Long heavy bags, also called banana bags, are a staple of Muay Thai gyms and are widely used for all striking styles involving kicking.
The long, narrow shape, usually at 6 feet, makes them perfect for low kicks, in addition to all the other strikes you can drill on a regular heavy bag. And Fairtex’s HB6 is the staple of banana bags, and I am lucky enough to have received one from Fairtex to test and regularly train on.
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Fairtex HB6 Banana Bag Rating
The Fairtex HB6 banana bag is a staple of many Muay Thai, kickboxing, and MMA gyms because of its outstanding quality, feel, and durability. It's a versatile tool suitable for all kinds of striking training.
overall
Durability
Versatility
Firmness/Feel
Visuals
Fairtex HB6 Banana Bag
Fairtex produces a wide variety of bags like normal-shaped heavy bags, teardrop bags, uppercut bags, and everything in between, but their most popular bag is the classic 6ft. banana bag used. Here is a quick rundown of the official features.
A heavy bag may be a versatile tool, but it's still a heavy bag, so manufacturers can put only a few different features. The only thing necessary for a heavy bag is to be comfortable to hit and durable. Let's see how the Fairtex HB6 Banana Bag does in my test.
Fairtex HB6 Banana Bag Review
Quality & Build
I have tried several Fairtex products and have yet to find a single one lacking in quality or having any apparent shortcomings, and the HB6 heavy bag continues this trend.
Fairtex has moved away from making their bags from genuine leather, but the Syntek they use feels close to the real thing, and given the amount needed for a full 6-foot bag, it allows for a more affordable price.
Someone not well versed in leather may easily think this is genuine leather, and the additional nylon lining on the inside ensures a very long life of the material.
The top zipper and the bag straps are also top-notch. The pieces holding the canvas straps are reinforced with metal pins making them extremely durable.
Usually, Fairtex products are handmade. No tag on the bag explicitly says so, but I can't point to any flaws in assembly or craftsmanship on the bag. You can't go wrong with Fairtex in terms of quality.
It's why we've ranked it the best banana heavy bag for Muay Thai.
Visuals
On the visual front, Faritex has placed "Fairtex" in their specific font on two sides of the bag and their trademark cloth label tags.
I have the black version, which is always stylish, but there are also a few other color options, all of which are vibrant. After all, a heavy bag does not win any customers with its visuals, but having good looks never hurts.
Comfort & Use
Different heavy bags focus on different things and come in many shapes, sizes, and weights to facilitate those specific goals.
Still, if you want just one bag for any sport involving kicking, the banana bag is the perfect solution—you can punch, knee, elbow, and, most importantly, kick on all levels. The Fairtex HB6 banana bag is 6 feet long and around 14 inches in diameter.
The material has a fantastic feel. The outside of the bag feels soft and pleasant to punch and kick without any of the unwelcome burns you may feel on your skin from many other bags, especially vinyl ones. At the same time, the bag has the right firmness overall—it's not too soft to soak your strikes but not too hard.
We have an old vinyl bag in the gym filled with rubber that feels like concrete in the bottom, and each session is a hand and leg conditioning session. There is none of that with the Fairtex bag.
With the HB6, you get just the right density and feel to get a proper impact and resistance, and this is by far the most important thing for a heavy bag. Now I fully understand why Fairtex bags are so popular in gyms worldwide.
Filling The Bag
You can buy the Fairtex banana bag, either filled or unfilled. Understandably, Fairtex sent me an unfilled bag from halfway across the world, and I decided to fill the bag with fabric.
In the gym, we had a bad experience with a local-brand heavy bag that tore in just a few months, and we decided to use the filling from it since the weight was the same as a factory-filled Fairtex HB6.
All the guys in the gym and I were most impressed by how different it felt. The Fairtex bag feels immeasurably better than the old one with 100% the same fabric filling; we just took all of it and put it in the Fairtex without adding or removing anything.
If you go for an unfilled bag, know it's easy to fill it yourself. Just find or buy enough rags, and the process is simple. Once it's filled the first time, it's good to put something heavy in the top end, like a medicine ball, to quicken the sliding down of the stuffing, leaving space at the top that is filled with more material.
As with every other bag, the filling gradually slides down, making the bottom more rigid and the top softer. Adding more cloth to the top, at least the second part of the equation is settled. There are different ways to fill a bag and make it softer, harder, and heavier, but the Fairtex bag will perform perfectly whichever way you fill it up.
Summary
The Sytenk leather of the Fairtex HB6 Banana Bag and inside lining, combined with the filling, provide just the right amount of firmness and feedback, not too soft or too stiff, and nothing is more important for a heavy bag than this.
Fairtex HB6 Banana Bag
