Bells of Steel Adjustable Kettlebell Review: One Bell, 12 to 32kg

The Bells of Steel adjustable kettlebell is a competition-shape steel shell that loads with iron plates inside, adjusting from 12kg to 32kg in 0.5kg steps. My verdict up front: it's the most sensible way we've found to own a full run of serious kettlebell weights without a rack of 10 bells, and the 41 settings make progression unusually smooth. The trade-offs are clear and fixed. Changing the weight needs two tools and about a minute, and because the shell never changes size, the 12kg setting is a big, wide bell.

It sells for around £299.99 at the time of writing. That sounds like a lot for one kettlebell until you price up the fixed bells it replaces.

This is the heavier, 32kg version. Our adjustable kettlebell guide covers a smaller Bells of Steel shell that runs 12kg to 20.5kg for around £160. Same idea, same handle style, but this one keeps going well past the point where most people stall on the lighter model.

Who it is for

This bell makes sense for three kinds of buyer:

• Intermediate lifters who've outgrown 16kg. If you swing 16kg or 20kg comfortably and want to work towards 24kg and 32kg, you get every half-kilo in between.
• Kettlebell sport and technique fans. Competition sizing means your rack position, hand placement and snatch groove stay identical whatever the weight. That's the whole reason competition bells exist, and our competition kettlebell explainer goes into why.
• Small home gyms. One bell replaces a shelf of them.

It's a poor fit if you need anything under 12kg, or if your training is fast circuits where you'd change weight between rounds. If you're not sure where you sit, our what weight kettlebell should I use guide gives starting weights by exercise.

Check the Bells of Steel 12 to 32kg adjustable kettlebell on Amazonaround £299.99

Build and design

The shell is steel and the plates are iron. There's no dial, no selector pin and no plastic cradle, which is the part that tends to fail first on dial-style adjustable bells. The plates sit inside the shell, a bolt runs up through the base, and a nut holds the stack tight. When it's done up properly the plates shouldn't rattle, and owners consistently report a solid, single-piece feel in use.

The handle is listed at 35mm. Plenty of competition bells use a 33mm handle, so this one is a touch thicker. That's a small difference, but if you've trained on 33mm bells you may notice it on high-rep snatches. For swings and cleans most people won't care.

Bells of Steel doesn't publish the shell's height or base width on the Amazon listing. What matters is that it's sized to hold 32kg, which puts it in line with a standard competition bell, so it'll stand flat on the floor and take up the footprint of one heavy bell.

Performance in training

Here's where the 0.5kg increments earn their keep. With fixed bells, the usual jumps are 4kg: 12, 16, 20, 24, 28, 32. A 4kg jump on a one-arm press is brutal; going from 16kg to 20kg is a 25% increase. With this bell you can go 16, 16.5, 17 and so on, adding a little each week. For swings the jump matters less, but for presses, get-ups and windmills it's the difference between steady progress and getting stuck.

The competition shape also helps technique. Because the bell's size and the handle's position don't change, your rack position and the way the bell lands on your forearm stay the same from 12kg to 32kg. You learn one groove.

Kettlebell work itself is well supported by research. In a 6-week trial, twice-weekly kettlebell swing training improved half-squat strength and vertical jump by a similar amount to jump squat power training. Another randomised trial found that 8 weeks of ballistic kettlebell training cut neck, shoulder and low back pain in workers with high pain rates and strengthened the back extensors, though it didn't improve aerobic fitness. Neither study used this bell, but both show why a heavy, swingable kettlebell is worth having at home. If you're new to the main lift, start with our kettlebell swing guide.

The drawbacks, honestly

Weight changes are slow. You flip the bell, undo the bottom screw with the Allen key, loosen the nut with the hex wrench, add or remove plates, then tighten it all down again. Bells of Steel says under a minute, and that seems fair once you've done it a few times. But a minute is a long time mid-workout. If you like complexes that move from a heavy swing to a lighter press, you'll either do the whole session at one weight or spend more time with a spanner than a kettlebell. Plan sessions around one or two settings and it's fine.

12kg is a big bell. A 12kg cast iron kettlebell is small and compact. A 12kg competition bell is the same size as a 32kg one, just lighter. For goblet squats and swings that's no problem. For lighter overhead work or anyone with small hands, the wide bell can sit awkwardly on the forearm. That's the competition-bell deal, not a fault, but it surprises people.

Nothing under 12kg. If you want a light bell for halos, presses or a partner who's just starting, you'll need a separate fixed bell.

Loose parts. The tools and spare plates live outside the bell. Lose the Allen key and you're stuck at whatever weight it's set to. Keep them in a tub next to the bell.

Value

At around £300 this is more than most people pay for a kettlebell, but it isn't one kettlebell. A 32kg competition bell alone was around £116 on Amazon UK when we checked, so a 16kg, 20kg, 24kg and 32kg set will typically land above £300, and that still only gives you four weights rather than 41. Heavy competition bells cost more than light ones, which is exactly where this design saves money.

It's poor value if you only need a 12kg and a 16kg. Two fixed bells will cost less, change weight instantly and take up barely more space.

See today's price on the Bells of Steel adjustable kettlebellaround £299.99

Alternatives

• The smaller Bells of Steel shell (12kg to 20.5kg). Same concept for roughly half the price. Pick it if you don't expect to go past 20kg. We cover it in our adjustable kettlebell guide.
• Dial-style adjustable bells. Faster changes and lighter starting weights, but a bulkier, often non-standard shape and plastic parts. Also in the adjustable kettlebell guide.
• Fixed bells. Still the simplest choice if you only need two or three weights. Our best kettlebells UK roundup has our picks across cast iron and competition styles.

Recommended reads

• Adjustable kettlebell guide: how the main adjustable designs compare, including the lighter Bells of Steel shell
• Best kettlebells UK: our fixed-bell picks
• Competition kettlebell explained: sizes, colours and who needs one
• Kettlebell swing: technique and programming for the core lift
• What weight kettlebell should I use?: starting weights by exercise