I researched this a bit and found Bowflex dumbbells to be compact and practical. In addition to my own personal use, I wanted my teenage boys to get interested for general fitness. We all love it, and so will you.
This is such an excellent invention that I wonder why it took so long before someone got the idea. These replace all those different dumbbells that I used back when I started (when water was young) using weights. Haven't used dumbbells in years, but now included in my already tough 3-times a week programs.
Pros: Durable, Easy To Use, Multifunctional, Targets Muscles
Love these weights! I upgraded from the 20lb version. You can't beat 1 pair of weights with all these settings. Go from upper body to lower body with a turn of the wheels. My only issue if I have to state one is that because of the width I can't do exercises where I'm supposed to hold them horizontally side by side, but I just angle them a little bit so they fit.
Pros: Compact, Durable, Easy To Use, Multifunctional
Use the money you would spend on a gym membership and buy these. I workout every morning with my Bowflex dumbbells. I've owned for 2 months, no problems so far. It's easy to select the weight I want. The grips are nice and even though the weights move a tiny bit when I'm using them they don't feel flimsy at all, actually very substantial.
The SelecTech dumbbells have exceeded my expectations--and I had heard mostly good things about them. With a bench (I got the Bowflex 2.1 bench), I can easily get a full workout using these weights. I have been a member of many gyms over the last fifteen years, using machines and free weights, but now I can finally just work out with weights at home at my convenience and without taking up a lot of space. I will eventually (in a year) save a lot of money not having to pay for gym memberships. I was concerned about the size and awkwardness of the SelecTech dumbbells before purchasing but that is not a problem at all. They feel great in the hand and allow really easy and quick weight changes for different exercises. I looked at the Powerblock weights, too, and did think those were awkward in shape, so I'm really glad that I got the Bowflex dumbbells.
Pros: Compact, Durable, Easy To Use, Multifunctional, Targets Muscles