Onnit Kettlebell Review — 2024 Update

Onnit makes some of the most popular kettlebells on the market, and their powder coated bells could offer the durability you need at a low cost. Because kettlebell workouts combine explosiveness and endurance, while also decreasing the amount of stress your body endures, they’re one of the most versatile pieces of gym equipment you could own. Whether you want to do a lower body workout, increase your cardio, or maybe smooth out some muscle imbalances with unilateral movements, these kettlebells from Onnit can help you get the job done.

Ranging from 13 to 70 pounds, Onnit offers a fairly wide range of weights to add to your home gym. These bells are about as durable as they come too since they’re crafted into one single piece using gravity casting — which will provide consistency throughout the kettlebell. During our time with the 23-pound weight option, we felt that the textured powder coat finish provided us with a solid grip on its own, but you can also add some chalk if you please. If you are looking for a high quality, functional kettlebell at an affordable price point, we think Onnit’s are a great option. 

Main Takeaways

Onnit Kettlebell Video Review

Our Reviews Writer, Jake, put the Onnit Kettlebell to the test during his detailed video review. Follow along as he walks you through all of the details on these kettlebells, from the construction to the pros and cons, chalk compatibility, and more.

Onnit Kettlebell Highlights

While there’s a ton of versatile workout equipment on the market, in our opinion, kettlebells may be in a class of their own. They allow you to focus on your form, and increase your overall strength for other lifts in the weight room. Aside from kettlebell swings, you can also use these kettlebells for bicep curls, shoulder presses, bent-rows, and even a clean and press. Onnit’s Kettlebells are forged from one single piece of iron, so the handle and bell aren’t going to lose their connection during your circuits — which is something you have to worry about with some kettlebells that utilize plastic plugs. Since these were also made with gravity casting, you may find the weight to be more accurate than some other companies that don’t use this process — plus, the weight is going to be consistent throughout the kettlebells. 

The weights of these bells range from 13 to 70 pounds, and while that may be a solid range for recreational lifters, if you personally need anything lighter or heavier, you will need to look elsewhere. You cannot purchase these kettlebells in a set, so you may wind up spending more money in the long run if you were to purchase one at a time. But, since they do feature a fairly low price tag, you might notice that if you were to buy all of the weight options at once, you won’t be too far off from the price other companies charge for a full set.

The powder coating provides a shine to these bells, but it also adds texture for you to achieve a solid grip. Plus, it’s chip resistant and can be used with chalk. Since the handles are color-coded, you won’t have to worry about accidentally grabbing the wrong weight for your lifts, and the flat base is wider than some other kettlebells we’ve used — so you shouldn’t experience much of a wobble, if any, when you store your kettlebells. Since these are not competition kettlebells, the size will increase as you go up in weight — so if you desire your bells to be uniform in size, you’ll want to explore other options. However, since these are available at a relatively low price tag, and they’re high quality, it might be worth grabbing a couple for your home gym.

Who Should Buy Onnit Kettlebells

• Athletes looking for a reliable kettlebell that is built to last and accurate in its weight will enjoy that these are forged from one single piece of iron in the gravity casting process. 
• Because these are available at a lower price tag than some of the competition, you won’t break the bank by adding these to your arsenal.
• If you want a kettlebell that is stable, you’ll likely find success in storing these since the base is wider than some other kettlebells we’ve tried. Plus, they’re seamless and not coated in rubber (which both could cause a bit of a wobble).

Who Shouldn’t Buy Onnit Kettlebells

• Folks looking for a full set of kettlebells will want to look elsewhere. While you can still purchase all of these individually or in bulk, they aren’t part of a designated set. 
• If you need your kettlebell to be heavier than 70 pounds, you’ll want to explore other options. Onnit does offer a 90-pound bell in their Primal series, but those do not share the same features as these.
• Those who are not working out outside or in a gym with rubber floors may not be too crazy about the lack of a rubber coating, as you do increase the chances of causing harm to your floors.

