There is no shortage of massage guns on the market. You can find massagers that range in price from $50 to well over $500, but they’re all fairly similar in form and function. For the most part, every massager you’ll find is vaguely shaped like a gun and uses percussive force to massage muscle tissue.

The Rally Orbital Massager ($499) breaks this trend with a unique wand-shaped design and, more importantly, an amazing rotational motion instead of percussion.

In lieu of the usual handle-and-barrel style, the Rally is somewhat shaped like a Maglite flashlight, featuring a handle and a thicker section at the end. And instead of the pounding percussion massage, the Rally Orbital Massager uses a gentler circular (orbital) motion to massage muscles. It turns out that a gentle massage can be just as effective as more aggressive percussion.

In short: The Rally Orbital Massager bucks the trend of aggressive percussion massage with a more gentle circular motion. The result is a quiet, comfortable massager that you don’t have to brace yourself to use on sore muscles. Additionally, it has three speed settings and three different attachments, allowing you to customize your massage experience. 

Looking for more massagers? Check out our Best Massage Gun Buyer’s Guide.

Rally Orbital Massager

Check Price at Rally

7.9

How we rate products ⓘ

Rating Details

• Power
  8.1
• Comfort
  9.0
• Battery Life
  7.0
• Ease of Use
  7.5

Specifications

• Speed range: 1,600, 2,400, 3,200 rpm
• Attachments: 3
• Battery life: 90 min.
• Weight: 2.4 lbs.

Pros

• Comfortable enough for daily use
• A high-speed setting for deeper knots
• Three speed settings
• Quiet

Cons

• One of the heavier options
• Pricey

Billy Brown

Rally Orbital Massager Review

Brand Background

Rally started in June 2025, making it a new company in an already crowded market. Apparently inspired by using a car buffer to ease muscle pain, the company created its only product (as of this review), the Rally Orbital Massager, to utilize oscillation instead of percussion to ease muscle pain. Pairing that oscillation with a quiet motor, three speed settings, and different attachments added up to a comfortable, effective recovery tool. 

How I Tested the Rally Orbital Massager

I used the Rally Orbital Massager over a period of 5 months. I’d use it after especially hard CrossFit and powerlifting workouts. I used it most often on my quads after high-rep or heavy squat days. It also got plenty of use on my calves after workouts that required sprint repeats or long-distance runs. 

The Good 

One of the most common complaints about most massagers is that they hurt like a deep-tissue massage. That’s not necessarily a bad thing, because deep tissue massages are excellent for working out those deep, painful knots. But that pain has always made me less likely to use my massagers on a regular basis. The discomfort usually makes me save massagers for when I really need them. 

The Rally Orbital Massager, on the other hand, feels more like a gentle, relaxing massage than a deep tissue sports massage. The circular motion is a lot more gentle on sore muscles than the repeated punch-punch-punch of percussion.

Instead of bracing myself to use it, I found myself looking forward to using the Rally every day. I feel like that new consistency helped my muscles more than if I had just used it whenever my muscles were super sore. 

That’s not to say that it won’t work on deep tissue issues. At its highest setting (3,200 rpm), the movement creates a vibration that’s similar to percussion. It’s not as painful, but it goes deep, and it definitely eased my deep tissue pain. 

The three attachments also enhance Rally’s versatility. The Flat is perfect for achieving that gentle daily massage, while the Peak attachment adds a bit more oomph when I need higher impact on specific areas. 

One surprising perk was the nice warming sensation that the orbital motion created on my skin. Some high-end massagers offer attachments that have a heating feature, but Rally’s heating just comes from the friction the circular motion creates. At the high setting, the attachment would begin to warm up within the first few seconds. I found that it adds to the pleasant massage vibe that I associate with the Rally. 

It’s also worth noting that the Rally is one of the quietest massagers I’ve tested as well. I don’t like using my other massagers in the gym, because the noise can be irritating to other coaches when they’re trying to instruct. The same goes for using them at home when my wife and I are watching TV — most of them are too noisy to hear our show or movie without turning on the subtitles. 

That’s not the case with the Rally. It’s about as loud as the air purifier we have in our living room. We can hear the TV when we use it, and I don’t feel intrusive when using it at the gym. I’m guessing that the rotation is naturally quieter than percussion, but either way, I’m a big fan. 

The Bad

There are a few quibbles to be had with the Rally. First, while the minimalist torch shape looks cool (and matches one of my tattoos), it’s not the most practical for reaching certain spots. It’s great on the legs, chest, arms, and anterior delts, but the traps are awkward to reach, especially for more than a few seconds at a time. 

The same applies to anything posterior, except for my calves. Getting my back, glutes, and hamstrings is not feasible for someone with my flexibility. To get the most out of this, you’ll need a buddy. 

Also, it’s not the lightest massager on the market. I could feel the added weight in my gym bag. If you plan to travel with it, you’ll definitely notice the extra weight, so make sure it’s in a roller bag or a similar container. 

Finally, it’s not cheap. The $499 price point places it near the top of the price range for massagers. Based on my experience, I’d say that the price is justified, but it’ll put a hurt on anyone with a tight budget. 

Rally Orbital Massager: Final Thoughts

The lack of a traditional handle and high price might turn some people off, but I find that the Rally’s benefits outweigh the drawbacks. In addition to being one of the quieter massagers, the rotational movement is significantly more comfortable than percussion. The rotation also creates a warming sensation that enhances the overall experience.

That gentle, yet effective massage makes it something you look forward to using on a daily basis, and its higher settings and use-specific attachments can handle deeper knots. If you’re someone who needs a good recovery tool but rarely uses massage guns because they’re uncomfortable, the Rally Orbital Massager is a great option. 

Hypervolt Plus Review: The Ultimate Massage Tool

The Hyperice Hypervolt Plus is a percussive massage tool (aka massage gun) that can help with recovery, warmup, and a good night's sleep. Read more…

While foam rollers are great, it’s hard to beat the healing power of a massage. Over the past five or so years, percussive therapy has changed how gym-goers and physical therapists treat soreness and chronic pain and relieve the buildup of lactic acid. Best of all, quality percussion massagers (a.k.a. massage guns) are a portable, powerful, one-time investment.

Percussion massagers are a staple in the fitness world. They are designed to loosen muscle knots, improve blood flow, help alleviate soreness, and reduce inflammation. While scientific evidence of these claims is mixed at best, the anecdotal evidence from athletes of all stripes (skiers, runners, hikers, etc.) makes a good percussion massager worth consideration.

Our testers include personal trainers, competitive athletes, and generally, the kinds of folks whose activity levels result in being sore more often than not. Through hours of research and months of testing, we’ve narrowed down the best percussion massagers on the market. If you’ve yet to try one, this is a great place to start.

Editor’s Note: We refreshed this article on December 8, 2025, by adding the super-comfortable Rally Orbital Massager.

The Best Percussion Massagers of 2025

Best Overall Percussion Massager

Theragun PRO Plus

$550 at AmazonCheck price at backcountry

9.0

How we rate products ⓘ

Specifications

• Power range: 1750-2400 PPMs
• Attachments: 7
• Battery life: 150 minutes
• Weight: 2.9 lbs.

Pros

• Quiet motor
• Customization
• Solo supported
• Bluetooth pairing
• 2-year warranty

Cons

• Expensive
• Red light therapy’s efficacy requires further study

Austin Beck-Doss

Most massage guns on the market look like a power drill and sound about the same. The Therabody team set out to develop a powerful yet quiet option, and they s쳮ded with the G4 Pro and continued the evolution with the even quieter PRO Plus.

The Fifth generation Theragun PRO Plus ($599) employs a quieter motor than the previous model while still delivering high-quality power (it packs up to 60 pounds of force) and isn’t as loud as other massagers with comparable power. While it’s not silent, it’s the quietest high-powered percussion massager we’ve tested, second only to the Power Plate Pulse 3.0 (see below).

The PRO Plus comes with a multitude of options to personalize percussive therapy. It boasts a rotating arm paired with an ergonomic multi-grip and a customizable speed range between 1,750 and 2,400 ppm (percussions per minute). The rotating arm was a godsend during testing, helping us reach areas on our backs that we couldn’t hit with other massage guns.

In lay terms, this means you can confidently and easily massage any part of your own body with deep tissue force without the motor stalling out. Gone are the days of convincing someone to rub out your shoulders. The PRO Plus includes a Bluetooth connection for app-guided massage routines, and it also has a simple display on the back of the device to aid in your massage progression. 

In a first for Theragun, the PRO Plus also offers red light therapy, which lights up and heats the area being massaged with the press of a button. While its effects require more study, initial studies suggest that red light therapy may help improve circulation, reduce inflammation, and stimulate collagen production. While we can’t confirm these benefits, the red light’s warmth did feel good and seemed to help our muscles loosen up during testing.

Six different head attachments deliver complete customization. The Theragun PRO Plus also pairs with the Therabody app, which offers extra support, including a force meter and personalized wellness routines.

The whole package comes with seven head attachments, a carrying case, two rechargeable lithium-ion batteries with charger, and the Theragun itself. While you’ll have to pay for the luxury the PRO Plus offers, it’s easily the best massage gun on the market today.

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Best Budget Percussion Massager

Turonic GM5 Massage Gun

$190 at AmazonCheck Price at Walmart

7.1

How we rate products ⓘ

Specifications

• Power Range: 1200 to 3200 rpm
• Attachments: 7
• Battery life: 8 hours
• Weight: 1.72 lbs.

Pros

• Good value
• High-quality case and massage heads
• Long-lasting battery
• Quiet

Cons

• Not the most powerful for deep tissue needs

Austin Beck-Doss

This percussion massager isn’t the absolute cheapest on the market, but we think it offers the best overall value. For less than half the price of many leading models, the Turonic GM5 Massage Gun ($160) offers excellent battery life, quiet yet powerful operation, and a high-quality set of seven interchangeable massage heads.

We’ve been using this massage gun daily for several weeks. It’s been a major asset in speeding up recovery after rock-climbing and weight-lifting sessions. Turonic claims that the GM5 can offer up to 8 hours of use on the lowest setting.

We tend to use it for about 15 minutes at a time in a mid-range setting, and it dies after about 3 total hours of use. The GM5’s battery is better than most massage guns on the market, which is impressive given its price tag.

With five power modes up to 3,200 rpm, the GM5 offers decent intensity, though it is noticeably weaker than the Theragun. Still, the GM5 has plenty of power for most users and uses.

We appreciate that the Turonic GM5 Massage Gun comes with a high-quality carrying case plus seven varied massage heads. For the price, this is a highly effective option.

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Quietest Percussion Massager

Power Plate Pulse 3.0

Check price at Amazon

8.8

How we rate products ⓘ

Specifications

• Power range: 1,300-2,800 PPM
• Attachments: 4
• Battery life: 2.5 hours
• Weight: 2.9 lbs.

Pros

• Good value
• High-quality case and massage heads
• Long-lasting battery
• Extremely quiet

Cons

• Not the most powerful for deep tissue needs

Austin Beck-Doss

The main complaint that many people have with massage guns is how loud they are. And while many massage guns claim to have quiet motors, the bar for noise pollution is set very low for these products. The Power Plate Pulse 3.0 ($250) is the exception to this rule. 

The third-generation Pulse offers six vibration intensity levels, a 6-hour battery life, and six different massage heads. Most importantly for this category, it’s the quietest massage gun we’ve ever tested. 

To test the noise, we used our patented “Subtitle Test,” where we tried to watch TV while using a massage gun to recover from the day’s workout. So far, the Pulse is the only one that allowed us to watch Yellowstone without having to put on subtitles. At the gun’s highest power level (2,800 PPM, or percussions per minute), Rip Wheeler’s quiet determination was drowned out, but we could hear his gravelly mumbles at levels four (2,100 PPM) and below. 

But it’s not all about decibels here. The Pulse comes with a speed range between 1,300 and 2,800 ppm. The shutoff timer kills the gun after the recommended 10 minutes of run time, and at level one, you get a full six hours of use. We primarily used the gun at levels four, six, and one, and we got several weeks of use with each charge. 

It also has a stall force of 50 pounds, so you can dig into your muscles for a deep-tissue massage. We would advise not testing the limit, as pushing too hard can increase soreness, cause bruising, and will hurt like hell. The six head attachments deliver different stimuli to different muscle groups. We especially loved the large ball attachment for massaging larger muscles like the quads and glutes.

For travel, the Power Plate Pulse 3.0 has a padded carrying case with organizational slots for the gun and its attachments and accessories. It’s a small perk, but when you’re traveling, it’s far better than the random sack that some massage guns come with.

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Most Comfortable Massager

Rally Orbital Massager

Check Price at Rally

7.9

How we rate products ⓘ

Rating Details

• Power
  8.1
• Comfort
  9.0
• Battery Life
  7.0
• Ease of Use
  7.5

Specifications

• Speed range: 1,600, 2,400, 3,200 rpm
• Attachments: 3
• Battery life: 90 min.
• Weight: 2.4 lbs.

Pros

• Comfortable enough for daily use
• A high-speed setting for deeper knots
• Three speed settings
• Quiet

Cons

• One of the heavier options
• Pricey

Austin Beck-Doss

Read Review: Rally Orbital Massager Review: A Gentle Massager for Daily Use

In lieu of the usual handle-and-barrel style, the Rally Orbital Massager ($499) is shaped like a Maglite flashlight, featuring a handle and a thicker section at the end. And instead of the pounding percussion massage, the Rally Orbital Massager uses a gentler circular (orbital) motion to massage muscles. 

Unlike the percussion massagers on this list, Rally’s motion feels more like a gentle, relaxing massage than a deep tissue sports massage. The circular motion is a lot more gentle on sore muscles than the repeated punch-punch-punch of percussion. Instead of bracing yourself to use it, you might end up looking forward to using the Rally every day. I feel like that new consistency helped my muscles more than if I had just used it whenever my muscles were super sore. 

The three attachments also enhance Rally’s versatility. The Flat is perfect for achieving that gentle daily massage, while the Peak attachment adds a bit more “oomph” when you need higher impact on specific areas. 

Some high-end massagers offer attachments that have a heating feature, but Rally’s heating just comes from the friction the circular motion creates. At the high setting, the attachment would begin to warm up within the first few seconds.

There are a few quibbles to be had with the Rally. First, while the minimalist torch shape looks cool, it’s not the most practical for reaching certain spots. It’s great on the legs, chest, arms, and anterior delts, but the traps are awkward to reach, especially for more than a few seconds at a time. 

That gentle, yet effective massage makes it something you look forward to using on a daily basis, and its higher settings and use-specific attachments can handle deeper knots. If you’re someone who needs a good recovery tool but rarely uses massage guns because they’re uncomfortable, the Rally Orbital Massager is a great option.

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Most Portable Percussion Massager

Theragun Mini

Check price at AmazonCheck Price at Backcountry

8.1

How we rate products ⓘ

Specifications

• Power Range: 1,750-2,400 PPM
• Attachments: 2
• Battery life: 2.5 hours
• Weight: 1.43 lbs.

Pros

• Compact size
• Ergonomic grip
• Speed range
• Price
• Quiet

Cons

• No additional head attachments included
• Lower no-stall threshold

Austin Beck-Doss

This extremely compact and portable device is one of the smallest massage guns on the market, coming in at 6 x 5.3 inches and only 1.43 pounds. Regardless of its size, the Theragun Mini ($199) still packs quite the punch.

The Mini has three options for speed — 1,750, 2,100, or 2,400 ppm — placing it in the same power class as Therabody’s other fourth-generation products. While not as beefy as other massage guns, the Mini’s compact size made it easy to pack on trips to CrossFit competitions, especially compared to the huge Theragun PRO Plus.

Where the Mini comes up short is its ability to put up only 20 pounds of no-stall force. This means the massager will stop moving if you press it into your muscles with more than 2 pounds of force. If you want a deep-tissue massage, other options on this list will suit you better. But for most people, this is plenty of force, and considering its minuscule size, it definitely punches above its weight.

It comes with a protective carrying case, and the rechargeable battery lasts 2.5 hours. While none are included, additional head attachments can be purchased separately. All of this brand’s offerings meet the industry standard for percussion massagers, and the Theragun Mini is no exception.

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Best Percussion Massage Roller

Chirp RPM

$199 at AmazonCheck Price at Chirp

7.9

How we rate products ⓘ

Specifications

• Power Range: N/A
• Attachments: N/A
• Battery life: 4 hours
• Weight: 3 lbs., 11 oz.

Pros

• Handheld and stationary use opens up massage possibilities
• 5 different speeds to dial in force
• Extended battery life compared to many other massagers
• Simple on/off button use — just press and go

Cons

• Bit spendier than other percussive massagers
• Tough to really pinpoint areas

Austin Beck-Doss

And now for something completely different: The Chirp RPM ($250) — that’s Rolling Percussive Massager, by the way — takes an absolute left turn on the traditional idea and fuses the foam roller with a rolling impact technique. The result? A truly novel experience that does things other percussion massages dream of.

Employing eight independent rollers and five different speeds, the RPM literally rolls away muscle soreness and fatigue, much in the same way that foam rolling does. Going handheld allows you to target tough-to-reach areas (hello, glutes) and moderate your pressure.

Then there’s the included cradle, where you can station the massager and go hands-free to massage feet, legs, hips, and more. One of our testers used the RPM in this way to go after a nagging hamstring injury that had been dogging him for years — and to great success. Used like a stationary foam roller, the RPM works away for as long as you can bear.

Because the Chirp RPM goes wide with its massage (its rollers are about 7″ long), this massager is better for targeting broad and large muscle groups, rather than pinpointing knots. Paired with a massage ball, there’s little it can’t loosen up. You’ll pay a pretty penny for it — this is the second most expensive roller in our review — but for the versatility, it’s well worth it.

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Best of the Rest

Hyperice Hypervolt 2

Check Price at REI$199 at Amazon

7.6

How we rate products ⓘ

Specifications

• Power Range: Not listed
• Attachments: 4
• Battery life: 3 hours
• Weight: 1.8 lbs.

Pros

• Sleek, stylish design
• Excellent price point
• 5 different attachment photos
• Quiet operation
• Bluetooth connectivity

Cons

• Not as powerful as other options

Austin Beck-Doss

We jumped on an opportunity to test out this updated, already popular Hyperice Hypervolt 2 ($199). Lighter, quieter, and more ergonomic than the last model, the Hypervolt 2 offers excellent features in an affordable package.

The Hypervolt 2 has five unique attachments for various situations. The tool also offers soft, medium, and hard speeds and pressures via its 60W brushless motor. While this massage gun is not as powerful as some others on the list (looking at you, Theragun PRO Plus), it’s significantly quieter.

During the testing period, the Hypervolt 2 rarely, if ever, stalled out — even under the most intense pressure. Battery life is 3 hours, and users can accurately gauge the charge level via a vibrant light ring at the bottom of the handle which glows and transitions from green to yellow to red, letting you know it’s time to plug it in. Our tester clocked recharge time at right around 1 hour.

At 1.8 pounds, the new Hypervolt is lighter than the previous model, and its small footprint and weight make it easy to travel with. But for those seeking ultimate portability, the smaller and lighter Hypervolt Go 2 might be a better option.

Folks who aren’t sure about how to best use their Hypervolt can follow along with guided routines in the Hyperice App which includes activation, flush, and recovery routines. These routines last anywhere from 3-25 minutes, and guide you through different muscle groups and even tell you which attachment is best for the muscles you’re working on. Our tester particularly liked the forearm and hand modules after a day of rock climbing, as well as the quad and hamstring release modules. 

Hyperice has done an excellent job with the Hypervolt 2, making it lighter and sleeker while keeping functionality at the top of its class. For those of you looking for a high-quality, well-made massage gun with top-of-class performance — look no further than the Hyperice Hypervolt 2. 

As a bonus, it works with Hyperice’s new Heated Head attachment ($59, sold separately), which offers 3 heat levels topping out at 113 degrees. During testing, the Heated Head attachment heated up in less than a minute, adding another layer of comfort to our massages. The heated head was a nice touch during testing — it heated up quickly and provided a hot rock spa vibe to our massages.

