A speed bag is a fantastic addition to your home gym. If you are a boxer, then you already know how vital it is to put in the hours on the speed bag. If you’re not, the speed bag will provide you with one of the best cardio training workouts you will find anywhere.
When you buy a speed bag the odds are very high that it will not come with a swivel, which is why you will need to buy it separately. And that is why you need to know about what to look for and which products are the best on the market. Congratulations, you’ve come to the right place!
The 6 Best Speed Bag Swivels
Everlast Professional Speed Bag Swivel
The Everlast Professional Speed Bag Swivel is fully constructed from machine crafted stainless steel. It also includes ball bearing to provide an extremely smooth and quick movement. Your purchase also includes mounting screws. It’s not the easiest swivel to put the speed bag on or off, but that’s not a big issue as you will probably be keeping the punching bag on the swivel most of the time.
This Everlast speedbag swivel is a huge step up from the majority of those which the company sells. the majority of them are made from plastic, which is something that we actively caution against using. Pay the extra dollars to get the stainless steel pro version.
This is a durable, solid, quiet and reliable punching bag that comes in at a reasonable price point. It is the best speed bag swivel that we have come across.
Title Boxing Deluxe Pro Swivel
The Title Boxing Deluxe Pro Swivel attachment is made from stainless steel with triple chrome plating. Apart from that it is very similar to the Everlast Pro swivel. It has sealed inner ball bearings to enable the fastest, smoothest operation. One feature that you don’t find on the Everlast swivel is a push pin change system, which makes it very easy to swap the punching bag in and out. Some inline reviewers have stated that the scores which can with the swivel are not strong enough to hold the punching bag.
The Title Box Deluxe Pro Swivel attachment is one of the more expensive attachments that we have come across.
Ringside Super Swivel
The Ringside Super Swivel is a completely stainless steel swivel that features a one-inch center cylinder that allows for a smooth rebound of the speed bags. This features also provides a wider rebound arc area. Just like the Title deluxe Pro Swivel attachment, it features a push pin system for getting the bag on and off. You get a reliable and quiet operation with this swivel attachment. You will find that this attachment is actually heavier than most others on the market, which may result in a slightly slowly bag movement.
The Ringside Super Swivel comes with screws for fitting to the ceiling. It has been machine crafted from solid polished steel. A triple ball bearing installation ensures a smooth operation and a well-balanced swivel mechanism. However, if you are an experienced boxer, you might find that this swivel is not responsive enough for you, with the result that the bag rebound is too slow.
Title Pro Speedbag Swivel
The Title Pro speedbag swivel is a chain link attachment. Chain links are generally not as fluid as u-hook swivels. However, this one is an exception, it produces a very fast, responsive action. It is also very quiet. This attachment is made from stainless steel with triple chrome plating. The benefit of the chain link is that it allows for responsive action in every direction. The chain link is very firmly attached.
The one potential negative on this swivel is that it is quite tricky to take the bag on and off. Overall, though this is a high quality swivel that provides you with more durability than many similarly priced attachments.
Maxx MMA Speed Bag Hanger
The Maxx MMA speed hanger features a high grade stainless steel construction. It features a pin style design for quick change of the speed bag along with ball bearings for fast and accurate training. Mounting screws have been provided to allow for quick mounting.
RDX Iron Heavy Duty Boxing Speedball Swivel
TheRDX Iron Heavy Duty swivelis a very well designed attachment that is made from high grade stainless steel and plated with silver and nickel. This makes it one of the most durable swivels that are out there. A quick release in allows you to get the speed bag on and off in a hurry. The center hub of this swivel has been reduced to increase the balance, speed and rhythm of the speed bag movement. Low friction ball bearings enhance the rotation of the speed bag. This bag mounts easily with the supplied screws.
The steel on the RDX Iron heavy Duty swivel has been powder coated for added strength and treated with a special red oxide anti-rust formulation.
Forza Sports Evolution Speed Bag Swivel
The Forza Sports Evolution Speed Bag swivel makes use of a solid steel brass metal hook swivel to secure the speed bag. This simple design style allows for a high degree of freedom of movement. allowing you to change up your punching style at will. The ball hook set-up of this swivel does not restrict the movement of the speed bag, allowing for a greater degree of movement in every direction and providing a greater degree of user control over the speed bag.
