TITAN Upright farmer's walk handles vs TITAN Husafell stone

This is a comparison between the TITAN Upright farmer’s walk handles and TITAN Husafell stone including pros, cons, and alternatives. The Original was published in Which Strongman equipment to get from TITAN. Follow the links for details

Overview and review of the TITAN Husafell stone

This is an overview of the TITAN Husafell stone including pros, cons, and alternatives. The Original was published in Which Strongman equipment to get from TITAN. Follow the links for details

TITAN Husafell stone $180

Overview of the TITAN Husafell stone

The husafell stone from TITAN is a simple design that simulates strongman carries where you can not use a handle to move the weight. Inspired by the 186kg (409lbs) Husafell stone which is located in Iceland, you can hardly wrap your arms around this weight which is part of the challenge. The design is open at the top so that you can either fill it with plates or some other medium of your choice. The TITAN Husafell stone is advertised as 110lbs empty. The full specifications of this big boy toy are:

- Loadable with bumper or steel plates, chains, or anything that fits!

- Laser cut carry handles for easy transport.

- 17.3" Opening for loading weight.

- Solid steel construction for durability.

- Weight: 110 LB empty

- Height: 30"

- Width: 28.9"

- Depth: 5.98"

- Opening width: 17.3"

- Bottom width: 8.5"

Pros of the TITAN Husafell stone

The pros of the Husafell stone are:

Easy to load
Easy to maintain
Robust
Hard hull

This is a simple, no-nonsense design which needs no explanation. Anyone who sees this in a gym will immediately now how to load it and how to use it. Whether they actually can move it around is a different matter. You can drop it, maltreat it and leave it in the dirt and rain. It might not look pretty afterwards, but will still function. What is also a great benefit is that the hull is hard and does not give in. This makes it hard to get a grip on this weight which is closer to simulating actual stones compared to sand bags which flow more with the medium you fill it with.

Cons of the TITAN Husafell stone

The cons of the Husafell stone are:

TITAN finish
Unforgiving on floor and athletes
Hard to store

As TITAN manages to save you a lot of money on most purchases compared to other vendors, they have to find a way to get their. This is usual by saving labor costs in form of quality of the finish. The TITAN husafell stone is no exception. One way to safe on this is to not thoroughly sand it down after it has been built. This means that it can leave sharp edges for you. When you load this with a couple of hundred pounds this is the last thing you want. Once you get your shipment from TITAN always check whether all parts have been included and whether all parts fit or have sharp edges. Usually you have to use some elbow grease to bring TITAN products to their final stage. Nothing major, but still a flaw.

Another disadvantage of the Husafell stone is that it is very unforgiving when someone falls or drops it accidentally on themselves or the gym floor where there are no mats. It is almost certain that it will take a chunk out of the athlete or the floor depending on what it hits. This is common for real strongman objects like kegs, stones, and circus dumbbells, but still might not appeal to the broader audience. If you want a similar experience that is a bit more user friendly you can get the Husafell sandbag from Rogue.

As with some most Strongman objects, the Husafell is also cumbersome to store. If you are strapped for space in your home gym, this might not be the ideal purchase. It might end up as one of these toys that will just gather dust and you have to dance around between the rack and your pile of strength shame which this one will be added too.

Alternatives to the TITAN husafell stone

A good alternative to almost any strongman device are heavy kettlebells. Once you pass 60kg on kettlebells they are almost as big as a small stone and still have a handle. This leaves you open for carries, lifts and other strongman activities while still being able to use the kettlebell for floor presses, swings and maybe even Turkish get ups.

Another alternative for carries are trap bars which can also be sued for trap bar deadlifts. Rogue and TITAN both offer their own trap bars. While the Rogue trap bars have a slightly better finish at slightly higher cost you will get the TITAN trap bars for less money, but with a higher risk of minor blemishes or bad shipping attached.

If you want to lift heavy and work your core you can also go for simple farmer's walk handles from wither Rogue or TITAN. The center of gravity is away from you with this exercise and you will also have a clear grip. In return you can walk faster and work your cardiovascular system a little more in exchange for less activation of your back muscles from the Husafell stone.

If you want to keep the idea of the Husafell stone lift, but make it more secure, than the Rogue Husafell sandbags might be the right thing for you. Rogue has recently expanded their strongman sandbag line up with new shapes. The husafell bag is the newest, which weighs 100lb to 200lb if you fill it with sand. If you want to go heavier lead shot is also an option.

