I’ve had this for a few days and every day tried to get my hands on it. Here’s my thoughts: It’s basically a very small sandbag that acts like a “blob” for grip training. Filled with sand it can be up to 4lbs (closer to 3 as it dries) and it’s about the size of a baseball. Where it gets weird is the reinforced plate loaded pin attachment, making it as heavy as you see fit. It’s not the same as a blob unless you lift your blobs from a bench based on the pin height. However: the shifting sand adds a very new difficulty to what was a standard lift. You can squeeze more, but that doesn’t make it easier. Which is so neat and hard. Also it’s priced extremely low, and with affiliate codes and free shipping in Canada it’s probably the least expensive thing in my gym I’ve bought new. It comes with a plastic bag designed to be filled inside it. Cool idea, but I found filling it kind of messy and hard as the bag opening is less than 4 inches and sand likes to be everywhere but inside the bag. I ended up using a small trowel to make it work. Also once it’s filled the bag shouldn’t be tied off, so you risk it opening inside the blob, which is fine since you’re not throwing this thing around. Great idea. Novel product. Have fun!

This is a paid product review: After reviewing my current SSB from Northern Lights very poorly on U&U Big Carp suggested I try the Bells of Steel SS4 on a post on IG. BoS actually reached out and sent me one in exchange for a video review. Compared to the one I had this is miles above what I thought an SSB could be. The padding is thick and tough and actually doesn't hurt to use. The bar itself is a very sleek black and fits in my gym nicely as I like the dark aesthetic. The removable and exchangeable handles allow for crossover to zerchers and other accessories as well. It also means I can squat pretty deeply for a better quad activation. I know the price compared to my awful old one, and think it's quite reasonable compared to some of its quality. I look forward to SSBs now after years of thinking they were awful.

Got to attempt some lifts with this. Any complaints I have are my own fault, including being too weak to lift it (and burning the skin on my shoulder like an idiot). It’s strong, stable, even weight, and durable enough that 3 of us throwing it around didn’t even phase it.

Used this recently at The Dam Institute and it’s a decent sandbag. The hook & loop was loose which made it kinda difficult handle but as Cam mentioned, it was only half filled. I would still take my Grain Strength one over this one.

Absolutely 0 complaints. Immediately better than the one I have. Handles are well placed, pads rest where they should. I may be biased but this is a serious contender for best. It’s also not cheap, so I lost a star. Weight is even.

Farmers carries are hard. There’s no way around it. I went to the Dam Institute and used these and will likely build my own with Steve’s help. We may adapt the grips to be a bit more tight. But essentially a 4x6 with some piping is all we need. LFG. Update: built my own. Used a 6x6 and added 8 inch handles so I had more room to slide. These are a beast and I’ll be adding them to my outdoor gym workouts starting this week.

I just did a 4 plate deadlift on this yesterday. While I love bells of steel I have 1 issue with this: the knurling is passive at best. A deadlift bar should have flesh tearing bumps and this doesn’t. It’s actually kinda similar to their power bar (which is great). Aside from that the price is decent, and they have them in stock. If knurling isn’t your thing go ahead and grab one. But I’d wait for the v2 or just go TPB

Got to experience these for the first time in the first gym in Canada to have a pair, the Dam institute. Very different from any collars I’ve used but probably the best ones I’ve ever used. They’re tight, fit any bar, and leave no room for wiggle or sliding. I also have no fear that they’ll pop off if dropped. After the learning curve of figuring out how they work they lived up to all my expectations. Great work. Update. I now have these in my gym.