Ader Kettlebells
The quality you want, at the price you deserve. The best kettlebells on the market, available from Kettlebell Inc.
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#1499 - 11/03/06 10:27 AM
Best Kettlebell Brand ?
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Jason
Full Member
Registered: 10/25/06
Posts: 118
Loc: Indiana USA
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I know this is a very subjective question, but is there a general concensus on what the best kettlebell brand is ? Or would that be like asking a bunch of pro tennis players what raquet is best ? I have a couple Aders and just ordered a couple from Dragon Door today to give those a try. Any others worth mentioning ?
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#1500 - 11/03/06 10:43 PM
Re: Best Kettlebell Brand ?
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Mark_Edwards
Not going anywhere for awhile
Registered: 08/20/06
Posts: 468
Loc: Chubbuck, ID, USA
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I have a comparison of multiple brands on my website at Kettlebell Comparisons . There is a link to each supplier. I like Ader, K2Fitness and KettlebellConcepts products. I've tried the Power Systems KBs and found the finish too rough. I decided to fix the finish with emery cloth and a Dremel mototool with a garnet wheel. It's fine now, but I could have spent just a little more for any of the other 3 brands and had a better product ready for use out of the box. The new DD Russian Reds look similar to the KBC products except with a red epoxy finish. Standard DD bells have a black powder coat. I haven't had a chance to handle a DD bell, so I can't comment on my opinion of finish or geometry.
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#1501 - 11/04/06 10:03 AM
Re: Best Kettlebell Brand ?
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elarsen
M Club
Registered: 07/31/06
Posts: 1332
Loc: Michigan
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IMO
Without insulting anyone I really like my Ader Kettlebells. I have always recieved outstanding service from Ader and Kettlebell Inc. when ordering my Ader kettlebells and the kettlebells themselves are outstanding. Based on the service I have recieved I have to put in a plug for the Ader bells.
The Dragon Door kettlebells are also fantastic. I had two DD bells and they were excellent products and their service was also very good. I owe a thanks top Dragon Door for the enormous amount of information I have gotten from their site and Pavel's books.
The DD bells and Ader bells have a slightly different geometry. Personal preference for me is the Aders. My wife also has an Ader 12kg and she has been very pleased with it.
I have a Power Systems 70lb KB that I spent a lot of time sanding and it works but the Ader and Dragon Door handles are really nice. I would personally spend more next time to get the quality of an Ader or Dragon Door kettlebell.
Trivial but I like the grey finish of the Aders.
Seems like people sometimes put themselves into cliques based on which tool they use. Its all opinion and personal preference. There are some really nice kettlebells out there now and a huge store of information on using them. As someone who is using them it is nice to have some choices.
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#1502 - 11/04/06 09:50 PM
Re: Best Kettlebell Brand ?
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Mark_Edwards
Not going anywhere for awhile
Registered: 08/20/06
Posts: 468
Loc: Chubbuck, ID, USA
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From a service perspective, I've had immediate and correct service from KettlebellInc, K2Fitness and Dragon Door on every order. KettlebellConcepts took almost a week between submission of order and actual ship date. The products from every supplier arrived in a timely fashion and in good condition once the shipping notice arrived. Power Systems was also prompt in order processing and shipment.
It boils down to what you like in the product. The Ader finish and geometry are my favorites as well.
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#1503 - 11/09/06 12:16 PM
Re: Best Kettlebell Brand ?
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wushuguy
New
Registered: 07/17/06
Posts: 40
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I have Dragon Door (16, 24, and 32kg), Ader (24, 32, 40x2 kg), and Powermax (16, 24, and 32kg) kettlebells.
The Powermax are by far the worse of the three. The handles are terrible. Very, very rough. Doing ballistics with these are almost useless. They are perfectly fine for grinds though.
Both the Aders and DD's are quality kettlebells. I can see it just being a matter of preference. I think the DD's are a little bit more comfortable and easier to use. I think the handles have a bit more grip, which makes hanging on to it during swings and snatches much easier. This is the reason why I also use my Ader's much more than my DD's. The Aders force you to develop more gripping power. When I started doing heavy snatches and swings, they kept on wanting to slip out of my hand because my grip was so weak, where as I didn't have as much trouble with the DD's. Since I've been mostly using the Aders, my grip has improved immensly. Now I can snatch the 32kg Ader and my grip outlasts everything else. My core gives out long before my grip does. Playing with the DD's is almost like a treat now... just for fun.
If I had to choose between the Aders and DD's, I'd probably keep the Aders. It's kinda weird. I love the DD's. They are great, great kettlebells. But the Ader's are high quality as well and force me to get stronger than the DD's do.
The only thing that I don't like about my Ader's, is that a few of them have very slightly eliptical handles, where there is a slight ridge on top of the handle. It isn't huge, and only really bothers my when I'm doing Renegade Rows. I don't really feel it when doing anything else though.
