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Kettlebell Novelty bells

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It seems some have shapes that prohibit a safe rack position.
Apart from that, if it inspires somebody to get healthier, I'm all for it.
 
I've never been a fan to be honest. The side opposite the fancy casting is usually "normal" but honestly I couldn't be bothered to think about which way I needed to grip the bell to ensure the gorilla's teeth didn't embed in my arm...

Having said that. Just for novelty's sake and because it would look kinda cool on my desk, I've seen one cast in the shape of Iron Man's helmet...
 
If you had to double them it would smash the face. How nice would it feel to do lifts where you hold the body of the bell? I'd never buy one.

If I were going to design a set they'd have a very slight relief on one side but maintain the ball shape throughout. Heck, if you wanted to get fancy you could just electro-etch one in a bucket of salt water with a DC power supply or a couple of batteries, or acid etch with ferric chloride.

Hmmm...

The Star Wars 501st legion logo would look cool...hammer and sickle, full moon, power to the people fist, smiley face - sky's the limit.

You could make some $ "tattooing" people's KBs if the shipping weren't so expensive.
 
North Coast Miller said:
If I were going to design a set they'd have a very slight relief on one side but maintain the ball shape throughout.
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Rogue already makes these in their competition bells. Valery Federenko has something similar. Nice idea but not sure if legal for competition.

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Pretty much agree with everyone else. If it motivates someone to train, great. I would not use them for training. If I ever won the lotto I'd buy some to put in my man cave but they'd just be for lookin' and not for touchin'. They have one with the Ironman mask which, given my nerdy nature, I think is kind of cool.
 
I actually own a set of novelty bells and they aren't as bad as people think. I was concerned that they would be unbalanced but the ones I got were 3D balanced when designed, so they are as functional as a standard bell is. The only downside is just making sure the bell faces the correct direction when doing the racking, snatches, or TGUs.

I mainly got them because I thought they looked cool and my wife lets me keep them sitting out in the basement as decoration when not be used.
 
I can imagine a company, sometime in the future, selling kettlebells shaped like one's own head (or face, at least). I wouldn't buy one of mine, though.
 
TravisS said:
I actually own a set of novelty bells and they aren't as bad as people think. I was concerned that they would be unbalanced but the ones I got were 3D balanced when designed, so they are as functional as a standard bell is. The only downside is just making sure the bell faces the correct direction when doing the racking, snatches, or TGUs.

I mainly got them because I thought they looked cool and my wife lets me keep them sitting out in the basement as decoration when not be used.
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I hadn't thought about the purely decorative aspect...
 
I picked up the harpy from onnit during black friday and gave it as a gift for someone I was afraid wouldn't use it for a while anyway, so it might as well look pretty. I was surprised to find it comfortably racked, even with the pointy nose pointing in. It felt fine for presses, snatches, whatever, facing either way. Granted, this is a really light bell making technique easy and slamming minimal, but all told I think people over estimate the drawbacks. Of course I haven't tried other bells, and haven't seen one that calls to me strongly enough to bother with.

I think cast iron bells are their own novelty!
 
Not a fan, don't see the point of messing with perfection. Wouldn't put sunnies on the Mona Lisa just cause she'll look cool.
 
I quite like novelty kettlebells. Kettlebell Kings make one with a bear face on, which I really like, but that's mainly because my girlfriend's nickname for me is 'bear'. Don't ask me why, as I have no idea.

Generally, though, I prefer standard or competition kettlebells with most, if not all, of the paint missing from them. It's hard to improve on such gloriously primitive design.
 
I hadnt looked at kb king's animal bells, how is the handle on that bear, looks thick, but hard to tell from just the one pic on their site. Whats the backside like, plain round?
 
Paul Sellers said:
How does everyone feel about novelty kettlebells?
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I've a full set of the Onnit Primal Bell series(well, except for Bigfoot). I started collecting them because my teenage sons thought they were "fresh" and they have encouraged them to learn hard style kettlebell practice. That's a good thing, in my book. Although I practice with Perform Better, I'll admit it's fun to swing that gorilla!
Paul Sellers said:
How does everyone feel about novelty kettlebells?
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Paul Sellers said:
How does everyone feel about novelty kettlebells?
Click to expand...
 
Paul Sellers said:
How does everyone feel about novelty kettlebells?
Click to expand...
I've always been a traditional type of guy, so I don't like them. I think they're silly, but some people dig 'em. I also think they may attract some people to lifting a kettlebell for the first time, just because it "looks cool". I can always appreciate that.
 
Jeffro said:
I hadnt looked at kb king's animal bells, how is the handle on that bear, looks thick, but hard to tell from just the one pic on their site. Whats the backside like, plain round?
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I don't own one, unfortunately: Living in the UK, it would cost hundreds of dollars just to get one shipped over. I gather from the reviews that the backside is smooth, like a regular kettlebell and the handle's probably the same thickness as their standard 32kg KB.
 
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