Last Updated on January 29, 2021
Have you lately realized that you’ve been working out on the wrong bag?
Or maybe…
You just found out about a boxing reflex bag and wanted to give it a try?
Either way, we understand that choosing one is not as easy as it sounds. The market can be quite deceiving and I’m sure you don’t want to waste your money on a useless set.
There’s no need to worry because here’s a reflex bag review just for you!
And the Ringside Fitness Reflex Punching Bag is our best pick so far. Check it out!
Page Contents
- The 5 Best Reflex Bags Reviewed
- What Reflex Bags Are
- What A Reflex Bag Does For You
- Why Reflex Bags Are Necessary
- Considerations Before You Purchase
- Conclusion
The 5 Best Reflex Bags Reviewed
1. Ringside Fitness Reflex Bag - Best Overall
Ringside’s fitness reflex bag is made of a durable and easy to clean synthetic leather exterior and a dense foam interior. The bag itself is solid but is soft when hit.
This focuses on four skills... timing, accuracy, rhythm, and distance. All of these are crucial in a boxing match. The bag forces you to keep your head moving and your hands up throughout the workout which will lead to wide off-angle punches, counters, and combos.
This model is taller than the usual models, adjustable from 49 to 69 inches. Which makes it a head-height version rather than chest height.
It has a specifically-placed thick chrome spring allowing more spring back recoil that is faster compared to other models. This also allows it to mimic the movement of a real-life opponent.
The tank is made of plastic and is large enough to be filled up with 12lbs of water or 240 lbs of sand. You can freely use water without worrying about spills or lack of weight.
The spring connected to the base gets loose every 20-25 rounds which requires you to retighten it. This can be fixed by applying duct tape to its threads.
Pros
- Made of synthetic leather
- Has a dense foam interior
- Adjustable head height stand
- Has a thick chrome spring
- Mimics an opponents motion
- Has a large plastic base
- Can be filled with both water or sand
Cons
- Its spring can get loose after a while
Takeaway
Its top-quality interior and exterior materials along with the spring-loaded stand and large stable base make it the best reflex punching bag.
2. Protocol Punching Bag With Stand And Boxing Gloves - Best Budget
This is Protocol’s inflatable punching bag that comes with a heavy-duty base and an adjustable stand.
Its durable base features a two sectioning that allows you to fill it with either water or sand enough to hold the set firmly and securely throughout tough sessions.
The stand that holds this bag is fully adjustable from 48 to 58 inches (122-147 centimeters) tall.
It comes with free deluxe padded boxing gloves featuring re-closable straps for protection and stability. Its design naturally matches with the reflex bag.
The set also includes an easy to follow instruction blueprint that makes the assembling hassle-free. The diagram consists of pictures but no written step by step instructions.
This bag can be set up in small spaces that offer enough clearance, it's perfect for socially distant workouts since it doesn’t occupy much space.
Sadly, the build has a tendency to come loose or unscrew due to the heavy striking. This is because the end of the screw just pushes against the pole since its hand knob doesn’t have a hole for it to be securely tightened.
This issue can be easily fixed simply by drilling a hole and making sure you tighten the screws along the spring-loaded base.
Pros
- Easy inflation
- Adjustable stand
- Two sectioning base feature
- Has padded boxing gloves with straps
- Space-saving
Cons
- Can unscrew after a while of heavy striking
Takeaway
This bag is for boxers of the average height. It can be easily set up and stored and doesn’t require much space which makes it ideal in terms of portability.
3. Tech Tools Free-standing Punching Speed Bag - Best Build
The Tech Tools package includes everything needed for a boxing session. The package consists of a high-quality inflatable reflex bag, a durable base, and a spring-loaded adjustable shaft.
This set focuses on your skill buildup. With this, you can enhance your hand and eye coordination, sharpen your reflex and timing, while also relieving your stress and tension.
Constructed with top quality materials and great attention to detail, plus you can set this up anywhere, even in small spaces. So, what could be better?
Its best feature is the spring-mounted shaft. Its height is adjustable from 49 to 63 inches so you can customize it to your requirements. The spring allows the punching bag to bounce back into position with ease every after hit.
It has a large base for the weight from filling. You can fill this with either 66lbs of water or 100lbs of sand.
The top screws and lock nuts need great attention when setting up. An improper or rushed setup can lead to it getting loose and the worst tendency is for its knob to break, which will stop you from tightening the top bar.
