Speed Platform in the UK

[iFortunatus]

Hi All,

You probably get this all the time I have been looking over these forums for weeks and haven't found the answer so I'm just going to ask and hopefully some of you can help me out.

Now from what I read this type of platform is the one I want and should be getting.

http://www.sugarrays.co.uk/shop/rbk-speedball-platform.html

the Reebok one it the only platform off this type I can find in the UK at £345

http://www.balazsboxing.com/cgi-bin/catalog2.cgi?action=page&page=gear|i-box%20series

I-box which I hear everyone likes $229 (£145) but it's $500 shipping to the UK which is unreal

http://store.titleboxing.com/title-platinum-adjustable-platform-12.html

http://store.titleboxing.com/fighting-sports-pro-adjustable-speed-platform.html

Both the Title + Fighting sports one is $300 Although shipping is only $90 on this Title website, I done some quick maths and I can get either 1 of these platforms, 2 Title speedbags and a U hook swivel, which shipping to UK will work out at £300 for me.

I just wanted some advice if I should order from Title and if so which platform off the two I should go for, makes more sense to me ordering that with 2 speedbags than ordering the reebok one which costs more and 0 bags.

Many thanks in advance any help is appreciated!

[paranday]

With those prices I'd be tempted by a paradox -- one of the most solid platform types tends to be the least expensive. Are you able to construct a ceiling mounted platform as in this video?

In this case it's just a round board fastened to the floor joists in a basement. Yours for a song.

[Speedbag]

Hi All,

You probably get this all the time I have been looking over these forums for weeks and haven't found the answer so I'm just going to ask and hopefully some of you can help me out.

Now from what I read this type of platform is the one I want and should be getting.

http://www.sugarrays.co.uk/shop/rbk-speedball-platform.html

the Reebok one it the only platform off this type I can find in the UK at £345

http://www.balazsboxing.com/cgi-bin/catalog2.cgi?action=page&page=gear|i-box%20series

I-box which I hear everyone likes $229 (£145) but it's $500 shipping to the UK which is unreal

http://store.titleboxing.com/title-platinum-adjustable-platform-12.html

http://store.titleboxing.com/fighting-sports-pro-adjustable-speed-platform.html

Both the Title + Fighting sports one is $300 Although shipping is only $90 on this Title website, I done some quick maths and I can get either 1 of these platforms, 2 Title speedbags and a U hook swivel, which shipping to UK will work out at £300 for me.

I just wanted some advice if I should order from Title and if so which platform off the two I should go for, makes more sense to me ordering that with 2 speedbags than ordering the reebok one which costs more and 0 bags.

Many thanks in advance any help is appreciated!

Hi iFortunatus. Welcome to the forum.

In your situation, living in UK and looking at your choices, I would recommend staying with the most local vendor, Sugarrays. As a wall unit it is probably equal to the others but you won't have to wait as long and if anything has a problem it will be easier to remedy.

As for speed balls (speed bags over here on our side) I'd say you could do very well locally with the lonsdales, which several on this forum have rated very highly. That fighting Sports and cleto reyes are great bags also, and getting them locally might be a lot less problem if you open a new bag and it leaks, or is mis-shaped.

So IMO you could get a great setup from your local UK vendor.

I would recommend you invest in one item from the US, and that is one of the custom made ballhook swivels from several forum members.

Jumpcannon (evil swivel)

MsDeville ( Deville #13)

both are excellent swivels. the main diffence I can see is the sound. the JC swivel has that familiar sound of metal hitting metal, a bit deeper and more pleasing than other ballhook models.

The Deville model pretty much has the sound of silence. You will hear the bag contact the board a lot more than any sound from the swivel.

If you planning to hit an area where noise is no problem, than either will work great. If the sound made by your punching will be a problem, then the Deville might be your better choice.

Both send to UK.

hope this helps.

[MsDeville]

Welcome to the forum, iFortunatas!

Well, everyone has their own opinion on speed ball/bag platforms. Here's my opinion. My partner, who has built numerous home-constructed platforms for a number of years, has come to the conclusion that most of the manufactured speed bag platforms do not eliminate the vibration caused when striking the bag against the drum. And vibration is one of the worst enemies for a speed bagger.

Having a satisfactory platform also depends on where and how it is mounted. If the wall that it is mounted on is weak, then there will be vibration. If there isn't sufficient weight on top of the drum, there will be vibration and more noise. If the metal that is attached to the wood drum is not designed and placed strategically on the platform, the drum can vibrate.

If you can find a platform that has the metal coming all the way to the END of the drum (see attached photo), you will be better off purchasing it over one of the speed bag models that displays that V-shape of metal coming only to the center of the drum.



This platform is available at Pro-Box.co.uk for £92.99. I think the same model is available at Sugarrays for £80.00.

http://www.pro-box.co.uk/index.php

With a little additional tweaking, it might be a good purchase. If you mount it on a wall and then put a 2"x4" length of wood attached to the wall and angling down to the far edge of the drum on top to brace it, it would probably be pretty sturdy. (And then add some weight on top.) See image:



The drum itself needs to be made of a dense material in order to have good rebounding quality. But it's easy to solve this issue by simply attaching a 1"-thick round of hardwood to an existing drum.


Here are some photos that Kyle (a forum member) built and he has the right idea in regards to properly bracing the drum:



Here is a link of my current homemade platform. The octagon shape of the metal makes a huge difference in the rebound quality of my speed bagging. My speed bag strikes against the drum that is secured all the way around the drum, giving me great rebound of the bag. I can face any direction and feel confident that the bag will strike front and back with equal striking power.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZKMKrlPHa68

Here is a photo of my platform. It's very compact, and is only 12" in height. If you're industrious, or know someone who welds, you can always make your own…




I hope this makes sense.
Good luck to you in your pursuit of finding a quality platform at a good price.