Er ... thought I was buying a pair but when it arrived I realised it was my fault - a pair was not promised except in my mind. Anyway, these are high quality and stylishly old fashioned; rather bring up the image of a big Victorian chap in a leotard with curled moustaches. The knurling on the handle is of such precision that it cuts into the skin a bit - a good grip but not everyone may like it. I do find the rubber smell off-putting. See my comments on the more modern version (I *intended* to buy a match for these but screwed up again!), which is more cuddly. The hex shape of both is good because it prevents unintended rolling. For both I was further narked when a few days later, Amazon and the manufacturer offered a full set of their dumbbells for a mouth-watering price - too late for me!