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Hyperice Hypervolt Go 2

Check Price at REI$119 at Amazon

7.4

How we rate products ⓘ

Specifications

• Power Range: 2,300-3,200
• Attachments: 2
• Battery life: 3 hours
• Weight: 1.5 lbs.

Pros

• Sleek design
• Lightweight
• Highly portable
• TSA-approved

Cons

• Less powerful than other models
• No Bluetooth connectivity
• No carrying case

Austin Beck-Doss

The Hyperice Hypervolt Go 2 ($129) offers many of the same options and features as the Hypervolt 2 in a smaller and more portable package. The Hypervolt Go 2 weighs in at 1.5 pounds and comes with two basic attachments to meet your travel massage needs. Like the Hypervolt 2, the Go 2 offers three speeds via a 40W brushless motor.

Our tester found the Go 2 to be a little bit undergunned for more intense recovery sessions, but still plenty powerful for warming up and loosening tight muscles in the neck and shoulders before heading to the gym. The Hypervolt Go 2 has a 3-hour battery life and charges in about an hour. It features a transitioning light at the base of the handle to let users know how much charge is left and when to plug it in. 

The ergonomics of the Hypervolt Go 2 are top-notch. It’s comfortable in the hand and never felt clunky or unwieldy. At 1.5 pounds, it’s light enough to throw in the bag to take with you to the gym, the crag, or on trips. All of Hyperice’s massage guns are TSA-approved, which means there is one less thing to worry about while traveling. The lack of a carrying case makes it difficult to keep everything together in your luggage — the attachments are small and easy to lose. 

Unlike the full-sized Hypervolt 2, the Go 2 does not offer Bluetooth connectivity with the Hyperice App, though users are still able to follow along with different routines. At $129 the Hyperice Hypervolt Go 2 is a competitively priced travel massager with an excellent fit and finish. Though it’s less powerful than other models on the list, the Go 2 will certainly meet most folks’ needs. 

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ROLL Recovery R1

Check Price at Fleet Feet

7.1

How we rate products ⓘ

Specifications

• Power Range: 1,800-3,200
• Attachments: 4
• Battery: 7 hours
• Weight: 1.2 lbs.

Pros

• Quiet and effective at deep-tissue massage
• Compact
• Reliably long battery life
• Hefty, solid, ergonomic feel and refined aesthetic

Cons

• Minimal instructions
• A little heavy to bring to the crag

Austin Beck-Doss

Looking for a sleek, lightweight, packable recovery tool? The Roll Recovery R1 massage gun fits the bill. A runner-up for our “most portable” pick, and by far our favorite for those who frequently travel, the R1 uses the force of percussive therapy to improve performance and accelerate recovery. But the R1 is tiny.

Nonetheless, the R1 comes with four different attachment heads, has four different speeds, and has up to 7 hours of battery life — all at an accessible price of $129. 

Despite its small size, the R1’s traditional gun shape kept it from receiving our “most portable” award. For packability purposes, we found that the triangular Theragun Mini fit much better into into smaller spaces.

Also one of the most competitive price points for massage guns on this list, the Roll Recovery R1 massage gun is definitely worth looking into. 

Read review: Roll Recover R1 massage gun.

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TriggerPoint Performance Impact

Check price at tptherapy

7.7

How we rate products ⓘ

Specifications

• Power Range: 2,100-3,300
• Attachments: 1
• Battery: 2 hours
• Weight: 2.4 lbs.

Pros

• High ppm
• Quiet motor
• Price

Cons

• Only one head attachment
• Irritating seam on the handle
• No carrying case

Austin Beck-Doss

TriggerPoint’s first attempt at a massage gun is the Triggerpoint Performance Impact ($200). This compact gun falls into the mid-tier price range, and we think it’s a fair price for what it offers.

This gun’s positives include its capability to hit 3,300 ppm, along with three other lower-speed options, giving you the opportunity to warm your muscles up to more vigorous, deep-tissue massages.

Unlike other massage guns on the market, the Triggerpoint Performance Impact comes with only one head attachment that is not interchangeable. If this is an essential area for you, it may be worth looking into something like the Theragun PRO Plus or Power Plate Pulse 3.0.

Note: The seams on the handle can cause mild irritation when working for long periods of time.

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Percussion Massager Comparison Chart

How We Tested Percussion Massagers 

The GearJunkie team is full of mountain bikers, climbers, trail runners, and recreators of all types. We live our best moments in the outdoors, but we aren’t as young and spry as we used to be.

For us, the value of recovery tools is increasing with each passing season. As massage gun technology has improved over recent years, they have become a staple of our active lives.

Our Expert Testers

GearJunkie Affiliate Managing Editor Billy Brown is a competitive fitness athlete and has spent countless hours recovering from long days in the gym and long adventures in the mountains. 

He’s spent decades looking for the best ways to prepare for his next event, and massage guns have always been on the vanguard of his recovery methods. In 2024, Billy tested various massage guns at CrossFit competitions like the Never Forgotten Games in Redding, CA and the Northern California Classic in Sacramento, CA. Over time, Billy settled on a few go-to’s that made the top of this list. 

Other testers include GearJunkie contributors Austin Beck-Doss, Paul Mandell, and Mallory Paige. 

Our Testing Process

For us, the value of recovery tools is increasing with each passing season. As massage gun technology has improved over recent years, they have become a staple of our active lives.

To identify the best massage guns on the market, we’ve tested dozens of models and carefully observed their long-term effectiveness. When testing, we pay careful attention to design, power, customizability, battery life, and more.

Buyer’s Guide: How to Choose a Percussion Massager

The best percussion massager for you depends on a variety of factors. Most importantly, start by thinking about how you plan to use it.

Is it for daily sports recovery? Or do you just need a shoulder massage every now and then? Once you understand how you’ll use it, you can easily prioritize the considerations outlined below.

Speed and Power

A percussion massage gun’s speed is normally measured in percussions, or strokes, per minute (ppm). Typically, these will range anywhere from 1,200 to 3,400 ppm.

In general, the speed will increase the intensity of the massage. Having a wide range available can also be a great benefit for different aims.

When using a percussion massage gun, it seems obvious that the harder you press, the deeper the massage will get.

Some massage guns will give up to 60 pounds of pressure without stalling, while others can only handle up to 20 pounds. If you’re looking for a more surface-level massage, lower power can suffice.

If you apply too much pressure with a low-power massage gun, the percussion will stall, which can be harmful to the motor over time.

Attachments

Different head attachments are designed for different muscle groups. Each massaging head delivers specific outcomes with each unique shape.

These attachments are just another factor that allows for customization and, if used correctly, can provide more relief to sore muscles. There are five baseline head attachments to choose from — though some products come with more options.

Cushioned

A cushioned head is recommended for those just starting to get the feel for their percussion massager. It doesn’t allow for very deep penetration and utilizes a lot more vibration therapy tactics for more sensitive areas such as the neck. This is a great option to warm up muscles before starting to get into deep tissue.

Round

For bigger muscle groups, grab the round head attachment. It has more give than other attachments but can still provide deeper penetration. The glutes or hamstrings are ideal candidates for this attachment.

This head is specifically designed to reach into smaller muscle groups and provide some precision pressure. It has a two-prong shape that applies pressure to both sides of the spine, targeting the muscles that wrap around your spinal cord.

It’s also great to use on forearms around the bone for providing deep relief after an intense forearm workout (specifically, climbing).

Flat

A flathead attachment mainly focuses on the vibration therapy aspect of massage guns. The contact area of the flathead allows you to cover a higher surface area, making this another great attachment for large muscle groups.

It still has the capacity to reach deep into those muscle groups, providing the power needed for serious relief and an increase in range of motion.

Bullet

Compared to a flathead attachment, a bullet is on the opposite end of the head attachment spectrum. It brings all the percussion and vibration into one specific point. The ability to target with immense precision gives it the most intense power.

There are several additional head attachments that a lot of percussion massagers will offer, while others come with only one head and don’t even allow you to switch it up. On our list, the Hyperice Hypervolt 2 and the Theragun PRO Plus both bring all of the basics in head attachments with no fluff.

Portability

Your percussion massager should be able to join you in all your travel plans. Many of the percussion guns on our list come with a handy carrying case that can make them incredibly easy to travel with. Most of the options here come in under 3 pounds, which won’t add too much to the gym bag or carry-on.

For the best portability, the Theragun Mini delivers all of the power most of the other products have but at a fraction of the weight. It’s easy to pack and bring wherever you may go.

Battery Life

Long workouts often lead to long massage sessions, so make sure you have the battery to handle it. The Theragun PRO Plus undoubtedly has the best battery options, with each of the two included batteries lasting up to 2.5 hours. When one runs out, popping the second in will save your session from an abrupt end.

Price & Value

Massage gun prices can range from under $100 to $500 and more. If you’re looking for the most powerful, full-featured massagers, expect to pay closer to that higher range. Fortunately, there are effective massage guns in every price range. Here’s what to expect in the budget, mid-tier, and premium price ranges. 

Budget

All of our picks under $100 sacrifice features like top-end power, long battery life, and some ergonomic comfort. But options like the VYBE Pro Muscle Massage Gun ($90) offer nine speed settings and enough power to work out tough knots. 

Mid-Tier

If you’re willing to spend $100 to $200, you can expect more power, lighter guns, multiple massage heads, and lower noise levels. Options like the Triggerpoint Performance Impact ($200) offer speeds of up to 3,300 PPM and a weighted head, so you don’t have to press down to dig into muscle fibers. 

Premium

Spending over $200 gets you into the top range of features, power, ergonomics, and battery life, as well as quieter operation. For $250, you can snag the Power Plate Pulse 3.0, which offers more power than most people need but is one of the quietest guns on our list. 

At the top end of the price range sits the Theragun PRO Plus ($599), which, in addition to a powerful, quiet motor and long battery life, comes with features like a red light therapy setting, plenty of power and speed settings, and an app that allows you to customize your recovery.

FAQ

One of the biggest barriers that people face when considering buying a cold plunge is the price. If you’re looking for a full-featured cold plunge tub with a chiller, you can expect to pay anywhere from $3,000 to over $10,000. Some of the plunges we’ve reviewed charge $2,500 or more just for the chiller. 

Which is why the most common question I’m asked as GearJunkie’s resident “cold plunge guy” is if there’s an affordable cold plunge that’s any good. My answer is always the Polar Dive PRO Cold Plunge ($899). While I was skeptical at first, after a few months of testing, the PRO Cold Plunge won me over. 

In short: The Polar Dive PRO Cold Plunge has a 106-gallon capacity, an insulated barrel-style tub, and, with the chiller included, costs a third of what some companies charge just for their chillers. It’s the perfect choice for plunges on a budget.

Polar Dive PRO Cold Plunge

Check Price at Polar Dive

7.9

How we rate products ⓘ

Rating Details

• Chiller
  7.0
• Filtration
  6.5
• Maintenance
  7.0
• Value
  9.0

Specifications

• Dimensions: 32” Diameter x 36” Height
• Weight: 9 lbs. empty
• Volume: 106 gals.
• Chiller power: 0.3 hp
• Chiller low temperature: 39 degrees Fahrenheit

Pros

• Excellent price
• Highly portable
• Simple setup
• Quiet chiller

Cons

• Requires more maintenance than other plunges
• Barrel style can feel cramped

Billy Brown

What I Tested

I tested the Polar Dive PRO Cold Plunge by plunging daily for about 4 months. The PRO spent the first 2 months in the backyard to assess how well it handled the heat and was then moved into the garage in the fall.

Most of the plunges I test are made from some form of fiberglass, plastic, or stainless steel, so the first thing I noticed was how lightweight the PRO Cold Plunge ($489, without the chiller) was. Basically made of sailcloth, the inflatable tub weighs under 10 pounds empty. The PRO is inflatable, which provides some insulation, as does the included lid, made from the same material and secured to the tub with three clips. 

I tested it along with the Polar Dive Chiller ($479), a 0.3-horsepower chiller that can lower the water temperature to 39 degrees. 

Setting up both the tub and the chiller couldn’t be easier. Inflating the tub and lid took approximately 5 minutes, and connecting the chiller involved attaching two hoses. Fill it with water, and you’re ready to start chilling. 

Bonus: The tub only weighs 9 pounds, so if you don’t like where you set it up, you can just pick it up and move it (before you fill it with water, obviously). 

Polar Dive PRO Cold Plunge Review

Tub Ergonomics

The tub is 36 inches tall and has a 32-inch diameter. I’m 5’8” and 220 pounds, and I had plenty of room to sit. It’s a barrel-style tub, and while I’m more partial to lying in a prone position, I did appreciate the extra floor space it saved. I did find that the barrel shape made it easier to submerge myself up to my neck.

In a bathtub-style plunge, I tend to chicken out and keep my chest, arms, and shoulders out of the water. Since all I had to do was squat lower in the PRO, it was easier to convince myself to get the full-depth experience. 

One thing that people may not love is that, unless you’re a lot taller than 5’8”, you’re not going to be able to fully sit in the PRO Cold Plunge. When my butt hit the floor of the tub, I was completely submerged, so I had to either hold myself up with my arms on the tub or press my feet against one wall with my back pressed against the other, holding me up. Neither was taxing at all, since the water added buoyancy, but it’s something to note. 

That said, it shows how sturdy the walls are. I was able to hang on the sides with my arms without causing them to bend. The same goes for pushing my feet and back against opposite walls.

I even sat on the tub, as shown in the top photo. I can now verify that a 220-pound man can hop up and sit on the tub without any issue. The tub hardly moved. That’s pretty damn impressive.

Water Chilling

As far as the chiller goes, it’s fairly simple. One tube connects the tub to the chiller, and another tube connects the chiller to the tub. There is a series of buttons on the front of the tub to turn the chiller on and off and set the temperature down to 39 degrees. 

It’s simple, and it’s not as powerful as some of the 1-horsepower chillers that I’ve tested, but it gets the job done, even when the black tub is sitting in the sun on a 105-degree summer day. I had the PRO Cold Plunge in my backyard with zero shade, and the temperature never wavered more than 3-4 degrees above the 44 degrees I programmed. 

This could also be attributed to the relatively mild insulation provided by the inflatable tub. As Polar Dive’s least expensive plunge, the Polar Dive ($579 with chiller) appears to have no insulation, which may make it harder to keep the water cool. This, along with its smaller size, is why I chose the PRO as the better bargain. You’re just getting more for your money. 

The chiller is also one of the quietest chillers I’ve tested. You can hear a mild buzzing while it’s on, but if you keep it in the garage or the backyard, you won’t hear it when you’re in the house. I’ve had chillers that were so loud I thought my neighbors would complain, so this is a welcome feature, especially in this low price range.  

The only complaint I have is the chilling time. More powerful chillers can cool the water to plunging temperatures in a few hours, but after refilling the tub, I’d have to let it cool overnight to get to 40-50 degrees.  

Water Filtration

The Polar Dive chiller has a single 20-micron filter. The higher-end chillers I’ve tested have at least two- or three-stage filtration, which often includes ozone filtration to help keep the tub clean. 

As a result, I found it useful to drain the tub every week to keep the water clean and to keep the tub from getting grimy. The plunges with heftier filtration systems allowed me to change the water every few weeks or even monthly, so that’s something to consider if you want the lowest-maintenance tub possible.

The Polar Dive chiller still does a decent job of keeping water clean. And if changing the water a bit more often is worth saving a couple of grand for you, this is the one to get. 

Durability

One of the most common tradeoffs for a less expensive product is durability. After 4 months of testing (two of those outside in a wide range of conditions), it doesn’t seem like an issue with the Polar Dive PRO. 

Inflatable tubs tend to bow out under the weight of water over time. That’s not the case with this tub. The walls have not warped or changed shape in the slightest. The sailcloth has spent weeks under the blazing sun without drying out or cracking, and the chiller has experienced the same conditions with no degradation whatsoever. 

I was worried that the chiller might be damaged after a few late summer storms, but it’s still as quiet as ever. And if something does pop up, Polar Dive offers a 6-month warranty

It’s also worth mentioning that if something catastrophic ever did happen with the tub or the chiller, replacing either wouldn’t break the bank. It would be more palatable to shell out another $500 to replace either the tub or the chiller than to spend $3,000 replacing one of the more expensive models.

Final Thoughts

I think that a cold plunge isn’t worth it without a chiller to cool the water. If you need to buy a few bags of ice every time you plunge, you might as well use your bathtub. I did that for a time, and it’s just not worth the hassle. If you’re serious about cold plunging, a chiller is key. 

And the Polar Dive Pro (with the chiller) is one of the only tub/chiller combos you’ll find for less than $1,000. And in my testing experience, it’s also the best you’ll find for less than $1,000. The chiller is quiet, powerful, and durable, and the tub is roomy, easy to set up, and surprisingly sturdy when fully inflated. 

The single-filtration system means you’ll have to clean it more often, and the chiller takes some time to cool the water, but for what you’re paying, they’re small concessions. If you’ve been wanting a cold plunge, but the high price of entry has been putting you off, the Polar Dive PRO cold plunge might be the answer.

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Shoe company R.A.D (Rally Against Destruction) is breaking into the fitness apparel market with shirts, tights, and shorts. Standing out in an already crowded market isn’t easy, but R.A.D has already done so with its excellent ONE V1 and ONE V2 training shoes (check out my review of the R.A.D ONE V2 training shoe), and it looks like the company’s Superweave Training Short ($68) is poised to do the same. 

Gym shorts aren’t complicated. If they’re comfortable, stretchy enough to move with you, and fairly durable, they’ll work in a gym. So, when it comes to a piece of apparel as simple as gym shorts, it’s the details that make a particular pair of shorts stand out. And R.A.D nailed a lot of those details with these shorts. 

In short: R.A.D’s Superweave Training Shorts are a strong first entry into the fitness apparel market. The shorts are extremely durable, provide plenty of stretch, and are comfortable enough to forget that you’re wearing them. Plus, details like reflective detailing and zippered pockets are thoughtful touches. 

For more gym shorts, check out our Best Gym Shorts Buyer’s Guide.

R.A.D Superweave Training Short

Check Price at R.A.D

9.1

How we rate products ⓘ

Rating Details

• Versatility
  9.0
• Stretch
  8.8
• Durability
  8.5
• Value
  8.0

Specifications

• Material: Polyester/Elastane
• Inseam: 7"
• Liner: None

Pros

• Durable material
• Excellent stretch
• Zippered pockets
• Reflective detailing

Cons

• No liner
• 7” inseam is the only option
• Color options are bland

Billy Brown

R.A.D Superweave Training Short Review

Brand Background

R.A.D broke into the crowded CrossFit shoe field with splashy styles and limited-release drops. The R.A.D ONE V1 and V2 shoes are showcases of design and function, which has made them common sights in CrossFit boxes around the world. The company’s new entry into the apparel market, the Superweave Training Short, may not have the loud designs of R.A.D’s footwear, but its functionality lives up to the brand’s standard.

How I Tested the R.A.D Superweave Training Short

I wore the R.A.D Supwerweave Training Short through 3 months of CrossFit and powerlifting training, five to six days a week. These workouts included squats with weights of up to 500 pounds, deadlifts exceeding 600 pounds, burpees, jumping lunges, kettlebell work, and every other movement that can appear in a CrossFit workout. Workouts also included running, ranging from shuttle runs to 400m sprints and runs of up to a mile in length.

Good Lift

The challenging aspect of making gym shorts is that there isn’t much to them. The trick to making a pair of shorts stand out is to nail the basics and add a few nice touches. Which is exactly what R.A.D did with the Superweave Training shorts. After a few months of training in these, I can confidently say that they’ve made it into my weekly rotation.  

