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We’ve added six jump ropes—including the Crossrope Get Lean and the Elite SRS Boxer Training Rope 3.0—to the Competition and Notable competition. We’ve also added three jump rope options for kids.
When it comes to getting more bang for your fitness buck, there are few pieces of exercise equipment that offer a better value than a jump rope. An excellent cardio workout, jumping rope burns calories equivalent to running a 7:30 mile, yet it is something that most anyone can do. Plus, ropes are inexpensive additions to a home gym and easily stashed in a gym bag. After researching, measuring, shortening, boiling (!), and using various jump ropes, we’re confident that the XYLsports Jump Rope—with its smooth rotation, comfortable handles, test-topping durability, and value price—is the best rope for most people.
We also looked into jump ropes for kids and found three different styles that should help budding jumpers feel comfortable and confident as they learn the, ahem, ropes.
This freely swinging, comfortable rope will satisfy beginners and most fitness fanatics seeking a quality rope at a good price.
*At the time of publishing, the price was $11.
The all-black licorice-type XYLsports Jump Rope may not look like much, but with its ultra-smooth, bearing-assisted rotation and squishy foam-padded handles, it’s a pleasure to use. Its bearings are high-quality, which gave this rope the smoothest rotation of all the licorice ropes we tested. The rope also proved the most durable on pavement during our testing, yet its slightly spongy texture promises not to sting shins too much if lashed by a missed jump. Its only real drawback is that it’s annoying to shorten, but you’ll likely do that only once.
When you want to get fancier than simple jumps, this rope, with its longer handles and smooth-rotating PVC cord, is up for the challenge.
*At the time of publishing, the price was $11.
The EliteSRS Elite Pro Freestyle has long handles—8 inches as compared with 5 inches for the XYLsports rope—which make tricks such as crossovers and behind-the-back moves easier to execute. The extra length also may be more comfortable for jumpers with larger hands or broader shoulders. While the Elite Pro Freestyle’s PVC cord is rated for outdoor use, I was surprised to see many nicks after just 100 jumps on pavement—that said, it would take quite a while to wear it out.
The innovative two-point rotation of this rope keeps things moving quickly—very quickly.
*At the time of publishing, the price was $26.
For those with a need for speed, the Rogue SR-1 Bearing Speed Rope uses two distinct mechanisms—rather than just one, like the other three speed ropes we tested—to facilitate the rope’s rotation, so it moves fluidly on every jump even if your swinging technique is imperfect. It was the only rope that didn’t trip me up at any point.
Spend less for speed with this jump rope, a basic cable-wire rope that does what you’d expect.
*At the time of publishing, the price was $10.
The cable-wire Survival and Cross Speed Jump Rope swings efficiently if not as elegantly—or from as high-quality handles—as our top speed pick, the Rogue SR-1. It’s just fine for speed, but when slowing things down to a skip, we felt a slight lope in the rope as it came over the top, an issue that also occurred with the other cable ropes we tested. This one comes with an end cap to cover the cut wire and a larger screw on the shortening collar to make that process go more easily—enough nice-to-haves to give it an edge over the rest of the speed ropes we looked at. It is not, however, rated for outdoor use, and we’ve found—via customer reviews and feedback from long-term testers—that it will degrade if used on pavement or concrete.
This freely swinging, comfortable rope will satisfy beginners and most fitness fanatics seeking a quality rope at a good price.
*At the time of publishing, the price was $11.
When you want to get fancier than simple jumps, this rope, with its longer handles and smooth-rotating PVC cord, is up for the challenge.
*At the time of publishing, the price was $11.
The innovative two-point rotation of this rope keeps things moving quickly—very quickly.
*At the time of publishing, the price was $26.
Spend less for speed with this jump rope, a basic cable-wire rope that does what you’d expect.
*At the time of publishing, the price was $10.