Conclusion for the TITAN Husafell stone

The TITAN husafell stone is a good option for serious strongman competitors and aspirants who want a loadable husafell stone that is very close to the original challenge. For anyone who wants to minimize injury risk and make the handling of the weight more convenient the Rogue Husafell sandbag version is a better option.

Overview and review of the TITAN Upright farmer's walk handles

This is an overview of the TITAN Upright farmer's including pros, cons, and alternatives. The Original was published in Which Strongman equipment to get from TITAN. Follow the links for details.

TITAN Upright farmer's walk handles $215

Overview TITAN Upright farmer's walk handles

The TITAN Upright farmer's walk handles are a little more pricey than regular carry handles and bear two additional features. They have an adjustable handle for different heights and you can put the plates on top of the handle frame. With this you have more variety in your training compared to a regular handle and do not use up your plates as much. The full specifications of these farmer#s handles are:

- Built with heavy duty 3"x3" 11 gauge steel tubing.

- Sold in pairs, so you'll be able to get started immediately.

- Vertical weight posts save your weight plates if you drop the handles and your plates won't fall off.

- Knurled 1.25" diameter handles can be set at 8" and 16" off the ground.

- Stabilizer feet to keep the handles upright if dropped.

- Modular design can be converted to a deadlift platform with Farmers Walk connectors (available separately)

- Compatible with standard Olympic plates - steel plates or bumper plates.

- Weight: 52 lbs each

- Handle diameter: 1.25"

- Usable handle length: 8"

- Handle heights: 8" and 16" from ground

- Overall length: 50"

- Weight Capacity: 500 lbs per handle

The Upright farmer's walk handles are an overlooked item that cost slightly more but will leave your plates in tact and does not need collars to work properly.

Pros of the TITAN Upright farmer's walk handles

Pros of the TITAN Upright farmer's walk handles are:

Plates are upright
Adjustable handle
Knurled handle

One main advantage compare to regular farmer's handles is that the plates are upright and therefore are more secure and do not get wrecked when you use these handles. More often than not the farmer's handles get loaded and sealed with a collar never to be touched again,until the plates are destroyed. That makes it inconvenient for different gym members to load it separately and costly in the long run. On top of that you get a proper handle that provides grip compared to the powder coated alternatives that most gyms stock.

Cons of the TITAN Upright farmer's walk handles

Cons of the TITAN Upright farmer's walk handles:

Price

The only real disadvantage of this handle is its price. You can get other handles for around $100 or even below. For $200 you can also almost get a barbell or trap bar instead. So oyu have to weigh up your options in terms of what other things you could possibly do with $200 instead of getting farmer's walk handles.

Alternatives to the TITAN Upright farmer's walk handles

TITAN trap bar
Rogue Trap bar
TITAN Rickshaw farmer's walk
TITAN farmer's walk handles
Rogue Farmer's walk handles
Heavy kettlebells

The TITAN trap bar comes in at $270 and is therefore slightly more expensive than the upright farmers walk handles. Technically you can also do farmer's walks with a trap bar. It is not exactly the same, but if you are only after the core and grip benefits a trap bar farmer's walk will also do. In addition to farmer's walks you can also use the trap bar for deadlifts, especially if you want to put less strain on your lower back. The TITAN trap bar is likely to have some minor quality issues as it has a lot of welds. Whenever welding is to be done, TITAN is more likely to botch the job then Rogue. That doesn't render the bar unsafe or unusable but it will suffer in cosmetics and might have some material inside the frame. With the Rogue trap bar you have a lower risk of this occurring, but you will also pay $100 more.

The farmer's walk handles are cheaper version to which you attach the plates directly. What you safe in the handles you will probably spent many times over on the plates for these solutions.

The last option for farmer's walks are heavy kettlebells. These are probably the most versatile alternative to farmer's walk handles, but also do not exactly reflect the exercise. The weight is more centered to the body and therefore a lot easier to handle.

Conclusion for the TITAN Upright Farmer's walk handles

If you want to get classic farmer's walk handles to simulate strongman competition these are a serious consideration. Especially if you only get them for yourself and do not have to buy them in bulk. The upright handles are superior to the classic farmer's handle and are worth the money as long as you want to do farmer's walks. If cost and versatility are your main concern, then a pair of heavy kettlebells are probably the better option.