Hybrid stone mold vs rubber atlas stone

This is a comparison between the Hybrid stone mold and the rubber atlas stone including pros, cons, and alternatives. It was published first under which rogue sandbag to get. Follow the links for more details.

Overview and review of the Rogue Atlas stones

This is an overview of the Rogue Rubber Atlas stones including pros, cons, and alternatives. Follow the links for more details.

Overview of the Rogue Rubber Atlas stones

Price $125 - $915

The Rogue Rubber Atlas stones are another take on Rogue's team to make hardcore strength equipment more accessible for the mainstream. These Atlas stones are basically big medicine balls with a rubber mold and an iron core. This makes them more accessible for beginners and easier to maintain than concrete Atlas stones. The specifications of these Atlas stones are:

Construction - Overmolded Rubber, Cast-Iron Core
Sold a la carte or in full sets (225 LB or 450 LB)
5 Available Weight Increments: 50, 75, 100, 150, 200 LBS
Embossed Weight Indication and Rogue logos on one side
Recessed edges to prevent rollaway
Color: Black

The different models are available in:

50 LB (10" diameter)
75 LB (12" diameter)
100 LB (14" diameter)
150 LB (16" diameter)
200 LB (18" diameter)

and can be purchased in two different sets. One is lightweight up to 100lb while the other is heavyweight up to 200LB. These are great tools if you do a lot of Atlas stone movements and you are getting fed up with remolding the ones you break on a constant basis.

Pros of the Atlas Rubber stones

The pros of the Atlas rubber stones are:

Easy to maintain
Lower injury risk
Ready-made

Compared to concrete Atlas stones this is a step forward to make Atlas stones a mass marketable product. In the past, you would get a concrete mold and make the stones yourself with cement and/or concrete. Not everyone is familiar with this process and the quality of the result can suffer. In addition, concrete is very unforgiving on the hands and anything you drop it on. Therefore the injury risk is higher. Concrete Stones also take less abuse, especially if you drop them directly on the floor. You usually need to pair them with some gymnastic mat which makes the setup cumbersome. The rubber Atlas stones take care of this problem.

Cons of the rubber Atlas stones

The cons of the rubber Atlas stones are:

Not an official strongman competition tool
Get hot in the sun
Can not be changed in weight
Storage

If you are a strongman who is looking to prepare for competition, there is no way around using actual stones rather than rubber. The handling of a concrete ball is different from getting a grip on rubber. If you have a home gym and just want to simulate strongman training, these are a great option. If you are a strongman who wants to compete, get a mold.

As these stones are black rubber they can be a problem in the hot Californian sun. They have a big surface to soak up the heat and you might burn your hands if they are left outside for too long. Of course, you have the same problem with all equipment, but as these are likely to stay outside for a long time because they are hard to store and the fact they are black does not help.

Compared to other options for a home gym that just wants to simulate strongman training, rather than create competition like conditions, the rubber Atlas stones have the disadvantage that they can not be loaded with different material. If you buy a set of different strongman sandbags from Rogue it leaves you with a lot more options to play around with the weight. They are also easier to store after use if you can dispose of the sand or led you filled them with.

The last disadvantage of Atlas stones is that they are hard to store. Most racks and storage options offered by Rogue or you already have will not fit them. Therefore you will most likely keep them on the ground and they are not small. Combine that with the fact that they are more often than not a gimmick rather than the main staple of your daily training, this can get annoying. Unless you throw them about every single day.

Alternatives to the rubber atlas stones

The alternatives to the Rubber Atlas stones are:

Slater stone molds
Rogue Strongman sandbags

The Slater stone molds range from 8" - 24" in diameter, 23lbs to 586lbs in weight, and $50 to $220 in price. With these molds, you can make your own stones for use in your gym or anywhere in the world for competition purposes. Usually, it is cheaper and easier to make the stones for a competition on the spot, rather than transporting the heavy stones across the country. If you do not know your way around mixing concrete and pouring it into a mold, this might not be for you. There are good instructions out there, but it is a DIY job.

