RDX Boxing Heavy Bag Set Review

In this article we're going to take an in-depth look at a boxing heavy bag set produced by the popular UK boxing equipment manufacturer, RDX Sports. This particular set, which includes everything you'd need to get started with heavy bag training, including the bag itself, a wall bracket, gloves, hand wraps and more, was released in September 2020 and has already proved very popular with beginner and intermediate boxers alike.

But is it any good given the price point? Are you paying too much for the extra features when just a heavy bag and a good quality stand from another manufacturer would do the trick? What about the quality of the included accessories? We're going to go through everything you get with this RDX Boxing Heavy Bag set. So, is it any good, and is it worth your money?

Let's take more of an in-depth look at this RDX Boxing Heavy Bag Set - which we'll start by taking a look at everything you get for your money.

The Brand

RDX is a British brand based in Manchester, UK. They've been operating since 1999, and sell their equipment through their own site, rdxsports.co.uk, as well as a number of major retailers such as Amazon. They've only really become a prominent brand since around 2010, since which time they've come up with their own, pretty radical designs and equipment with its' own, unique aesthetic.

One of RDX's key principles is affordability - started in response to the expensive Japanese, American and Mexican brands such as Grant and Cleto Reyes who's equipment was out of reach of most consumers. I'm not suggesting that RDX products are of the same quality (they aren't) but RDX in my opinion provides a good product that is value for money at a price point that is accessible to most. This leads to them having developed a reputation for quality gear at an affordable price and are often novice and beginner boxers' first choice of equipment when looking to get into boxing. In my view they provide a far higher quality of product than other entry level brands such as Everlast.

I've said a few times on this site that I'm a fan of RDX equipment - I've had good experience with their customer service when I returned a pair of gloves that were too small and the products that I have tried have lasted quite significant abuse without any issues. I currently train in a set of RDX gloves and hand wraps and I've been very, very happy with them.  

Visuals

RDX have become known for their maverick designs to some extent, and the various different versions of this bag give you a number of different choices. You can have the fairly understated black and grey version with a limited set of graphics printed on it , the classic all-over black with black decals (which is probably my favourite as it's a very traditional design that reminds me of Everlast and Cleto Reyes bags I used to train on when I was younger), or you can go full-out and have the red and black version with the dripping blood style graphics. For some a little extreme, but I actually quite like the design and I’m sure this appeals to quite a lot of boxers. What’s important is that there’s a few different options which will likely suit a large number of boxers.

In terms of the quality of the printing and whether the colours rub off (which has certainly happened to me with other cheap gloves and bags) RDX products in my experience are pretty hard wearing so it’s unlikely that this will happen over the long term. The print has a nice sheen to it and the various different designs are designed to coordinate with RDX’s range of gloves (which incidentally, the relevant matching pair of gloves are included with the set.) 

Having said all this it’s unlikely seasoned or even intermediate boxers will particularly care about the design of the bag - preferring to know whether it’s any good to train with, and as per the next section where we’re going to talk about actually using the bag, I’m pleased to say this doesn’t disappoint.

Using the bag

Let’s get into the most important part of this review, which is of course, actually using the bag. Some are wondering whether a bag this inexpensive can hold up against more established brands and more expensive pieces of equipment - so let’s go through what the bag is like to use and more importantly, whether it’s suitable for long-term boxing training.

Weight and size

This bag comes in 4ft and 5ft lengths, and weighs anywhere between 18kg and 22kg out of the box depending on the size you buy. I will say that for a beginner this is probably fine - you don't need a very weighty bag to get started. However, as you get used to boxing and your punches develop more power you will find this bag start to swing a little bit more wildly than when you were just starting out. The same is true of any bag - as you get used to it you'll be able to hit it harder. I have to say the 4ft version with 18kg does seem a bit gutless to start out with and you'll probably find yourself getting used to it pretty quickly. 

However, in the product specifications, it does state that the bag has a maximum filled capacity of 50kg, leading me to believe that you could put more material into it to increase the weight. The bag comes filled with shredded textiles, and I don't know how it would fare if you started putting sand in it, whether it would leak or not, but you could certainly stuff more textiles in it without too much difficulty if you wanted to gradually increase the weight. It's worth saying I haven't verified this and I don't know how well the bag would hold up if you did do this.

