Yes they can be great. The thicker handles really make a difference. I think it's also simply about doing movements you don't do a lot as well. Meaning if you used kettlebells daily for months straight and nothing else the soreness would soon go away. Alot of people when using kettlebells also do much more functional training with Turkish Getups being a prime example. They are moving through space with free weight so that will always be better than using a machine (just as squats are generally better than a machine leg press). I completely agree about the strength thing you posted as well. Some guys can press a huge weight so are super strong moving weight from A to B but in regards to functional strength they are nowhere as impressive. They lack mobility and strength endurance and maybe even core strength. I done about 500 x 7.5kg db (just 1 db) calf raises yesterday and my calves are super sore today.
I still haven’t reached that point of no soreness, some movements like snatches and clean and press etc I don’t have much soreness but Turkish Getups, Partial Get ups, and combos like Swing to Thrusters etc kill me every time like it’s the first time lol..
That’s a shit ton of calf raises lol but I guess you Gota work with what you’ve got. I’ve been doing calf raises in the 100-200 rep range broken up into sets but I use 2 26lb kettlebells or sometimes the 35’s..
Another thing, I’m not sure if it’s just the way the weight is distributed with a kettlebell vs a dumbbell but kettlebells feel way heavier.. My 35lb kettlebells feel way heavier when I work with them than my 35lb dumbbells.. You or anyone else feel like that?
Maybe it’s just the misery associated with the kettlebells that makes it feel heavier lol