What to look out for when buying kettlebells

What to look out for when buying kettlebells

My Kettlebell journey started some time ago with much enthusiasm but, unfortunately, little to no guidance.  I bought my first set from a chain retail store and was pleased that they were rather “cheap”.  However, I very soon relearned the old life lesson that things which appear to be too good to be true, usually ARE …  I only really noticed and appreciated what proper kettlebells SHOULD look and feel like after my first visit to Kettlebells for Africa.

My old/wrong bells were weighted in the bottom (instead of the middle, as they should be), and the distance between the handle and the ball was too small.  This wasn’t noticeable with basic exercises like the swing, but as soon as I started different exercises – like windmills, snatches, get-ups or cleans – the weight would tend to pull me over and unbalance me, regardless of how big or small it was, and I couldn’t even do cleans with my 5 kg KB without bruising my fore-arm.  Yet I was able to do them without any problems – first with 8 kg and now with 12 kg – using an Authentic Dragon Door Russian kettlebell from Kettlebells for Africa.

With some tweaking of my form by Marlise, as well as following the instructions on the Basics DVD on my own my training has improved.

This has taught me that:

a) You always need the RIGHT equipment, and;

b) You need the RIGHT form; otherwise you will get hurt, which is completely undesired, unnecessary and avoidable.

I’m extremely grateful and excited for having come across Kettlebells for Africa and the passion for and expertise in kettlebell training I found here.  I’ve only just started, but it’s already turned my kettlebell training around and I don’t think I’ll be looking back, EVER!

Dragon Door military grade RKC kettlebells, considered to be the best kettlebells available on the market in the USA and now available in South Africa.

Our customers prefer DragonDoor bells for the following reasons:

  • Handle finish – This kettlebell arrives with a smooth, round handle with no burrs or blemishes.
  • Quality of construction – There is no gapping between where the handle joins the bell.
  • Uniform bell shape – This refers to the spherical shape of the bell.
  • Distance from handle to bell – Too large a distance and the bell will rest on your elbow, too short a distance and it will ride high on your wrist. Both positions making it extremely uncomfortable to work with. DragonDoor took these aspects into account and came up with the optimum handle height for general kettlebell fitness activities.
  • Paint finish – The paint will not chip off under normal use, i.e. knocking against each other when doing doubles or against the floor when replacing the bell on the ground.