Choosing the right free standing punch bag can be a daunting task. There are so many on the market, so it's easy to fall into the trap of buying a poor quality bag.
We've written this guide to help you choose the best free standing punch bag by outlining the features of each based on our and other customer experiences.
Summarising the below, we choose the Gallant, the Dripex and the Everlast Powercore as our Top 3. Here's the comparison table:
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 |
 |
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|---|---|---|---|
| Gallant ✔ | Dripex ✔ | Xn8 ✔ | |
| Price | Check Price £ |
Check Price $ |
Check Price £ |
| Height | 5.5ft / 6ft | 5.75ft | 5.5ft |
| Material | PU Leather | PU Leather | PU Leather |
| Padding | EPE Foam | EPE Foam | EPE Foam |
| Stitching | Double | Strong | Reinforced |
| Suction Cups | No | Yes | Yes |
| Sports | Boxing, kickboxing, Muay Thai, MMA, karate, more | Boxing, kickboxing, Muay Thai, MMA, karate, more | Boxing, kickboxing, Muay Thai, MMA, karate, more |
| Buy | Buy on Amazon |
Buy on Amazon |
Buy on Amazon |
There are two main types of punch bag, the traditional hanging punch bag and the more modern free standing punch bag. Hanging punch bags are hung from a ceiling or wall attachment and generate a lot of unwanted sway. Free standing punch bags are more static and are more commonly used for boxing, kickboxing and MMA training.
There are three main advantages of free standing punch bags:
Here are our top choices of free standing punch bags available in the UK:
Available in 5.5ft and 6ft sizes, the Gallant Free Standing Punch Bag has become very popular in recent years. A solid, narrow, well designed base allows for close contact. It sports a number of designs, as seen in the below picture.
Materials
The surface is made from PU leather, a durable material commonly used in sporting equipment for that very reason. The bag is padded with 5cm thick EPE foam, which absorbs force and reduces movement and sway. There is double stitching to reinforce the bag's structure.
Key Features
Customer Reviews
More information / customer reviews / pricing can be found on amazon.co.uk.
Coming in at 5.5ft, the Lions Free Standing Punch Bag is ideal for boxing, kickboxing, MMA, general training and the like. The base is designed to allow for maximum weight with minimum radius, so there's no worry about the size of the base interfering with your training. The base has suction cups underneath, allowing it to grip laminate (or similar) flooring.
Material
The bag is coated with tear resistant synthetic leather which adds to its durability. It's padded with high density EPE foam which makes it comfortable on your hands as well as protects both your hands and the bag from damage. The bag has double stitching throughout for added protection.
Key Features
Customer Reviews
More information / customer reviews / pricing can be found on amazon.co.uk.
The Dripex Free Standing Punch Bag is more advanced than the Gallant and the Lions punch bag. It's also my personal favourite. The Dripex bag has four removable springs sitting between the striking area and the base, the purpose of which is to absorb excess force. Together with the force absorbing padding, this yields a very stable punch bag. In addition, the springs can be removed to reduce vibrations for intensive strength training.
Material
The striking surface is made from PU leather. It has multiple layers of padding, each with a different purpose. I go into more detail about these layers around the half way mark of my Dripex Free Standing Punch Bag Review, but to summarise, there's a comfort layer, a force absorption layer, a layer which makes the bag more sturdy and the outer leather surface.
Key Features
Customer Reviews
More information / customer reviews / pricing can be found on amazon.com.
With a heavy base design, the 5.5ft tall Xn8 Free Standing Punch Bag is perfect for heavy boxing punches. The bag is perfect for outdoors as it's sunlight resistant in the sense that it doesn't crack or fade. It's available in four colour designs.
Material
The bag has MOTI hide leather upholstery making it durable, washable and, as mentioned above, sunlight resistant. It utilises standard EPE foam padding which absorbs punches and regains its original shape quickly. It has reinforced stitching to enhance its durability.
Key Features
Customer Reviews
More information / customer reviews / pricing can be found on amazon.co.uk.
Solid, durable and easy to assemble, the MaxStrength Free Standing Punch Bag is ideal for your home gym. At 6ft tall, this bag perfect for upper body training and, in particular, upper cuts and head punch training. Its thick padding and durable surface allows for hours of consistent training.
Material
The bag is coated with strong synthetic rex leather. The bag is padded with 3 layers of material meaning the bag is cushioned for extra comfort.
Key Features
Customer Reviews
More information / customer reviews / pricing can be found on amazon.co.uk.
The large base and height adjustable punching area makes the Everlast Powercore Free Standing Punch Bag perfect for a varied workout. It's particularly useful for boxing and MMA. The spacious base makes it the most solid bag listed on this page.
Material
The bag consists of PU grain leather and has a three disc foam structure which maximises force absorption and minimises movement.
Key Features
Customer Reviews
More information / customer reviews / pricing can be found on amazon.com.
To shake things up, we include the Century Versys VS1 Fight Simulator. Unlike other bags, the base is not solid. Quite the opposite in fact: this bag is designed to tip over. It's essentially an aerobic fitness conditioner - it promotes movement and agility training.
Note: Versys is an amalgamation of the words versatile and system.
Key Features
Customer Reviews
More information / customer reviews / pricing can be found on amazon.com.
At a whopping 6.4ft tall, the Ringside Elite Free Standing Punching Bag is perfect for the taller martial artist. With a heavy duty base which can be filled with up to 270lb of sand, you will find it difficult to push over. The bag has a removable foam collar which is used to control the movement of the spring loaded bag.
Key Features
Customer Reviews
More information / customer reviews / pricing can be found on amazon.com.