To determine what to test, we searched for and read reviews of jump ropes; there aren’t a ton out there, but the ones at Gear Patrol, Garage Gym Builder, and Best Products at least offered some editorial opinions, rather than a regurgitation of the Amazon best-seller list. Most important, we shopped. We looked online at what the sporting goods stores and big-box stores sell and, of course, at what’s for sale on Amazon. We also cross-referenced those Amazon products on Fakespot, and learned that a lot of top ropes likely have false reviews (a curious finding given how low-ticket jump ropes are).
We talked with people who are way more invested in jump ropes than we are. Amy spoke with Becky Zelewski of United States Amateur Jump Rope Federation (USA Jump Rope), an “organization committed to the exchange and sharing of jump rope knowledge and experience,” as well as Matt Hopkins, the founder and owner of BuyJumpRopes.net, who designed the first 90-degree-angle attachment for a speed rope. To learn about jump ropes for kids, we consulted the PE Specialist and JumpRopeHub; spoke with Adrienn Banhegyi, world and European jump-rope champion and founder of JumpPlus World; and recruited a handful of youngsters to try out our top contenders.
A personal trainer and group fitness instructor, Amy Roberts has swung many a jump rope (and coached many a client to jump)—and wasted precious workout minutes untangling ill-constructed ropes.
Ingrid Skjong, Wirecutter’s senior staff writer for fitness, is a certified personal trainer and has never regretted reintroducing the jump rope into her workout routine. She regularly reviews exercise equipment and wearables.
Updates Writer Caira Blackwell keeps Wirecutter’s health and fitness content up to date. Researching and testing jump ropes for kids made her nostalgic for the hot summer days she’d be at the mercy of beaded ropes, trying and failing to learn to double Dutch.
For beginner gym-goers and seasoned athletes alike, a jump rope is a great addition to a workout program, whether as a warm-up or for aerobic conditioning. Beginners may not want a rope that moves so fast that they can’t control it, and prefer one that won’t sting their skin if they miss a jump. On the other hand, some jumpers, particularly those who do CrossFit or boxing, may value a speedier rope that allows them to do double unders or simply jump very quickly for the cardio effects. We have picks for both.
There are five main types of jump ropes:
Licorice/freestyle ropes are typically made of PVC, nylon, or vinyl plastic cord, usually with 180-degree–attached hollow handles that are often foam-covered. A freestyle rope will have longer handles (8 inches or so as compared with about 5 inches) that can be more easily manipulated when attempting crossovers and other tricks. Licorice offers a good mix of weight plus aerodynamics, and it can be the most durable for use outdoors, all of which makes it a good choice for beginners.
Speed cable ropes are made of steel wire that’s often coated with PVC and handles usually attached at a 90-degree angle, which allows the cable to rotate faster and reduces torque that could otherwise bend, warp, or even snap it. A speed rope may move so fast that it’s harder to control, which is why it’s not recommended for beginners. The plastic coating will make a speed rope more durable than raw wire alone, but cables are not as durable for outdoor surfaces as licorice ropes are.
We initially considered leather, beaded plastic, and woven ropes for adults and ultimately discarded all of them, but we reintroduced beaded and woven options when we explored jump ropes for kids. Beaded plastic ropes are the most durable for outdoor use, but they are slow to swing because of their weight. Woven cord ropes are the lightest, but they are not durable or fast enough for fitness use. Leather is significantly heavier and slower than a wire speed rope or even licorice, may not be as durable on outside surfaces, and is difficult to shorten.
We selected ropes that received good editorial and customer reviews and represented offerings at a range of prices. We skipped a few from major sporting goods brands (specifically SKLZ, Nike, and Insanity/Beachbody) because their customer reviews weren’t stellar. Finally, we used Fakespot to weed out the Amazon best sellers that had dubious reviews.
To test the ropes, we jumped each one for a minute on a hardwood floor, counting our bounds (as a rough gauge for speed) and keeping track of how often we got caught up. We followed that with a one-minute skipping test (one foot over at a time) to see how the ropes fared at a slower speed—when slowed down, many of the speed ropes felt like they caught up and sort of loped coming around the top.