The first thing I noticed when I put the shorts on was the texture. The material is slightly rougher than the Vuori Banks, one of our favorite shorts. The Superweave material isn’t rough enough to be uncomfortable, but it made the shorts seem more durable right out the gate. And after 3 months of dragging a barbell up those shorts, climbing ropes, dropping to the floor for burpees, and hundreds of abmat situps, that material still looks brand new.  

None of that would matter, however, if these shorts weren’t comfortable to move around in. Luckily, these shorts are not only durable, but they also feel great. The polyester/elastane blend feels smooth against the skin despite being slightly rougher than other shorts.

The four-way stretch also adds to the comfort of these shorts. Most of the gym shorts I’ve tested excel in vertical stretch (from the waistband to the hem). This is a basic necessity, since squats, lunges, and running all require mobility in that area. Many shorts, however, lack horizontal (side-to-side) stretch, which can restrict movement in sumo movements, side lunges, and other lateral movements.  

For instance, the Vuori Banks shorts have excellent vertical stretch, but minimal horizontal stretch. It’s not a big hindrance, but I tend to squat with a wider stance, and there have been times when I was certain that I was going to split my pants. That’s never the case with the Superweave Training Short.

The same goes for side lunges, cossack squats, and sumo deadlifts. They truly move with me, and I love not having to worry about busting them open during a one-rep max attempt. 

Finally, there are some nice details that make these shorts an excellent all-around fitness short. They’re tough and stretchy enough to accommodate functional fitness, but they’re also designed to work for runners as well. 

Zippered pockets are a rare feature in gym shorts, but they’re a necessity in running shorts. The Superweave Training Short has two zippered hip pockets to stash your necessities on a run, and it even has a smaller pocket for keys in the right hip pocket, so my Outback fob didn’t fall out when I forgot to zip up my shorts during a run. Plus, the quarter-sized logos on the front left leg and back right leg of the shorts are reflective for better visibility at night. 

No Reps

While I don’t have any complaints with these shorts, there are a few things that some people should note. The first is that these shorts don’t have a lining, and there are no lined versions available. I prefer unlined shorts, so these are great for me, but I know that there are plenty of athletes who prefer lined shorts. If you’re one of them, these may not be the shorts for you. 

Also, there’s only one length option — 7 inches. I’m 5’8”, and the shorts fall slightly above my knee, which is perfect for me. However, if you prefer a shorter or longer inseam, you’re out of luck. 

Finally, there are currently only three color options. There may be more options to come, but so far, the only available colors are black, mauve, and taupe. The mauve and taupe options are a nice change of pace from the standard gray, blue, or brown, but considering the wild array of styles available for R.A.D’s footwear, I would have expected a wider range of options. 

R.A.D Superweave Training Short: Final Thoughts

Based on how much I enjoy R.A.D’s shoes, I had high hopes for the company’s Superweave Training Short. I’m pleased to report that they met my expectations in terms of fit, comfort, and durability. 

As of right now, the options are limited to three color options, one hem length, and one unlined option, but if that’s your cup of tea (and it’s definitely my cup of tea), these shorts deliver. If you’re looking for a comfortable, flexible, and tough gym short with solid running features, the R.A.D Superweave Training Short is a great option.

R.A.D One V2 Review: R.A.D.'s New CrossFit Shoe Is Built for Lifters

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It’s a lot easier to enjoy a summit sunrise if you’re not gasping for air and massaging cramps out of your quads. That said, working out in the gym is a good way to prepare for working out outside. And a great pair of gym shorts is key to getting the most fitness and fun out of your workouts in the gym.

We’ve put in countless hours testing shorts through some of the most grueling workouts to find the best gym shorts for men. We put these shorts (and our testers) through a wide range of activities, including weightlifting, powerlifting, running, gymnastics, and kettlebell workouts.

Heck, we even jumped rope to see how these shorts held up. We examined a range of factors, including fit and feel, elasticity, durability, and moisture management. Style was also a factor because, hey, if you like how you look, you’ll perform better.

We put each pair to the test, and after months of chalk, sweat, and blood (and maybe a tear or two), we’re ready to weigh in. When the dust settles, we can say with certainty that these are the best workout shorts on the market. The following list represents gym shorts in a range of categories.

Editor’s Note: For our November 21, 2025, update, we added our new Best Overall Short, the R.A.D Superweave Training Short.

The Best Gym Shorts of 2025

• Best Overall Gym Shorts: R.A.D Superweave Training Short
• Best Budget Gym Shorts: Champion Mesh 9’’ Short
• Best Running Shorts: REI Co-op Active Pursuits Shorts
• Best Lined Gym Shorts: NOBULL Blended Merino Wool Short
• Best Everyday Gym Shorts: Vuori Banks Shorts

Best Overall Gym Shorts

R.A.D Superweave Training Short

Check Price at R.A.D

9.1

How we rate products ⓘ

Rating Details

• Versatility
  9.0
• Stretch
  8.8
• Durability
  8.5
• Value
  8.0

Specifications

• Material: Polyester/Elastane
• Inseam: 7"
• Liner: None

Pros

• Durable material
• Excellent stretch
• Zippered pockets
• Reflective detailing

Cons

• No liner
• 7” inseam is the only option
• Color options are bland

Billy Brown

Read Review: R.A.D Superweave Training Short Review: Sturdy Shorts for Tough Workouts

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R.A.D’s Superweave Training Short ($68) is a strong first entry into the fitness apparel market. The shorts are extremely durable, provide plenty of stretch, and are comfortable enough to forget that you’re wearing them. Plus, details like reflective detailing and zippered pockets are thoughtful touches.

The first thing we noticed when we put the shorts on was the texture. The material is slightly rougher than the Vuori Banks Short, but not so rough that it was uncomfortable. It made the shorts seem more durable right out the gate. And after three months of dragging a barbell up those shorts, climbing ropes, dropping to the floor for burpees, and performing hundreds of ab mat sit-ups, that material still looks brand new.  

None of that would matter, however, if these shorts weren’t comfortable to move around in. Luckily, these shorts are not only durable, but they feel great. The polyester/elastane blend feels smooth against the skin despite being slightly rougher than other shorts.

The 4-way stretch also adds to the comfort of these shorts. Most of the gym shorts we’ve tested excel in vertical stretch (from the waistband to the hem). This is a basic necessity, since squats, lunges, and running all require mobility in that area. Many shorts, however, lack horizontal (side-to-side) stretch, which can restrict movement in sumo movements, side lunges, and other lateral movements. That’s not the case, as these shorts stretched enough to accommodate sumo deadlifts, wide-legged squats, and cossack squats.

There are other shorts that have more style or might be suited toward a specific sport, but when it comes to hitting the gym hard, the Superweave Training Short is the best we’ve tried.

Best Budget Gym Shorts

Champion Mesh 9’’ Short

$20 at Amazon

7

How we rate products ⓘ

Rating Details

• Versatiliy
  6.8
• Stretch
  7.0
• Durability
  6.9
• Value
  8.0

Specifications

• Material: Polyester
• Inseam: 9″
• Liner: No

Pros

• Classic
• Functional
• Affordable

Cons

• Less technical than other shorts

Billy Brown

So you wanna be a baller? A shot caller? And you want to do it on a budget? Then check out the Champion Mesh Shorts ($15). These are the OG athletic shorts — old-school cool, if you will. They offer a classic style, and at $15, they also offer tremendous value.

Chances are if you played any kind of team sport growing up, you’ve probably owned a pair of Champions’ mesh shorts. While these aren’t the lightest or most technical shorts on the list, Champion hits the mark with ample airflow, a full athletic fit, and two front pockets.

At 9 inches, the inseam is definitely on the longer side, but these shorts still fall just above the knee and allow for totally unencumbered movement in any plane. The waistband is comfortable and functional with a simple drawcord to keep them where you want them. Everything you need, nothing you don’t.

If you’re not looking to break the bank on a pair of gym shorts, and you just need something practical and functional to hit the court and then the weight room, look no further than the Champion mesh shorts.

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Best Running Shorts

REI Co-op Active Pursuits Shorts

Check Price at REI

7.8

How we rate products ⓘ

Rating Details

• Versatility
  7.4
• Stretch
  7.2
• Durability
  6.8
• Value
  7.0

Specifications

• Material: Polyester, spandex
• Inseam: 7″
• Liner: Yes
• Bonus: UPF 50

Pros

• Comfortable
• No fuss
• Affordable

Cons

• Limited colors
• Not the most stylish

Billy Brown

Simply put, the REI Co-op Active Pursuits Shorts ($45) are everything you need in a running short at a reasonable price ($45). Made of polyester and spandex, these shorts offer both unencumbered movement and excellent sweat-wicking. The waistband is comfortable and has a drawstring to keep things in place while you’re putting in the miles.

The recycled polyester liner is comfortable and wicks sweat well, and combined with flat seams to prevent chafing, you’ll be comfortable mile after mile. The active pursuit is an especially good trail short, featuring UPF 50 sun protection and a zippered front key/cash pocket.

While they aren’t as stylish as the Gym Swim or as comfortable as the Ponto, these are the shorts we’d choose to run and hike in 10 times out of 10. They’re more than happy to pull double duty in the weight room, too, where the 4-way stretch and flat seams really shine by offering comfortable, full-range movement for all of your lifts.

If you’re looking for a great trail running short that you can wear to the gym too, look no further than the Active Pursuits Short.

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Best Lined Gym Shorts

Roark Bommer Short

Check Price at rei

7.9

How we rate products ⓘ

Rating Details

• Versatility
  8.0
• Stretch
  7.8
• Durability
  7.9
• Value
  8.0

Specifications

• Material: 90% polyester/ 10% spandex
• Inseam: 3.5"
• Liner: Yes, compression

Pros

• Comfortable
• Stylish
• Excellent phone pocket
• Well made

Cons

• Runs small
• Short inseam

Billy Brown

Super comfortable and quite stylish, the Roark Bommer Short ($89) nails it. The camo colorway scores big points in our book and offers a couple of well-thought-out features that really round out the package. 

The magnetic phone/key pocket on the compression liner is an excellent touch and keeps essentials secure (no one likes things bouncing in their pockets when they’re running). One liner-averse tester found these to be the only liners he didn’t want to immediately cut out.

The 4-way stretch offers excellent mobility and unrestricted movement out on the trail. Additionally, the Bommer shorts are very well ventilated, which has been crucial as the temps have started climbing. The 3” inseam makes us think these will likely be reserved for summer trail runs, and don’t think we’ll be lifting in these shorts anytime soon. Somehow, Roark made the Bommer feel super lightweight without feeling like they’re going to wear out.

One caveat here, though: If you’re a fellow MOG (man of girth), or your friends jokingly refer to you as “Quadzilla,” you might want to consider sizing up. The large size fits well at the waist but the compression short liner is *tight* after this year’s ski season. But, to their credit, the liner didn’t ride up or pinch even a little, which is saying something. Well done, Roark. 

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Best Everyday Gym Shorts

Vuori Banks Short

Check Price at REI

8.9

How we rate products ⓘ

Rating Details

• Versatility
  8.9
• Stretch
  8.4
• Durability
  8.4
• Value
  7.9

Specifications

• Material: Polyester, spandex
• Inseam: 5.5″ or 7″
• Liner: No

Pros

• Stylish
• Durable
• Comfortable
• Excellent moisture control

Cons

• No interior liner

Billy Brown

Some of our favorite workout shorts are the ones that don’t look like workout shorts at all. The Banks Shorts ($68) from Encinitas-based apparel company Vuori perform like top-tier workout apparel but look like a comfy pair you’d wear to grab coffee with a friend.

This is due in part to the recycled polyester exterior, which gives the shorts a fabric-like look and texture instead of the smooth shininess often found in many workout shorts. The scalloped leg openings and contrasting waistband add to the eye-pleasing aesthetic.

In the gym, the Banks just gets better. The elastane provides ample stretch, allowing wearers a completely unrestricted range of motion. During power cleans, the shorts held up to repeated impact and bar friction with no pilling or abrasion.

We soaked them through with sweat during row intervals, but they recovered faster than we did. After 10 minutes, our tester was still sitting on a bench with his head in his hands, but the shorts were bone dry.

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Best of the Rest

Chubbies Swim Gym Short

Check Price at REI

7.9

How we rate products ⓘ

Rating Details

• Versatility
  8.2
• Stretch
  7.9
• Durability
  7.6
• Value
  8.4

Specifications

• Material: Polyester, spandex
• Inseam: 5.5″ or 7″
• Liner: No

Pros

• Stylish
• Practical

Cons

• Unlined

Billy Brown

The Chubbies Swim Gym Short ($59) is on this list for a few simple reasons: they look good, they fit well, and they perform great in the gym. If you’re the kind of person who finds yourself stopping by the river after you’ve been at the gym or running errands around town before you hit the weight room, look no further than the Swim Gym.

These shorts feature two front pockets with ample room and a rear zippered pocket to keep your keys and small items stowed safely. Featuring four-way stretch fabric and a comfortable elastic waistband, these unlined shorts will have you feeling as good as you look.

We think unlined shorts are just the ticket on super hot days, but if you prefer a little more support in your day-to-day, be sure to check out Chubbies’ underwear offerings.

Additionally, you’ll have your choice of 5.5-inch or 7-inch inseams depending on your own personal proclivities, though we’d like to take this opportunity to remind you of one of our favorite sayings: “Sky’s out, thighs out.”

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Vuori Ponto Short

Check Price at REI

7.7

How we rate products ⓘ

Rating Details

• Versatility
  8.5
• Stretch
  8.7
• Durability
  7.0
• Value
  7.0

Specifications

• Material: Polyester, elastane
• Inseam: 7″
• Liner: No
• Bonus: Partially recycled fabric

Pros

• Super comfortable

Cons

• Expensive

Billy Brown

The Vuori Ponto Shorts ($78) are very comfortable, and with their four-way stretch and moisture-wicking recycled material, they’re equally at home lounging at the coffee shop or smashing a WOD at your local CrossFit Box.

The Ponto is a four-pocket short, featuring two front hand pockets, a zippered rear pocket, and a fourth zippered key pocket inside the front right pocket. The fit and finish of these shorts truly are a cut above the rest. The waistband and drawstring are part of what make these shorts so comfortable and keep them riding on your waist without pinching or exerting undo pressure.

These shorts are unlined which is normally a huge plus in our book, but because of the way the material canvases your features, we’d recommend “layering up” if you catch our drift.

At $78, the Ponto is double the price of many shorts on this list, and while they certainly sport a premium fit, finish, and feel, it’s hard not to wonder if the price is worth it, especially with shorts like the Swim Gym on the list.

But hey, if you’ve got the budget and you want to look good and feel even better, take a look at the Ponto Short.

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Vuori Kore Short

check price at rei

Specifications

• Material: 42% recycled polyester/ 42% polyester / 10% elastane
• Inseam: 5"
• Liner: Boxer brief liner

Pros

• Comfortable
• Stylish
• Excellent liner
• Super versatile

Cons

• Potential durability issues

Billy Brown

We are big fans of the Vuori products here at GJ — The Banks Short has long held the top spot on this list, and more recently we reviewed the uber-comfortable Ponto Short. For this round of reviews, we took the opportunity to review the Kore Short ($68). It offers the same excellent fit that we’ve come to expect from Vuori while scoring points for being stylish, comfortable, and utilitarian. 

Out of the packaging, these shorts look and feel great. The polyester and elastane mix is lightweight and breathable without feeling too thin or cheap. The Kore short does feature a liner – something we were skeptical about initially, but after trying them on that skepticism faded quickly. These liners are less about compression and more about comfort and don’t ride up or bunch. The waistband on the Kore Short is also very comfortable and sits at the hips without riding up or requiring frequent readjustment. A simple drawstring assures they stay snug right where you want them. 

One aspect in particular that we like is how the Kore short sports premium features without feeling like an overly fancy or gym-specific pair of shorts. These things are super comfortable and easily dress up or down depending on your preferences. Our tester frequently wore the Kore shorts outside of the gym, running errands, doing chores around the house, to yoga, and even for a handful of impromptu naps. The Kore shorts stayed fresh thanks to their anti-odor feature and their 4-way stretch allowed for unencumbered movement regardless of what he was doing.

While their versatility may be unmatched, we did run into one potential issue with the Kore Short. After just a few short weeks, our tester noticed that the stitching on the bottom and side seams had started to become frayed and begin piling. So far this hasn’t become an issue, but it is enough to raise some questions about the durability of these shorts – time will tell. It’s certainly not a deal-breaker, but at $68 we’d hope to get at least a couple of seasons’ use out of a pair of shorts. Regardless, the Kore shorts remain an excellent, comfortable, stylish, and practical option for folks in the market for one short to do everything. 

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Ten Thousand Interval Shorts

Check Price at Huckberry Check Price at Ten Thousand

7.7

How we rate products ⓘ

Rating Details

• Versatility
  8.0
• Stretch
  7.4
• Durability
  8.1
• Value
  7.8

Specifications

• Material: Polyester, Spandex
• Inseam: 5”, 7″, 9”
• Liner: Optional

Pros

• Comfortable
• Excellent liner
• Anti-Microbial
• Good sweat-wicking

Cons

• Liner does bunch and twist
• Phone sleeve is on the small side

Billy Brown

We are generally impressed with the Interval Short from Ten Thousand ($68). These shorts sport many well-thought-out features including a variety of pockets for your wallet, phone, and keys, an optional anti-microbial liner, a no-bunch waistband, and your choice of three different inseam lengths (5, 7, or 9 inches).

We received the lined 7-inch inseam short in Adobe for our test. Out of the box, the shorts fit well, although it’s worth noting that our tester ordered a size up from the website’s recommendation. Typically, we aren’t big fans of lined shorts, but the Interval short does things a little differently with its integrated anti-microbial liner. The liner is slightly thicker and much less constricting than a traditional compression short liner, and it’s miles better than any mesh liner we’ve ever encountered.

Despite the liner being a little more heavy-duty than average, these shorts breathe very well and offer excellent sweat-wicking with little to no musty gym smell at the end of the day. The 4-way stretch provides unencumbered movement whether you are running, jumping, or lifting, and our tester found the Interval shorts to be a particularly comfortable choice for trips to the climbing gym.

We do have a couple of complaints about the interval shorts, however. The crotch in the liner hangs quite low and our tester found himself needing to frequently adjust his shorts during testing. It’s an interesting problem because typically we associate compression liners with riding up, but instead, we found the Interval’s liner would fall down and needed to be hiked up for comfort.

Additionally, the waistband did bunch up a little despite claims to the opposite. The material is quite comfortable and once flattened out, it’s not a huge problem, but since Ten Thousand lists the “no pinch, no bunch” waistband at the top of its features we thought we should weigh in.

Minor gripes aside, there’s a lot to like about the interval shorts. The main pockets are appropriately roomy, there’s a key sleeve in the band and a zippered double pocket for your valuables on the right side. These shorts dress up fairly well and are great for working the gym floor or a quick lunch or coffee trip before or after your gym session, and with the anti-microbial liner, you don’t have to worry about being funky in public (or at least it won’t be because of your shorts). Those of you looking for a pair of good-looking, well-made, and comfortable gym shorts will be well served by the Ten Thousand Interval Short.

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Gym Shorts Comparison Chart

How We Test the Best Gym Shorts

Here at GearJunkie, our team of experts is literally obsessed with finding the best gear. We spend an embarrassing amount of time combing through the internet to find the best of the best before sending those items to our expert reviewers for careful evaluation and testing. Plenty of cheap, ill-fitting models don’t make the cut for testing, and while the best of the best aren’t cheap, we ensure our budget picks aren’t duds either. Every pair of shorts in this selection is here because we’d recommend them to a friend, and any caveats are highlighted and explained so your choice is easier.

Our Expert Testers

GearJunkie Affiliate Managing Editor Billy Brown kicked off this gear guide in 2021, bringing a wealth of experience from his background in CrossFit and trail running. Since then, he’s continued to test gym shorts via CrossFit, powerlifting, running, and Olympic weightlifting workouts, searching out the most comfortable, durable, and best-looking (hey, it’s important) shorts he can find.

