Competition kettlebells are a cut above the rest. They’re uniform in size, whatever their weight, so you won’t find the handle too small or the bell too wide when performing swings. They also have a durable steel construction and are colour-coded depending on the load, which is helpful. This Wolverson one is a prime example. The standardised shape felt great for exercises like cleans, snatches and overhead presses, nestling nicely into a front rack position, and the bell itself felt bulletproof.
The retro Wolverson branding makes it look about as cool as a kettlebell can, and there are weight options from 4kg to 32kg to suit a wide variety of lifters. Kettlebells aren’t cheap, but at £29.99 for a 12kg weight this Decathlon offering represents solid value for money. There are weight options from 4kg to 24kg, and it has a rubber base for protecting your floors while dampening the sound of it landing on the ground.
The wide, rectangular handle can easily be gripped with both hands, and the weight felt nicely distributed for explosive exercises like snatches. The handle on heavier weights was a little wide for smaller bodies when hinging it between the thighs during swings, but that was my only cause for concern. I’ve owned my BLK BOX cast iron kettlebell for years, and I don’t think I’ll ever have to buy another one. It’s survived umpteen house moves, home workouts and even spells spent in a damp shed, all with negligible signs of wear and tear.
The shape is great for any kettlebell exercise, the powder coated handle offers solid grip and small colour-coded bands around the handle let you know the weight you’re lifting. This kettlebell’s neoprene cover can protect both the bell and your floors, as well as dampening the noise when you dump it down – handy if you have wooden floors, or want to stay on speaking terms with a downstairs neighbour.
It didn’t leave any scuffs or dents in my home during testing, and the wide handle meant I could grip it comfortably for two-handed exercises like swings. The neoprene casing felt fairly robust too, while the cast iron innards are clearly built to last. Lighter weight options manage to maintain the generous handle size fairly well, although the significantly smaller bells don’t fit brilliantly in a front rack position. But this was my only minor grumble.
The lower weight options on offer (2kg to 10kg) and resulting lower price points make this a strong choice for newcomers to kettlebell training. The vinyl finish feels cheaper than competition and cast iron kettlebells, but still works fine and proved durable over the testing period. Pads on the base protect your floor when you place it down, and a textured underside to the handle helped with grip during sweaty sessions. However, I felt the flat base didn’t offer ergonomics on par with curved-bottomed kettlebells.
Overall, it’s a good option for those looking to start kettlebell training, but experienced lifters will likely need a heavier, more traditional metal bell. This classic cast iron kettlebell is built to stand the test of time, with solid ergonomics and a reasonable price tag to boot. The metal bell may mark vinyl or wooden floors if you don’t use it with an exercise mat, but beyond that I had no complaints about its performance.
The handle offered good grip and plenty of room for double-handed exercises, and the shape was well-suited to swings and snatches as well as standard strength-boosting moves like bent-over rows. I tend to opt for a matte finish rather than the glossy one Pro Fitness has plumped for, but that’s just a case of personal preference. This smart cookie packs six kettlebells into one compact package. The exterior is hollow, weighing roughly 5.5kg, then the inside houses a stack of 3kg weights which can be attached or unattached at the touch of a button on its docking tray. This means you can choose a load of 5.5kg, 8.5kg, 11kg, 13.5kg, 16.5kg or 19kg to suit the exercise you’re doing.
I found this was a good fit for standard resistance training exercises like rows and deadlifts, where I was holding the kettlebell by its handles. However, the large shape proved to be a bit cumbersome for dynamic moves like cleans and swings, as well as anything involving the front rack position like an overhead press. The kettlebell launched for £249.99, in tandem with an app which could track your reps and provide follow-along workouts. But, with the demise of the app, you can now pick it up at Amazon for a fraction of this original price – it still functions just fine as an adjustable kettlebell.
This diminutive kettlebell only comes in 4kg, 6kg and 8kg weight options, so it’s not one for those who like lifting heavy. But if you’re after a lighter kettlebell for introducing yourself to kettlebell training, it does a lot right. The cast iron body is incredibly robust, and it has a dipped vinyl coating to prevent the kettlebell scuffing or marking hard floors. The handle is surprisingly wide for a lighter weight, allowing me to easily hold it with both hands, and the small body makes it easy to store away.
