Rogue cyclone sandbag vs Hybrid stone mold

This is a comparison between the Rogue cyclone sandbag and 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 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.

Overview and review of the Rogue cyclone sandbag

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

Overview of the cyclone bag

Price: $95 - $145

The rogue cyclone sandbag is an adaption of the strongman sandbag. Rather than having the same diameter on both ends, Rogue decided to make one end bigger than the other. This makes the cyclone sandbag easier to handle and especially interesting for long, heavy front carries. The cyclone reaches from 100lb to 250lb. The full specifications are:

Made in the USA
Patent Pending Design
Cyclone / Tapered style bags, larger at the top and smaller at the bottom
1000D MIL Spec US Cordura construction
Filler Capacity (4 Sizes): 100LB, 150LB, 200LB, 250LB
Built-In Filler Bag
Zipper and Hook-and-Loop Closure
(Filler Material Not Included)
Color: Black with White Rogue logo

This is a great sandbag for beginners without being cheap.

Pros of the cyclone bag

Pros of the cyclone bag are:

Portable
Cone shape
Robust design

Compared to slam balls and kettlebells these sandbags can be emptied after use and stored easier. Especially if you want to have group workouts at the beach this comes in handy. You can fill the bags with sand, get it done, empty them and leave. The cone shape also allows easier handling of this bag than of the original rogue strongman sandbags.

Cons of the cyclone bag

The cons of the cyclone sandbag are:

Shape for certain exercises
Limited weight range
Price

The cone shape is great for carries. Not so much for putting the sandbag to your shoulder. If your main intention is to do ground to shoulder movements than get one of the smaller strongman sandbags instead. Compared to the strongman sandbags the cyclone has a limited size. While the strongman sandbags fill up to 400lbs with sand, you can get only to 250lb with the cyclone bags. Last but not least some might be put off by the price. You could make an argument that a cement bag reinforced with Duct or gorilla tape will do the same trick for a fraction of the cost. I won’t argue with you if you only use them yourself and do not intend to empty/refill regularly.

Alternatives to the cyclone bag

Alternatives to the cyclone bags are:

The original strongman sandbag will give you a true cylinder shape and range from 100lb to 400lb when filmed with sand. The smaller options are very close to round-shaped and therefore a good alternative to atlas stones.

The rubber atlas stones from Rogue are an adaptation of the classic cement mold stones. These stones have an iron core surrounded by rubber and cone in 50lb to 200lb weight denominations. This is a great tool for home gyms or commercial gyms that want to train with a perfect heavy sphere. The only downsides are that they are harder to store and adjust than sandbags and that the black rubber can get very hot in the sun.

The MK d balls are heavy slam ball variations from Rogue. These balls are available up to 150 lb. while the bigger ones can get quite pricey, they will have a good grip and can be slammed better than the Rogue sandbags. I would only consider the mid-range of the MK d balls for heavy slams. If maximum weight is what you are after, the sandbags are cheaper.

Conclusion for the cyclone bag

The cyclone sandbags are great for beginners in heavy sandbag training as they are generally lighter than the regular Rogue sandbags and easier to handle. If you want to save yourself the hassle of bags and dirt the Rubber atlas stones or MK d balls can be an alternative based on your training preferences.