Tester and reviewer Paul Mandell is a strength and conditioning coach based in Bishop, California. Paul is no stranger to a good pair of gym shorts, especially considering that he wears them every day for work. Since he began contributing to this guide in the summer of 2022, he’s put 10 pairs to the test. He’s also contributed to our guides on Crossfit Shoes and Bike Computers.

Our Testing Process

We look for the same things you look for in a product — value, performance, fit, and finish. Our comprehensive evaluation translates to more time in the gym or on the trail for you and less time pulling your hair out over which product to buy. We strive to create thorough, comprehensive, and helpful reviews to help you find the best gear for your individual needs.

We put each pair of shorts through a varied routine of cardio work to see how they manage moisture and perform during running activities. We test mobility through our daily stretching routines and all the basic lifts. Durability is assessed after several months’ worth of box jumps, split squats, and other exercises that test the limits of stretch and stitching.

We look for the same things you look for in a product — value, performance, fit, and finish. Our comprehensive evaluation translates to more time in the gym or on the trail for you, and less time worrying about which product to buy. We strive to create thorough, comprehensive, and helpful reviews to help you find the best gear for your individual needs.

Our Gym Short Rating System

Each gym short in this guide was tested and scored in four main categories: Versatility, Stretch, Durability, and Value.

Value considers how well a kettlebell performs for its price, factoring in comfort, durability, weight range, and price. A budget-friendly option can score high here if it delivers strong performance for the cost.

Versatility evaluates how many different types of workouts we could do in a pair of shorts. We did as many different types of workouts as we could think of, from CrossFit and powerlifting to running and swimming, to determine which shorts would perform in the most activities.

Stretch considers how much mobility a short allows. We tested each short over a wide range of movements to determine whether it would restrict our movements or threaten to tear.

Durability looks at build quality and reliability over time. We inspected our shorts for any fraying, barbell abrasion, tears, and other signs of degradation over time.

Value considers how well a gym short performs for its price, factoring in comfort, durability, stretch, and other factors. A budget-friendly option can score high here if it delivers strong performance for the cost.

The overall score is not a simple average of these categories. Instead, it reflects our editorial judgment based on the complete user experience. That means a less durable short that’s extremely comfortable can still score high, while a short with a lower mobility range might rank higher for its durability.

Gym Short Buyer’s Guide

What Kind of Shorts Do You Need?

The first thing to consider when you’re buying a pair of gym shorts is how you plan to use them. If you tend to favor one kind of workout over others, the pair of shorts you’ll want may be different.

For instance, running shorts tend to be lightweight and shorter. Runners don’t want excess weight and material, and longer hems can cause irritation and chafe over time. If you run often, opt for a pair of shorts that also wicks away sweat and dries quickly.

While quick drying is a great feature, it’s not as necessary in weightlifting shorts. The added weight isn’t as much of an issue, and there’s less risk of chafing. With gym shorts, your priority should be on flexibility and, for heavy lifters, durability.

In a gym setting, you’re going to be going through a wide range of motions, so a pair of shorts with a lot of stretch is very handy. Lunges, jumps, sprints, and lateral movements all require a wide range of motion.

The same goes for yoga and other mobility workouts. And heaven forbid you split your pants doing a squat. We can tell you from experience — it’s not fun.

If your training entails Olympic lifts like the clean and jerk or deadlifts, durability is key. With these movements, the bar frequently comes into contact with your shorts.

Most bars have diamond patterns on the gripping areas called knurling. These abrasive sections are there to help you grip the bar, but they can also wreak havoc on shorts. Climbing ropes can also put a lot of strain on shorts as well, especially if you tend to slide down from the top.

Think about how you plan to use your shorts and choose an appropriate pair.

Material

Most shorts are made of a synthetic material like polyester or nylon mixed with a stretchy material like elastane or spandex. The synthetic material is great for wicking away sweat, while the elastic material provides stretch. If you want the feel of something more natural, we’ve included a great poly-cotton blend short in the list above.

How the material is cut and sewn is as important as the material itself. Mesh vents are useful for allowing excess heat to escape, and scalloped hems give you even more freedom to move. Flat seams prevent chafing. Think carefully about what you’ll be using your shorts for, and choose accordingly.

Fit

When it comes to gym shorts, fit goes in the realm of personal preference. Most gymgoers tend to choose a slimmer fit, as slim shorts are less likely to snag on equipment. A sleeker short also tends to be more supportive, particularly if it has a good liner.

Baggier shorts are popular for the freedom of movement they provide. However, with the stretch that most shorts offer, that isn’t as much of an issue. If you make sure that your shorts have plenty of stretch and they fit your waist, you should be comfortable.

Fit definitely also ventures into the realm of style, so think about what you want folks to see you wearing.

Style

Speaking of style, do you know about the three S’s? Essential for having a great gym session, the three S’s are Style, Safety, and Style. In that order.

Maybe you don’t care as much about your running shorts as you do about looking good in your gym shorts. Maybe you want people to know what true power looks like (hint: it’s your glutes), or maybe you just want clean shorts that are equally at home in the gym and at the coffee shop.  Either way, be sure you’re going to look and feel good in whatever you choose.

Length

The most common inseam lengths for workout shorts are 5, 7, and 9 inches. Runners often go for a higher hem to minimize material, so they tend to go for the 5-inch inseam.

If you lift a lot, the 9-inch inseam provides more coverage and protection from the barbell. The 7-inch inseam is a good blend of the two. So, if you do a bit of everything, that’s a solid choice.

One big exception to the rule is lifters who focus primarily on deadlifts. Clothing adds friction, so if you are near the higher end of your strength level, longer shorts may hinder you. Many lifters wear shorter hemmed shorts or roll their shorts up before a heavy deadlift. However, at a certain point, deadlifting or doing any Olympic work in shorts is just asking for bloody shins. Consider yourself warned.

Pockets

You generally don’t lift weights with stuff in your pockets, but a rear pocket and two front pockets are ideal for any time you wear your shorts outside the gym. Runners generally carry a few necessities with them, like keys, some cash or cards, and energy gels, so zippered pockets are almost certainly mandatory.

Make sure that at least one pocket zips shut to prevent anything from falling out. If you’re the kind of person who changes at the gym, pockets probably aren’t a high priority for you. Take a minute to think about what you need from your shorts and choose accordingly.

Price & Value

There are excellent shorts to be found at any price range, but if you go with a budget option, you may be missing out on some durability and features that you’d prefer. Conversely, if you overspend, you can find yourself wearing shorts with a stack of features you won’t be using. Here’s a guide to what you will (and won’t) get across the pricing spectrum.

Budget

For around $30 and under, you’re looking at the no-frills category. You’ll rarely find liners, zippered pockets, or ultra-durable materials here. What you will find are shorts that will cover your bits while allowing you the mobility to get you through workouts that require a wide range of motion. Our budget pick, the Champion Mesh 9’’ Short ($15), is a great example of this category — no frills, all business.

Mid-Tier

If you’re willing to spend between $40 and $70, you’ll open up your options to more durable materials, stylish cuts, and things like liners and pockets. The Vuori Banks Short ($68) offers excellent stretch, long-term durability, and a wide range of colors and prints to choose from. We wear these to the gym more often than not.

Premium

You can expect to spend close to $100 for a premium pair of gym shorts, which can be an eye-raising amount for the average gym rat. But what do you get for that kind of dough? Super lightweight yet durable materials like those you’ll find in the Roark Bommer Short ($89) or eye-rolling comfort like you’ll find in the buttery soft Vuori Ponto Short ($79), which is oddly also one of the most durable shorts on this list.

Frequently Asked Questions

Running

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Our experts have been strapping on fitness watches of all kinds for close to a decade now, testing more than 50 of the best devices and pulling together the winners for every situation in this guide. Whether you’re a marathoner tracking every BPM or just casually interested in your weekly workouts, there’s something here for you.

These watches have been tested and compared for sensor accuracy, battery life, functionality, durability, and fit. Beyond that, we’ve also taken them everywhere — from the summits of volcanoes in the Pacific Northwest to the depths of the canyonlands of Utah — and pushed these devices to the limit to see what breaks.

If you’re new to fitness tracking and want something to tally up your active minutes, options like the COROS Pace 4 are impressive for the price. Alternatively, we’ve been blown away by the feature density in top-tier watches like the Garmin fenix 8 Solar Sapphire. Whatever your specific needs, read on for the best fitness watches, GPS watches, and fitness trackers based on our testing.

Editor’s Note: We updated our Fitness Watch guide on November 21, 2025, to add the COROS Pace 4, our new best-budget choice that will only run you a cool $250, but packs in a brilliant AMOLED screen, impressive health metrics, and a good bit more for the price.

Best Overall Fitness Watch

Garmin fenix 8 Solar Sapphire

$1,100 at evoCheck Price at REI

9.3

How we rate products ⓘ

Rating Details

• Activity Tracking and Accuracy
  9.0
• Battery Life
  8.0
• Training Data and Planning
  8.0
• Build Quality
  9.0

Specifications

• Battery Life: Up to 48 days with Solar
• Weight: 95g, 51mm Solar
• Case Size: 43mm, 47mm, or 51mm
• Display Size: 1.4", 51mm Solar
• Bezel Material: Stainless steel or titanium
• Water Resistance Rating: 10 ATM (100 me)

Pros

• Incredible number of functions
• Excellent data reporting through Garmin Connect
• Super-long battery life
• Functions as a dive computer

Cons

• Have to choose between AMOLED and solar
• Bulky for an everyday watch
• Expensive

Cory Smith

Read Review: The Best, Most Expensive GPS Watch I’ve Ever Used: Garmin Fēnix 8 Solar Review

If you’re looking to track every activity, stretch the limits of wrist-bound battery life, and integrate your fitness watch into your daily routine, the Garmin fenix 8 ($1,100-1,200) is the device to do it with. We’ve worn iterations of the line since we first reviewed the fenix 3, and they’ve only gotten better with every update.

So what’s new on the fenix 8? Plenty. For one, a depth sensor that operates down to 40 m and performs as an EN13319-certified dive computer. There’s also a new speaker and microphone, leaning into the realm of smartwatches and providing access to voice assistants. Finally, the updated solar screen increases battery life by ~25% in the different power profiles.

Besides the new, the 8 brings forward all of the activity tracking profiles we loved about the fenix 7, along with a selection of new ones to bring the total number to an impressive 112. These range from standards like hiking, biking, and skiing to the more niche XC skate skiing, wakeboarding, and table tennis (really). All of these profiles are tweakable, meaning you can change your data screens to suit how you use the information.

The general user interface is also spruced up a bit, and the watch is available in three different bezel sizes: 43, 47, and 51 mm. We put the fenix 8 into the hands of editor Seiji Ishii, a self-proclaimed data dork and exercise physiology graduate who shook it down for 4 months while cycling, rucking, and climbing. “It can do everything, and I mean absolutely everything, with precision, and it has proven durable in doing so,” he reported.

The big question is whether to go with the vibrant AMOLED screen or the solar-charging MIP option. We’re wearing the solar screen for several reasons. For one, the trade-off in recharging is too great to ignore for extended trips outside. Second, the MIP screen will be a more efficient option, even without the added solar cells. It is tough to ignore how good the AMOLED screen looks, however, so if your usage is more day-to-day, give it a look.

Breaking the $1,000 ceiling on fitness watches is a high bar, but we think if any watch is worthy, it’s the fenix 8. If you’re more of a single-activity person, a watch like the Garmin Forerunner 570 may be a wiser choice. But if your weekends take you from the mountains to the shoreline on marathon adventures, a do-it-all option like this is the way to go.

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Best Budget Fitness Watch

COROS Pace 4

Check Price at REI

7.5

How we rate products ⓘ

Rating Details

• Value
  8.0
• Durability
  7.0
• Style
  9.0
• Performance
  7.0

Specifications

• Size: 43.4 x 43.4 x 11.8 mm
• Weight: 32 g with nylon strap, 40 g with silicone band
• Battery life: 6 days (always on), 19 days (gesture only)
• Global Satellite Networks: GPS, GLONASS, Galileo, BeiDou, and QZSS reception
• Screen: 1.2" AMOLED touchscreen display with mineral glass, fiber-reinforced polymer case
• Navigation capable: Breadcrumb
• Barometric altimeter and compass: Yes
• Water resistance: 5 ATM (50m)

Pros

• Improved display
• Competitive price
• Lightweight
• Reliable health tracking
• Quick navigation help

Cons

• No offline maps
• Less durable nylon polymer case and mineral glass
• Flashlight has limited usefulness
• AMOLED lowers 'always on' battery life

Cory Smith

Read Review: Gorgeous Display, Beautiful Price: COROS Pace 4 Sport Watch Review

The newly-released COROS Pace 4 ($249) builds on its budget-friendly predecessor and locks down our recommendation for a spend-wise fitness watch yet again. This new version adds a beautiful AMOLED screen, somehow doesn’t lose out on any battery life for it, and only asks an additional $50 for it.

Editor Andrew McLemore put the Pace through its uh, paces, and found the updated AMOLED screen to be a worthwhile upgrade: “AMOLED displays just look awesome. They make it easier to quickly read and comprehend the complex data that’s now available on all these devices. Getting a better display on the Pace 4 while only raising the price $20 from the previous generation? That’s a pretty good deal,” he said.

The Pace 4 also adds a flashlight function, although it isn’t exactly the same as the built-in LEDs of the Garmin fenix, but instead a full-screen white mode that does provide a decent amount of light, just not as much. The 4 also adds a microphone, along with the ability to add voice memos to things like tracked activities.

Activity tracking is widely varied, with 27 different profiles to choose from, along with daily health stats, HRV monitoring, and REM sleep tracking. You won’t get quite as wide a variety as the brand’s higher-end Apex and Nomad lines, but it’s generally enough for most people to track their health and activity effectively.

The breadcrumb navigation mapping is an obvious budget pinch point, but for many folks who don’t need a map to run around the park, it’s not an issue. If mapping is something you’re after, you’ll need to upgrade to the Pace Pro ($349) or something like the Suunto Vertical ($499). For the money, though, the Pace 4 is everything we need it to be for a budget fitness watch. The older Pace 3 is still available, for you true budget hounds, and will save you $50 to get mostly the same watch.

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Best Mid-Tier Fitness Watch

COROS Apex 2 Pro

Check Price at REICheck Price at Backcountry

7.5

How we rate products ⓘ

Rating Details

• Activity Tracking and Accuracy
  8.0
• Battery Life
  7.0
• Training Data and Planning
  7.0
• Build Quality
  8.0

Specifications

• Size: 46.1 x 46.5 x 14 mm
• Weight: 53 g
• Battery type: Lithium-ion
• Single-band GPS battery life: 75 hours
• Global satellite networks: GPS, GLONASS, Galileo, BeiDou, and QZSS reception
• Screen/Bezel: 1.3" sapphire screen and titanium bezel
• Navigation capable: Yes
• Barometric altimeter and compass: Yes
• Water resistance: 5 ATM (50m)

Pros

• Impressive GPS tracking
• All-encompassing activity profile suite
• Great battery life
• Comfortable band

Cons

• Limited mapping capabilities
• Dial-wheel tough to use while active

Cory Smith

Read Review: COROS APEX 2 Pro Review: This Sports Watch Sets Benchmark for Battery Life

While other giant-bezel watches can cram in more longevity, when it comes to a watch that is a common-sense size, has all the bells and whistles, and still trudges on with incredible battery life, the COROS Apex 2 Pro ($449) ticks all of our boxes for the best mid-tier fitness watch available today. If you need a bit more functionality than watches like the COROS Pace 4 or Amazfit Cheetah Pro offer, this is the watch to bump up to.

Newly updated, the Apex line from COROS is its middle-of-the-road offering, but you wouldn’t know that from looking at it. Within the 46mm bezel is the full complement of activity tracking profiles, ABC (altimeter, barometer, compass) sensors, and antenna for a newly expanded five Global Navigation Satellite Systems.

Compared to the Apex 2, the Pro version got an extra infusion of satellite tech in the form of a Dual-Frequency chipset, which, during recent testing, we found made a tangible difference in old-growth forests and canyons. It also bumps up the internal storage from 8 GB to 32 GB and tacked on even more battery life.

When put to the test, we verified that the Apex 2 Pro simply goes and goes. At a stated (and confirmed) 75 hours of battery life in the GPS-only mode, this watch can’t be touched by watches of the same size when it comes to longevity. Other watches, like the Garmin fenix 8, can eke out more time by utilizing the sun, but command much more wrist real estate.

And while Garmin has consistently led the pack in terms of efficient app integration, we can now say that COROS has caught up. The COROS app is an enjoyable interface to use, and does an excellent job of displaying our recorded activities, tracks, and daily stats such as active energy, heart rate, and sleep metrics.

So, how could the Apex 2 Pro be better? For one: we did miss the helpful fitness stats, reports, and workouts from the Garmin ecosystem. Garmin has made a big push toward synthesizing all of the data their fitness watches soak up, and we do wish that COROS will make the same pivot. Beyond that, in the age of mega-bright AMOLED screens, the colors of the Apex 2 Pro were a bit muted compared to watches of a similar caliber.

Ideal for the adventurer or fitness devotee who wants it all without carrying a calculator on their wrist, the Apex 2 Pro lands as just about the perfect balance in our books.

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Best Fitness Watch for Running

Garmin Forerunner 570

Check Price at REICheck Price at Backcountry

7.4

How we rate products ⓘ

Rating Details

• Activity Tracking and Accuracy
  8.0
• Battery Life
  6.0
• Training Data and Planning
  7.0
• Build Quality
  7.0

Specifications

• Size: 47 x 47 x 12.9 mm
• Weight: 50 g.
• Battery: Lithium-ion
• Single-band GPS battery life: 18 hours
• Global satellite networks: Multi-band GPS, GLONASS, QZSS, BeiDou, and Galileo reception
• Screen/Bezel: 1.4" Gorilla Glass 3 and aluminum
• Navigation Capable: Yes (breadcrumb tracks)
• Barometric altimeter and compass: Yes
• Water resistance: 5 ATM

Pros

• Dazzling and brighter AMOLED touchscreen display
• Smart Garmin health stats and reports
• Speaker and microphone for voice commands and assistants
• Multi-band GNSS reception with SatIQ tech
• USB-C charging

Cons

• Battery life is lesser than previous Forerunner 265
• Price is tough to justify for some
• No ECG support
• Basic breadcrumb mapping

Cory Smith

In an update to the brand’s uber-popular running watches, the Garmin Forerunner 570 ($550) adds a brighter AMOLED screen, speaker and microphone combo, and additional triathlon training that make this one of the best running watches out there.

Building on the Forerunner 265 (a watch that we’ve previously hailed as the running watch), the 570 got more than a name change, and is now a better daily driver for runners. Comparing the 265 to the 570 side by side, the new screen is noticeably brighter (as well as slightly larger across the two offered sizes), but still minimal enough as to not weigh us down on runs.

The new speaker on the 570 is loud and will prompt you with things like lap reminders, while the microphone allows you to use Voice Commands, and ask the watch to set things like timers or begin activities. In a surprising (but appreciated) function, the 570 will have you to turn the watch upside down after a water activity and pulse sound to clear the speaker — smart. 

New multi-sport modes have been added to the watch to make it a better triathlon watch, narrowing the gap between the 570 and the top-tier 970. Building workouts with multiple components is now possible, and we had good success with constructing multi-sport days that combined swimming with cycling and running.

Due to the brighter screen, battery life on the 570 does take a hit compared to the older 265 (a tested 9 days with a daily run, compared to the 11 days we could get with the previous model). This is certainly a watch for those who run and train for fitness (and are home every night to plug in), instead of endurance athletes. For those folks, bumping up to the Forerunner 970 or Enduro 3 makes much more sense. Those watches also add on ECG support and better mapping abilities (the 570 supports basic breadcrumb navigation).

