Northern Three Tier Dumbbell Storage Rack Review

Once you own more than a couple of pairs of hex dumbbells, they end up scattered across the floor, and that is both a trip hazard and a fast way to chip your flooring. This Northern rack is the sensible fix: a three-tier steel A-frame that holds a full 2.5 to 20kg set, rated to a hefty 400kg, with angled shelves that tip each pair toward you for easy grabbing.

It is not clever and it is not small, a metre wide and needing bolt-together assembly, but it is sturdy, sensibly priced at around £135, and it does exactly what a home-gym rack should. For anyone with a fixed-dumbbell set, this is the rack to buy. Adjustable-set owners are better served by a dedicated stand like the Bowflex one.

The three angled tiers are sized for a standard hex or rubber set, roughly 2.5kg up to 20kg, which is five pairs. That covers the working range of most home gyms, and the 400kg capacity rating means the frame is nowhere near stressed when loaded, since a full set of that size weighs well under 150kg in total.

The angled design matters more than it sounds. Flat shelves make you reach in and lift awkwardly; angled tiers tip each dumbbell head toward you so you can pick it up with a natural, safe movement. For heavier pairs near the top of the range, that is the difference between a comfortable grab and a fiddly one.

This is the main thing to plan for. At H87 x W100 x D55cm it is a proper piece of furniture, a metre wide and over half a metre deep, so it wants a dedicated spot against a wall rather than squeezing into a corner. If space is tight, the more compact Pro Fitness 2-tier is the better fit, at the cost of capacity.

Once built it is rigid and heavy, which is good for stability but means you will not want to shuffle it around. Measure your space, including room to stand and lift in front of it, before you commit, and assemble it where it is going to live.

The frame is powder-coated steel that bolts together, and once assembled it is solid and does not wobble, which is exactly what you want holding well over a hundred kilos of iron. Expect to spend a bit of time with the supplied fixings, and a second pair of hands makes lining up the tiers far easier than wrestling it alone.

The 400kg rating is generous headroom rather than a target, and it is the reason the rack feels unstressed under a normal home set. There is no tablet holder or accessory tray here, it is purely storage, but as a sturdy, honest home for a dumbbell set it does the job well.

Great for

• Home gyms with a fixed or hex dumbbell set up to around 20kg pairs
• Anyone whose weights currently live on the floor
• People who want quick, safe access to the right pair mid-session
• Setups with a metre of wall space to spare

Not for

• Very tight spaces (choose the compact Pro Fitness 2-tier)
• Owners of a single adjustable pair (a dedicated stand fits better)
• Very large commercial dumbbells that may not seat on the tiers
• Anyone wanting an all-in-one media or accessory station

The Northern Three Tier Dumbbell Storage Rack is the workhorse most fixed-dumbbell home gyms should buy: it holds a full 2.5 to 20kg set, is rated to a sturdy 400kg, and its angled tiers make grabbing the right pair quick and safe. The trade is size, a metre-wide footprint and a bolt-together build, and it is purely storage with no extras. If you have the space and a set to store, it is excellent value at around £135. For tight spaces, the Pro Fitness 2-tier is the compact alternative, and adjustable owners want the Bowflex stand instead.