I've been in Tae Kwon Do for about 6 months now. I began at age 40. I'm a runner just completing my first half-marathon this year in 1:47 and change. So I'm new to martial arts and contact sports, but fit and used to work.

This is my first home bag. I've used a few different models in martial arts classes and the regular gym. Sure, I'd have loved to get a leather bag. This bag IS cloth. Work on it bare-handed and you won't have much skin left in short order. With gloves on though, this is a terrific bag for someone working it two or three times a week at home. The bag doesn't have a specific layer of padding around the outside like the leather bags from Ringside, but is still comfortable. Does NOT feel like a sand bag at all. Spend the extra money if you want the leather bag, those are really nice. But for occasional use this is perfect. Plus the leather bags require care if you're going to hang them in a hot/cold garage all year.

Mounting chains and swivel are fine mounting hardware. I just doubled up a couple of two by fours and secured those to ceiling joists in my garage and used a length of chain from home depot with a couple of d-rings to hang it up. Working the bag on this setup is quiet enough that I skipped using a spring to hang the bag.

Bottom line: This bag is priced like an average bag from the mass market makers, but it feels much better.