Pros
- Inflatable
- Durable and large heavy base
- Can be filled with both sand and water
- Made of top-quality materials
- Adjustable height
- Has a spring-loaded shaft
Cons
- Can break from improper setups
Takeaway
This reflex bag features its unique spring-loaded base that improves your boxing experience and a heavy large base for great stability.
4. MaxxMMA Advanced Cobra Reflex Bag Kit 2.0 - Best Package
This Cobra Reflex bag set is not your ordinary package.
It doesn’t only include the necessary items like the bag, the base, a bag pump, and a stand, but also all the external items needed to enhance the quality of your workout and to fit your needs.
The set has two reflex bags included, they differ in size and tension but both bags are made of high-grade PU leather and an inner bladder design.
It also has bag gloves and large green hand wrap gel gloves for your safety from injuries and strain.
Its highly durable steel rod stand is height adjustable. It stands 52 inches tall on the minimum and its maximum height is 65 inches.
The model features an adjustable tension for its rebound speed and an anti-loose fixation screw to assure it won’t get loose after a while or so.
A base tank that can be filled with 30 pounds of water or 55 pounds of sand keeps this model stable throughout the session.
For some heavy strikers, water may not be enough to keep it steady, so I advise the use of sand and probably a weight bag on top too if necessary.
This set is focused on improving your accuracy and timing in every strike as well as enough cardio training for endurance.
Pros
- Complete package
- Comes with two bags of different purpose
- Bags are made of high-grade PU leather
- Has an inner bladder design
- Includes bag gloves and hand wrap gel
- Steel rod made stand
- Height adjustable
- Adjustable tension
- Anti-loose
Cons
- Water may not provide enough weight for hardcore workouts
Takeaway
Every piece and function it has is made with top grade material and good detail for maximized workout results and enhanced boxing skills.
5. Everlast Reflex Bag (EA) - Best Space Saving
The Everlast Reflex Bag will help you hone your timing, accuracy, and blocking. Your hand and eye coordination and stamina will be enhanced as well.
It’s important to keep in mind that reflex bags and heavy bags are not alike at all. You cannot heavily or rapidly strike this with great impact as you wish.
This bag is designed only for a light cardio/arm workout.
The bag takes up minimal storage space and only very little room for its bending and flexing every after a strike. Its assembly is super easy but filling the base needs some patience as its opening is quite small.
Its base has a shock-absorbent feature. This can only be filled with sand since it is twice as heavy as water. Filling it with enough sand will keep the bag upright and stable.
It also comes with a hex key and a wrench to help in the bag’s assembly.
Like most reflex bags, its base slightly unscrews with every strike. This can be fixed with a patch of duct tape, although this isn’t really an issue but just something to be aware of.
Pros
- For light workouts
- Takes up very little storage space
- Shock-absorbent
- Comes with assembly tools
- Requires minimal clearance
Cons
- Can only be filled with sand
- Small base opening
- Needs to be tightened every once in a while
Takeaway
If you want a space-saving bag that will accompany you in your home workout sessions providing you enough cardio, then this one is for you.
What Reflex Bags Are
A reflex bag is a free-standing punching bag. Usually, they’re set up, which saves you the hassle of drilling, mounting, and all those installation processes.
These are just like heavy bags, speed bags, and other punching bags too, they help you improve your skills. The difference is, it focuses on enhancing your movements in a tight area.
What A Reflex Bag Does For You
There are several unnoticed reasons that make reflex bags better than any other punching bag.
Movement
Fist movements aren’t everything. Your head movement and footwork are of great influence on your success rates. The enhanced overall movement also means improved speed.
Timing
The timing can improve both your offense and defense skills. This is used greatly in speed ducking and dodging strikes, and best in countering.
Accuracy
With all the pressure and swift movements, it's hard to determine where your punches will land or where you should direct them. With enough accuracy, you can exert more impact.
Why Reflex Bags Are Necessary
They’re cheap, compact, and easy to set up. The most work you’ll have to do for a set would be to screw things together, fill the base, and inflate the bag.
You can position it anywhere with enough space for the base and wall clearance. And it is quieter compared to other punching bags. For kids, I still recommend you check one of the best kids punching bags first before you decide.
Reflex bags are an embodiment of portability. Need I say more?
Considerations Before You Purchase
Air Inflated Interior
Most reflex bags are inflatable. And you’d be lucky if the package comes with a pump.
Air inflated bags are designed to be deflated for storage. People often buy reflex bags for storage conservation, so this is a great help.