The swivel housing of the Forza Sports swivel is made from pure stainless steel with an electroplated finish. The brass metal ball hook swivel rides on an internal Delrin ring allowing smooth and oil free rotation. This is a great choice for anyone who wants to freestyle with their speed bag. Unlike lesser speed bags, this swivel will not ‘cheat’ by restricting your hitting axis. However, it is one of the more expensive swivels on the market.
Ringside Mexican-Style Swivel
The final speed bag swivel on the list is the Ringside Mexican-Style Swivel. Featuring a U-bolt design, the Mexican-Style Swivel is a solid speed bag, at a fair price.
What I like about this speed bag swivel is that it has a pinch-pin attachment system. Pinch-pins make it super easy to switch out speed bags on the fly.
The rebound on this speed bag swivel is accurate and feels smooth, though it’s far from the fastest. I think the slower rebound may be attributed to the 1” center cylinder design, an unfortunate decision on their part.
There are some issues with this speed bag though; First of all, it is a lot thinner than other options, making it difficult to fasten a speed bag to it. Its rebound lacks something to be desired, and feels sluggish in comparison to other models I tested.
While no where near the best speed bag swivel out there, the Ringside Mexican-Style Swivel gets the job done, and at a price that’s within anyone’s reach.
Why You Need a Quality Swivel Attachment
The responsiveness of the speed bag that you are working with will determine the effectiveness of the workout. Many people think that it is the quality of the bag that determines this responsiveness. But that is not the case. Rather, it is the swivel attachment that is the key factor. If you get an inferior swivel, you will have problems with reliability and securing of the bag, especially if you go for a cheap plastic model. Over and above the durability issue, you will find that the bag does not bounce well or return to you in a predictable fashion. That’s not good.
A quality speed bag swivel will allow the bag to bounce well and will provide you with a natural speed that will challenge you in your workout. It should also allow for the bag to retain its balance, even when you are hitting the bag with all your power. Ideally, the swivel will also provide you with a quiet operation.
What to Look For
Shopping for a speed bag swivel is not something you do every day, but having a good one can make the difference in your home gym. Like other home gym must-haves, you don’t want to buy cheap and flimsy gym equipment for home. That being the case, here’s what you need to be aware of . . .
Materials
You should only consider a bag swivel that is made from stainless steel. Most of the products out there will be of that nature, but some are constricted from heavy-duty plastic. These may do the job for a couple of months, but they will not last the distance, especially if you are regularly giving that bag a workout.
Bag Attachment
The way that you attach the speed bags to the swivel is usually either by a hook swivel or a loop system. A ball hook is the preferred option. Because there is nothing to get in the way of the movement of the speed bag, you will have no hassles with interference during the workout. You can take the speed bag off and put it on very easily. A hook swivel attachment will also allow for very fast speed bag movement. The downside of the hook system is that it is the noisier of the two options.
Another option is a U-bolt speed bag swivel which includes a ball bearing design. Because of the ball bearing system, this type actually provides the fastest level of movement. These attachments often also include a push pin feature, which makes it very easy to take the bag on and off. The biggest negative with this type of attachment is that it may interfere with the action of the bag.
A third option is the chain link attachment. This is not that popular, mainly because it is much harder to change the bag on this system than on any of the others. They are, however, quieter than a U-bolt attachment. They also require more maintenance than the other two types.
Motion
Many people complain about the inadequacies of punching and speed bags as far as the motion of the bag is concerned. However, it is usually the swivel which dictates the action of the bag. You need to find a swivel attachment that is designed to allow for a smooth, natural, reflexive, fast and predictable motion.
Conclusion
The speed bag swivel is the most important purchase in your whole speed bag set-up, so it pays to take a bit of time to make the smartest purchasing decision. Any of the swivel attachments mentioned above will serve you faithfully and provide a responsive, fast bag action. However, our favorite speed bag swivel has got to be the Everlast Professional Speed Bag Swivel. It is constructed from the highest grade stainless steel and has ball bearings fitting into the internal housing to provide a very responsive, fast, accurate and predictable bag action. The Everlast swivel also provides a whisper quiet operation.