I have a space problem. Namely, I have several hundred books, an extensive record collection, an embarrassing number of jackets, and counting all my sneakers gets into three figures – and that’s just what I own, not to mention that of my partner. With good space management, my various collections fit neatly away in our one-bed London apartment. Still, when I wanted to buy home gym equipment, it wasn’t a choice to go for compact solutions but a necessity.

I bought a cheap workout bench, which folds up neatly behind our standing bedroom mirror, alongside a skipping rope for cardio, and a weighted vest for training the legs when out for a walk; but the biggest challenge was weights.

Though you can technically train with one set of dumbbells of the same weight, it’s not optimal. Go too light and you need an absurd number of reps and sets to make any gains, particularly for workouts like deadlifts and squats; but go too high and you’re not going to be able to do many workouts, such as incline lateral side raises, or at least not with proper form.

On the flip side, do you really want to get a whole rack of dumbbells, most of which will spend their time doing nothing but taking up space? The optimal solution then is adjustable dumbbells, letting you add on and off weight as you choose; and though there are many options available, it was the Eisenlink dumbbells that ultimately earned my purchase, and they’re pretty excellent.

The design is simple; each dumbbell is a single cast iron handle weighing 10 pounds; plates then attach onto it weighing 2.5lb or 5lb; and they hold together with two 2.5b large screws. The plates are wide, thin, and square, which is excellent for storage and weight capacity, allowing you to put up to 90 pounds per dumbbell or 180 pounds with the optional longer screws; and if that’s not enough for you, you should buy a gym membership. The screw system is a nice balance between stability and ease of removal, meaning they rarely rattle in use, but you can still change weights in about 30 seconds between exercises

The only issue with the form is that the square shape can be troublesome for some workouts, where they take up more room than intended, and the weight is less balanced than the classic circular style. Also, if you accidentally overtighten the screws, they’re a pain to release.

Overall, though, I’m happy to make those compromises for these dumbbells. They’re easy to use, take little space, have a solid grip, and are made well, with only marginal differences in weight per plate, according to my scales. They cost $500 for a pair going up to 80 pounds — or $319 for a pair going up to 50 pounds — and though you could find cheaper options, I didn’t as I don’t want skullcrushers to earn their name by dropping plates on my face. My biggest problem is that their barbell kit is currently out of stock, as I badly want to buy one.