Rogue Hi-Temp Bumper Plates

Rogue Hi-Temp Bumper Plates

Rogue Hi-Temp Bumper Plates are a very popular made-in-the-USA, budget-friendly bumper plate. You will commonly see these used in Cross-Fit and general lifting settings.

These plates have a higher bounce than other rubber plate styles, but they’re known to stand up to a lot of abuse and they offer several notable features.

Rogue also sells the newer US-MIL Spec Bumpers, which offer some nice benefits.

Read more for details.

Features & Highlights

• Recycled Rubber – Hi-Temps are constructed out of recycled vulcanized rubber, which is environmentally-friendly and cost-effective. 
• Higher Bounce – These plates have a durometer rating of 75, which is among the lowest of bumper plates. The lower the rating, the softer the material and the higher the bounce. Therefore, Hi-Temps will result in a higher bounce. If you’re doing a lot of overhead drops, you may find yourself following the bar around the gym. 
• Stainless Steel Center Ring – The center ring is made of stainless steel, which is very durable and protects nicely against oxidation. The ring itself measures ~50.8mm in diameter, which will accommodate Olympic-sized barbells. This diameter will also tend to sit marginally looser on the bar compared to something like a competition plate with a smaller diameter (~50.4mm). 
• Recessed Hub – One benefit of this center ring is that it’s recessed into the plate, which prevents it from hitting the center ring of other plates. Without metal-on-metal contact, it helps extend the life of the plates.
• Raised Flanges– The outer edges of the plates are raised to help when picking the plates up from a flat position or otherwise carry them.
• Weight Offerings – The Rogue Hi-Temps can be purchased from 10LBS up to 45LBS and they’re sold in pairs. They’re also available in sets ranging from 160LBS up to 1,000LBS. Pricing on sets includes shipping, whereas individual pairs do not.
• Plate Width – The biggest downside to Hi-Temp Bumper Plates is that they’re very wide in comparison to most other bumper plates. This will limit the amount of weight you can load on the bar. Plate widths are as follows:
  • 10LB – 1.37″
  • 15LB – 1.87″
  • 25LB – 2.25″
  • 35LB – 3.12″
  • 45LB – 3.75″
• Non-Olympic Diameter – The Hi-Temps have a diameter of 445mm, which is slightly less than the Olympic-spec of 450mm. This means you’ll be pulling from slightly closer to the floor and it means if you mix plates on the bar, that there will be a height discrepancy.
• Durability – These plates are considered to be durable and capable of handling a lot of abuse. There have been reports over time of the center ring coming loose from the plate, although this is more common in CrossFit/commercial settings where the plates undergo a lot of use. It’s also not recommended to drop 10LB Hi-Temps by themselves, as they will tend to warp over time, sometimes called ‘taco’ing.
• Weight Tolerance – These plates have a weight tolerance of +/- 0.5LBS, which is fine for most people. If you require a tighter tolerance, it’s best to look at other options like a training or competition plate.
• Aesthetics – These aren’t known to be the best-looking plates on the market. They have a black-on-black color scheme and they lack any type of “polish” that you would see on a higher-end plate.
• Warranty – Rogue Hi-Temps come with a 1-year warranty after purchase.
• Made in America – These plates are made in Tuscumbia, Alabama.

What They’re Saying at Roguefitness.com

Rogue Hi-Temp Bumper Plates receive very positive feedback from users. With an average rating of 4.8/5, here are some of the things people have said at roguefitness.com.

Positive

• “They have a cool look to them. Super easy to load up. Nice and grippy for picking up off the floor. Worth the wait. I also think it great that they’re made in the USA.”
• “Very happy with these. Having a garage gym that gets crowded sometimes, its nice to take these out on the concrete to use instead of the nicer bumper plates. They seem to be holding hold very well under a bunch of drops. Love the feel of them too! Thanks Rogue!”
• “Two months in and still really liking these bumper plates. I like the width and bounce so they don’t destroy the floors under my rubber mats, great for cleans and deadlifts, and don’t have a scratch with me tossing them around, dropping them and using them every day.”
• “I wanted plates I COULD drop. Of needed and basically deadlift without a pad using touch and go. This works perfectly! The best part, and I wasn’t even thinking about this benefit, when I work out late or early racking these weights are SILENT!! no more waking the house with incessant metal clanking noises!”
• “Perfect for Olympic weightlifting in my basement gym. Don’t need horse stall mats as rubber gym mats will do for these bumper plates. Saves my concrete floor.”
• “Got these plates for their softness, hoping they’d be a little less noisy when dropped but was worried about how much they would bounce. Honestly, they don’t bounce nearly as bad as I thought they would and they are not super loud on the drop. Very impressed with these and glad I went with the Hi-Temp!”

Critical

• “Nice plates, everything as advertised. But that means that they’re 445mm instead of 450mm, so you ever want more plates, you’ll be limited to buying more of these.”
• “Everything is solid. I have ran into two issues though: 1 They are small in diameter, so I can’t mix them with steel plates. 2: They bounce like whoa, making them too shocking on the wrists to use for things like deadlifts or Pendlay rows. You have to set them down gentle, like they are iron plates.”
• “The only downside to take into consideration is their width. The max weight I can load on my bar is 455 because of their width. If you are going to go heavier, you may want to think about getting more narrow bumpers or plates.”

Garage Gym Lab Review

I have used these plates extensively in the past and I would recommend them to casual lifters who aren’t looking to spend a lot and who aren’t looking to load a lot of weight onto the bar. In a home gym setting, Hi-Temps will last a very long time.

Garage Gym Lab has not formally reviewed these plates.

Other Options

The below plates were picked as alternatives to the Rogue Hi-Temps.