When a rope doesn’t pivot freely, it gets twisted up on itself or tangled on the handles. Most licorice ropes have 180-degree intra-handle rotation; some use bearing assistance for smoother rotation. Most cable speed ropes have 90-degree angle attachments that prevent torque on the rope that may damage or even snap it, and hold the rope closer to the body for faster jumps. They rotate from the handle end and may also have bearings.
Speed ropes, including those we tested, were light and thin to cut the air. Heavier-ish ropes, like licorice ones, are slower and therefore easier to control. (Even heavier ones of leather or beads can make the workout harder.) If a rope whips into your ankles it can sting or even leave a mark; not everyone jumps perfectly! The thinner, plastic-covered metal speed ropes are likely to hurt more than the plastic licorice ones (and the stretchier/spongier ones would smart the least).
For handles, we considered the surface texture in terms of grip comfort and slipperiness when sweaty, the diameter/shape for grasping, and the length. Thicker, spongy foam grips have a nice palm-filling feel that is particularly appealing for beginners who lack nuance and dexterity in their jumping. Plastic handles that have a brushed texture or one with foam or grip-tape elements may be less slick when wet with sweat. Narrow grips allow for more fine-motor control, which is appealing with speed ropes but may feel a little lost in larger hands. Longer grips will suit the broader-shouldered as well as those who want to do tricks such as crossovers.
Most ropes came with a warning that they were not for outdoor pavement use. That said, we took ’em all outside on the sidewalk anyway, because it’s where many people have headed for their workouts since the beginning of the pandemic—and it’s often the only space available. After jumping with each rope 100 times—roughly one minute of jumping—and taking before and after photos and touch assessments to gauge how badly they abraded, the coated cables showed the worst damage and the licorice the least.
Shortening your rope to suit your height may happen only once, but if you start with a longer, “beginner” length, you may want to shorten again as your skills improve. Most had a claimed length of 10 feet, though some were a few inches shorter (unlikely to be a problem unless you are taller than 6-foot-3). Some ropes—the ones with ends that come through the handles—required a bit of math and adjustment to get the right length. The metal cable ropes required tools to shorten them, including screwdrivers and wire-snips. Ropes that had teeny-tiny screws made the process that much harder. And, finally, some ropes aren’t designed to be shortened at all, which we consider a dealbreaker.
This freely swinging, comfortable rope will satisfy beginners and most fitness fanatics seeking a quality rope at a good price.
*At the time of publishing, the price was $11.
The XYLsports Jump Rope, an Amazon best-seller, is our pick for most people for easy jumping at a palatable price. Its foam-covered handles, which attach to the rubbery-plastic rope at 180-degree angles, have a metal bearing mechanism that rotates freely, preventing any rope twisting or tangling as you jump. (The bearing-assisted Fitness Gear rope, which we also tried, couldn’t hold a candle to it.) The rope itself, a matte rubbery plastic cord, has a good heft that’s not too heavy and cuts the air just fine for a beginner or recreational jumper, yet likely won’t thrash skin on a missed jump.
Many licorice-type ropes—indeed, most of the others we tested—have a denser plastic-y texture, which may mean they can cut the air faster but could also cut the skin more readily, too. The XYLsports rope also held up the best of all in the pavement test, showing only the faintest signs of abrasion.
Shortening the XYLsports rope, as with any rope with the ends threaded into the handles, requires a bit of measurement math and guesstimating to account for the internal handle length as you slide the plastic clip into place; on the XYL specifically, if you go too far, the clip’s claw is all but impossible to slide back out. Prying off the handle’s cap to adjust the rope is onerous (we used a multi-tool for the job), but you’ll likely need to do it only once.
We’ve noticed customer reviews calling out the XYL for being too light to jump effectively. The rope itself has a tiny bit of stretch as it swings, which we didn’t mind. But a speedier or more accomplished jumper might be annoyed since this could potentially affect precision. (If this is you, consider our runner-up pick, the EliteSRS Elite Pro Freestyle.) We spent some more time with the rope—repeating our original assessments—and had a pleasant experience. A Wirecutter colleague, who uses the XYLsports indoors, told us he had “no complaints.”
