PlateMates Hex Pair, 1.25-Pounds Each

First off, there appears to be two "generations" of this product. I own them both so I will review both. Regardless of the version you get, they are indispensable at letting you increase the weight when 5 lbs is just too much. In addition to micro-loading to help break a plateau, there are also many exercises that require less weight (lest you hurt yourself) so an increase of 5 lbs is just way too much to increase the load in a safe manner. Both versions are rugged and attach with three powerful magnets. They won't slip off easily. They are perfect for dumbbells but also good for slapping on a barbell load to micro-load. (Note: I use solid iron dumbbells and barbell plates; I have not tried them on foam-covered, rubber-coated, or concrete-filled weights)First version: The first version I bought has a smaller footprint and the silver magnets are exposed on the reverse side. I can appreciate the change in the design in latter generations due to the possibility of chipping the magnets if abused. Mine however are still holding up fine and I use them quite frequently. They fit nicely on the ends of dumbbells as little as 15 lbs without getting in the way or protruding from the edges. They could certainly work on a 10 lb but you would have to be careful. When using them on heavier dumbbells (45 lb and up), the smaller footprint can be a little troublesome if you need to rest a dumbbell upright on your leg/thigh as this puts the full weight of the dumbbell on a smaller area. This can really be uncomfortable when using 60+ lb dumbbells.Second version: The newer version is all-encased in a rubbery-plastic so the magnets are not exposed. This makes the reverse side completely flat as opposed to the previous version's "3 magnetic feet". This makes them way more rugged and able to put up with abuse. Hats off to PlateMates for this redesign. The newer versions also have a much wider footprint so using these with larger dumbbells are nicer when resting heavier dumbbells on the legs/thighs/knees. These are also much lower profiled, meaning they stick out less from the end of the dumbbell. The only down-side to the wider footprint is that using them on dumbbells less than 20 lbs means they now protrude beyond the hexagonal shape/edges and the user will have to account for that when exercising. Most of the time this is simply not an issue.The only real downside to any PlateMate product is the price. They are indeed expensive given the little weight that they are. But I imagine as their popularity increases and competitors begin manufacturing copycats then the price will become more reasonable. As for myself, they are not too outrageously expensive to have a lower overall review score.