It’s a kettlebell: you swing it, snatch it, goblet it, row it…you get the deal. Sounds like a pretty general object, right? Like how could you even mess this one up? You’d be surprised.
There’s nothing out there that rips up my hands more than kettlebells. To be completely honest, I haven’t actually used many different kinds outside the ones we have at my affiliate; which range from super thick handled enamel coated ones that crack and chip, to matte cast iron ones and glossy cast iron ones. All of which either slippery, rip my hands up, or both. I haven’t used one of those steel competition kettlebells, but I’ve heard those ones are pretty crappy on the hands as well. Granted, they all get the job done and to be completely honest, they’re not all that bad (besides the enamel coated POS’). None however, can hold a candle, as far as feeling goes, to the Rep Fitness Iron Bull kettlebell.
From the moment you lay your hands on the Iron Bull, you’ll feel sheer quality. The matte black hammertone finish begs on the kettlebell begs for it to be snatched. A light dusting of chalk and you’re good to go. Since the finish is matte, it holds chalk very well and doesn’t ever feel like it’s going to slip out of your hands. The handle is the perfect diameter for me; I’ve got pretty small hands and I don’t have any issues with being able to wrap my fingers around the horns. The handle also has no trace of a seam, so you won’t have to worry about that ripping your hands up. The bottom of the bell is ground flat and is nice and wide so the kettlebell doesn’t rock around when you put it down. This should be good for man-makers and renegade rows, though I’ve only got one kettlebell so I can’t really test those movements. The kettlebells we use at my affiliate in 24kg’s have a rubber pad secured to the bottom of the bell with a large screw that sometimes gets un-done. The rubber would be great for protection if that screw didn’t always come out. I’ve had it come out during a farmers carry and dig into my shoulder; not a pleasant experience. As far as weight goes, it feels just like the other 24kg/53lb kettlebells I’ve used, so I’ll take their word for it that it’s an accurate number.
I don’t know if you’ve done much kettlebell shopping, but if you have, you’ll know that shipping these things costs a fortune. You might be able to find a better price on the kettlebell alone out there, but with shipping combined, most come out to over $100 for a 24kg! Probably the best part about the Rep Fitness Iron Bull is that they offer $13 flat rate shipping for 24kg and below. The grand total for one shipped was $77 dollars! If only they offered that on the 32kg kettlebell! The overall deal for the Iron Bull is probably the best you’ll find out there.
A kettlebell is a great piece of equipment to have. It’s versatile and can be used for pretty much a full body workout. It’s one of the more invaluable things to have for your home gym, but why pay more when you have something like the Rep Fitness Iron Bull? This is the best deal in kettlebells. It might even be one of the best kettlebells out there regardless of price.
Get it here: http://www.repfitness.com/conditioning/kettlebells/rep-kettlebells
Thank you for sharing. I’m picking up my ‘bull this week from Rep Fitness. Much of what you talk about are things I appreciate as well: no seam and level base. Sounds like Rep’s KB is going to have been a great choice.