Price

While these Onnit Kettlebells are not available as a full set, they’re still available at a budget-friendly price tag, and you can purchase one of each weight option from 13 to 70 pounds for around the same price as a full set from another company. If you were to get two of each, that price would still be pretty comparable to a set of pairs from another company featuring kettlebells of similar weight.

 

The cheapest bell is going to be the 13-pound option, and that will run you right around $35. The 26-pound kettlebell is going to cost about $45, and the 70-pound option is listed at around $110. Shipping will add to the overall total, and that’s going to vary on how fast you want your order to arrive. This is where you might find yourself spending more money than you would with some other companies that offer free shipping on all orders — but if you spend $150, you are eligible for free shipping. Since shipping a kettlebell can be pretty expensive, it may be best to save up to get all of the weight options at once. As mentioned, these are available at a lower price tag than some of the big named competitors out there, but you aren’t going to be sacrificing quality by any means. 

Overall Build and Quality

Onnit uses a gravity-casting process to manufacture its kettlebells. This is arguably the best way to craft kettlebells since the weight is going to be consistent throughout the bell, and may lead to more accuracy in weight. Since these iron kettlebells are also made from a mold, they’re one single piece, so you aren’t dealing with a handle that is welded on or held together via plastic plugs — which drastically decreases the odds of the connection of the handle and bell coming loose during your kettlebell swings. 

Due to the lack of a rubber coating, these kettlebells may not be ideal for usage in your home, but rubber-coated bells may not provide the same grip that these do. The lack of a rubber coating combined with a wider base than some other kettlebells may also make it easier in terms of storage, and lead to less wobble when setting them down.

Features

Since these kettlebells from Onnit are one single piece of iron, they are going to be more durable, and last you longer than some other kettlebells that may feature cheaper materials. The good news is that these are going to cost you right around the same amount of money as those other brands will. The powder coating gives these a bit of a shine while providing a good grip with or without chalk, and storage is made easy with the wide, flat base. 

Handle Grip and Comfort

During our time with the 26-pound kettlebell from Onnit, we were able to get a good grip from the texture powder coating (which is a bit rigid, but not enough to scratch up your hand or forearm) without chalk. And, the base of the handle is wide enough for a two-handed grip for goblet squats.

The good news is that if your hands do start to sweat, these bells will successfully hold chalk. The actual diameter for each kettlebell is not listed on their website, but compared to other handles on 26-pound kettlebells we’ve tried, Onnit’s seemed to be a bit smaller, possibly around one inch. 

Overall Appearance

While the appearance of workout equipment might not change much in terms of functionality, it definitely is nice for your gear to be aesthetically pleasing. The powder coating on these kettlebells provides a bit of a shine, but it’s also chip resistant, which we appreciate. The engraving of the branding and the weight in both kilograms and pounds is pretty standard, as far as kettlebells go. Each Onnit Kettlebell has its own specific color-coded handle to make selecting the correct weight an easy process so that you can get right into your workout. 

Surface Finish

Since these Onnit Kettlebells feature a seamless base and no rubber coating, you don’t have to worry about them toppling over when placing them down for storage. Rubber coating may be the ideal choice for working out in your living room or on hardwood floors, but you also may not get as much grip as you do from these bells.

We tested the chip-resistant coating by dropping our bell a couple of times from waist height on our rubber flooring, and it passed with flying colors.

Product Specs

With weights ranging from 13 to 70 pounds, there’s a good chance you can find solid utility out of these bells, unless you are an elite-level lifter. Because these are not competition kettlebells, the overall size of each individual bell will increase as the weight increases, as will the diameter of the handles.

Onnit uses a gravity casting process, which creates a kettlebell that is one single piece of iron, and allows for more accuracy in terms of weight. Since it’s one piece, the chances of your bell coming loose from the handle and flying around the room from movements (like a dead-stop swing) are essentially eliminated. Plus, the seamless base (that is wider than some other bells we’ve tried) may make it easier to store these on a shelf. But since kettlebells don’t require much space, you can also easily store these on the floor. 

Weight Options

With this line of kettlebells from Onnit, you have eight different weight options to choose from, ranging from 13 to 70 pounds. This may be plenty of weight for the recreational lifter, but if you need anything lighter you’ll need to look elsewhere, and if you need a heavier kettlebell, Onnit does offer a 90-pound bell in their Primal series — you’ll have to keep searching for anything higher than that though.

