The Amazon Basics Speed Jump Rope may be a simple plastic design, but it’s also lightweight, affordable and acts as a decent no-thrills option.

It’s such an uninspiring brand name, but if you can look past the sheer bare-bones nature of it, Amazon Basics does sometimes produce some useful, quality items. Today, I wanted to find out whether the Amazon Basics Speed Jump Rope is another of those, and therefore worthy of a place on your exercise mat, or whether it’s best to spend a bit more and buy a more prestigious brand’s rope instead. Here’s what I discovered.

Men’s Fitness verdict

In many ways, this rope really is a bargain. It’s light and smooth which is great for speed work and double-unders. However, it’s made cheap, and can hurt.
Pros
  • Great performance for the price
  • Smooth and fast rotation
Cons
  • Handle design is simplistic
  • Thin rope can be painful

How we test skipping ropes

Our experienced product tester Lucy Gornall tested each skipping rope set featured in our group test over the span of at least a month. She put them through a range of workouts and speed drills, and used all included accessories and rope weights, judging each system on the smoothness of their rotation, their grip and durability – before awarding a final score that also took into account price, availability and included accessories.

Another great skipping rope for double-unders, this bargain Amazon Basics rope is just 2cm in diameter and made of a lightweight plastic for super speed. But be warned: the ultra-thin rope is brutal when it whips the skin, so it’s more suitable for confident skippers.

Amazon Basics Speed Jump Rope design features

It’s simple to adjust: just unscrew the tiny metal rope adjuster near the handle and move it to the desired length, before tightly screwing the adjuster back on.

Metal ball bearings in the handles ensure a seamless rotation, and its overall performance makes it feel geared towards faster jump rope sessions.

The handles are probably the most basic I’ve tried, but they’re longer than most, and light, which is ideal when trying to build up speed.

Available in blue or red, this is a handy, affordable rope that’s easy to stash away in your gym bag.

What other skipping ropes are worth considering?

Although you could argue it represents good value for money, the Amazon Basics Speed Jump Rope is undoubtedly one-dimensional. So, if you want a higher quality product with more range, consider spending more money on the Crossrope Speed Performance Set instead. This is the best adjustable weighted rope set I’ve tried, and means you’ll be able to switch between lightweight speed sessions and heavier strength-focused ones.

Or, if you’d rather just buy a more premium lightweight skipping rope, have a gander at the Freeletics Jump Rope.