To be sure, we still think that the Forerunner 265 is an excellent watch — and as long as it’s available, we recommend snagging it if the upgrades to the 570 don’t woo you. The price jump from the 265 to the 570 was a large one, and the added $100 might be tough to swallow for the relatively minimal feature additions. That said, if the latest and greatest in running watches is what you’re after, the Forerunner 570 is it.

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Best Fitness Watch for iPhone Users

Apple Watch Ultra

$329 at Amazon

7.2

How we rate products ⓘ

Rating Details

• Activity Tracking and Accuracy
  7.0
• Battery Life
  6.0
• Training Data and Planning
  6.0
• Build Quality
  7.0

Specifications

• Size: 49 x 44 x 14.4 mm
• Weight: 61.4 g.
• Battery: Lithium-ion
• Single-band GPS battery life: 12 hours
• Global satellite networks: Multi-band GPS, GLONASS, Galileo, and BeiDou reception
• Screen/Bezel: Sapphire crystal and titanium
• Navigation capable: With cell service (limited without)
• Barometric altimeter and compass: Yes
• Water resistance: 10 ATM (100m)

Pros

• Depth of smartwatch features and downloadable apps
• Ease of answering calls and texts without a phone connection
• Advanced health monitoring
• Large, clear display

Cons

• Not incredible battery life
• Heavier device

Cory Smith

Read Review: Apple Watch Ultra Review: Silicon Valley’s Best Smartwatch Dropped, Drowned, and Frozen

Apple is the bestselling smartwatch worldwide, and it’s clear why — it’s undeniably the best smartwatch (not GPS watch; we’ll get to that later) on the market. Everyone we spoke with who had one gave glowing reviews. “After literally decades of not trying a smartwatch, I recently bought an Apple Watch. I love it,” said one initial skeptic.

Now tuned for the outdoors and fitness market, the new Apple Watch Ultra ($799) is upgraded to take on the rough and tumble in your day-to-day, and boasts a larger 49 mm titanium case, brighter 2,000 nits screen, increased water resistance (up to 100 m), and an extended 36-hour battery life. You’re obviously going to pay for all those upgrades, but we’re convinced that it’s well worth it.

As with all the watches tested, the Apple Watch Ultra can track sleep, steps, and calories and puts it in an easy-to-understand format. Further sports integration offers up structured workouts in nearly everything from running to swimming to strength training and kickboxing.

These modes can be customized (choose your warm-up and recovery periods, etc.), and it logs most all of the metrics we’ve come to expect in a fitness watch, such as heart rate, pace, distance, elevation, and more. For runs after work or a weekend strength training session, the Ultra has everything we need.

Having coached many runners who wear an Apple Watch, our resident trainer can say two things with certainty: The GPS is not great, and the battery life just isn’t there to compete with flagship watches. But now that the Ultra version brings on board a multi-GNSS chipset with multi-band technology, the location reception is tack sharp and on par with the rest of the field high-end watches, such as the Garmin fenix 8 and COROS Apex 2 Pro.

The battery life issue, however, continues to be a ding, and with Apple’s large 49mm always-on AMOLED screen, it’s tough to squeeze much more out of it without compromising greatly on functionality. While the battery life of the Apple Watch Ultra is given as 35 hours in normal smartwatch mode, that number goes down to about 12 hours in GPS tracking mode.

Still, if daily convenience and smartwatch features take precedence over a detailed fitness activity, the Apple Watch Ultra is for you. One big caveat — it only works with iPhones. If you don’t have an iPhone, we suggest the Garmin Venu 2 or Samsung Galaxy Watch 5. Both are similarly focused on fitness tracking while offering a wide array of apps and smartwatch features. But for the MacBook crowd, the Apple Watch Ultra is an easy go-to.

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Best Lo-Fi Fitness Tracker

Fitbit Charge 6

$100 at AmazonCheck Price at Best Buy

6.5

How we rate products ⓘ

Rating Details

• Activity Tracking and Accuracy
  6.0
• Battery Life
  6.0
• Training Data and Planning
  5.0
• Build Quality
  6.0

Specifications

• Size: 38 x 18.5 x 11.6mm
• Weight: 37 g.
• Battery: Lithium-polymer
• Single-band GPS battery life: 5 hours in GPS mode
• Global satellite networks: GPS + GLONASS reception
• Screen/Bezel: 1" glass, aluminum, and resin
• Navigation capable: No
• Barometric altimeter and compass: No
• Water resistance: 5 ATM (50M)

Pros

• GPS tracking without phone connection
• Health-tracking metrics
• Google apps built in
• Affordable

Cons

• Very basic sports tracking
• Small screen
• No non Google app controls

Cory Smith

Adorning the wrists of workout enthusiasts everywhere, the Fitbit Charge 6 ($150) takes the crown for the best fitness tracker. The sixth iteration is less expensive than the fifth when it was introduced and features a few useful upgrades. 

The Charge 6 reintroduces the haptic side button to the Charge line of trackers, which brings you back to the main screen when pressed. It also has a slightly curved AMOLED touchscreen, and the battery life lasts up to 7 days — the perfect tracker to wear all week.

An optical heart-rate monitor for 24/7 monitoring is standard and provides accurate calorie-burn calculations, sleep and stress data, and heart-rate zones for working out. It tracks daily steps, calories burned, and active minutes to help you make informed health decisions based on hard data.

The Charge 6 has 40+ different sports modes for tracking, including running, walking, biking, swimming, HIIT, yoga, skiing, surfing, indoor climbing, and golf. If you’re looking for finer details such as cadence, power, or rep-counting for weight training, you’re out of luck — one of our most notable issues with the Fitbit. A built-in GPS tracker allows you to go without your smartphone during an outdoor workout.

The Charge 6 also now connects with third-party platforms such as Peloton, NordicTrack, and Tonal to integrate heart rate data with your workouts. 

A few bonus features not usually seen on trackers are the ability to get notifications (call, text, email, and calendar), control YouTube Music (since Fitbit was purchased by Google, Spotify is no longer controllable on Fitbit devices) use Google Maps and Google Pay. If you don’t need these features and you’re OK carrying your phone during activities that require GPS (such as walking, running, and cycling), we suggest the cheaper Fitbit Luxe.

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Best Recovery Wearable

Whoop Band 4.0

Check Price at Walmart

8.0

How we rate products ⓘ

Rating Details

• Activity Tracking and Accuracy
  7.0
• Battery Life
  6.0
• Training Data and Planning
  7.0
• Build Quality
  8.0

Specifications

• Battery Life: Up to 5 days
• Weight: 28 g
• Case Size: 1.7" x 1.1",
• Display Size: N/A
• Bezel Material: Stainless steel
• Water Resistance Rating: IP68

Pros

• Super low profile on wrist
• Provides recovery data
• Excellent sleep monitoring
• Easy to use phone app

Cons

• Underestimation of strength-related activities
• Monthly or annual subscription is required
• Not a full-fledged fitness watch

Cory Smith

Read Review: A Year With Whoop 4.0: A Personal Trainer Weighs In

Our resident fitness trainer and ‘bio-hacker’ put the Whoop Band ($239) to the test for an entire year before rendering our verdict, and we’re sold. This low-key wearable isn’t quite all the watch that the rest of our suggestions are, but it also has a different purpose: recovery. Aimed at monitoring a few simple metrics and comparing them against your ‘stress’ level, the Whoop Band is a tool developed that athletes can use in training programs.

Unlike most fitness watches, which mainly track activities and workouts, the Whoop Band tracks health metrics that lend insight into your overall recovery state. These include sleep — Slow Wave Sleep (SWS), Rapid-Eye Movement Sleep (REM), light sleep, and time awake are all measured — as well as skin temperature, respiratory rate, blood oxygen saturation, resting heart rate, and heart rate variability (HRV).

Whoop also tracks daily activities (through smart tracking or customizable entries) and caffeine or alcohol intake. All of this is synthesized on the Whoop app and provided as raw data and a ‘Recovery Score,’ which can be used to know when to lean into your workout plan and dial it back.

The Whoop Band is a simple device with a dense optical sensor on the back of the device for siphoning up your biometric data. Otherwise, there is no screen and a simple textile band that stretches with you. After one year of use, our trainer found the Whoop to provide fascinating insights into his daily and weekly training efforts, and while the novelty faded after about 3 months, he still found utility for the whole year.

We did find that the device does underestimate the stress effect related to strength-related activities, such as climbing or weight lifting, which didn’t put as much of a ding in the recovery metric as we thought it should. The recovery status can be tweaked by adding data yourself after the workout, but we found it to be a bit annoying to have to adjust the data.

If you’re a high-level athlete locked into an intensive training program, the Whoop Band may be an excellent tool for measuring recovery. It’s a minimal device for those uninterested in full-on fitness watches who still want the data to inform fitness planning. You’ll need to pay for the subscription (ranging from $199 to $359 a year), but if you’re invested in your health, that might only be a blip on the radar.

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Other Fitness Watches to Keep Track With

The seven awarded watches above are highly capable fitness trackers, and we think they’re the best in class in their respective niches. However, we’ve tested the entire range of fitness watches today and identified some additional options to consider.

Garmin Enduro 3

Check Price at REICheck Price at Garmin

9.2

How we rate products ⓘ

Rating Details

• Activity Tracking and Accuracy
  8.0
• Battery Life
  9.0
• Training Data and Planning
  8.0
• Build Quality
  8.0

Specifications

• Size: 51 x 51 x 15.7 mm
• Weight: 63 g
• Battery: Lithium-ion
• Single-band GPS battery life: 320 hours (with solar charging)
• Global Satellite Networks: Multi-band GPS, GLONASS, Galileo, BeiDou, and QZSS reception
• Screen/Bezel: 1.4" fiber reinforced polymer and titanium bezel with Power Sapphire lens
• Navigation capable: Yes
• Barometric altimeter and compass: Yes
• Water resistance rating: 10 ATM

Pros

• Incredible battery life (when the sun is shining)
• SatIQ tech makes smart satellite choices to limit battery consumption
• Operating system is smooth and bug free
• 6-LED heart rate monitor with HRV capability

Cons

• Watch is a bit tall on the wrist
• Textile watch band won't be everyone's favorite

Cory Smith

Read Review: All the Features You Need, Battery You Won’t Believe: Garmin Enduro 3 Review

320 is a lot of hours. That’s how long Garmin specs its Enduro 3 ($900) watch to run with GPS running — and the sun shining. This big-battery watch is made to go the distance, and if you’re after the longest running fitness watch out there, we think this is the one to snag.

We took this watch to Patagonia to test those claims, and while the sun was often in short supply, the watch did last the entire 2-week trip off the cord, and tracked more than a few multiday treks in between. The UI is the same version used in our top pick watch, and Garmin delivers in the personal tracking metrics as always.

In fact, the only real UI differences between this watch and the fenix 8 are the lack of a microphone/speaker and no dive functionality. Otherwise, it’s the same watch (just in a different case).

On a day that the sun was shining, we got the watch to charge at a rate of around 1% per 15 minutes — if you set the watch in a prime position. This seems to be the hack needed to really leverage your solar watch, and considering the watch only uses 1% per day when run in the battery saver mode, it’s easy to understand how this watch could run indefinitely, given perfect conditions.

The Enduro is more than a big battery, too: it has Garmin’s latest six-LED optical heart rate monitor, tracks almost 100 activity profiles, and puts it all behind a Power Sapphire glass and titanium bezel. We tracked an entire four-day trek along the Patagonian Icefield, and the watch easily led us over remote passes and through glacial labyrinths.

Satellite reception is top-notch and dialed in with both Multi-Band tech, which improves reception in deep recesses like canyons or cities, and Garmin’s SatIQ, a smart functionality that toggles between satellite modes to keep battery usage as low as possible. On-device mapping is the leading edge of the current generation and almost lag-free when scrolling quickly.

That battery does take up some wrist real estate, and the watch itself is a little over 1.5” thick, though we found it easy to get used to. The $900 price tag is also on the high end, though not as high as you’ll pay for the current generation Fenix 8. The Enduro 3 is instead for folks who simply need a watch to last and can sacrifice the latest and greatest features to get it.

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COROS Pace 3

Check Price at REICheck Price at Backcountry

6.5

How we rate products ⓘ

Rating Details

• Activity Tracking and Accuracy
  7.0
• Battery Life
  7.0
• Training Data and Planning
  6.0
• Build Quality
  6.0

Specifications

• Size: 41.9 × 41.9 × 13 mm
• Weight: 30 g with nylon strap, 38 g with silicone band
• Battery: Lithium-ion
• Single-band GPS battery life: 38 hours
• Global Satellite Networks: GPS, GLONASS, Galileo, BeiDou, and QZSS reception
• Screen/Bezel: 1.2" Corning glass touchscreen and fiber-reinforced polymer
• Navigation Capable: Breadcrumb
• Barometric altimeter and compass: Yes
• Water Resistance: 5 ATM (50m)

Pros

• Extremely competitively priced
• Outstanding battery life for the price
• Dual-frequency GNSS reception
• On-device 4GB music storage
• Next-generation 5 LED heart rate monitor

Cons

• Less durable nylon polymer case and mineral glass
• Feels lightweight and less sturdy
• Lack of training and coaching insight compared to rivals

Cory Smith

Read Review: COROS Pace 3 Review: This $229 Watch Ruined My Love Affair With High-End Fitness Watches

While we’ve now pivoted our best budget suggestion to the new COROS Pace 4, there’s still a compelling reason to consider the $200 COROS Pace 3 while it’s still available. For one, it’s now $20 cheaper than it was previously, making this watch an even better value for the buck.

While the newer version added a super-bright AMOLED screen, it does soak up a good bit of juice to run full-time. For those who prefer the more neutral lighting of a Memory in Pixel screen, the older Pace 3 has got you covered. Even with all satellite systems running at high fidelity, the newer Pace 4 does run for longer (a claimed 30 hours) compared to the Pace 3’s 25 hours, so it’s a testament to COROS’ battery management to accomplish this, despite the pivot to a more battery-draining screen.

Both watches use the same set of five GNSS systems (GPS, GLONASS, Galileo, Beidou, QZSS), and both benefit from Dual-Frequency reception, which aids in getting a signal in dense cover such as canyons or cities. Like the 4, the 3 can be navigated with simple breadcrumb maps, which will be enough for some folks. If not, you can bump up to the Pace Pro ($349).

So what’s been left off? For one, the lesser glass in the screen, which is scratch-resistant (read: not scratch-proof), and the polymer bezel, which won’t be indestructible. While easy to use, the mapping functionality is a bit limited and lacks the detail of many mid-tier watches. Finally, it’s tough to match the workout planning metrics that the Garmin ecosystem brings to the table, but COROS has made big improvements as of late.

Sliding in at an impressive $200 ($49 less than the newest version), the Pace 3 is nigh impossible to deny for the price. This watch boasts many of the same features as watches that demand hundreds more, and is likely still one of the better options available currently for anyone looking to dip their toe into the fitness watch market.

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Suunto Vertical

Check Price at BackcountryCheck Price at REI

7.3

How we rate products ⓘ

Rating Details

• Activity Tracking and Accuracy
  7.0
• Battery Life
  8.0
• Training Data and Planning
  6.0
• Build Quality
  7.0

Specifications

• Size: 49 x 49 x 13.6 mm
• Weight: 74 g.
• Battery: Lithium-ion
• Single-band GPS battery life: 90 hours in Endurance GPS mode; 140 hours with solar version
• Global satellite networks: Multi-band GPS, GLONASS, Galileo, QZSS, and Beidou reception
• Screen/Bezel: 1.4" sapphire crystal and stainless steel/titanium
• Navigation capable: Yes
• Barometric altimeter and compass: Yes
• Water resistance: 10 ATM (100m)

Pros

• Free detailed topographic maps downloadable to the watch
• Impressive battery numbers, with available solar charging
• Dual-band GNSS reception
• Wi-Fi connectivity

Cons

• Screen transition sometimes lags
• No music storage on device

Cory Smith

Read Review: Sunny Suunto: ‘Vertical’ Sports Watch Gets Solar Charging, Offline Maps

Suunto has jettisoned itself squarely among the leaders in the GPS watch world with the new Vertical ($499), a watch that hits almost all the marks when it comes to a feature-packed wearable with plenty of horsepower under the hood.

The Vertical salves all of the things that didn’t quite make the grade for us with the Suunto 9 Peak Pro (still an excellent watch, read below), including brightening up the screen, adding Wi-Fi, and incorporating dual-band GNSS reception, and cements itself as a true flagship watch — landing among the Garmin fenix 8, and COROS Vertix 2.

Then there’s the new mapping functionality, something that Suunto hasn’t incorporated into a device since their Suunto 7 watch. The company has taken the time to perfect it as well because, in the Vertical, it’s an excellent rendition.

From the Suunto app, users are able to download (for free) shaded topographic maps for essentially the entire globe — directly onto the watch. These maps are sufficiently detailed for phone-free navigation, and can have routes uploaded to them from the app for course-making on the go.

And if all that wasn’t enough, Suunto also was able to boost its battery numbers by a substantial amount over the 9 Peak Pro, stretching the life in ‘Performance’ (all systems go) mode to an impressive 60 hours. We tested the Titanium Solar version of the watch, which leverages a solar watch face to juice up the Vertical on the go. This added feature will cost you (to the tune of $210), but it greatly extends your untethered time.

While the Vertical does not have any music-storing abilities on the device (a functionality the Garmin fenix 8 boasts), it can control the music playing from your phone. This is a small ding in an otherwise iron-clad GPS watch, and the Vertical would be an excellent timepiece for anyone who lives on the cutting edge.

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Garmin Instinct 3 AMOLED

Check Price at REICheck Price at Backcountry

7.5

How we rate products ⓘ

Rating Details

• Activity Tracking and Accuracy
  7.0
• Battery Life
  6.0
• Training Data and Planning
  7.0
• Build Quality
  7.0

Specifications

• Size: 50 x 50 x 14.9 mm
• Weight: 59 g
• Battery: Lithium-ion
• Single-band GPS battery life: 32 hours
• Global satellite networks: Multiband GPS, GLONASS, and Galileo reception
• Screen/Bezel: 1.3" fiber reinforced polymer and aluminum
• Navigation capable: Yes
• Barometric altimeter and compass: Yes
• Water resistance rating: 10 ATM (100 M) + MIL-STD-810

Pros

• Brilliant AMOLED screen
• Lightweight yet rugged
• MIL-STD-810 mil-spec thermal and shock resistant
• LED flashlight
• Onboard monitoring features

Cons

• Simple breadcrumb navigation
• Battery life isn't the best out there
• There is no AMOLED and solar version

Cory Smith

Read Review: The Ultimate Outdoors Companion Just Got Brighter: Garmin Instinct 3 AMOLED Watch Review

The Garmin Instinct 3 AMOLED ($500) is an update on a previous favorite of our team, and it’s only better now. Newly optioned in a beautiful AMOLED screen, the Instinct 3 is still just as get-er-done as the previous version — it just looks even better now.

The Instinct line keeps things accessible by holding back on a few metrics but leaning into the rugged durability and styling that appeal to many. Notably, the satellite reception is limited to three systems, and the battery life isn’t as dazzling as the upper-tier watches, but there’s considerable tech trickle-down from other Garmin watches that make this updated version a worthy one.

The big deal here is the AMOLED display, which is just as brilliant as the ones we’ve used on the Forerunner series. The touch sensitivity also appears to be better on this version of the watch, and the screen scrolls beautifully. There’s still a solar-charging MIP version ($400) of the Instinct 3 for loyalists, but we’ve been enjoying the deeper colors and better contrast.

On-watch mapping won’t blow you away (you get the standard breadcrumb-tracking style screens), but the watch does use Garmin’s SatIQ technology, which decides which GPS mode is ideal for the terrain you find yourself in. This means that the watch will toggle into Multiband mode when you’re in a city or tight canyons, which is a boon for battery life.

