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Rogue cyclone sandbag vs rubber atlas stones

Written by Pascal Landshoeft | Sep 17, 2020 4:00:00 PM

Rogue cyclone sandbag vs rubber atlas stones

This is a comparison between the Rogue cyclone sandbag and the rubber atlas stones 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.

 

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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 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. 
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