Kettlebells may very well be the single most versatile piece of resistance training equipment. With as little as one kettlebell, you can train your entire body for strength, endurance, and overall resilience.
They are relatively easy to learn and a ton of fun to use. They build functional strength, mobility, and endurance all with one tool!
My home gym started with a single kettlebell and since then I’ve either owned or trained with over twenty different brands and types of kettlebells. I learned a few important lessons along the way.
If you are looking for great deals on home gym gear, make sure to check out my deals page here!
Quick Links
Just want to get your new kettlebells ordered? Jump straight to the perfect kettlebell for you with these links:
- Best all-around kettlebells (lb weights)
- Best all-around kettlebells (kg weights)
- Best competition style kettlebells
- Best value kettlebells (my favorite standard kettlebells)
- Most badass kettlebells
What not to buy
Don’t go super cheap. You definitely don’t need to buy the most expensive options, but going cheap shouldn’t be the path you take. Cheap kettlebells will have poor grip, uneven texture, and balance, and finishes that crack and chip over time. The best of them will be unpleasant to use, the worst will literally fall apart the first time you drop them to the ground.
The best way to avoid regretting your kettlebell purchase is to skip almost every option on online marketplaces (sites that sell everything like Walmart, Target, Rakuten, and Amazon). I love those sites for a lot of things, but kettlebells are not one of them. Most of what you’ll find there are cheaply made imported garbage propped up with a ton of questionable reviews.
You are better off buying directly from a manufacturer’s website. You’ll get faster shipping, newer stock, more options, and sometimes better promotions too. I’ve provided links below to the best possible place to buy each of the listed options.
Do yourself a favor and buy yourself quality kettlebells from a reputable company. The 4 options below will provide the best possible solution for every budget. I’ve used them all extensively and can confidently recommend each one.
Kettlebell resources
I wrote a full guide to kettlebells that you can see here.
The best kettlebell training, instruction, and programming around can be found here:
- Free Beginner’s Guide to Kettlebells by Onnit
- Kettlebell: Simple & Sinister by Pavel Tsatsouline
- Enter the Kettlebell by Pavel Tsatsouline
- Kettlebells 4 Aesthetics by Mind Pump
- Kettlebell Fundamentals Course by Kettlebell Kings
- Kettlebell Origins by Kettlebell Kings
Recommended Kettlebells
Below are my 4 best recommendations on what kettlebells to buy based on a good amount of time spent using each of them.
The “best all-around kettlebell” option is the one I think will suit most of you. It’s not the most expensive, but it is, hands down, the best for the money. You could even make a case for them being the best kettlebells period.
The “competition style” option is for those of you that think you’ll be doing a lot of work with kettlebells, perhaps even competing. They are also for those of you that like to buy the nicer version of things. They are totally worth the extra few bucks!
The “value” option is the lowest priced kettlebells that you’ll still be happy with. Again, stay away from Amazon when buying kettlebells. You will find some cheap options there, but every one of them is a waste of your money. The option I recommend here is an absolutely amazing deal on a very high quality kettlebell.
The last option is what I currently own and use. It’s overkill and not what I’d recommend for most people buying their first kettlebells, but I absolutely love them and use them regularly. In the interest of transparency, I wanted to include the kettlebells I currently own.
The Best All-Around Kettlebell
If you do any looking around at all, you’ll soon realize that Kettlebell Kings is widely recognized as the single best kettlebell manufacturer in the game.
They have an insanely wide selection of kettlebells, each the best in its class. All reasonably priced and all ship FREE in the US and Canada!
It makes sense then, that my top kettlebell pick for home gym owners is the powder coat kettlebell from Kettlebell Kings. Here’ why they’re my #1 choice:
- Free shipping
- Grippy without being too rough, feels like chalk
- Highly durable powder coat prevents chips and rust
- Single gravity cast in iron (all one piece)
- Perfectly flat bottom
- Precision balanced
- The recessed logo won’t scrape your arm
- Available in lbs or kg
Where to buy
I’m constantly keeping an eye out for the best place to buy the products I recommend. I take into account who has the lowest pricing, cheapest shipping, fastest delivery, and most current product.
Click here to see the best place to buy the Kettlebell Kings powder coat lb kettlebells
Click here to see the best place to buy the Kettlebell Kings powder coat kg kettlebells
The Best Competition Style Kettlebell
If you think you’ll end up training with kettlebells a lot, I think it’s worth it to look at a competition style option. This type of kettlebell is the exact same size in every weight, making the training experience consistent across every kettlebell.
Not only are they all the same size, but the window (space under the handle) is larger and the handle is straighter and easier to work with. I really enjoy training with competition style kettlebells.
Because of this, my choice for competition style kettlebells is the Fitness Edition by Kettlebell Kings. Here’s why:
- Free shipping
- Perfectly textured handle provides grip without being too rough
- Single gravity cast steel (all one piece)
- Perfectly flat bottom
- No rattle, solidly built
- Recessed logo won’t scrape your forearm
- Precisely balanced
- Contoured design racks better than any other kettlebell I’ve tried
Where to buy
I’m constantly keeping an eye out for the best place to buy the products I recommend. I take into account who has the lowest pricing, cheapest shipping, fastest delivery, and most current product.
Click here to see the best place to buy the Kettlebell Kings Fitness Edition kettlebells
The Best Value in Kettlebells
I almost feel bad calling these a budget choice. The kettlebells by Rep Fitness are remarkably well made while coming in at price points well below the above two options.
If you are on a budget, Rep is the first and last place you’ll need to look for kettlebells. Here’s why I like them:
- Single gravity cast (all one piece)
- Flat bottom
- Comfortable grip
- Durable coating
- Each is marked with BOTH lb and kg weight
Where to buy
I’m constantly keeping an eye out for the best place to buy the products I recommend. I take into account who has the lowest pricing, cheapest shipping, fastest delivery, and most current product.
Click here to see the best place to buy Rep Fitness kettlebells
What I use
I love monkeys. They are, by far, my favorite animal. So when I saw Primal Bells by Onnit, I had to have them. The 1 pood (36 lb) chimp is the very first kettlebell I bought many years ago. By far, it’s seen the most use of any piece of equipment I own. I love that chimp.
That said, I probably wouldn’t recommend these as your first kettlebells. It wasn’t until I took some lessons and trained with competition style bells that I realized function was far more important than form.
Because of all the testing I do, I have and use a mix of all of the above kettlebells. I like them all. If I had to start from scratch, I’d go with the Rep kettlebells. For the money, I don’t think they can be beat.
If you want something a little cooler than a standard kettlebell, I can say that the Onnit versions are far better than most. They also have a wide selection of non-traditional kettlebells.
See all the amazingly cool kettlebell options here at Onnit!
