So you found some kettlebells on E-bay made by a bunch of children in a garage in Ohio and want to know if you should buy them? Put down that homemade tattoo gun and I’ll tell you. I have generally found that when people are using cheap kettlebells they are only doing a handful of sets of swings, doing very few reps. At that volume it doesn’t matter that much. Our average swing workout is 500 swings in 25 minutes. At that volume everything matters. If the handle is not perfectly smooth it will results in blister, skin tears and other nastiness. For example, the kettlebells sold at Sports Authority actually have jagged edges on the handles. Not optimal for cleans and snatches when the handle is rotating through your palm. Even something as subtle as the handle being too tall or short can cause massive problems. Dragondoor kettlebells are not cheap, this is a fact. Neither are airbags in your car. Want to go without those? If you plan to take your training seriously and you buy a cheap kettlebell it will end up being more expensive because you’re just going to ultimately buy a Dragondoor anyway. Also bear in mind that you will use this bell your whole life. You will never outgrow it. I still use my 12 kg. kettlebells for mobility work.

Last updated on May 31, 2009 by [Your Name Here]