The best slam ball is one with minimal bounce and is durable. In this article reviewing the best slam balls we’ll consider the main criteria alongside a few other competitive features like cost, material, feel, and size.
Slam balling or wall balling are great exercises contained in many CrossFit workouts. Athletes that don’t do specific CrossFit workouts could also benefit from the slamming motion – we don’t often perform movements that accentuate a downward throw and activation of the lats and other body parts in that manner. Whether using it for slamming, or wall balling – let’s find the perfect ball for you.
Best Slam Ball/Wall Ball Review Table
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How to Pick the Best Slam Ball for You
A little bit of science goes into the creation of a slam ball. To find that perfect weight distribution to settle the bounce, all while hitting a target weight for the slam ball and wrapping it in a material can be a bit tricky. However, a few manufacturers who made it on this list have managed to figure it out. Here’s what to look for in a slam ball:
- What slam ball eight? – If you’re picking up a slam ball for personal use, you want to get a weight you can handle but also one that will allow you to develop your strength/skill with for some time. I always recommend trying at least a few different wall ball/slam ball weights before buying. Go to a local CrossFit gym, or ask a friend if you can borrow one to get the right weight for you. With weights as low as 6lbs, and all the way up to 150lbs on this list you’re sure to find one that works for you.
- How much bounce? – All of the balls on this list have minimal bounce which makes them great for slam ball. You do want a little bit of bounce for wall ball so choose accordingly. A sand filled ball or some other similar material will diminish the bounce the most.
- What’s the best slam ball material? – You want it to be grippy, and you want it to be durable. I like the color black for my slam balls with color coding for the weights. This makes it easy to pick out a weight and they don’t show as much wear. Heavy duty rubber gives a good rebound and also is easy to grip. Vinyl is cheaper but is less durable and the grip is about even depending on the texture.
Best Slam Ball Reviews
Let’s get into reviewing some of the best slam balls now that we’ve laid down some features to think about. Slam balls and wall balls are pretty well interchangeable but you might want a bit more bounce for wall balling.
Danskin Weighted Slam Ball Review [usr 4]
The Danskin balls are a great budget option coming from a device that wasn’t even originally meant for slams or wall balls. It’s extremely durable and comes highly recommended from many CrossFitters who have spent years using these types of products. Another upside is that this ball is available in lighter weight options than the rest which solves the issue of not being able to find a slam ball that’s light enough for you.
- Latex free vinyl shell that’s easy to grip when slamming or wall balling
- Available in 6, 8, or 10lbs – uncommon slam ball weights
- Very reasonably priced
- Great slam ball for beginners, those on a budget, or those needing a light weight ball
- Bounces minimally
- Proven to be fairly indestructible surviving a year in a heavy traffic gym and going strong
- Downside: only goes up to 10lbs
- Check it out on Amazon here
j/fit Dead Weight Slam Ball Review [usr 3.5]
This is j/fit’s dead weight slam ball – as you can tell by the title designed specifically for slamming, wall balling, and all that fun stuff. This is a solid ball with a grippy surface and minimal bounce. It’s a budget ball and also available all the way up to 50lbs so if you want consistentcy in your gym you can get all the way from 10 to 50lbs in the same ball.
- Well priced slam ball
- Comes in 10, 15, 20, 25, 30, 35, 40, and 50lb balls
- Grippy – easy to catch and pick up
- Durable material, black in color
- Minimal bouncing
- Great overall slam ball available in a variety of weights
- Check it out on Amazon here
SPRI Dead Weight Slam Medicine Ball Reviews
The SPRI slam ball options are basically a step up from the j/fit in terms of cost, and for that extra cost you’re getting a sand filled, dead bounce ball with a slightly better grip. The exterior is a heavy duty rubber which is really nice to hold, and they’re also colored based on the weight. SPRI also offers light weight ball options like the Danskin so you can get a full set with these, or any specific weight you need.
- Step up from the j/fits in terms of cost, minimized bounce, and material
- 4, 6, 8, 10, 12, 15, 18, 20, 25, 30, 40, 50 pound options
- Good quality slam balls available in the widest variety of weights
- Minimal bounce due to sand fill
- Heavy duty rubber exteriors
- Check it out on Amazon here
Rogue Echo Slam Balls Review
From the CrossFit masters, Rogue Fitness, comes these laser focus designed balls ready to take a beating from the floor, wall, or wherever else you want to slam them. Are they better than the other balls on this list? Maybe, maybe not. They cost a bit more than the other options, and don’t have weights under 10lbs. The exterior of these is the nicest in terms of grip and durability of all the other balls, but the minimized bounce is as good as it gets with sand filling. One huge benefit that makes these worth it is the 2 year warranty on them.
- Battle-tested for abuse and wear
- Backed by a 2 year warranty for personal use
- 10, 15, 20, 25, 30, 35, 40, 45, 50lb options
- Best slam ball available in my opinion
Rogue D-Ball Medicine Balls Review
The D-Balls can be seen as an upgrade from the Echo Slam Balls but I think it’s a bit overkill. There are certainly other uses for the D-Ball that may require such a grippy and well designed ball but for slamming and wall balling the Echo Slams are perfect. The D-Balls however are available in a few higher weight ranges including 60, 70, 80, 90, and 100lb options in the regular diameter. They even go up 150lbs in the MK-D line which are basically the D-Balls on steroids. The 80 and 150lb options were used in the 2012 CrossFit games.
- 8, 10, 12, 16, 20, 25, 30, 35, 40, 50, 60, 70, 90lb options in the D-Ball
- 14, 20, 30, 40, 50, 60, 80, 150lb options for the MK D-Ball with 14″ diameter
- These feel like gel balls with absolutely no bounce
- Great for performing olympic movements with a different center of gravity
- Great for throwing, passing, slamming, wall balling, or performing compound or olympic exercises with
- Best overall slam balls and wall balls in terms of quality, but also very very expensive
- The MK D-Ball releases some interesting sizes that could be used in place of throwing or carrying tasks in strongman
- Check them out here
The D-Balls aren’t as well designed for heavy usage as the MK versions, if you’re mainly doing slams and wall balls I would recommend the 14 and 20lb MK balls.
How to Pick the Right Slam Ball for You
With the criteria, and 5 decent slam/wall ball options we have a few things to go over before you pick the best slam ball for you.
- If budget is a concern, stay away from the Rogue balls. The rest of the slam balls on this list are really great value but I don’t think that the Rogue balls add enough value to justify the price.
- I think the j/fit slam balls are the best budget slam balls with a wide variety of weight available.
- Rogue D-Balls and MK D-Balls have a wider variety of weights and also the heaviest weights from 80 to 150lbs.
- The Rogue balls aren’t great for wall ball, I would go iwth the j/fit or SPRI for wall balling as they don’t bounce a lot but do rebound off the walls decently.
- Pick a wall ball that’s the right weight for you. You don’t want to get one too heavy or light.
- The SPRI with color markings are great for gyms that use wall/slam balls regularly.
Slam Ball and Wall Ball Conclusion
Hopefully my reviews of the best slam balls and wall balls has helped you out. There aren’t too many products out there to go through, and you should definitely be able to find something workable off of this list.
I think that slam balls are a great tool to use to get in shape – a lot of conditioning and endurance exercise uses the legs. Where slam balls use the arms, core and back! What a great workout using the upper body that can gas you just as hard as sprinting and running without having the hefty impact on your knees and body overall. Another similar cardio exercise for the upper body and arms are battle ropes! Check them out if you like upper-body cardio :D!
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