The new Instinct is also tougher, with a new metal band set into the bezel as reinforcement. The watch still meets MIL-STD-810 mil-spec standards and is rated to 10 atmospheres of water immersion. We found that the fiber-reinforced polymer bezel tended to glance off things we hit instead of scratching, and while the screen is only chemically strengthened glass, the raised bezel protects it well.

There’s impressive value in Instinct 3, too. For the same price as the COROS Apex 2 Pro, you get an AMOLED screen that pops in all conditions, whereas the COROS could, at times, be a little harder to see. That said, the battery life on the COROS when running single-band GPS is 75 hours, and while the 32 hours the Garmin can manage is decent, it’s the reason we think the Apex 2 Pro is a slightly better mid-tier watch.

If your workouts keep you closer to home (and you tend to get dirty doing them), we don’t see any reason not to stick with the rugged Instinct 3 AMOLED.

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Amazfit Cheetah Pro

$180 at Amazon

6.1

How we rate products ⓘ

Rating Details

• Activity Tracking and Accuracy
  6.0
• Battery Life
  6.0
• Training Data and Planning
  6.0
• Build Quality
  5.0

Specifications

• Size: 47 x 47 x 11.8 mm
• Weight: 43 g with band
• Battery: 440mAh capacity
• Single-band GPS battery life: 26 hours in accuracy mode
• Global Satellite Networks: 6 satellite positioning systems with L1 & L5 reception
• Screen/Bezel: 1.45” AMOLED Corning glass touchscreen with titanium alloy bezel
• Navigation Capable: Yes
• Barometric Altimeter and Compass: Yes
• Water Resistance: 5 ATM (50m)

Pros

• Fully featured
• Excellent battery life
• Durable
• Responsive touchscreen

Cons

• Bulky fit for smaller wrists
• GPS tracking trouble in canyons
• The Zepp app feels overbuilt with many ‘premium’ features requiring payment

Cory Smith

Read Review: Amazfit Cheetah Pro Review: Can This Budget Fitness Watch Hack It for Endurance Use?

While your Garmin, COROS, and Suunto options dominate the fitness watch space, there’s always room for some friendly competition, and the Amazfit Cheetah Pro ($300) angles directly at the big dogs with a suite of features more often seen in watches hundreds of dollars its senior. 

With dual-band multi-GNSS reception, a 1.45” AMOLED screen, and navigation capabilities, the Cheetah Pro checks all of the boxes we’re looking for in a fitness watch that we can use for everything from days in the gym to long events outdoors. The watch also tracks 156 (!) different activities, and shuttles that info over to its app for post-workout breakdowns and training suggestions.

In practice, our testers found that while the feature set of the Cheetah Pro is exhaustive, the polish and execution left a little to be desired. For example, when tester Ian Atkinson ran a 24-mile route in the Canyonlands Needles District recently while comparing the Amazfit to the proven COROS Pace 3, the Cheetah lost satellite connection a number of times, while the COROS held strong.

While it’s no death knell, connection quality is certainly something we look for, and with watches getting just so good these days, we’re eager to see some improvement from Amazfit in this space. Further, while the Zepp app — used to provide training insights and plans — is a detailed offering, the AI training provided is a bit lacking, and advanced functionality is limited to paid subscriptions.

So, can the Cheetah Pro hack it? “I would say yes,” says Atkinson. “I was not gentle in my testing, and the Cheetah Pro withstood both ample amounts of sand and gritty rock. It just depends on what your standards are for a fitness watch.” For hundreds less than the competition, there’s much to enjoy on the Cheetah Pro, and if you’re willing to forgive some rough edges, it’ll track everything you get up to.

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Polar Vantage V3

$682 at AmazonCheck Price at REI

7.0

How we rate products ⓘ

Rating Details

• Activity Tracking and Accuracy
  7.0
• Battery Life
  8.0
• Training Data and Planning
  7.0
• Build Quality
  7.0

Specifications

• Size: 47 x 47 x 14.5 mm
• Weight: 57 g.
• Battery: Lithium-polymer
• Single-band GPS battery life: Up to 61 hours
• Global satellite networks: GPS, GLONASS, Galileo, BeiDou, and QZSS reception
• Screen/Bezel: 1.4" Gorilla Glass and aerospace aluminum
• Navigation capable: Yes
• Barometric altimeter and compass: Yes
• Water resistance: WR50 (50m)

Pros

• Outstanding battery life
• Heart rate monitoring
• Strava Live Segments

Cons

• Expensive
• Weak and delayed button action
• Dull and simple app
• Unintuitive interface

Cory Smith

The Polar Vantage V3 ($700) is once again one of our preferred picks for running, even in a field dominated by Garmin. It’s not as jam-packed with features as most Garmins, but what it does offer, it does very well — especially heart-rate monitoring.

The biggest new feature since the last model is the addition of offline topographic maps, bringing this watch closer in features to a Garmin adventure-focused watch. It also has over 150 customizable sports profiles.

In addition, the battery life has been extended to 61 hours in continuous GPS mode with the option of 140 hours in battery-saver mode. The screen has been updated to an AMOLED display. Sensors for SpO2, ECG, OHR, and skin temperature have been added to the Vantage V3. 

Like all watches, you get training and recovery insights based on your unique physiological data to help you make more informed decisions about when to push and recover. It comes with built-in, step-by-step running and cycling performance tests to establish training zones via heart rate, speed, and power (meter required for cycling), as well as test recovery.

If you’re a Strava Segment-hunter, the watch will notify you as you approach your starred Segments and give real-time performance data so you can crush your Segment PRs.

Polar Precision Prime sensor fusion technology “combines optical heart-rate measurement with other sensor technologies to rule out involuntary movement that might disturb the heart-rate signal and produce unreliable readings.”

We weren’t, however, as impressed with the Polar Flow app that is used to sync your activities online — which is a bit simple and often has issues syncing data between the watch and your phone. Additionally, the buttons and interface were not as intuitive as other watches we tested. But these issues aside, the Vantage V3 is rightly up there with the Garmin Forerunners for our suggestion of the best running watches.

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Garmin vívoactive 5

$196 at Amazon

6.8

How we rate products ⓘ

Rating Details

• Activity Tracking and Accuracy
  6.0
• Battery Life
  6.0
• Training Data and Planning
  6.0
• Build Quality
  7.0

Specifications

• Size: 42.2 x 42.2 x 11.1 mm
• Weight: 36 g.
• Battery: Lithium-ion
• Single-band GPS battery life: 21 hours
• Global satellite networks: GPS, GLONASS, and Galileo reception
• Screen/Bezel: 1.2" Corning Gorilla Glass and anodized aluminum
• Navigation capable: No
• Barometric altimeter and compass: No altimeter, yes compass
• Water resistance: 5 ATM (50m)

Pros

• More affordable than comparative watches
• Competitive training/health data for the type of watch
• Smart lifestyle trackers and apps

Cons

• Buttons are not very responsive

Cory Smith

The Garmin vívoactive 5 ($300) combines basic fitness, health tracking, and performance statistics with classic smartwatch features like music, smart notifications, and texting.

For the everyday athlete who doesn’t need all the features or the price point of a watch like the fenix 8, but wants data more than your average fitness tracker or smartwatch, the vívoactive 5 is a good option. If you’re looking for more outdoor-specific features like navigation and more in-depth training features, a higher-end watch would be a better pick. 

Some of the updates from the previous version include nap tracking, a new Morning Report, and an AMOLED screen compared to the MIP screen on the vívoactive 4. It also includes a new wheelchair mode, which tracks pushes and workouts. The vívoactive 5 also starts at a lower price point ($300) than the vívoactive 4 ($350). 

With features like sleep scores and tracking, energy monitoring, and basic training statistics, the vívoactive 5 keeps you aware of any changes in your health or activity levels. The vívoactive 5 has up to 11 days of battery life in smartwatch mode and up to 5 days, with the AMOLED touchscreen in always-on mode. For those looking for a smartwatch with a little extra under the hood, the vívoactive 5 is an excellent option.

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Suunto Race

Check Price at REICheck Price at Backcountry

7.2

How we rate products ⓘ

Rating Details

• Activity Tracking and Accuracy
  7.0
• Battery Life
  7.0
• Training Data and Planning
  7.0
• Build Quality
  7.0

Specifications

• Size: 49 x 49 x 13.3 mm
• Weight: 70 g. (Titanium version)
• Battery: Lithium-ion
• Single-band GPS battery life: 50 hours in Endurance mode
• Global satellite networks: GPS, GLONASS, Galileo, QZSS, BeiDou
• Screen/Bezel: 1.4" sapphire crystal and stainless steel
• Navigation capable: Yes
• Barometric altimeter and compass: Yes
• Water resistance: 10 ATM (100m)

Pros

• Beautifully crisp and clear AMOLED display
• Digital dial for quick scrolling in and around maps
• Worldwide offline GPS maps
• Massive screen is easy to read
• Beautiful build quality, materials, and aesthetic

Cons

• No offline music via third-party streaming services like Spotify
• Unlabeled and unmarked maps

Cory Smith

Read Review: Suunto Race GPS Watch First-Look Review: Stunning Display, Serious Value

Hot on the heels of the already-impressive Vertical, the Suunto Race ($399) slides in hundreds less and better suited for the runners out there — all while boasting Suunto’s first AMOLED screen. This beautiful display is a showstopper and it’s not difficult to call this the best watch Suunto has ever made.

Like the split between MIP and AMOLED screens on otherwise similar watches, the Vertical and Race also share a lot of like features, but there’s also a good bit new on the Race. For example, the new digital crown bezel makes navigating through maps a breeze and moves away from the three-button layout for the Vertical.

HRV tracking has also been expanded to nightly surveying, and integrates with the newly added Suunto Coach functionality — synthesizing your workouts and providing feedback and suggestions.

The AMOLED screen can’t be ignored, however, and is a 466 x 466-pixel resolution unit that blows MIP screens out of the water when the light starts to wane. We especially noted this during map navigation, which is sharp when viewing turn-by-turn directions or zooming in or out of maps.

The processor on the Race is also top-notch, with none of the lagging that we’ve unfortunately dealt with on previous Suunto watches. Map and compass rotations are smooth, menu switching is clean, and post-workout screens flip through easily.

Like the Vertical, the Race has onboard map storage in either 16 GB or 32 GB capacities, depending on the variation you choose. These are non-routable maps, meaning your turn-by-turn route won’t update should you miss a fork in the trail, but the definition is still top-notch. The Suunto app allows for quick shuttling of maps over to the watch over Wi-Fi, and uses a smart map area picker that only downloads the sections you’ll need.

Stacked up next to the Garmin Forerunner 570 and Polar Vantage V3, the Race makes a compelling case for itself, with a much longer comparative battery life than the 265, and a more user-friendly button interface and app than the Vantage.

That beautiful screen will ding the battery life on the Race compared to the Vertical, however, with a 20-hour difference between both in the Endurance mode. Still, a full 40 hours in the highest-demand GPS mode is nothing to shake a stick at, and most runners will find this more than enough for weekend ultras.

For those engaged in endurance events, the Vertical’s longer battery life and available solar watch face may prove more tempting, but for casual and spirited runners alike, the Suunto Race has everything we’ve been wanting from a Suunto watch and more. It’s easy to say that this watch is well competitive with top-tier Garmin and COROS options, and we’re excited to see it.

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Fitness Watch Comparison Chart

How We Tested the Best Fitness Watches

Comparing fitness watches can be a fairly complicated task, as there is a blizzard of different sensors and metrics to compare. To truly gain a good understanding of each watch, it takes a solid week or more to accumulate the logged data. Thankfully, this is what we’re here for, and our in-house experts have the know-how to compare everything from the differences in optical heart rate monitors to dual-band satellite reception and tracking.

1. Field testing: When we truly hit the field, our testers aim to get each of these watches out for at least three different types of activity tracking modes — running, cycling, and swimming are our most commonly used.
2. Health data tracking and measurement: After this, we compare track lengths, measure heart rate data against dedicated chest-strap devices, challenge the satellite reception with difficult terrain, and run each of these watches completely dead — all in the name of winnowing out the chafe and finding the best fitness watches available today.
3. Battery charging and waterproofing tests: Recharging times from a completely discharged state are timed, as are discharge rates with watches in their lowest power consumption modes. Water resistance is also challenged with the help of our garden hose.
4. Our fitness watch rating system:
   • Activity Tracking & Accuracy: The variety, accuracy, and types of data collected during your activities is the whole point of a fitness watch, and we rank it highly whenever we run a unit through the paces. Besides looking at overall activity types and the information collected, we compare the watches against known standards such as running on a track or counting reps.
   • Battery Life: We specifically examine battery life when using GPS tracking to compare run times and aim for at least a solid day’s worth of battery power to earn a high score in this metric. Anything more than this puts the watch in the endurance category, and anything less means it’s likely a smartwatch with fitness features.
   • Training Data & Planning: Most fitness watches utilize data from your fitness activities to create personalized training plans, but the style and complexity of these plans can vary significantly. We look for advanced metrics that take into account your overall health, such as sleep tracking, as well as associated apps that allow you to input additional data, like food intake or adjust tracked activities.
   • Build Quality: Ultimately, we assess the overall build quality of these watches when rating them. Bezels and watch faces can vary in construction, with those sporting sapphire glass and titanium earning higher scores. We also look for high-quality optical heart rate monitors, straps, and charging solutions.

Our Testing Process and Testing Grounds

Our experts have crafted a detailed testing regimen that aims to compare these watches on a level playing field. It’s not uncommon for our testers to wear three or more watches at once to give them a fair shake.

From the start, we aim to use these watches in two broad field testing categories: gym work and outdoor activities. Our time in the gym provides us with deep insights into the nitty-gritty comparisons between watches when it comes to heart rate tracking and training suggestions, as well as the finer details, such as which watches count our reps the most accurately and which have the best sense of when we need to recover.

Our Expert Testers

GearJunkie knows fitness, and our testers know their watches. The team includes Cory Smith, an online running coach and freelance journalist with over 25 years of running and rock climbing experience. He’s an expert, from treadmills to shoes. 

Our most recent fitness watch update saw contributor Ilana Newman saddled with more watches than she has wrists to put them on, putting them through the paces in southwest Colorado while trail running, backcountry skiing, and working through daily fitness regimens. The San Juan mountains provided the perfect testing ground for this new generation of watches, and Newman is obsessed with training data and staying up to date on the newest outdoor gear.

Beyond their personal expertise, GearJunkie has solicited the opinions of fellow runners, hikers, and climbers. When the dust settled and the final grades came in, the list above represented the best fitness watches we could drum up. But know that fitness tech is constantly improving, and new functionalities are being added daily to some of these watches. As they improve, so does our coverage, and we’ll continue to test them.

Buyer’s Guide: How to Choose the Perfect Fitness Watch

The fitness watch market can be overwhelming. There are so many options — all of which might seem similar — that it can feel as though you need a college degree to tell them apart. 

While finding the best fitness watch for you does require some thought and research, this handy how-to-choose guide has all the essential information compiled so you can make the best decision for your fitness watch needs. 

We go into everything from GPS reception to how training data is used to provide health and performance predictions. Each brand of watch uses slightly different data and provides different features, each of which is more or less important to consumers. We’ll spell it all out for you so you can make an informed decision that works for your specific fitness, health, and performance goals.

Smartwatches, GPS Watches, and Fitness Trackers

There are three very distinct categories of watches, each with strengths and weaknesses. Smartwatches are basically small smartphones for your wrist where you can add apps and take calls without your phone.

The most popular smartwatches are Apple and Samsung Galaxy watches. Functionally, they’re geared toward convenience and health tracking, but they tend to fall short on battery life, GPS accuracy, and workout functionality.

GPS watches such as Garmin, COROS, Suunto, and Polar are designed primarily for workouts that require GPS functionality (running, cycling, hiking, swimming, etc.). They tend to have over triple the battery life of smartwatches and are very strong with workout features, metrics, and tracking.

While most will allow text and email messages, and many provide storage for music or access to streaming apps like Spotify, they’re limited in the scope of apps you can add and will not replace your smartphone.

Fitness trackers have the least functionality and only track health and fitness metrics such as resting and variable heart rate, sleep patterns, and steps. Most will need to stay connected to a phone for features like GPS tracking.

Activity Tracking

Today’s fitness watches can track just about any activity imaginable, ranging from running to indoor rock climbing and even surfing. We’ve found that watches labeled as “outdoor” or “multisport” not only tend to be able to track the more obscure activities but also do so with more detail and granularity. As a result, this increased level of functionality tends to come with a higher price tag.

Some more entry-level watches do allow you to create new activity profiles for sports that are not built-in, but most of the time these only allow you to track the basics like heart rate, time, etc. 

For example, while you could track rock climbing with the Garmin vívoactive 5, it does not have a specific profile for it, so you would only get basic data logged for that workout by using a different activity profile, such as cardio. The Garmin fenix 8, however, has specific rock climbing (indoor climbing, climbing, and bouldering) activity profiles that allow you to track each route, the grade of the route, and the length of each climb. 

Backcountry skiing is another specific activity that testers found lacking on some of the lower-end watches, as a session includes both uphill and downhill travel, logging it without a backcountry skiing-specific activity profile creates an inaccurate representation. Even using cross-country skiing as a substitute on the Fitbit Charge 6 did not provide the same overall picture as using a backcountry skiing profile on a watch like the Polar Vantage V3.

Depending on the brand and the activity being tracked, you will be able to see different data both during the activity and in the activity summary after completion. If the watch supports navigation, and you’re tracking an activity that involves moving, one screen will feature a map with your location. 

High-end Garmin watches like the fenix 8 series feature over 80 activity profiles with the ability to add more. The Polar Vantage V3 can hold up to 14 profiles on the watch and requires the Polar Flow app to edit or add more. COROS watches have about 30 activity profiles, but veer more toward technical outdoor activities instead of gym activities like Fitbit fitness trackers do. 

All the watches we tested tracked common activities such as walking, running (outdoor, trail, treadmill), outdoor and indoor cycling, yoga, elliptical, general strength, and cardio sessions. If there’s a less-common sport you’d like to track, we suggest checking the watch’s spec sheet to see if it’s covered.

Training and Coaching

As fitness watches have gotten better at tracking health and fitness data, companies have been able to use that data to give guidance on training. As a full-time running coach, our tester Cory Smith finds this particularly interesting.

He sees most runners struggle because they overtrain or undertrain. Garmin and Polar seem to have the best training and coaching insights, with COROS right behind them.

Garmin, as the leader in the field for training data and even coaching through the watch interface, has a few statistics that seem to be included across its newest watches, no matter how high-end it is. Even these baseline stats can provide a good overview of training readiness and recovery. 

Recovery time, for example, is included on both the vívoactive 5 and the fenix 8. Garmin’s recovery time uses data from your past workouts, including your recent and long-term training load and VO2 max. Other data, like sleep and stress tracking, can also impact recovery time.

Another now-standard piece of training data for Garmin is Heart Rate Variability Status (HRV), which tracks the time in between heartbeats to determine the level of stress your body is currently under, due to training load, life, lack of sleep, and more. 

Garmin also uses all of the data it constantly gathers during the day and activity tracking to provide workout suggestions. High-end watches, like the fenix 8 or Enduro 3, provide a specific workout each day in the Morning Report, with specific goals like “base building” based on past activities and current training status.

There’s also the option to set up Garmin Coach on any Garmin Watch, which uses the Garmin Connect app to choose a training goal — such as training for a half marathon — and Garmin Coach will provide a training plan over an allotted time. 

Polar uses similar data to provide data like Cardio Load Status, which looks at short-term training load (strain) versus long-term training load (tolerance) to determine the effect of your training (detraining, maintaining, productive, or overreaching).

Health Tracking

Health tracking is standard across fitness watches, from the most basic fitness tracker to the highest-end GPS watch.

Technology for health tracking has advanced a lot over the past few years, and certain features that used to be considered high-end are now available on just about every fitness watch, like SpO2 (blood oxygen saturation — measured through red and infrared light) and Heart Rate Variability. 