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#1504 - 11/10/06 02:24 AM
Re: Best Kettlebell Brand ?
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Mark_Edwards
Not going anywhere for awhile
Registered: 08/20/06
Posts: 468
Loc: Chubbuck, ID, USA
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The Power Systems and PowerMax are similar quality. I agree they are fine for grinds, but you don't want those sharp edges and "pebbles" ripping through your palm with a rotating handle when doing a snatch. The rough surface provides a little better grip on a "bottoms up". The K2Fitness handles are slick. I really like that for snatches, but a bottoms up demands chalk. The Ader finish is a great compromise between grip for a bottoms up and smoothness for snatches.
JonZ is going to be in Pocatello on Saturday. We're going meet to compare our KB toys. I haven't seen DD bells. Jon hasn't seen the Ader or K2Fitness versions. It's a great way to do a "hands on" without having to cough up a pile of money. Jon is bring a new 88# KBC as well. It will be interesting to see how that feels. I'll have a better idea if I'm ready to play with that size or defer for the future.
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#1505 - 11/12/06 05:07 PM
Re: Best Kettlebell Brand ?
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callen
Not going anywhere for awhile
Registered: 09/21/06
Posts: 453
Loc: Houston
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Talk about a topic that will get people going, depending on how and where you bring it up. Probably ought to add the topic of best kettlebell brand to the three no-nos of politics, religion and sex.
That being said, here is my two cents-
I have only seen and used DD and Ader, and I own some of both brands. I also own a couple adjustable rigs from kettlestack, which is how I got started. I use the kettlestacks for < 12kg JM work.
I think everyone agrees that whatever the kettlebell, the finish (especially on the handles) ought to be durable and smooth and that the weight ought to sit comfortably in the racked position of a clean or rest on the arm comfortably after a snatch. At the end of the day, it comes down to personal preference.
Dragon Doors - nice geometry and nice finish on the body of the bells. My complaint with the DDs is that to get the handles how I want them, I have to spend a lot of time with a dremel and several sanding bits to get rid of the imperfections in the handles. I have seen a lot of DDs, and the handle quality is not consistent from bell to bell.
Ader - nice geometry and nice finish, especially on the handles. The handles on the 20kg and larger seem to be a bit thicker and wider than their DD counterparts, which makes it easier to do a 2H swing but more of a challenge from a grip perspective for those of us with small hands.
Personally, I like my Aders better due to the fact that the handles are smooth out of the box and the geometry of the bells agrees with me a little better. If I ever get where I am working with weight above 32kg, there are more choices as well from Ader. Finally, the main distributors of Ader are based in Texas - I like to keep my money local where I can.
What I wrote above does not mean DD makes a bad bell or that they are evil - it's just my preference and it is common knowledge that the handles on the DDs sometimes require modification with a file or a dremel. Both Ader and DD make a nice bell, and it just comes down to personal preference.
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#1506 - 11/12/06 06:55 PM
Re: Best Kettlebell Brand ?
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Mark_Edwards
Not going anywhere for awhile
Registered: 08/20/06
Posts: 468
Loc: Chubbuck, ID, USA
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JonZ brought his 24 kg DD bells and new 40 kg KBC to Pocatello yesterday. We put my Ader 24 kg next the DD product. Geometry is identical. Finish work on the Ader handle was superior. The DD powder coat is a little rougher than the Ader.
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#1507 - 11/12/06 07:29 PM
Re: Best Kettlebell Brand ?
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callen
Not going anywhere for awhile
Registered: 09/21/06
Posts: 453
Loc: Houston
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Maybe it is an optical illusion with the 24kg - I swear they look slightly different side x side. I need to try doubles with one DD and one Ader 24kg.
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#1508 - 11/12/06 07:34 PM
Re: Best Kettlebell Brand ?
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LisaShaffer
Old Friend
Registered: 07/06/06
Posts: 3457
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The Ader 24's handle is slightly higher than the DD. The handle is a little wider too. Guys seem to really like it because they can get both hands in the handle for swings.
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#1509 - 11/12/06 10:47 PM
Re: Best Kettlebell Brand ?
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Mark_Edwards
Not going anywhere for awhile
Registered: 08/20/06
Posts: 468
Loc: Chubbuck, ID, USA
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The distance from the floor to the top of the handles is identical...at least for Jon's DD vs my Ader 24 kg. That would be helpful when doing renegade rows.
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#1510 - 11/13/06 07:55 AM
Re: Best Kettlebell Brand ?
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Jason
Full Member
Registered: 10/25/06
Posts: 118
Loc: Indiana USA
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I finally got some DD kettlebells in the mail to compare them to my Aders . As far as balance, grip and general feel I like them both nearly identically. As far as color goes I prefer the DD ones just because I prefer the color black over grey. As far as the quality of the paint and paint job it seems that the Aders are a bit better done and more rugged.
