Kettlebell Resources
There are a lot of different brands out there. I’ll briefly discuss the ones I have experience with below, in order of awesomeness.
Dragon Door Kettlebells
Try them and you’ll agree: The Dragon Door RKC models are the best out there. It’s hard to really appreciate the quality of these unless you’ve tried some others like I have. They’re pricey but they’re worth it.
Lifeline kettlebells
I put these next. They’re comparable in quality to the DD bells, but cost a bit less. I’ve heard people complain about the handles, but I’ve never had any trouble with mine.
Perform Better
Perform Better makes regular kettlebells, which I haven’t used. But I haven’t ever heard a complaint about them. Where I really love Perform Better is their competition kettlebells. Competition kettlebells are the ones used in Girevoy Sport, the traditional Russian sport of kettlebell lifting. There are differences in size and the shape of the handle, but the main thing is: all of the weights are the same size. Whether you’re using a 32kg or a 12kg kettlebell, they are the same size kettlebells. This is how they standardize things for the competitions.
Speaking of those competitions, they are true tests of mental toughness and grit. Hardstyle kettlebell training is more of a sprint, but Girevoy sport–practiced by crazy people called Giriveks–is a marathon.The events are a lot more formidable than they sound: the kettlebell snatch, clean and jerk, and long cycle.
Apollo kettlebells
Booooooo.
I spent my first 12 months of kettlebell training using Apollos that I found in a used Sporting Goods store. For most kettlebell exercises, they suck. Now, don’t get me wrong–I made a lot of progress in that year using my Apollos and I still have four of them, but they are crappy fitness equipment. The handles are really wide and long. This really matters once you’re doing lifts where the kettlebell rack on your forearm impacts your performance.
For swings, the core of kettlebell training, Apollos are pretty okay. But, even for swings, I’ve had some clients I’ve trained who have bigger thighs than they would like. Most of my female clients want to use the kettlebells for fat loss. The size of the handle on the Apollos made even swings hard for this woman because the handle was so wide she couldn’t get her thighs out of the way.
Other kettlebell brands that I haven’t used, but that you can research
A word of warning
It’s a bad idea to buy a kettlebell in a Shopko, Sports Authority, Barnes and Noble, or Target. Do it if you must, but they’re absolutely horrible.
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Thanks for this resource!
Josh,
Good resource. After you and I talked via e-mail I ordered the regular 16kg Perform Better KB. I can’t compare handle size and balance to other KB since this is my first but the finish is great very smooth. It also has a rubber piece bolted to the bottom that can be removed and extra weight added.
Per your recommendation I also ordered the ENTER THE KETTLEBELL book and DVD. They really do compliment each other and should be used together. Plus, I like Pavel’s tongue in cheek Soviet Hard A– performance.
I think you need a more prominent link to your store on your home page. Tell us what it is and we need to have look.
Dan
This is such and awesome post, i have been using kettlebells for 6 months now and i have really seen the benefits, but choosing the right ones to suit what your doing is so important.
Awesome Milton. Glad to hear it!
Have you guys tried http://www.kettlebellsusa.com ? I’ve purchased a few of their bells and they were very nice quality and the prices are very competitive. I see that they now produce a competition kettlebell. Might be worth checking out.
Jamie, I’d never heard of them. I’ll take a look. thanks.