Finally, while the foam handles are squishy and comfy out of the box, they could get dirty or gummed up or even tear through many bouts of sweating and being tossed around (we can report back after long-term testing).
If you’d like something that delivers a comparable jumping and skipping experience to the XYLsports, but with an easier adjustment mechanism and slimmer handles, you might like the EliteSRS Boxer Training Rope 3.0.
When you want to get fancier than simple jumps, this rope, with its longer handles and smooth-rotating PVC cord, is up for the challenge.
*At the time of publishing, the price was $11.
As you get more into jumping, there are two ways you can go: speed or style. If you gravitate toward the latter into tricks like crossovers, behind-the-back moves, and rope releases, you’ll want a licorice-type rope with longer handles for improved maneuverability. (If you have larger hands or broader shoulders, you may also prefer longer handles in general.) The EliteSRS Elite Pro Freestyle has tapered handles that are significantly longer than those on our licorice pick from XYLsports (8 inches versus 5 inches), and are wrapped in grip tape that feels secure in the hand. Shortening it is a bit easier than with the overall pick (no end caps to remove, and internal clips that slide more smoothly into place). It also comes in all sorts of color combos.
The rotation of the Elite Pro Freestyle works well, but relies on the rope pivoting freely in the handle—no bearings like the XYLsports rope. In terms of durability, while it’s rated for outdoor use, the PVC got roughed up pretty quickly—though that’s more of an aesthetic concern than a functional one. And as the plastic is stiffer, it may smart a bit more than the XYLsports rope if it whips your shins on a miss.
The innovative two-point rotation of this rope keeps things moving quickly—very quickly.
*At the time of publishing, the price was $26.
If “lightning fast” is your primary rope request, go for the Rogue SR-1 Bearing Speed Rope. This PVC-coated steel wire—connected to the handles at a 90-degree angle—slices the air as it pivots effortlessly from two points, rotating from the handle and rolling on a ball bearing. The effect is a swift, smooth swing, and in the timed minute test led to our fastest jumping—and, more tellingly, we did not miss a single jump during any of our tests with it. Many speed ropes operate with just one pivot point—the other three we tested included—which generally works well, particularly if your form is good and you’re moving at a good clip. The Rogue’s two mechanisms allow slower paces without a loping feel over the top and keep the rope swinging smoothly even if your form isn’t perfect. The long, tapered handles (about an inch longer than most of the speed ropes we tested) are made of fiberglass nylon resin and have a matte texture that should prevent slippage in sweaty hands, as well as make tricks such as crossovers easier to perform. A plastic cap covers the cut-wire end, which is a nice touch for safety.
While the Rogue performed just fine on our slower skipping testing, it may be harder to control for new jumpers, and even for those new to double unders. The metal collar used to shorten the rope has a very tiny Phillips-type screw, which made it a bit more tedious than most speed ropes to shorten (though it’s still easier than ropes threaded into handles). The extra handle length could feel too long in smaller hands, depending on your preferences. If a missed jump results in a whip on bare skin, the wire cable (like any) could leave a mark. Finally, it’s not designed for outdoor use and, like the other coated-wire cables we reviewed, showed wear after just 100 jumps on concrete.
Spend less for speed with this jump rope, a basic cable-wire rope that does what you’d expect.
*At the time of publishing, the price was $10.
If you don’t want to spend more than $20 for a speed rope, the Survival and Cross Speed Jump Rope makes for a solid speed-rope option. Its PVC-coated wire connects to the rotating handles at 90 degrees, making for rotation that’s fast but not quite as fluid as Rogue’s. The large screw on the length-adjustment collar is by far the easiest to manage of all similar ropes tested, the plastic end cap keeps the raw wire from protruding, and the rope comes with a full set of extra hardware—a nice bonus.
