****** - Verified Buyer
4.5
If I had my way, I'd have a 150-pound angle bag with protrusions hanging from a steel berm or a bag holder. Unfortunately, I'm space constrained and sound is a concern.The Xsport/"Splitter" bag is easy to set up and rewarding. The base takes some time to fill, though my sand needed to thaw more. That said, it's a great bag for boxing and martial arts with a clever design. I use it as a heavy bag and as a makiwara. The foam is dense and solid. Don't hit it bareknuckle unless your fists are conditioned or wrapped. The bag works well for other blows, chops, edge of hand, or hammer fist strikes.The bag's sleek shape affords additional adjustments. If you're doing curved strikes, such as hooks, uppercuts, or backfists, buy some long pool noodles. Tape three of them together, wrap and bindle the ends. Slide it over and you have a cheap bag attachment. An add-on like the Title Boxing Strike Foe also works. It's nice to have a contoured protrusion to be able to realize full striking potential. You can wrap the base in a skirt of mattress foam, or two tires with at least a 20" diameter, for low kicks.The bag has a thin profile. You can move it to a corner, and into place, as needed. Sure, it's heavy once filled. One option would be to tilt it onto furniture movers if you can't leave it in the center of a room. The bag is relatively quiet, if you fill the base with sand. This means you can hit it if others are sleeping, or in adjacent rooms, without the resounding boom of hanging bags -- especially those anchored in floor beams or suspended from rickety metal bag holders.Quick Tips:- Use the suction cups. I tried to use a mat at first but the bag will tip without them. The suction cups help to distribute force. Make sure they're clean, and that your floor is clean, to avoid scratches if the surface is finished.- Get an oversized funnel with an 1.5" mouth, or use a larger water/soda bottle that you've thoroughly cleaned and dried. Cut the water bottle at an angle so you can pour the sand more easily. Play sand works best unless you want the noise from rocks or crushed marble. Paving sand can stain if it leaks.- I used about 5 bags of 0.4-meter play sand. It should be available for $3-$7 a bag. Go to a big box or local gardening store. Pre-order for fast pickup.- Extra sand can be poured into old or discarded basketball or soccer balls. Cut at the seam. Fill. Seal with Gorilla glue and patch with Shoe Goo or a similarly rugged epoxy. Then apply two layers of colored Gorilla or strong duct tape. Add some color accents if you want and you have homemade medicine balls. $70 or more saved, depending on weight.Caveats:- The company ideally would make spare parts more readily available. The bag holds up to punishment, but additional rubber horns and suction cups would be great to offer in a spare parts bag.- The bag is only 5'9". It isn't adjustable. I wouldn't recommend it to those 6' and taller, or monster Thai kickers who need a suspended 100 lb.-150 lb. bag. Unless you're crafty and devise some kind of extension "head" for the top. It makes sense that this isn't taller due to the physics of the design, and the likely failure of an adjustable metal rod with slip bolts.The suction cups don’t work that great but it has not tipped over yet.Make sure that you use DRY Sand for the base. Instructions were straightforward. I’m glad I bought this. I’ll be using this at least twice a week.It’s appears to be well made. As you hit the bag you should move around it so you’re not just hitting in one spot. I’ve only had this a few weeks so the long-term durability does not apply in this review of course. It was extremely easy to set up only took less than 10 minutes, the top half was already assembled.The product looks really great if not the joke committed by designer of the product. Now details, first - forget and don't even think about using the water to fill the base, it just doesn't work unless you are 5 year old kid, or you have a friend committed to hold it every time you are boxing, otherwise even with weak punches it will jump and dance on your floor like crazy. So the only possible option is a sand. And now tell me, how are you going to fill it with sand through 1 INCH hole??? You think it is easy and fast? Then before buying it just try, take a bottle with 1 inch hole and try to fill it with sand. You literally have to use tea spoon! Do you have a week of you time to spend filling this "great value" with the send? Think twice.It was east to put together. If you are only looking to use it for light striking, then there will be no issues. If you are looking to hit it hard or very hard, you might want to look elsewhere. When you put any power into your strikes, very easy to knock it over. The suction cups at the bottom will separate from the base which is a bit of a pain to re attach them.