Every fitness watch measures heart rate and sleep, while some, like the Whoop Band 4.0, focus intensely on it. Additional health data, such as calories and hydration, are available on most watches we tested, but must be tracked manually. 

The Apple Watch provides heart health alerts for low or high heart rates and also allows for medication reminders. All fitness watches provide menstrual cycle tracking, and many have integrated mindfulness into their interfaces, like the Garmin vívoactive 5. 

Garmin watches now also track naps, along with overnight sleep. Each brand has its own way of summarizing a night of sleep, but most use a scale of 1-100 to rate the night of sleep while also tracking time asleep and sleep cycles. 

Health tracking features are generally standard across brands, but each brand has features that synthesize data in unique ways, like Garmin’s Body Battery and Fitbit’s Daily Readiness. 

Garmin’s Body Battery, for example, uses data from sleep, stress, rest, and physical activity to provide a score from 1 to 100 for physical energy. Your Body Battery will be highest upon waking and ebbs throughout the day, depending on activity and stress (measured through heart rate variability).

Some Garmin watches additionally provide insights such as “Easy Day: Your day has been easy so fa,r and you have plenty of energy left for exercise or activity.” Other brands have similar features with different interfaces.

Navigation and Mapping

If navigation and mapping are important to you, you’ll have to shell out some cash. You can get some basic navigation features like waypoint markers and tracking integrated into your phone without needing to go for top-of-the-line watches. But if you’re going to be using your watch off-grid and want to upload your own .gpx tracks, you’ll need to go for a higher-end Garmin, COROS, or Polar watch. 

Entry-level Garmin watches like the vívoactive 5 that include GPS but lack navigation often feature a back-to-start mode that allows you to use an on-screen compass to return to where you started recording without an on-screen map. 

Watches with full GPS navigational capability and onscreen maps, like the fenix 8, Polar Vantage 3, or COROS Apex 2 Pro all allow you to download maps and .gpx tracks for navigation. They all come with basic maps installed, and the ability to add maps is available through each brand’s app or website.

Garmin’s high-end watches like the fenix 8 have a navigational feature called ClimbPro that shows the remaining distance for a section of uphill travel. Garmin watches also include pre-downloaded ski resort maps for 2000 ski resorts worldwide.

Garmin, as well as COROS, includes off-track alerts as well as turn-by-turn directions to a predetermined location.

Smartwatch Features

If you want the most smartwatch features, an Apple Watch or similar will be the way to go. But most fitness trackers and GPS watches also include an assortment of smartwatch features. 

After Apple and Fitbit, Garmin has the best smartwatch features. Other brands, like Polar and COROS, forgo features like contactless payment for better heart rate tracking and outdoor-focused features. 

Pretty much all fitness watches sync with your phone and provide notifications for texts and other alerts — if you want. You can also turn this off if you’re in the camp that seeks fewer distractions. 

Many Garmin and COROS watches also feature offline music storage, while lower-end watches have compatibility with music streaming apps like Spotify and have music controls. All Garmin watches now feature Garmin Pay and have the ability to download many third-party apps for various additional features through the Garmin ConnectIQ store. Some watches, like the vívoactive 5, even allow you to respond to Android phone texts through the watch’s onscreen keyboard.

Accuracy and Sensors

Global Navigation Satellite Systems

Most GPS devices are accurate within 1-3%. In our testing, all GPS-focused brands (Garmin, COROS, Polar, and Suunto) performed equally in GPS connection and accuracy. Connection time varied from 10 seconds to a couple of minutes, while distance was within the 1-3% margin.

It’s important to remember that location has a lot to do with GPS connection and accuracy. Accuracy depends on multiple satellites communicating with each other freely and reporting back to the watch.

Distractions such as buildings, trees, cliffs, and clouds can affect the satellites’ ability to pinpoint the watch sensor. We suggest asking fellow athletes in the area where you’ll be working out to find out how their watch’s GPS performs.

GPS isn’t the only game in town when it comes to satellite navigation systems, and many new fitness watches are integrating other global systems to increase fidelity in their location technologies.

GLONASS is a Russian satellite navigation system that provides global positioning data in the same way that the GPS system does, and can provide more definition in high latitudes. Galileo is operated by the European Union and also offers full global coverage.

The BeiDou Satellite Navigation System is operated by China, and while originally only providing coverage to eastern Asia, it went global in 2020. And finally, QZSS, a Japanese system, provides coverage over the Asia-Oceania regions.

Because different satellite systems have undergone multiple generations of satellites, each operates on a different frequency than the last. These older satellites are still functional and provide more data that leads to a much higher fidelity signal when combined with one another. This is multi-band GNSS (Global Navigation Satellite System) technology, and more and more fitness watches today are incorporating it into their builds.

Barometric Altimeter and Compass

Most outdoor-focused fitness watches now come with barometric altimeters and compasses that support their navigational capabilities. This is where the older term ‘ABC’ watch comes from.

Barometric altimeters measure elevation through air pressure. They can also predict incoming storms and weather patterns.

Polar and Garmin both have options to set their watches to one of three settings: Automatic, Barometer, and Altimeter. ‘Barometer’ locks the watch in a mode where all changes in pressure will be considered due to weather and changes in ambient pressure, while ‘Altimeter’ considers all changes in pressure to be due to elevation change. Automatic determines the best mode for your current activity. 

Pretty much all fitness watches that include GPS, even without full navigational capabilities, include a compass. This allows for back-to-start navigation and basic orientation without service.

Heart Rate Monitors and Pulse Oximeters

Monitoring heart rate is one of the most basic features of any fitness watch or tracker, and pulse oximeters have become standard over the past few years. These two sensors allow users to monitor training strain and overall health. 

Each brand of watch uses a slightly different technology to analyze and interpret heart rate data, but they all use similar ways of measuring optical heart rate, known as photoplethysmography (PPG). A green light shines from the back of the watch, through your skin, and reflects off of red blood cells in your veins, measuring blood flow. 

Pulse oximeters measure blood oxygen content, which is most useful at high elevations to determine adjustment to altitude and performance ability. Fitness watches use red and infrared light to estimate the percentage of oxygen in your blood. While useful, especially for altitude training, watch pulse oximeters are not as reliable as fingertip pulse oximeters.

Battery Life

This is the most notable difference between smartwatches and GPS watches. On average, smartwatches need to be recharged every 24 to 48 hours, whereas GPS watches can last 5 to 20 days between charges.

These times are ever-increasing, thanks to the integration of solar charging on some of the more premium models. Solar charging, like with the Garmin fenix 8 or Enduro 3 uses a Power Sapphire lens to convert sunlight into power, extending the charge of your watch, depending on sun exposure.

Many factors influence how long your watch’s battery will last, including what you’re using it for. If you’re using GPS tracking (and single GPS versus multi-GNSS mode matters), your battery will die faster. Most watches advertise battery life with and without GPS. 

For example, the COROS Apex 2 Pro advertises 75 hours in GPS mode (GPS + QZSS) and 45 hours with five satellite systems (GPS, GLONASS, Galileo, Beidou, QZSS), and 30 days for daily use without GPS tracking. 

Charging time is relatively quick, with most offering a full charge in around 2 hours. If you’re like us and hate having to constantly charge yet another device, we recommend a GPS watch with a longer battery life.

Design

Size

Outdoor and multisport watches are often larger and heavier because of the sheer number of features (and extended battery life), so much so that they can look too big and awkward on small wrists. If you prefer a smaller size, most brands (including Garmin, COROS, and Polar) offer smaller versions of flagship models. 

Buttons and Dials

The physical design of watches varies across brands, with some using a two-, four-, or five-button layout, others using a dial and buttons, and others using no buttons at all. 

Garmin tends to have two-, four-, or five- buttons on its watches. Its lower-end watches tend to have fewer plastic buttons, and premium watches feature more metal buttons. Each button can be programmed as hotkeys (press and hold) to access various screens such as music controls, settings, timer, alarm, and more. In our testing, we found that the Garmin buttons feel intuitive, but the left-side buttons can be hard to reach. 

Polar uses a similar layout of buttons to Garmin, but we found the material used for its buttons to feel less satisfying and reliable when in use. 

COROS and Apple use a combination of buttons and dials. The dial is useful for looking through lists at a glance, while buttons help make choices and find more in-depth information. 

Most watches have ways to lock the button use, which can be convenient when you don’t want your watch to change screens. Fitbit, however, has mostly eliminated buttons and uses haptic sensors on one side of the Fitbit Charge 6. Testing found this to be much less reliable compared to buttons on other watches, but it does provide a simple design.

Displays and Touchscreens

Nowadays, most fitness watches feature touch screens, although some are still button-only. The type of screen depends on the watch and the brand.

There are two types of displays found on fitness watches — AMOLED (Active Matrix Organic Light Emitting Diodes) and MIP (Memory in Pixel). AMOLED displays are brighter and perform better in low light, but are not always great under direct sunlight. These are your smartwatch screens that look more like a smartphone. They also use up battery quickly when always on, so they usually are ‘lift’ or ‘tap’ to wake. 

MIP screens look duller at first glance, with colors showing up differently than on your phone. They use reflective LCD technology that depends on ambient light for visibility. This allows them to be always on and show up brighter in bright sunlight. They use less power than an AMOLED display. 

Outdoor-focused watches typically feature an MIP screen since this is the battery-friendly option and allows for better visibility outside, while smartwatches tend to have AMOLED displays. Some watches are even offered in both styles, such as the Garmin fenix 8.

The actual material used for a screen also matters, especially if you’re going to be using it for high-impact activities, or just tend to beat up your belongings. Sapphire glass is one material used by Garmin, Apple, and other watch brands that is incredibly crack and scratch-resistant. Another common material for fitness watch screens is mineral glass, which is cheaper but scratches more easily.

Watch Bands

Most fitness watches come with silicone watch bands that are easy to swap out. Depending on the type of watch, alternative watch bands can be found through the manufacturer or, depending on the type of watch, through third-party sites. You can choose between various textile, rubber, or even leather watch bands.

Silicone is the best for active use, although some designs do need to be cleaned and dried often to avoid the build-up of sweat and grime. Textiles or leather can look nicer.

User Experience, Ecosystem, and Apps

Perhaps as important as the fitness watch itself is the depth and strength of its ecosystem. An ecosystem is composed of the watch’s application, web portal, and supported third-party apps such as Strava and Spotify. To view your data, you’ll need to download an app on your phone.

As Garmin is the largest fitness watch company, it has the broadest and strongest sport-specific ecosystem. Garmin’s app and web portal, called Garmin Connect, displays just about all the performance and health metrics you need. Polar’s Flow app and web portal follow close behind Garmin, with COROS and Suunto following Polar. Amazfit’s Zepp app is a bit of an outlier, though it shows function and promise.

Price & Value

Price can give you a good measuring stick of the features of a watch, and there’s a pretty wide range when it comes to fitness watches, especially among different styles. Fitness trackers tend to be the cheapest, with smartwatches asking a bit more and GPS watches commanding the most.

Budget

The universe of fitness watches is a big place, but that doesn’t mean you have to drop a grand to get some solid fitness tracking ability. This is the realm of fitness trackers and light-duty smartwatches, as well as some budget-minded GPS watches that trim some of the extra functionality to hit a more approachable price. Expect these devices to track everyday metrics such as heart rate, calorie burn estimates, sleep data, and a number of different activities.

Entry-level fitness watches tend to cost between $150 and $300 and will typically track in GPS mode for between 20 to 40 hours. The COROS Pace 3 ($229) is at the top of the heap and leverages an energy-sipping MIP screen to do it. The Garmin vívoactive 5 ($300) won’t track for as long, but the sharp AMOLED screen is far better for folks using the watch indoors as much as outdoors.

Mid-Tier

If you’re an active person interested in more detailed fitness metrics such as your VO2 max and activity intensities, a mid-tier watch is likely the way to go. These watches tend to cost between $400 and $600 and will open up a great deal of training ability, as they often incorporate adaptive training programs that synthesize your tracking data and use it to inform your progress.

Spending a bit more opens up more software power and greater hardware. Heart rate sensors will have multiple LEDs to obtain a more accurate reading, and satellite chips will tap into a greater number of global satellite networks and sometimes additional satellite bands as well.

The COROS Apex 2 Pro ($449) is our favorite mid-tier watch at the moment, as it piles on the functionality with a built-in barometer, altimeter and compass, on-watch navigation, and some mapping features.

Premium

If you’re an ultra-racer who needs extended battery life for into-the-night endeavors or a multi-sport athlete who needs extended specialized functionalities like depth alarms for diving or heart rate variability, then spending the dough to get a one-and-done watch can make a lot of sense. These watches often have larger bezels to accommodate bigger batteries, and with them, GPS-tracking times between 60 and 90 hours. Solar screens are also available, helping to keep your watch topped off.

The Garmin fenix 8 ($1,100) is near the top of the price range, but for good reason — it’s got nearly anything you could want. Flagship watches like this sport the most activities tracked (80+), receive dual-band GNSS data, and have user-programmable buttons and touchscreens. The Apple Watch Ultra ($799) is certainly premium when it comes to smartwatches, and the Garmin Enduro 3 ($899) boasts huge battery life numbers.

Frequently Asked Questions

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When I was training for my first triathlon, every morning started with a several-hundred-yard swim in the pool at my gym. Staring at that black line at the bottom of the pool, lap after lap, my mind went numb. Then I got a waterproof iPod Shuffle from this new company called H2O Audio, and my boredom issue was solved. 

Ten years later, H2O Audio is still providing swimmers with audio, but now its focus is on headphones. The company’s latest waterproof bone conduction headphone, the Sonar 2 Pro ($150), is about half the size of its predecessor, stores up to 8 hours of music, and offers clear sound and solid bass underwater. 

In short: If swimming endless laps in a pool drives you mad with boredom, the H2O Audio Sonar 2 Pro could be the perfect solution. With excellent sound quality, a long battery life, and a secure hold on your goggles, these waterproof headphones deliver.

Compare the H2O Audio Sonar Pro 2 to the other bone conduction headphones we tested in our Best Bone Conduction Headphones Buyer’s Guide.

H2O Audio Sonar 2 Pro

$112 at Amazon

8.1

How we rate products ⓘ

Rating Details

• Audio
  9.0
• Controls
  7.0
• Battery Life
  8.0
• Value
  8.0

Specifications

• Battery: Up to 10 hrs.
• Weight: 29 grams
• Water resistance: IPX8
• Microphone: One waterproof mic
• Connectivity type: Bluetooth 5.3

Pros

• Excellent sound underwater
• Secure hold on goggles
• Loud bass
• Simple, intuitive controls

Cons

• Uploading audio is time-consuming
• Useful almost exclusively for swimming

Billy Brown

H2O Audio Sonar 2 Pro Review

Brand Background

H2O Audio started out as a company that would waterproof iPod Shuffles, Kindles, and resell them, as well as waterproof device cases that connected with wired headphones that work underwater. With the development of Bluetooth and wireless streaming, H2O Audio pivoted to focusing on better and better waterproof headphones that delivered quality audio underwater. 

How I Tested the H2O Audio Sonar 2 Pro  

I moved from swim training to powerlifting after my last swim event, which means I haven’t been in the pool much lately. So I recruited competitive swimmer and triathlete Sheri Christie to put the Sonar 2 Pro through its paces. 

Sheri swam three or four times a week, wearing the headphones and evaluating them based on sound quality, stability, comfort, and ease of use. She tried different strokes (freestyle, butterfly, etc.) to test the Sonar 2 Pro’s stability.

Key Features

First off, the Sonar 2 Pro is rated IPX8, which means you can swim with it without worry. It’s also a marked difference from the H2O Audio headphones we included in our Best Running Headphones buyers guide, the H2O Audio Tri 2 Pro ($200). The Tri 2 Pro’s over-the-ear design makes it ideal for not only swimming but dry land activities like running as well (I use them daily in my cold plunge).

The Sonar 2 Pro is designed to clip onto a swimmer’s goggles or to fit underneath a swim cap, so it’s made specifically for the pool. 

Through H2O Audio’s PLAYLIST+ feature, users can upload 8 hours of music, podcasts, or audiobooks, so you don’t need to be near your phone to use them. The bone-conduction audio delivery is clear and powerful, so you can hear the audio underwater.

It’s also just over half the size of the first Sonar for a more streamlined swim profile. The battery life has also been improved over the first iteration, with up to 10 hours of continuous play. 

The Good 

One of the biggest challenges with creating swimming headphones is delivering sound that is clear through the swooshes and gurgles that come with a swim workout. Sheri was happy to report that these headphones delivered that clear sound in spades. “The sound is so clear when underwater,” she said. “I actually had to turn down the volume because the bass hit so hard!” 

When I first unboxed the Sonar 2 Pro, I was skeptical that the small clips on the side would hold the headphones in place, but after a few swims, Sheri couldn’t knock them loose. “The headphones didn’t budge at all while flipping,” she said. “They also didn’t move when I swam with fins or did the butterfly stroke — they are solid.” 

Another potential concern I had was that the headphones would feel uncomfortable when tucked underneath the goggle straps or swim cap, but they weren’t noticeable at all during testing — the only thing you’ll notice is the music. 

The three-button controls are simple and intuitive. With a little bit of practice before getting into the pool, switching tracks, controlling the volume, and pausing the music were no problem. 

Overall, swimming with the H2O Audio Sonar 2 Pro was a hit with my tester. They felt extremely stable, the audio was crystal clear, and the controls were easy to use. Having music to listen to actually helped her drop her 100-yard pace during a 3,000-yard swim from 1:55 to 1:39. She’s already experimenting with music that will speed up her cadence. 

The Bad

The main issue that our tester had with the Sonar 2 Pro concerns uploading audio. Since Bluetooth doesn’t work well underwater, the PLAYLIST+ feature requires you to download H2O Audio’s app and manually upload the songs/podcasts/audiobooks. 

While this is a useful feature because it means you don’t need to have your phone near you when you swim, the process itself is fairly time-consuming. In a nutshell, you need to create a playlist in your music app, then play the entire playlist through so the headphones can record everything. Hopefully, there will be a drag-and-drop feature sometime in the future. 

Also, these headphones are basically two independent headphones connected with a flexible strap. This means you need something (like goggles) to clip them to in order to use them, so unless you clip them to a hat or headband, you’re not going to be able to run or cycle with them. If you want a pair of headphones that aren’t exclusively for swimming, check out the H2O Audio Tri 2 Pro.

H2O Audio Sonar 2 Pro: Final Thoughts

With a small profile, long battery life, and top-notch underwater sound, the H2O Audio Sonar 2 Pro ($150) is ideal for adding audio to your swim workouts. The headphones lock securely to your goggles regardless of what stroke you use, and the audio is top-tier (once you power through the arduous uploading process). 

Its goggle mounting system makes it work almost exclusively for swimming, so triathletes may want to go with something a little more versatile. But if you’re looking to alleviate the boredom of swimming endless laps in the pool or you want some extra motivation to hit some distance PRs, the H2O Audio Sonar 2 Pro is an excellent option.

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While not as well-known as dumbbells and barbells, kettlebell weights are among the most versatile and (dare we say) fun pieces of workout equipment you’ll find. With their simple design (it’s basically a ball of metal with a handle), the best kettlebells offer an incredible array of uses in the fitness world.

Kettlebell weights range from 2.5 pounds to over 200 pounds, and many kettlebell movements can work every muscle in the body. Thought to have been developed in Russia in the late 1800s, strength devices similar to kettlebells have been found as far back as the halteres used in ancient Greece.

In recent years, kettlebells have recently come back into the spotlight. Their versatility has made them standard pieces of equipment in HIIT training, CrossFit workouts, and home gyms worldwide. We looked at some of the best kettlebells you can buy for your home gym, from lightweight offerings for beginners to standard competition bells for advanced athletes.

This guide will help you choose the perfect kettlebell, considering ability, ease of use, and budget. To wrap up our roundup, you’ll find our helpful Price & Value section, Buyer’s Guide, and frequently asked questions at the end of the guide.