When we first tested this rope, it measured 3 inches shorter than its claimed 10-foot length—not an enormous deal considering you’d have to be very tall (over 6 foot 3) to require the full length. A subsequent measurement of another Survival and Cross rope came in at exactly 10 feet. The tapered handles are shorter and more slender than the Rogue’s, but they have a similar rougher texture, to hopefully prevent slipping in sweaty hands. At slower skipping speeds, the rope felt like it loped a bit as it came around the top of each jump. Since its original testing, we’ve noticed negative customer reviews questioning the rope’s durability. Like most wire ropes, it won’t fare well if used on rough pavement. One Wirecutter colleague, who has used the rope for about six months, agrees that it wore through quickly (she plans to replace it soon), but she admits that she uses it outdoors on pavement. We’ll keep an eye on this during longer-term testing.
Shortening the ropes to the “right” length is a very individual thing, influenced by your height, arm length, shoulder width and mobility, rope-swinging style, and (most important) your experience with jumping. It’s further affected by the type of jumping you want to do. Better jumpers will want a shorter rope, as well as those who are going for speed—the fastest jumpers actually stoop their heads so their ropes can be the shortest possible while still clearing underfoot. The basic rule of thumb is to stand on the rope with both feet together and extend the ends of the rope minus the handles to your armpits. For an excellent guide explaining all the iterations, BuyJumpRopes.net has it covered.
Jump ropes made of PVC or cable wire may be too light and swift for kids and even beginners. To get a better understanding of what would serve blooming jumpers best, we consulted the PE Specialist, BuyJumpRopes.net, and JumpRopeHub. We also talked with Adrienn Banhegyi, world and European jump-rope champion and founder of JumpPlus World.
Banhegyi told us that the most important detail for beginner jumpers is sizing a rope well. “That changes everything,” she said. (The PE Specialist made a video to help you and your little ones determine how long your rope of choice should be.) “Usually, we recommend heavier ropes—like beaded ropes—for both children and adults, to have a little bit of weight,” Banhegyi said. Ropes made from cotton are also heavier than the gym-style ropes made of PVC or cable wire, which we’ve focused on in this guide. That makes them slower to swing and easier to control (like beaded versions). Additionally, plastic beaded jump ropes make a distinct sound when they hit the ground, which can help newer jumpers establish a rhythm.
Per this advice, we tried nine jump ropes for kids and landed on three favorites: the BuyJumpRopes.net Customizable Beaded Jump Rope, the Ohyaiayn Soft Beaded Jump Rope, and the Homello Cotton Jump Rope. Each has advantages but may be more or less appealing based on your background and how you intend to use it:
The BuyJumpRopes.net Customizable Beaded Jump Rope makes it easy to personalize, from the handle length and grip to rope length to bead type and color (you can choose up to six different hues). This jump rope is not adjustable—you choose a set length at the time of purchase. But we liked it because it comes in the longest rope option we found: 11 feet, which is perfect for kids who want to do double Dutch. We ordered the hard, shatterproof plastic beads for our testing because the sound of the beads hitting the ground can help a jumper establish a rhythm, and they’re more durable for outdoor use. However, the beads are weighty, so the rope doesn’t respond well to changes in direction, and it’s not very forgiving when it smacks into the backs of your ankles. This rope’s handles and beads come in 14 different colors; its length ranges from 7 feet to 11 feet; beads (either heavy or soft) come in 1-inch or 2-inch sizes; and handles are available in 5-inch, 6½-inch, and 8-inch lengths.
The Ohyaiayn Soft Beaded Jump Rope was a favorite among our testers who were more comfortable jumping rope. Its beads and handles are squishy to the touch, and it weighs just enough to give the rope a good balance—not too heavy, not too light. Our testers found that it was the smoothest of the kids’ jump ropes we tried, but its heft caused it to rotate a little faster than the others, so it might not be the best option for total beginners. The adjustable 9-foot Ohyaiayn rope comes in two colors in a pack of two and has soft-grip handles.
