I can't seem to find anything good with the search.
Perform Better, which was mentioned somewhere as being reasonable, is not terribly cheap. In fact, their standard bells seem to be no better (or worse) than the Go Fit neoprene covered ones at Dicks.
Is there a place around that has them for a decent price? OR, alternately, am I unreasonable about what I think a good price is?
Dicks has 10lb @ $30. So is 3 times the weight (or a bit less as you go up in weight) a reasonable price? Normal iron we get is usually .5 per pound, so I was figuring that anything more than 1/pound is kinda pricey, and 2/pound was getting unreal but understandable for being the newest fetish. Am I wrong?
Two Bears Dadda? Two Bears Benno, just two. ______________________________ ___________
There are three things in my life which I really love: God, my family, and baseball. The only problem - once baseball season starts, I change the order around a bit. ~Al Gallagher, 1971
KBs are fashionable right now, so you're not going to get much better than $2/lb at the very cheapest. However, what you get depends largely on its intended usage. If you're just swinging and pressing and such, most anything will do. If you're snatching and throwing, you'll need to splurge (AKC, Mike Mahler, Dragon Door, etc) and get standardized, certified, well-crafted KBs that'll last a lifetime or three.
Right now, I'm holding out from some stuff from Dragon Door if not straight from AKC, but I'm always poking around Craig's List or Play-It-Again for the occasional deal (PIA kinda sucks right now, and CL listings are non-existent).
__________________ No Magic Pill (the log)
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I got 6 bells for $1.40 per pound(including shipping) from Perform better last fall.
2x 8Kg = 17.6 lbs
1x 12Kg = 26.4 lbs
2x 16Kg = 35.2 lbs
1x 24Kg = 52.8 lbs
$254.87 including shipping, 185 pounds. They were running a sale, and freight(5 day) shipping was either very cheap or free. At least at Perform Better, the heavier your bells, the cheaper per pound they are. At the time they were much cheaper than any where else, including Dicks and Play-It-Again. At todays prices, they would cost $340, $1.84 per pound PLUS shipping. But it is probably worth calling them, freight shipping my be very cheap.
I'd keep an eye on Craigslist or e-bay as quite a few people have been selling their RKC bells on there after getting AKC bells.
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Working "hard," or the perception of working hard, doesn't really mean anything. Sweating, vomiting, and breathing hard could be a good workout or a tropical disease kicking in.-Dan John
I get mine from Play-It-Again-Sports. They are $2 a pound and local so I don't have to pay shipping.
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AM, homeschooling mom to Wild & Wacky, see my fitness journey here, my training log here and my everything else blog here.
Consistent practice equals consistent progress.
We have very high quality kettlebells at reasonable prices in classic kg sizes and new lb sizes in 5 lb increments. Also, check out Lisa Shaffer's No Fear Fitness website for information on kettlebell training for womens. Good luck with your search and enjoy your kettlebell, they are an excellent fitness tool.
Try some snatches and cleans with that thing and get back to me.
After seeing the ortho and subsequent physical therapist of course....
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Working "hard," or the perception of working hard, doesn't really mean anything. Sweating, vomiting, and breathing hard could be a good workout or a tropical disease kicking in.-Dan John
Okay I knew they were in fashion right now... but I just clicked a google ad for that came up in my GMail for the subscription notice on this thread...
and it took me to one of those free sites that you do some advertising crap for. The kind of place that was originally iPods.
Danny, have you used these? From the pictures, they look like they'd be a little rough on the hands for snatches, cleans, and such.
I have 3 bells from them, 2 26 lbers and a 53 lb bell. I love them. They are much better on the hands then the Go-Fit bells, a bit better than the powersystems bells and not quite as nice as the Dragon Door bells. One of these days I am going to take some sand paper to them, but until then its not much of an issue.
Danny
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Limitations are for people who have them.
My bells are all DragonDoor, but my future ones will be from LifelineUSA (or AKC). They (Lifeline) have good quality bells at a good price point, I ordered a few for clients at a KB seminar I gave. Seem to be better quality than the lower cost options, but still cheaper than DD and almost as good.
I don't think the price is due to popularity (they were expensive before being popular...and they aren't popular now with the general fitness public), I think it is a more the opposite. Making castings and forging a low volume item that is heavy and has high shipping costs.
All the reports I've read of people trying homemade and factory adjustables have been less than positive.
They are a challenge no matter what type of bell you are using!
AM (who dreams of one day being able to balance well enough to do a renegade row!)
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AM, homeschooling mom to Wild & Wacky, see my fitness journey here, my training log here and my everything else blog here.
Consistent practice equals consistent progress.
A bit off topic, but I've always viewed renegade rows as an ab and torso exercise. not sure if you're already doing it, but if you tense the crap out of your torso and butt and drive the fixed kb into the ground with your chest, that will help a lot with the balance. I've also found that rr's were somewhat easier with a very heavy weight. seems counterintuitive, but I assume the heavier kb gives a better base to drive into the ground for pulling on the other side.