Since they all feature color-coded handles, the chances of grabbing the wrong weight are obsolete. The dimensions for these kettlebells are not listed on their website, but since they are not competition kettlebells, the size of the handles and the overall size of each bell will increase as you go up in weight. 

Size and Dimensions

If you’re looking for kettlebells that are uniform in size no matter the weight, you will want to keep looking. Since these are not competition kettlebells, the size will in fact increase as you go up in weight. We couldn’t find the exact dimensions of these bells, but compared to some other kettlebells, the actual bell is a bit shorter, while the overall height (including the handle) and width are nearly identical.

Handle and Body Material/Construction

Onnit uses a gravity casting process for these iron kettlebells to ensure that the weight is as accurate as possible, and since they’re one single piece, they’ll potentially last you a lifetime. Since these kettlebells are one single piece of iron, they are much less likely to break on you than bells that are two pieces. The handle and the bell should stay together as long as you don’t drop them on concrete. 

Oftentimes, you’ll find that kettlebells with this price tag tend to use lesser materials, such as plastic plugs, to hold everything together — but those won’t last as long, so we think these are a bit of a steal. In addition, the powder coating provides a solid grip on its own, but you can also use some chalk if necessary. 

Storage

The beauty of kettlebells is that they don’t dominate too much space in your home gym, and don’t require any additional means of storage.

That is a good thing here since Onnit does not include a storage rack with your purchase. But, with a flat base like you’ll find on these, you can easily store them along your floor.

Performance

On Onnit’s Kettlebell page, they state that the chip-resistant coating is great for taking chalk and enhancing one’s grip. We put the grip of our kettlebell to the test by performing Russian Kettlebell Swings with and without chalk to see for ourselves how the handle felt in our hands, and it passed with flying colors. 

Without Chalk

Onnit uses a chip-resistant coating for their kettlebells, which is slightly rigid, providing the bell with a somewhat slick feeling. Without chalk, we were pleasantly surprised with how this kettlebell felt in our hands. The rigid chip-resistant coat felt slightly more smooth than what you’d experience with a powder coat, but still rigid enough to provide a knurling-esque feeling.

With Chalk

The performance test with chalk was the assessment we were the most curious about. This kettlebell’s coating doesn’t feel like many other bells on the market, so we really worked to feel how it performed, and we found ours to hold its own during a chalk-oriented performance.

Did it provide as “locked in” of a feeling as a brand new powder-coated bell? No, but it was very close for not having that specific construction feature. Plus, we think this kettlebell would be a great option for someone with sensitive hands. 

Places to Buy

You can purchase these kettlebells directly through the Onnit website.

Company Information

Located in Austin, Texas, Onnit’s goal since 2010 has been to help people reach their highest potential, whether that be from their supplements, or their strength equipment. If you want to find out more about their operations, you can contact their customer service team via phone call at 855-666-4899, or click on their customer service link, and they will reach out to you via email. 

Final Word

If you are looking for a high quality kettlebell to add to your home gym for an affordable price, Onnit’s bells may be your answer. These powder-coated kettlebells range from 13 to 70 pounds, which is likely plenty of weight for a large portion of the fitness community. The gravity-casting process behind these kettlebells creates one single piece of iron, and ensures that each bell is precise in its weight. This process also means the bell shouldn’t come loose during dynamic exercises. 

The powder coat adds a nice shine to the bells, and provides a solid grip on its own — but, it also works well with chalk. The color-coded handles make selecting your weight a simple process, and the flat base is fairly wide, so you don’t have to worry about crushing your big toes if you store your bells on the ground. Since these do max out at 70 pounds, they might not be ideal for anyone of elite strength, and may be more suited for beginner to intermediate-level lifters. While they aren’t available in a full set, you can purchase all of these in bulk for about the same price you would pay for a full set from competitors. Since these are such high quality, and available at this relatively low price point, we think they’re a great deal to snag for your home gym.

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