The Homello Cotton Jump Rope is an adjustable woven option with wooden handles and a maximum rope length of 8.2 feet. It’s fairly easy to adjust and lightweight, and the all-fabric rope can be less intimidating than plastic beads. Some kid testers liked the comfy feeling of the woven cotton, but the light weight can be a pro or a con, depending on the user: Some found it hard to get going because it caused a slight lag or was blown about on a windy day outside. Others gravitated toward it because it doesn’t sting when it hits legs (or a face). The adjustable 8.2-foot Homello rope comes in two colors in a pack of two and has wooden handles.
If you and your kids need additional motivation, jump rope–focused movies might be fun. The documentary Doubletime follows two young jump-rope teams going head to head in a double Dutch competition. The kid-friendly Jump In! features a young boxer who subs in for his friend’s skipping team and falls in love with the sport. For workout inspiration, PopSugar has a 10-minute jump rope workout video to get you on your toes.
The licorice-style Elite SRS Boxer Training Rope 3.0 jumps and skips similarly to our top pick—and costs about the same, too—with a few key differences that might make it a better fit for some people. Adjusting the rope is much easier; there are no caps to pry off, thanks to a sliding external collar on each end of the rope that lets you set the length and snip the excess if desired. This 5 mm PVC rope is 10 feet 2 inches long—6 inches longer than our top pick—which gives those who might need a bit of extra length something to work with. The rope itself had a bit less give than the XYLsports model we prefer, though it performed comparably in our assessments. The slim, 5½-inch plastic handles—set at 90 degrees to the rope—are a half-inch longer than those of our top pick, but they provide a more minimalist grip (they are unpadded, though not uncomfortable). Appropriate for indoor and outdoor use, it scuffed predictably on pavement, but no worse than the XYLsports rope did.
The licorice-type PVC Buddy Lee Master Jump Rope arrived kinked up and the instructions required us to cook it (no, really, in a pot of water at a soft boil for a couple minutes) to straighten it out—and it still retains any loops made when stored, making it hard to get straight for jumping.
The licorice-style Degol Tangle-Free Jump Rope is an Amazon best-seller. Even though the rope, a braided steel wire coated in PVC, had a decent heft and jumped and skipped nicely (similarly to our top pick), it tended to stick to itself and tangle when not being used. The 6-inch handles have intermittently placed strips of smooth padding, but they felt a little cheap. What we liked, however, was how easy it was to adjust: Screw off the cap at the top of the handle, shorten to the desired length, and screw the cap back on.
The PVC DynaPro Jump Rope has a rubbery, almost gummy texture (it reminded us of a jelly bracelet) and un-padded aluminum handles that are dimpled for grip but feel rough. It lagged while skipping and was too responsive during bouts of jumping, feeling like it stretched upward at the top of swing and messed with our timing.
We jumped fine with the EliteSRS Ultra Light 3.0, whose predecessor (the Ultra Light 2.0) performed similarly to one of our also-great picks, the Survival and Cross Speed Jump Rope, but it felt slower coming around than the other speed ropes we tried. After using the Ultra Light 3.0 a few times, the screw that adjusts the rope’s length slid off unexpectedly (not mid-jump), necessitating a recalibration and retightening.
The EliteSRS Elite Surge 3.0 (a new version of the Surge 2.0, which we initially tested for this guide) has very slick-looking aluminum handles that have a nice weight, turn smoothly, and could be used with speed cables and licorice ropes alike (sold separately on the BuyJumpRopes site). At slower skipping speed, however, it had one of the most pronounced loping feels of any rope tested. Even during our one-minute jump test, it felt like work to get it around as we accelerated, and we got caught up.
