Slater stone mold vs Rubber atlas stones

This is a comparison between the Slater stone mold 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.

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 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

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.