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Hybrid stone mold vs Slater Stone mold

Posted by Pascal Landshoeft

Sep 17, 2020 9:00:00 AM

Hybrid stone mold vs Slater Stone mold

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

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Overview and review of the Slater stone mold

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

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Overview of the slater stone mold 

Price: $50 - $220 
 
The Slater stone molds are one of the products that Steve Slater promotes together with Rogue. The strongman bags are other products aimed at Strongman that he also showcases on Rogue’s website. The Slater molds range from 23lb to 536lb in various sizes and start at $50. The full specifications are: 
 
  • Made in the USA
  • Designed and Produced by Steve Slater at Slater Hardware in Lancaster, OH (founded 1946)
  • Durable plastic construction, lightweight and portable
  • Build up to 50 or more Atlas Stones off one mold
  • 10 different size options (8" to 24" diameter, resulting in stone weight of 23LB to 586LB)
  • Consistently clean, seam-free stones when preparation directions are followed
  • Molds have produced stones for many record-breaking performances at the highest levels of strongman competition
These are good, easy to transport molds to make your atlas stones wherever you need them, rather than transporting them. 
 

Pros of the slater stone mold 

 
The pros of the slater stone mold are 
 
  • Price 
  • See-through 
  • Durable 
 
The slater stone molds produce up to 50 stones from each mold, if treated with care. Compared to their main competitors from hybrid they are also cheaper. Also, you can see inside them while you are making the atlas stone, which makes the process a little easier. 
 

Cons of the slater stone mold 

 
The cons of the slater stone mold are: 
 
  • Fiddly 
  • No matching funnel 
  • Not sold in sets 
 
Apart from that, you will feel more comfortable with making atlas stones when you already know how to handle cement the slater stone molds are a little more tricks to handle than their hybrid competitors. They come with a little wooden peg to get them apart and with no funnel. The takes a little more finesse to make a stone than with the hybrid molds. Another bummer is that you can not just get a whole set of them in one purchase. You will have to get all of the different molds into your cart with no inbuilt discount. 
 

Alternatives to the slater stone mold 

 
Alternatives to the slater stone mold are: 
 
 
The hybrid mold is the direct competitor of the slater mold to make atlas stones from Cement. While the hybrid mold is not see-through and a little more expensive, it is more user friendly for beginners. You can buy an extra funnel for the cement and when the stone is hardened you can pry the mold apart on the rim that goes around the mold. With the latter, you can not pry apart, but have to go around with the tapping stick. 
 
The rogue strongman sandbags are the option if you do not want to work with cement at all. They come in sizes from 100lb to 400lb when filled with play sand. Other options are crumb rubber or lead shot. The strongman sandbags leave you with more weight options and can be stored and transported easily when emptied. The only downside of them is that they are a lot more forgiving on the user for grip strength as they do tend to give in more. Therefore they are not a true representation of what awaits you in a strongman contest. 
 
The MK d balls are a heavy version of slam balls that go up to 150lb. This is a good option if you want the diameter of the ball you are working with to stay the same, but the weight to get heavier. These can also be used for slams without destroying the floor. The downside is that you will only get one for your purchase while the slater molds can be reused many times over. 
 

Conclusion for the slater stone mold 

 
The slater stone mold is a great option to make stones of all sizes. The instructional videos are also easy to follow and get yuh there. The only downsides of these molds are that they are a little messier than the hybrid molds as they do not provide a funnel and can not be compressed as much. 

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. 

Topics: Rogue