The Rogue Strongman sandbags come in various shapes and sizes in price ranges from $85 to $155. Thes bags have the advantage that they can be filled with different materials to get different training results. You can use Play sand, Crumb rubber, and lead shot to get weights ranging from 40lb to 2000lb. The lifting experience is not the same as with stones, as you are onto military grade fabric. These bags are also more likely to deform during the lift making the structure more challenging or forgiving depending on whether it hits you or you want to wrap yourself around the bag.

Conclusion for the Atlas Rubber stones

If you are a strongman who needs to work on speed on small Atlas stone weights, then this is worth the investment. It will make the setup a lot easier, you do not have to worry as much about an injury or the stones deforming. For your maximum attempts or heavy lifts to shoulder, i think there is no way around a concrete stone to do competition justice. If you are a home gym owner who is just starting their home gym I think that these combined with boxes of various heights are a better option than a dumbbell rack. If you have the space for a dumbbell rack, you have the space for a small Atlas stone ladder. Get the loadable dumbbells from Rogue and use the saved space for the rubber stone setup. That is what I will do when I upgrade my space that currently only houses a power rack and a bench.

Overview and review of the Hybrid stone mold

This is an overview of the Hybrid stone mold including pros, cons, and alternatives. It was published first under which rogue sandbag to get. Follow the links for more details.

Overview of the stone mold

Price: $75 - $650

The hybrid stone mold was a solution to a problem in the strongman community. How do you save on transport cost? You just make the stones in your home or at your competition place. The hybrid molds are made from plastic and are be screwed together. They range from 35LB to 300lb and start at $75. The specifications for the molds are:

Made in the USA
Designed by Rob Orlando of Hybrid Athletics
Durable plastic construction, lightweight and portable
Build multiple stones off of the same mold
Available individually or in sets
13 different size options (10” to 19” diameter, resulting in a stone weight of 35 LB to 300 LB)
Will require concrete mix (not included)
Atlas Stones will include “H” Hybrid logo

A great way to make your stones at home and get into strongman training.

Pros of the stone mold

The pros of the stone molds are:

Easy to make
Portable
Multiple stones from one mold

This is a good way of making your atlas stones from cement as long as you know how to mix it. The molds can be easily transported to wherever you want to have a strongman competition or where you want to train yourself.

Cons of the stone mold

The cons of the hybrid stone mold are:

Need to know how to make cement
Not see-through
Takes time

The process of making cement can be messy, especially when you are not used to it. It will take some practice and the cement bags to get your stone ready. As the hybrid molds are a bit see-through you will also not see how full the mold is, so the risk of spillage is a bit higher. Once done you will have to wait for the cement to set. So this is is not plug and play and needs some planning for your training or the necessary storage to keep the stones around once they are made.

Alternatives to the hybrid stone mold

Alternatives to the hybrid stone mold are:

The slater stone molds are also plastic molds to make your atlas stones. They are a little cheaper than the Hybrid molds and are see-through. This way you can see how the mix is settling in the mold for better results. While the slater molds are lighter and easier to handle, they bring less pressure onto the cement itself. If you want smoother results that take a little more craftsmanship the hybrid molds are the better choice.

The MK d balls are the heavy slam balls from. They go up to a maximum of 150lb. As atlas stones are not great for slams these might be the better option. The only negative is that they are quite pricey is you only get one whereas a mold makes multiple stones.

The strongman sandbags are a great compromise between an Atlas stone and a slam or medicine ball. They are available from 100lb to 400lb when filled with play sand. These are ideal if you want to lift heavy and be ready on the same day while still being able to transport the bags easily when they are empty.

Conclusion for the hybrid stone mold

The hybrid stone mold is the original idea to make it easier to create atlas stones at home. The funnel and design make it easy to create compact stones if you know how to mix cement. The only downside is that you can not see what is going on I side the mold as they are black.