward at the lightest settings where only a few plates are engaged. For heavy compound work it feels fine; for light, controlled isolation work it is less pleasant than a compact fixed dumbbell.

The even 2.3kg increments are a real improvement over the 552i, whose jumps are irregular and coarsen at the top. Here every step up the range is the same size, which makes progressive overload tidy. Just remember the weight: moving two ~41kg units around, or up stairs, is a genuine effort, so decide where it lives and leave it there.

Every SelectTech shares one rule: never drop it. The plates and the tray are plastic, they crack on impact, and dropping voids the warranty. On the 552i that is a manageable caveat. On the 1090i it matters more, simply because you are handling up to 41kg, often near failure, where bailing a rep is more likely and more consequential.

If your heavy training involves pressing to failure without a spotter, or any movement where you might need to ditch the weight, that is a real argument for fixed rubber hex instead, which are built to be dropped. If you train controlled and rack the weight between sets, the 1090i is fine, but go in knowing the limitation.

Great for

• Stronger lifters already working above 24kg per hand
• Home gyms that want one heavy adjustable instead of a wall of fixed dumbbells
• Anyone who valued the 552i's ease of use but needs more top end
• Lifters who want even, predictable 2.3kg increments

Not for

• Beginners and most general trainees (the 552i covers your range for less)
• Small spaces and light, isolation-led training (the size tells)
• Anyone who trains to failure solo and might drop the weight
• Upstairs gyms where carrying ~41kg units up is a problem

The 1090i is the right SelectTech for one specific person: the lifter who already presses heavy and has outgrown a 24kg ceiling. For them it is the best value way to own adjustable dumbbells up to 41kg, with the same easy dial and tidier, even increments. For everyone else it is too big, too heavy and too expensive for range they will not use, and the 552i is the smarter buy. And if you train heavy to failure alone, consider fixed rubber hex you can actually drop.