CENTURY WAVEMASTER XXL-RED(PK OF 2) BASE:10176B

We have experience using this particular model in decades past. It is well built, and with sand in the base holds up well to punching and kicking without toppling over. It is exactly what we wanted.

I bought the Century Wavemaster XXL after looking at a number of hanging and freestanding bags. The cost was daunting at first, but I'm glad I didn't cut corners. It's nice as a freestanding bag since I don't have to worry about the metal bars of a stand when I do roundhouse kicks. It's also nice to be able to move around the bag as I work it. The bag itself is a breeze to assemble and it holds up well to punches and kicks. There is some movement from it on the floor but that's true of all freestanding bags. Personally, I consider that more a feature than a flaw.The thing I like most about this bag that I did consider when buying is the thickness of it. It's wide and that makes a difference when working on it. It feels more like a target and it just feels really substantial when hitting it. It's broader across than the hanging bag I have in my garage, and although the hanging bag is denser in material than this Wavemaster, the extra width is appreciated and has made this my go-to when working out.

This bag is not a total waste of time like some low reviews stated, however it's got problems and I find that there is a very specific use scenario where this bag can be satisfying. I will list them here and the problems of this product that create these use requirements:-You *MUST* use 300lbs to 350lbs of *dry* sand (e.g. quikrete) to fill the base. Water is useless, the bag will be sent flying by even an amateur's untrained strikes. Only use water for the base if you intend young kids to use the bag exclusively. Do not use sand other than dry sand. It will develop mold and stink to high heaven in a few months.-BE CAREFUL WHILE POURING DRY SAND INTO THE BASE! An OSHA related job would leave you knowing that working with dry sand can be a health hazard. NOTHING in this product manual warns you about this and I think that's a lawsuit in waiting. To be fair, the manual doesn't tell you what kind of sand to use either, leaving you have to do external googling on how to set up a standing bag. Going back to the health hazard: If possible, fill the base up OUTSIDE of your house/gym in the open, while wearing mask/goggles. This is not the most toxic stuff on the planet but you still really shouldn't be inhaling this stuff. IF YOU POUR DRY SAND INTO THE BASE INSIDE YOUR GYM ROOM, THERE WILL BY DRY SAND DUST WHICH WILL SETTLE AND LATER BECOME RE-VAPORIZED AS YOU MOVE AND TRAIN IN THE GYM. If transporting a 300+lbs object from the outside into your gym is not feasible, be prepared to spend all day carefully - *CAREFULLY* scooping dry sand from the bag it comes in, into the base, with a vacuum cleaner running in your other hand, ready to suck up as much of the fine powder dust in the air as possible - which is what I had to do. Seriously, it took 4+ hours.-Oh yeah, did I mention you need a funnel? You need a funnel. Manual won't tell you. I've seen free standing bags at my gym that have much larger filling receptacles for the base. This one is absolutely tiny. Be you scooping or pouring the dry sand, you will need a funnel. That also means it will take forever to fill this up, even if you do it outside with reckless abandon, as you'll constantly stop to wait for the funnel to drain. The receptacle is also off, center, so you will have to stop and lift the base on it's side to redistribute the sand after every ~100lbs.-Buy this only if you are putting it on the ground floor or the basement. Even at it's best and sturdiest filling, it will have a seesaw action where a punch will have the base lift up a little and then WHOMP back to the ground. Not a problem for me at all but something you may be concerned with.-Do not buy this if you are very advanced and/or very strong. I have filled the base of mine with approximately 350lbs of dry sand and there is a little bit of sliding action from my strikes. I am an intermediate MMA student, 5 foot 9 inches tall and I weigh 180lbs. The sliding movement from a ~5 minute round of striking is negligible to me.-Do not buy if you hate gambling. I have made this purchase on an impulse. I scored a little basement room from my landlord for rent in addition to the apartment I am renting and was eager to quickly buy a standing bag for it after I've placed the gym mats. After purchasing I started reading reviews and being concerned about the screw type, insecure assembly of the bag's attachment to the base. I have seen a lot of low reviews stating the bag unscrews too easily from simple striking work. I can happily say that this has not yet become a problem for me. Operative word is yet. From inspecting the "engineering" on the assembly, I can totally see how this can be a frequent issue with this product.-MOST IMPORTANT USAGE WARNING OF ALL! After a little bit of usage, I have made the decision to move this bag into the corner of my room and use it for stationary striking practice only, while practicing positioning with mere shadow boxing for now. Why? Well the aforementioned "engineering" has me extremely concerned for the longevity of the stem of the bag, which inserts into the base. It simply does not feel like a sturdy material. Just a thick plastic. I *fully expect* this plastic to wear off and simply SNAP away after a couple months' worth of striking training, especially if not taking care to avoid material fatigue by striking from every angle. To prevent this, I've moved the bag into a corner where walls will hopefully prevent the bag from being pushed far back and fatiguing the stem. This is the biggest con of this product for me and the thing that ultimately made me regret my purchase. When you buy something like this, you'd expect it to be sturdy enough to actually withstand it's primary purpose of use. Sure, it hasn't broken yet on me - but it's new. Common sense from seeing it's innards tells me I must be careful with it. That's pretty bad for a heavy bag. I don't want to be careful with my heavy bag. I want to practice repetitive, precision striking on some days, then go ham on it with reckless abandon while listening to music on other days. The stem should have been reinforced with steel or something. I have no faith in the plasticine looking material it's made of.One more miscellaneous point:The fabric of the bag itself is not leather. This means it will crumple up pretty quick from striking. We have the same fabric at my MMA gym. It's not the end of the world. It won't ruin your workout. It does mean however that you should plan to replace it in about 3 years. That's how long my MMA gym's bags last under CONSTANT duress, before the padding inside becomes useless or the surface fabric is torn apart too badly.*The padding will become softened up very fast, but not uselessly so! If you don't like that, you must look for a leather bag with sturdier padding, but that will lose it's maximum firmness in little time as well, don't let it bother you.*

I've used similar bags in martial arts classes before. I wanted a punching bag in our basement, but didn't want to mess with ceiling mounts and hated the free standing racks that hold heavy bags as they always seem to have the legs get in the way of using it. With this wavemaster, you can get 360 action without anything getting in the way. The bag is tall enough to accommodate any type of punch, kick, knee or elbow. We've used it for about a week or so, and my biggest complaint is that the bag and bottom nut that holds it on keeps coming undone. After going a few rounds, you have to screw the bag on tighter to keep it from fall all the way off. Otherwise, it's been really great and as long as the bag holds up, it should last quite a while.

I stenciled a picture of my favorite politician-to-hate on my new bag and am very much enjoying punching and kicking the hell out of it. :-)