The pricey boutique brand Crossrope offers two sets of interchangeable weighted ropes and jump-centric workouts via a companion app. We tried Crossrope Get Lean, which includes a ¼-pound rope, a ½-pound rope, and a pair of slim, grippy handles. (The Get Strong combination includes a 1-pound rope, a 2-pound rope, and a pair of heftier grippy handles.) Solidly built and versatile, the ropes swap in and out of the handles easily and swing comfortably. There are two app options: Light (free), which offers a sampling of workouts and challenges, and Premium ($10 a month), which has hundreds of workouts and additional content. (There are also links to tutorials explaining proper mechanics and specific moves like boxer steps.) Workouts in the app range from jumping-only sessions to circuits that add bodyweight exercises and walk you through with audio and visual cues. We had a friend (someone who uses a speed rope regularly) try the Get Lean set, and they enjoyed using the weighted ropes, noting particularly how they contributed to an arm workout while jumping. But considering a good jump rope can be had for $10 to $20, the Crossrope is a commitment: The Get Lean set costs $100, while the Get Strong one is $140. Some workouts in the app call for all four of the ropes, which, as you progress, could leave you out if you own just one set. (A bundle of all four costs $240.) The ropes can’t be shortened. They come in four different lengths (based on user height) ranging from 8 feet to 9 feet 6 inches. But if the sizing isn’t quite right and you’re just on the cusp of sizing up or down, you might be out of luck. To take full advantage of the app, you will need to pay the monthly membership fee—which, if you’re a beginner looking for guidance or a more experienced jumper out for a challenge, might be worth the investment—though there is no shortage of free jump-rope workouts on YouTube.
The WOD Nation Speed Jump Rope comes with an extra rope and hardware and pivots on a bearing, which swung smoothly but didn’t feel quite as sturdy for the long term as the bearing system on the Rogue SR-1 Bearing Speed Rope. It jumped swiftly and similarly to the comparably priced Survival and Cross Speed Jump Rope (both tripped us up once in our one-minute jump test and registered nearly the same number of total jumps), but it didn’t set itself far ahead.
The Fitness Gear Speed Jump Rope, from Dick’s Sporting Goods’s in-house brand, failed to impress. It was the only one we tested that twisted and kinked up during jumping (possibly the worst offense a jump rope can commit), and the handles are quite heavy and bulky. It’s not an impulse buy worth making.
The RDX Leather Weighted Skipping Speed Jump Rope is heavy and requires some muscle to swing. It arrived kinked up and still retained some warping after being hung up for 24 hours, and when we realized we couldn’t shorten its 9-foot length to the appropriate length for one tester's 5-foot-5 frame, we scrapped testing it further. Though, had we continued, the ear-splitting squeaking emitted as the rope rotates would no doubt have stopped us in our tracks.
The Sunny Health & Fitness Adult Leather Jump Rope With Foam Handles arrived dry, cracked, and hopelessly kinked up. The specs list its length at 116 inches, but we measured it at just 105 inches.
Matt Hopkins, founder and owner of BuyJumpRopes.net, phone interview, August 15, 2017
Becky Zelewski, United States Amateur Jump Rope Federation (USA Jump Rope), phone interview, August 24, 2017
Matt Hopkins, Jump Rope Length - Most Accurate Size Method, BuyJumpRopes.net, October 6, 2014
Tucker Bowe, Reenergize Your Workout with These 5 Jump Ropes, Gear Patrol
Best Jump Rope Reviews 2018, Garage Gym Builder
Ultimate Guide to the Best Jump (Skipping) Ropes (2017 Edition), Muay Thai Pros, March 1, 2017
Andrew Bettlach, The Best Jump Ropes for Workouts with an Extra Cardio Boost, Best Products, March 16, 2018
Amy Roberts is a certified personal trainer (NASM-CPT), a running coach (USATF Level 1), and a regionally competitive runner. She also served as a staff writer for the Good Housekeeping Institute for nearly five years, working closely with the engineers and other scientists to interpret product test results.
Ingrid Skjong is a supervising editor on the appliance team, focusing on the likes of ranges, refrigerators, dryers, and dishwashers. She previously covered fitness for Wirecutter and has been an editor and writer at various lifestyle magazines. She is an avid runner and lives in New York City.
Caira Blackwell is a staff writer at Wirecutter covering sleep and mattresses. Her work has previously been published in Okayplayer, The Knockturnal, and Nylon magazine, and her book A Lullaby for the End of the World is available on Amazon.
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