The Ader ones also seem like the did a slightly better job at getting rid of any burrs and rough spots on the metal itself. The DD ones are slightly easier to clean for me due it it feeling just a hair slicker, but the Aders are easier for me to do a bottoms up with due to the paint texture.
All-in-all I feel like they are both first rate very well made kettlebell brands, but if you had to twist my arm in my very limited experience so far the Aders seem to be just a hair better made. On ebay the Aders also sell for quite a bit cheaper than the DD ones . Since the Aders are at least as good as the DD ones i.m.h.o. if not better and are cheaper to boot I imagine that the rest of my collection will be made up of Aders. In fact I just ordered my sister an 18LB Ader for Christmas to get her started in all the fun.
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#1511 - 11/13/06 12:45 PM
Re: Best Kettlebell Brand ?
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wushuguy
New
Registered: 07/17/06
Posts: 40
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For the lighter kettlebells (18lbs and under), the Aders are vastly superior. The DD's have these thin little handles that I just can't stand. I bought an 18lb Ader for my girlfriend, and it is leaps and bounds better than the DD.
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#1512 - 11/13/06 01:27 PM
Re: Best Kettlebell Brand ?
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LisaShaffer
Old Friend
Registered: 07/06/06
Posts: 3457
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Quote:
For the lighter kettlebells (18lbs and under), the Aders are vastly superior. The DD's have these thin little handles that I just can't stand. I bought an 18lb Ader for my girlfriend, and it is leaps and bounds better than the DD.
I totally agree! My kb class ladies won't touch a dd 18 now. They only want the Ader bells. You can't do renegade rows or push up on the DD bells. And the bottom's up stuff is a lot better with an Ader 18 as well.
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#1513 - 11/13/06 02:42 PM
Re: Best Kettlebell Brand ?
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Jason
Full Member
Registered: 10/25/06
Posts: 118
Loc: Indiana USA
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Quote:
For the lighter kettlebells (18lbs and under), the Aders are vastly superior. The DD's have these thin little handles that I just can't stand. I bought an 18lb Ader for my girlfriend, and it is leaps and bounds better than the DD.
I knew I wanted to get my sister an 18 pounder for Christmas and I knew it was either going to be an Ader or a DD one . I was very disapointed when I saw an enlarged pic of the DD 18 pounder , it looked as if it were made by a completely different company that the heavier DDs I have. It looked like something you would buy in the sporting goods area of Toys-R-Us ..... really pathetic .. Luckily the pic of the Ader one looked just like you guys have said, leaps and bounds better than the DD one, like a "real" kettlebell built to last a lifetime made with the same quality as the rest of the Aders.
Anyone know where Ader bells are made by the way ? In the U.S. ?
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#1514 - 11/13/06 03:20 PM
Re: Best Kettlebell Brand ?
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LisaShaffer
Old Friend
Registered: 07/06/06
Posts: 3457
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The Ader bells are made overseas.
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#1515 - 11/19/06 01:50 AM
Re: Best Kettlebell Brand ?
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JonnieZ
Not going anywhere for awhile
Registered: 10/15/06
Posts: 225
Loc: Intermountain West
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I know Mark thought the DD and Ader 24 kg bells looked the same. And, he is probably correct, but I thought the Ader looked a bit bigger. Optical illusion maybe.
I do not own and Ader myself, and one KBC. I didn't know Ader (or many other brands) existed until a month ago, so I have 4 DD kettlebells. The handle finish on them is heck on wheels. They are rough, from my point of view. I'm not against callused hands, but I have them torn off by the DD handles.
Jon
Edited by JonnieZ (11/19/06 01:52 AM)
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#1655 - 11/28/06 06:57 AM
Re: Best Kettlebell Brand ?
[Re: JonnieZ]
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ValleyCrossfit
Brand New
Registered: 11/22/06
Posts: 13
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I have DD, PowerMax, K2Fitness.net, and one Russian Red. At this point, I wouldn't buy anything OTHER THAN a Russian Red! I can't wait for the 32kg RR!
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#1656 - 11/28/06 07:39 AM
Re: Best Kettlebell Brand ?
[Re: ValleyCrossfit]
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LisaShaffer
Old Friend
Registered: 07/06/06
Posts: 3457
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What is it about the RR that you like? I find that the bells with the heavy paint are really slick.
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#1658 - 11/28/06 11:06 AM
Re: Best Kettlebell Brand ?
[Re: LisaShaffer]
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ValleyCrossfit
Brand New
Registered: 11/22/06
Posts: 13
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Exactly that...I like 'em slick! The PowerMax bells are too rough on the hands. Other than the RR, the only other DD bell I have is a 48kg, so it doesn't see too much high-repetition-snatching...
...YET!
The K2's are slick, also, and they were my first kettlebells...maybe that's why I developed a fondness for the slick bells.
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