They are a challenge no matter what type of bell you are using!
AM (who dreams of one day being able to balance well enough to do a renegade row!)
You will get there. Start with nothing in your hands. If necessary, start with hands on a bench and feet spread wider than shoulder width. Like John says, below, the whole body is tensed up, then you lift one hand and hold the body steady. It's more about the rest of your body than what's in your hand.
Quote:
Originally Posted by JohnStarego
A bit off topic, but I've always viewed renegade rows as an ab and torso exercise. not sure if you're already doing it, but if you tense the crap out of your torso and butt and drive the fixed kb into the ground with your chest, that will help a lot with the balance. I've also found that rr's were somewhat easier with a very heavy weight. seems counterintuitive, but I assume the heavier kb gives a better base to drive into the ground for pulling on the other side.
John
I agree. I feel them strongly in the glute opposite the side of the lifted hand.
The heavy weight does seem to make things more stable. I'm noticing that now... Weird.
I have 3 bells from them, 2 26 lbers and a 53 lb bell. I love them. They are much better on the hands then the Go-Fit bells, a bit better than the powersystems bells and not quite as nice as the Dragon Door bells. One of these days I am going to take some sand paper to them, but until then its not much of an issue.
Danny
Cool, thanks. I poked around the site a little, and the smooth-coat, single-cast, black KBs are 10% off as well--after shipping, that works out to about $2.5/lb.
EDIT: HOLY S#!$#!!! These guys ship out of Fort Mill, SC??? That's ten minutes away. Hell, I'm driving down there. Screw shipping
__________________ No Magic Pill (the log)
My Movember page (yes, I'm slacking on pictures)
I've used DD, Apollo, and various other bells but have to say the AKC has the best KBs in the U.S. You can generally get a 16kg for $110 and 24kg for $130.
Note the handle shape in the pic below. The rather squared off handle makes better hand and wrist positioning possible on jerks and snatches. No matter the weight all AKC bells from 8 to 40kg have the same handle and bell size (i.e. your technique will be the same no matter the weight, not having to adjust. A big deal on long sets)
I never understood the difference until I tried the bells, and since getting a set it has made a difference - but I'm into this stuff so it's all about what your looking to get out of it.
__________________
Working "hard," or the perception of working hard, doesn't really mean anything. Sweating, vomiting, and breathing hard could be a good workout or a tropical disease kicking in.-Dan John
Cool, thanks. I poked around the site a little, and the smooth-coat, single-cast, black KBs are 10% off as well--after shipping, that works out to about $2.5/lb.
EDIT: HOLY S#!$#!!! These guys ship out of Fort Mill, SC??? That's ten minutes away. Hell, I'm driving down there. Screw shipping
Holy shit! Really? Let me know how that works out! It's a bit further for me, but next time I go to Rock Hill I'll swing through!
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Isaac Wilkins, M.Ed, CSCS, NSCA-CPT, and who cares what other letters?
Pick me up a 44-lb one and bring it to the summit next year. It'll be a good workout for you, holding onto that thing for 14 hours on your bike.
Funny, both the idea of me riding that haul again and me carrying a KB with me. I'm flying from now on. I wonder if they'll allow a KB as a carry-on...
Anyway, just got back from the store. Walk in, give money, get kettlebells (and just about any other truly practical equipment you could want). If they don't have something, they can order it to the store so you only pay sales tax and no S&H. I rattled off a short wish list when asked what else I might want (weight vest, parachute, sled, truck tire) and got a "yes" to everything but the tire, but the girl at the desk said one of their regular customers--a Strongman competitor--was coming in later, so she'd ask him and give me a call. She then said screw it, I'll just call him now, so I walked out with:
--2 kettlebells (12kg, 18kg, both the smooth black finish)
--a company t-shirt (free with any order)
--the address of a truck tire supplier (apparently they'll load it up and everything so long as you have a vehicle to haul it away)
for $140. Pretty much everything in their online catalog was sitting in the store. The KBs get more expensive per pound as they get smaller, but even so, the 7% South Carolina sales tax plus the cost of gas to get there by far beats paying S&H on the stuff (for me). If anyone wants me to pick up stuff and hold it here to avoid S&H, let me know.
__________________ No Magic Pill (the log)
My Movember page (yes, I'm slacking on pictures)
It's cool that these will become more common here as people discover the benefits.
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Working "hard," or the perception of working hard, doesn't really mean anything. Sweating, vomiting, and breathing hard could be a good workout or a tropical disease kicking in.-Dan John
I found this via search . . . figured why bother starting a new topic . . .
Perform Better's First Place KBs are comparably priced to the Gray Series. Has anyone used the First Place bells? I am not interested in anything much beyond something more budget priced. It looks like those two are the options. Looking for a reason to go one way or the other. Thanks.
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