However, the biggest issue here is the fact that they could possibly pop or deflate if you go too hard on them, which you shouldn’t since they aren’t heavy bags anyway.
Another reason why these pop and deflate is unbalanced inflation. Watch the YouTube video below to learn how to properly inflate your bag for safety measures.
Dense Foam Covered
These, on the other hand, do not pop or deflate.
They come in three variations, Faux leather, PVC, and vinyl.
It has an issue with the portability, if you’ll be traveling with your bag, this will definitely take up some space since you can't deflate it.
Exterior Material
The next thing to consider is the exterior material, which is a great factor too.
If you think about it, inflated bags won't really pop or deflate even with a hard beating if their exterior material is high quality.
It's an obvious rule that materials of quality and durability are costly. But at least you’d understand and know that the price is reasonable.
Leather
Genuine Leather
Leather made reflex bags are always the most expensive.
Aside from its added durability, comfort, and natural feel. Leather is really expensive, in raw form or not.
Synthetic Leather
While genuine leather is the most popular and expensive, synthetic leather is the most common and reasonably priced.
It of course feels slightly cheaper, but it works the same.
One of the best advantages it has is that it's very easy to clean, and its cleaning materials are quite cheap too.
Canvas
Canvas is your cheapest option.
Because of its low price, it guarantees no similar feel at all. It's just like hitting a bag of flour for most people. And in the worst circumstances, they feel extremely terrible when impacted.
It does not feel great on the skin, so I wouldn’t advise that you kick it, or strike it without any hand protection like wraps or gloves.
Plastic
Plastic is a rare material. But that doesn’t make it any better.
It's pretty hard to find a bag made of a plastic interior nowadays unless it's for children or a specialized bag that holds water.
This material is thick and rubbery. They feel the worst and sound quite noisy too.
Styles
Reflex bags have come in two styles that differ in the location of the spring. Its location means more than it seems. This can define how it will rebound and receive impact and much more. One can be better than the other, it all depends on what you need to improve in.
Now if you're thinking which style of reflex bag is better when it comes to boxing vs kickboxing, there's no difference. You can use a reflex bag whether for boxing or even kickboxing.
Standard Reflex Bag
Standard models have their springs located near the bottom of the pole. Both the bag and its pole bend at the spring together in one motion, moving back and forth.
Their rebound is slightly slower compared to cobra bags, but that doesn’t make them boring.
Standard reflex bags are for those who train counter strikes. It also helps in determining the necessary distance, timing, speed, and dodging.
Cobra Bag
Cobra bags are mounted on a pole. Their springs can be found in the middle of the pole.
Its rebound is enough to show the difference between a reflex bag and a speed bag. When hit, the cobra bag may come at a greater speed making things more challenging, but still could not compare to a speed bag’s rebound.
These models are focused on improving your speed and agility.
Height
Height is an important factor for a reflex bag, especially since they’re free-standing.
A bag that is taller or smaller than you would both strain you and weaken your posture. The more adjustability, the more versatile it can be. Of course, you want your equipment to fit your needs and preferences.
Most adjustable bags come in a maximum of 60 inches tall. Yet, there are also models that go all the way up to 72 inches.
Weight
Punching bags for children and teens would do around 70 lbs. But for adults who can strike hard, you need something heavy enough to absorb impact. Around 130 lbs. would do.
When the bag is too light, it will swing widely with the lightest strikes, which's really annoying. And when it's too heavy, it can injure and strain your muscles.
A bag of perfect weight will allow more function and better results.
Durability
When we talk of durability, most of us think of the longevity of the product and how far it is from breaking.
When it comes to reflex bags, it’s important to keep in mind that the way the bag rebounds after every strike, how fast it unscrews or gets loose, and the material of its interior and exterior affects the durability greatly.
So not because a product takes longer than expected before it breaks means it’s durable. Remember, a product can last for years but not function as well for that long.
Conclusion
Our best overall is the Ringside Fitness Reflex bag which fulfills all the needs for both beginners and pro boxers. And we also chose the Protocol Punching Bag as a solid option for those who wish for quality yet, are on a budget.
Ringside’s reflex bag consists of great materials from its interior, exterior, to every single part it has. Its thick chrome spring provides a mimic of an opponent’s movement for enhanced training.
Its stand is adjustable for your own preferences and its base is large enough to provide stability. And the bag itself is made of synthetic leather and dense foam for both durability and longevity.