How we test

Somewhere along the way, this industry decided labels were marketing. Forty five pound plates that weigh forty two. Olympic bars with one inch sleeves. Basalt exists to be the company that just tells you.

Example imagefounder at the scale, honest garage light

The method

1. We buy samples of every product at retail, the same units you would get.

2. Each sample goes on a calibrated scale, on camera, calibration weight in frame.

3. Critical dimensions get the calipers: sleeve diameters, lengths, hole sizes.

4. The numbers go in the Ledger with the date. When the number is ugly, we print it anyway.

5. Re-measured quarterly, or the moment a supplier revs anything.

Who is behind this

Basalt is run by Christopher, a lifter and builder in Newtown, Pennsylvania, who got tired of listings that lie. Every email gets answered by a human, usually the same one who weighed your dumbbell.