I'm not too big on free standing punching bags but the BOB is something special, a separate class all it's own. The rubber skin more closely emulates punching a real person than a regular heavy bag. It is comfortable to strike for long periods of time without requiring hand protection yet holds up to serious abuse from fists, feet, elbows, knees, or whatever you want to hit it with. Furthermore, the human-like shape really facilitates targeting. If you are purely a traditionalist you'll probably want a makiwara (striking post). If you're willing to embrace the best in a modern training tool, however, this mannequin bag makes a great investment. There are some really good BOB workouts in books like Loren Christensen's "Solo Training 2: The Martial Artist's Guide to Building the Core for Stronger, Faster and More Effective Grappling, Kicking and Punching." This is a fantastic training tool for any martial artist. 5 stars

Bob is a great and fun way to work out. So far he seems really tough and shows no signs of wear. I filled the base with water and found that he scoots around and rotates and you have to stop your workout to reposition him. Now I am stuck with the delema of draining the water to put in sand. I recommend that you start by taking the extra time to put in sand instead of water from the start. Aside from that, this thing is really a fun way to work out. I totally disagree with the first review that no hand protection is needed. You definately should get heavy bag gloves unless you want to criple yourself. Don't plan on putting Bob in a room that is used regularly by your family. He can freak out your kids and wife as he looks pretty scary. He lasted less than a day on the main level of my house before being banished to the storage room which is now my work-out room. Think you can get away with it by putting a blanket over him? Think about it - now you have a nightmare inspiring ghost. 5 stars

this thing is a multi-purposed must-have. you can use it as a punching bag or as a model for your clothes! 5 stars

I love the realistic nature of Bob, which offers a great way to practice techniques in as true to life form as possible. To-date, Bob has proven to be very good at both resistance and durability. The only reasons for going with 4 vs. 5 stars is stability. Even when Bob is full of water, he still bounces around the room too much.

As for hand protection, you'd want to use hand-wraps or gloves. Going bear hands for any significant period of time will result in a bloody Bob (your blood), so while it's a good real life training mode for every now and then, hands-wraps will get you more mileage.

Bottom line, even with it's bouncing around, Bob is a great training mate. 4 stars

we liked it so much!!!!! i will gave it 100 stars!!!!! i good work out partner... release stress.... and so much fun.... 5 stars