Comfort and ease of use

One thing that's worth mentioning right off the bat about using this bag is that it is kind of middle-of-the-road - it's not like punching a wall, like some heavy bags I've used in the past are, but at the same time you do get a fair bit of resistance when you punch the bag as the materials are pretty tightly packed inside. Often slim bags like this struggle to keep their weight - even professional level bags you'll find in boxing gyms sometimes have little dings and dents where people have been punching them repeatedly over the years. It seems that RDX has managed to solve this somewhat with the type of leather this bag is made out of - it's durable and keeps it's shape. How it would hold up in an actual gym I don't know, but for home use and beginner boxers it's certainly more than adequate.

One thing worth mentioning is that a lot of the reviews mention that the filling tends to sink to the bottom after a while, and becomes unevenly distributed. This is a common complaint with cheaper bags like this one, and I'm not really sure that there's much that can be done about it. Having said that it's an issue you're going to get with all bags at this price point and whether it's possible to rip the bag open and more evenly distribute the textile filling as and when this happens I'm not sure.

As the bag is quite light, it will swing a fair bit if you hit it hard, which is why it's not really suitable for more experienced boxers wanting to practice their power punches - you'll need a heavier bag for that. Having said this, for beginners who are just starting out, I don't think it would be too much of a problem.

Ease of assembly

There are several ways to assemble this bag - you could choose to either hang it from the ceiling, hang it from a wall (with or without the included wall bracket) or from a heavy bag stand. I’ve actually done a full article on where you should actually hang your heavy bag but suffice it to say that hanging from the ceiling or from the wall is better, and this bag is very easy to do either of those.

You’ll probably need two people to hang the bag anywhere, as the stated filled weight of the 5ft bag is 22kg, but providing you hang it from the wall studs or a ceiling joist, the bag shouldn't be going anywhere. There are instructions included for hanging, as well as assembling the wall bracket, so you shouldn’t have any issues in this respect. All in all, an easy enough bag to unpack, hang and get started using.

For the ultimate stability, and worth mentioning here because it somewhat mitigates the issue of the bag swinging too much, is that it is possible to tether the bag to the floor using the included hook, and this is possible irrespective of whether you hang from the wall, the ceiling or from a stand. This makes the bag a little more sturdy and easier to train with, in my view.

Build quality and materials

Let's talk about materials - a common concern at any price point, but especially so at the lower and middle end. One of the principal concerns (and a legitimate one at that) regarding heavy bags is that the material is made of cheap or synthetic leather and may crack or split open if punched too hard. I've not experienced this myself but it would be hugely disappointing while training as if the bag splits, it's useless and needs to be replaced.

I'm pretty confident having looked at this bag quite extensively that this won't happen. Reading through the specifications, RDX have constructed this bag out of their Maya Hide Leather that they use in a lot of their gloves. I've had pretty extensive experience using gloves made out of this material and it's strong and sturdy but also supple, and so is an excellent material for a durable heavy bag. I have no concerns that this leather will crack or break open at any point no matter how hard you hit it. 

One thing I will say is the stitching appears to be pretty high quality but it's something you'll want to watch, as I've certainly had bags where the stitching has started to fray or even begin to come undone. You can fix this yourself but often it's easier just to get a new bag. It's not something I would be too worried about but it's definitely one to watch for - although this is true for any bag you buy. There is a zip at the top of the bag which I suppose could be used for adding more material if you really wanted to.

In terms of the interior filling - this is made out of shredded textiles, which is a soft, heavy-duty material designed to absorb the impact of your punches without deforming or compacting. Unfortunately the bag seems to have a problem with the materials sinking to the bottom over time. Now, you could put some old clothes or something soft inside the bag to compact it down as much as possible and you'd probably stop this happening, but it's a little bit disappointing that this is a concern. However it's not unusual at this price point and certainly not unique to this particular bag from RDX.

Overall - a quality product made out of decent materials. I certainly wouldn't feel shortchanged by this bag, and it feels like RDX has put some effort into  making sure this bag gives a good impression of the quality of materials involved.

Additional Accessories

We’ve spoken about the accessories that are included in the box, but there are a whole host of other accessories you may want to consider that are not included. I’d encourage you to have a good look through these - don’t buy for the sake of buying (for example, if you know you’re able to hang from the wall then do that, don’t worry about a heavy bag stand) but you certainly will want to look at a pair of better gloves - the ones included are OK but not amazing.

Final Verdict

Our Rating: 4/5