Editor’s Note: For our October 30, 2025, update, we added our new favorite coated kettlebell, the Nike Rubber Coated Kettlebell. We also added ratings to each product to help you choose the right kettlebell for your needs

The Best Kettlebells for 2025

• Best Overall Kettlebell: Eleiko Competition Kettlebell 
• Best Budget Kettlebell: Amazon Basics Cast Iron Kettlebell Weight
• Best Coated Kettlebell: Nike Rubber Coated Kettlebell
• Best Adjustable Kettlebell: Bowflex SelectTech 840
• Best Beginner Kettlebell Set: Best Choice 3-Piece Kettlebell Set

Best Overall Kettlebell

Eleiko Competition Kettlebell

Check price at eleiko

9.5

How we rate products ⓘ

Rating Details

• Grip
  9.5
• Weight Range
  9.0
• Durability
  9.0
• Value
  8.0

Specifications

• Material: Powder-coated cast iron
• Handle: Bare cast iron
• Weight range: 8-32 kg in 4 kg increments

Pros

• Exceptional build
• Same size across the weight spectrum
• Flat sides
• Wide handle

Cons

• Pricey
• Sells out quickly

Billy Brown

When a design is as simple as a kettlebell, it’s the details that make the Eleiko Competition Kettlebell ($80-215) stand out. These steel kettlebells are all the same size regardless of weight, providing users with the same workout experience every time they pick one up. Eleiko achieves this by using hollow interiors with fillers to hit the desired weight.

The wide handle provided plenty of room for two hands when the workout called for high-rep kettlebell swings. The flat top of the handle was also extremely comfortable during farmer carries and pushups. One of our favorite details during testing was the pitted handle, which provided a secure grip, even when our hands were slick with sweat. 

Additionally, the coated sides were surprisingly comfortable when resting on forearms. This is handy for overhead movements like shoulder presses and Turkish Get-Ups. As a nice touch, the logo is painted on instead of stamped on, eliminating bumps that can bruise or irritate forearms and wrists when the kettlebell goes overhead.

For athletes interested in kettlebell competitions, these bells are not only the required uniform size regardless of weight, but they’re also calibrated to be weight-accurate to within 200 g.

Of all the bells we’ve worked out with, the Eleiko Competition Kettlebell is by far the most comfortable and easy to use. They are on the higher side of the price range, but you get what you pay for in this case.

Best Budget Kettlebell

Amazon Basics Cast Iron Kettlebell

$64 at Amazon

7.5

How we rate products ⓘ

Rating Details

• Grip
  8.0
• Weight Range
  8.0
• Durability
  6.0
• Value
  8.0

Specifications

• Material: Cast iron
• Handle: Cast iron
• Weight range: 10-60 lbs. in 5- to 10-lb. increments

Pros

• Low price
• Comfortable grip
• Flat sides

Cons

• Inconsistent quality
• Narrow weight range

Billy Brown

If you’re building your gym on a budget, the Cast Iron Kettlebell ($22-71) from Amazon Basics is a great choice for the price. While similar in price to the higher-end kettlebells on this list, Amazon’s free shipping and returns with Prime make it a great buy.

Made from solid cast iron, the bell itself is extremely durable. The painted exterior is textured and helps prevent corrosion. We appreciate the wide, textured grip, which easily fits both hands even on the smallest bell. The bottom is flat to prevent wobble, and the sides are flat for comfort on overhead movements.

The only issues we’ve had with the Cast Iron Kettlebell Weight are with the build quality. Some come in with sharp ends left on the handles from the casting process, which can lead to discomfort and cuts during high-repetition workouts. These small protrusions can also occur on the bottom of the bell, making the kettlebell less stable when doing deficit pushups on it.

These aren’t issues regarding design, however. They’re more of an issue in the process, so these occurrences are rare. If they do happen, Amazon has an excellent return and exchange policy.

Best Coated Kettlebell

Nike Rubber Coated Kettlebell

Check Price at Dick's Sporting GoodsCheck Price at Nike Strength

8.1

How we rate products ⓘ

Rating Details

• Grip
  9.0
• Weight Range
  7.0
• Durability
  8.0
• Value
  7.0

Specifications

• Material: Iron ore with rubber coating
• Handle: Powder-coated iron ore
• Weight range: 9, 13, 18, 26, 35, 44, 53 lbs.

Pros

• Wide handle window
• Grippy handle
• Flat bottom
• Rubber coating protects floor
• Recessed logo and text

Cons

• Weight tops out at 53 lbs.

Billy Brown

Read Review: Nike Rubber Coated Kettlebell Review: Gym Floor-Friendly Equipment for Versatile Workouts

Nike is a pillar of the sports world, so it was only a matter of time before the company ventured into the fitness equipment game. If the Nike Kettlebell ($52-$158) is any indication, Nike’s place in the gym is going to expand beyond footwear and apparel. 

The 35 lb Nike Rubber Coated Kettlebell that I tested has a handle that’s about 5.5 inches from one top corner to the other, which is impressive for a smaller kettlebell. During swings, my hands barely touched each other, and I’m sure that with the larger kettlebells, they wouldn’t touch at all. Plus, the powder coating on the handle made it feel very grippy. 

Made with a solid cast iron bell coated in Nike’s Grind recycled rubber and available in weights from 9 pounds to 53 pounds, the Nike Rubber Coated Kettlebell adds quite a bit of grip to movements like kettlebell squats. The rubber coating is also safer on floors, which home gym owners will appreciate.

If you’re looking for a kettlebell heavier than 53 pounds, you’ll have to look elsewhere. But if you’re not training for your next strongman competition, Nike’s max weight of 53 pounds should be enough for most CrossFit workouts.

Best Adjustable Kettlebell

Bowflex SelectTech 840

$149 at Amazon

7.5

How we rate products ⓘ

Rating Details

• Grip
  7.5
• Weight Range
  6.0
• Durability
  6.0
• Value
  8.0

Specifications

• Material: Plastic, cast iron
• Handle: Iron
• Weight range: 8-40 lbs in varying increments

Pros

• Saves space
• Cheaper alternative to buying multiple kettlebells
• Easy to switch weights

Cons

• Bulky
• Weights can rattle in the bell
• Uncomfortable in overhead or one-handed movements

Billy Brown

If you want a set of kettlebells but don’t have the room for a whole rack of weights, Bowflex’s SelectTech 840 ($149) is a great option. This system can go from 8 to 40 pounds with the twist of a dial. Weight options are 8, 12, 20, 25, 35, and 40 pounds. Basically, this system gives you six kettlebells but takes up the space of one.

The weights switch quickly and easily with a turn of the dial. This is great for adjusting for different movements or even slightly dropping the weight for your last set.

The design makes it more fragile. It’s not likely to survive a drop, especially when fully loaded. And the larger size makes it feel awkward in overhead or ab movements like Russian Twists.

Overall, Bowflex’s SelectTech 840 is a convenient way to store multiple weights in a small space. Just make sure not to drop that bad boy.

Best Kettlebell for Beginners

Best Choice 3-Piece Kettlebell Set

$50 at Amazon

7

How we rate products ⓘ

Rating Details

• Grip
  6.0
• Weight Range
  3.0
• Durability
  8.0
• Value
  8.0

Specifications

• Material: Coated concrete
• Handle: Coated concrete
• Weight range: 5, 10, and 15 lbs

Pros

• Great for beginners
• Price
• Comes with storage rack

Cons

• Limited weight set
• Too light for experienced athletes

Billy Brown

For beginners, it can be good to start small. The Best Choice 3-Piece Kettlebell Set ($50) Set from Best Choice is a solid option for people who are just starting out. This set comes with three kettlebells weighing 5, 10, and 15 pounds, along with a storage rack. These weights work well for newbies who want to dial their form down before they go bigger.

They are also ideal for HIIT classes that require lightweight and high repetitions. The three bells allow you to go heavier as you progress, and the low cost allows you to upgrade without breaking the bank.

The Best Choice 3-Piece Kettlebell Set will likely be too light for experienced athletes. But if you’re just starting out, this set is a great option.

Best of the Rest

Rogue Kettlebells

Check price at Rogue

8.1

How we rate products ⓘ

Rating Details

• Grip
  8.0
• Weight Range
  9.0
• Durability
  8.0
• Value
  7.0

Specifications

• Material: Powder-coated iron ore
• Handle: Powder-coated iron ore
• Weight range: 9-203 lbs. in varying increments

Pros

• Solid build
• Void-free surface
• Matte finish
• Weights up to 203 lbs.

Cons

• Pricey
• The coating occasionally degrades and flakes after a few years of use

Billy Brown

The standard kettlebell in almost every CrossFit gym, Rogue Kettlebells ($35-320) are known for their solid build and durability. Cast from high-quality iron ore (not scrap) in a single piece, these are almost impossible to break.

Over almost a decade of working with these bells, we have seen these dropped from varying heights on to concrete, thrown through drywall, and accidentally thrown into each other. We have yet to see one take any damage. You’re basically working out with a cannonball.

The black powder coat finish is durable and feels more natural than an epoxy finish. It is pitted and grippy and holds chalk well. The wide, flat base keeps the bell stable and prevents wobble on the floor.

Rogue Fitness has one of the best reputations in the fitness industry for the quality and build of its products, and its kettlebell is a prime example. This popularity and the price of the premium materials also mean they’re on the higher side when it comes to price. The good news is that you’ll never need to replace one.

If you’re looking to add equipment that will last a lifetime and add some street cred to your garage, Rogue Kettlebells are a great choice.

Technogym Kettlebell

Check price at Techno Gym

Rating Details

• Grip
  5.0
• Weight Range
  8.0
• Durability
  8.0
• Value
  5.0

Specifications

• Material: Rubber-coated cast iron
• Handle: Bare pitted stainless steel
• Weight range: 4-24 kg in 4-kg increments

Pros

• Tough rubber coating
• Smooth, comfortable grip
• Durable rubber coating
• Tough rubber coating
• Smooth, comfortable grip
• Durable rubber coating

Cons

• Handle can become slippery when wet.
• Inconsistent handle diameters
• Top weight is 24kg

Billy Brown

Kettlebells provide a great workout but can be hell on garage or living room floors if you don’t lay down horse stall mats or thick workout mats. The Technogym Kettlebell ($100-305) is the highest-quality option if you want to keep your hardwood floor dent-free. While it’s not the cheapest coated kettlebell, this rubber-coated kettlebell is extremely durable and well-built.

Plus, the textured rubber coating (versus the more common vinyl coating), comes with a few interesting perks. First, we’ve found it’s more durable than vinyl — we didn’t see any cracking or abrasion after a few months of use. 

Additionally, the rubber feels slightly softer when performing overhead movements. During kettlebell snatch workouts, the exterior provided a touch of padding when our tester’s form slipped and the bell whacked against his forearm. 

During Turkish Get-Ups, the rubber exterior prevented the bell from sliding around as we worked through our reps. This made the sketchy movements feel much more stable and failed reps less likely. 

And unlike other coated bells, which tend to feel cheaper, the Technogym Kettlebell’s clean lines and textured coating gave our tester’s home gym an upscale feel. Less expensive options exist for floor-friendly kettlebells, but they don’t exude quality like this one does.

Bionic Body Soft Kettlebell

$95 at Amazon

6.5

How we rate products ⓘ

Rating Details

• Grip
  6.0
• Weight Range
  6.5
• Durability
  7.0
• Value
  7.0

Specifications

• Material: Weighted core with padded faux leather
• Handle: Painted steel
• Weight range: 10-40 lbs. in 5-lb. increments

Pros

• Soft body
• Safe for floors

Cons

• Slippery handle
• Weights may vary by several pounds
• Not as durable as metal kettlebells

Billy Brown

If you want to protect your floors (and yourself), the Bionic Body Soft Kettlebell ($40-140) is an option. The leather bag and weighted filling are much softer than traditional metal kettlebells. The large handle fits both hands for swings. It’s smoother than most handles we’ve tried, so there’s a greater risk of slipping. A bit of tape on the handle will solve this without issue.

The softer body is great for working out on hardwood floors, as the bottom won’t scratch it when you set it down or drop it. It’s also much safer for working on tile or concrete floors, since dropping it won’t chip or crack surfaces. Also, the soft body felt great against the forearms on overhead movements during testing.

We’ve seen reports of the delivered weight being off by 2 or 3 pounds, and the faux leather definitely shows wear more than cast iron. But if you want a kettlebell that will keep damage to yourself and your home to a minimum, the Bionic Body Soft Kettlebell is a great bell for you.

Kettle Gryp

$35 at Amazon

Rating Details

• Grip
  7.0
• Weight Range
  9.0
• Durability
  6.0
• Value
  7.0

Specifications

• Material: High Impact ABS Plastic
• Handle: High Impact ABS Plastic
• Weight range: Varies depending on dumbbell

Pros

• Great for travel
• Good option if you already have dumbbells

Cons

• Requires slight changes in form
• You need to already have dumbbells

Billy Brown

The Kettle Gryp ($35) is a great option if you already have a set of dumbbells lying around. This device clips around the handle of any dumbbell and turns it into a makeshift kettlebell. It’s easy to pack, so it works well for frequent travelers who don’t want to skip their kettlebell training in a hotel gym.

At $35, it adds versatility to a rack of dumbbells. And it basically gives you a full set of kettlebells that take up no additional space.

The handle wraps and secures around the grip of a dumbbell. This adds a kettlebell-style handle to the dumbbell, making it useful for swings, snatches, and other movements. While they’re a great space-saver, it’s good to note that the dumbbell has a wider profile than the body of traditional kettlebells.

During kettlebell swings, we had to stand with an extremely wide stance to allow the dumbbell to pass through our legs without bruising our thighs. It definitely took some getting used to. 

It also prevented the natural rotation on kettlebell snatches. A round kettlebell rotates around the wrist as you drive it overhead. A dumbbell is too oblong for this, so we had to flip the weight up over our hands to let it whack our forearms. Not ideal.

Those issues aside, the Kettle Gryp could be a perfect solution for a frequent traveler who is working on a dedicated kettlebell program. Plus, it’s a lot cheaper than buying a rack of kettlebells for your home gym.

Kettlebell Comparison Chart

How We Tested Kettlebells

Our Expert Tester

When he’s not writing, Affiliate Managing Editor Billy Brown is a competitive CrossFit athlete and powerlifter, former gym owner, and personal trainer. His training crosses many disciplines, including frequent and proper use of a kettlebell. 

He used his decades of fitness experience and extensive testing to assess these and other kettlebells in order to develop this list. 

Our Testing Process

All of the kettlebells considered for this buyer’s guide were put through weeks of testing in both home gym and commercial gym settings. Each one was taken through various kettlebell workouts as well as CrossFit workouts by multiple athletes. 

They were evaluated for grip, balance, and feel over the course of movements like kettlebell swings, Turkish Get-Ups, snatches, goblet squats, and other movements. Durability was assessed based on daily wear-and-tear as well as specific tests like dropping the weights from overhead, (carefully) tossing the kettlebells across the gym, and repeatedly dropping the kettlebells into a pile of weights. 

Our Kettlebell Rating System

Each kettlebell in this guide was tested and scored in four main categories: Grip, Weight Range, Durability, and Value.

Value considers how well a kettlebell performs for its price, factoring in comfort, durability, weight range, and price. A budget-friendly option can score high here if it delivers strong performance for the cost.

Grip evaluates how comfortable, roomy, and grippy the handle is. For kettlebells, this is hugely important because you’re generally swinging the weights around. How well a handle maintains its grip in sweaty conditions goes a long way in how highly it ranks. Same with a wider handle window: If a handle has enough room to comfortably fit both hands, it received higher marks.

Weight Range considers what sizes are available for the kettlebell. Usually, eight pounds to 53 pounds is the benchmark, with higher marks going towards kettlebells that offer weights of 70 pounds or more.

Durability looks at build quality and reliability over time, including materials, ruggedness, resistance to drops, and whether the kettlebell will hold up over years of abuse.

The overall score is not a simple average of these categories. Instead, it reflects my editorial judgment based on the complete user experience. That means a less durable kettlebell with an extremely high weight range can still score high, while a kettlebell with a lower weight range might rank higher for its beginner-friendliness.

Buyer’s Guide: How to Choose the Best Kettlebells

Weight

Kettlebells come in a wide range of weights. You can find kettlebells from 2.5 to over 200 pounds; choosing the right one for you can be daunting. If your budget can swing it, shoot for a lighter kettlebell for higher rep workouts and a heavy one for strength-based workouts.

“Light” and “heavy” are relative terms, however. The standard prescribed weight in CrossFit is 53 pounds for men and 35 pounds for women. If you’re new to working out, consider lighter bells. Something in the 15- to 25-pound range should work for most beginners.

Handle

As your main point of contact with the kettlebell, the handle is an important consideration. Two things to factor in are grip and hand space. The first thing to look at is the size of the handle. The main movement with kettlebells is the kettlebell swing. This entails gripping the handle with both hands and swinging it from between your legs to eye level or overhead.

That said, you’re going to need enough room to grab the handle with both hands. Most kettlebell handles are roomy enough for this (all the ones on this list do), but some don’t. Luckily, this is a serious offense in the kettlebell community. So it should be easy to find out in online reviews.

Also, consider the handle’s grip. A smooth grip may feel good initially, but it can get slippery. This is an especially big deal with heavy kettlebells. Consider a pitted or textured handle. These not only provide more grip, but they also retain chalk better for extra friction.

Vinyl-Coated vs. Non-Coated

The question of vinyl-coated versus non-coated is really a matter of whether or not you plan to use your kettlebell in your home. Vinyl is a potential weak point since it can tear off after vigorous use or drops. If you plan to use your kettlebell in the garage, you’re probably going to be rough with it, so go for a non-coated kettlebell. If you’re using your kettlebell in the house, vinyl is a good choice.

Vinyl coating works well as a protectant for the floor and other surroundings. It also damps the noise when you set it down. Also, you will likely be treating your kettlebell more gingerly (no tossing it on the ground when you’re done with it). So it’s less likely that you’ll find a way to tear the coating.

Price & Value

You can expect to pay just over a dollar a pound for a good kettlebell from a well-known brand. You can go with off-brand cheap kettlebells from a less established brand, but you may be sacrificing quality.

Budget

The biggest factor when it comes to cost is how much a kettlebell weighs. The heavier it is, the pricier the kettlebell. However, you can cut some of the cost by going with off-brand kettlebells which usually can be found for under $100. Like our budget pick, the Amazon Basics Cast Iron Kettlebell, which tops out at $71 for the 60-pound weight. Or, if you already have some dumbbells, you can convert them into kettlebells with the Kettle Gryp, which costs $35 and adds a kettlebell handle to most standard dumbbells.

Mid-Tier

Mid-tier kettlebells usually cost anywhere between $100 and $150. These kettlebells are usually made with uniform weight, non-slip handles, and durable materials like iron ore or cast iron. You can buy or top pick Eleiko Competition Kettlebells, with their excellent grip and uniform bell diameter, weighing up to 44 pounds for $135 or less. Or, if you’re tight on space, the Bowflex SelectTech 840 ($149) changes weight from 8 to 40 pounds, all in one kettlebell.

Premium

If you’re looking for a heavier kettlebell, you’ll be paying premium prices. Rogue Kettlebells go up to 205 pounds, with the 205-pounder costing a hefty $320 (not including shipping). Premium materials can also raise the price, as the heaviest Technogym Kettlebell is only 53 pounds, but its grippy stainless steel handle and rubber-coated cast iron bell bump the cost up to $305.

Kettlebells can be pricey, especially if you’re looking for a durable or competition bell. The heavier you go, the more expensive they get. Especially when you consider shipping costs. Rogue Fitness’s 200-pound kettlebell costs $250, plus another $250 for shipping.

You can expect to pay just over a dollar a pound for a good kettlebell from a well-known brand. You can go with off-brand cheap kettlebells from a less established brand, but the quality of construction may be compromised.

Frequently Asked Questions