Review: Prohands By Gripmaster

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    Faine

    Expert
    Rating - 100%
    4   0   0
    Feb 2, 2012
    1,116
    38
    Indy (South Side)
    After doing some research and seeing posts about grip strength and how much it helps with shooting I decided that I wasn’t comfortable with the strength of my grip and that it was time to work on it. I noticed a post on here some months back about “prohands” grip strengtheners and decided to look into it further. After taking time to look at various products out there, and there are many (Classic wedge grips, shaped foam, resistance based strengtheners, balls, etc…), I decided to go with Prohands by Gripmaster. I wanted something with the option to work each finger but didn’t want it to be too odd like the resistance trainer.

    Prohands offers 3 models of grip strengtheners in various weights and colors. They have a set designed for women, young children, and seniors that promotes good hand health called the “Via” which comes in 4lb and 6lb options and which I did not purchase so I cannot review it at this time (though I will be getting a 4lb for my wife). Then there is the intermediate model the “Gripmaster” which is the model I began with that comes in 3lb, 5lb, 7lb, 9lb. I will be providing feedback on the 7lb model. Finally there is the “Pro” line that comes in 7lb, 9lb, and 11lb models.

    My grip was nowhere near sufficient to be doing most things requiring average man strength, I had a pansy grip and knew I’d need to start low. Being a man however I refused to do anything less than the recommended Gripmaster – Medium (7lb) model so I got that one. I also went ahead and grabbed a Pro – Heavy (9lb) for when I grew out of the Gripmaster. Ordering was easy online, there was a coupon code “STRENGTH” at the time and I got 25% off my order after shipping. I received my order 2 days later in a bubble envelope; each model came in a zip-lock style bag with a paper insert.

    Upon first inspection the Pro felt much nicer in the hand, heavier, sturdier, and the padded finger pads felt really nice. It was 9lb however so I wasn’t going to be starting with it. I put it back and grabbed up the Gripmaster. It’s made with quality but not the quality of the Pro model. The finger pads are hard plastic and when doing fingertip excercises you can feel some sharp contact pain. The pads on both models bases are different but both function well and work ergonomically with your hand. One thing about the Pro model is that it is significantly larger than the Gripmaster model which you can see in the photo’s below. Small hands will most likely struggle with the Pro model.

    Now on to the actual use. The first thing I did was grab my Glock with each hand and just make a mental note of the force applied before the gun shook in my hand. I also did some basic pushing on the barrel and side to see how much play I had with my grip to start with. Not very scientific but I think it’s good enough. On their website they have 11 exercises that they recommend and they tell you what each one will help you with. I found that there are a few of them I really enjoy doing, so I do those and then I force myself to do a couple others on there because I can feel the tension in my arm when done and they are effective. Starting with the Gripmaster I worked with it for 2 weeks. During the first week all I noticed was how far behind my pinky and ring fingers were compared to my pointer and middle. After the end of the first week I never felt any change in my muscles, no strain, no tension, nothing. Everything I felt was in my hand. Now I’m no doctor but what I think I was feeling was my tendons/ligaments tightening up in my hands. I think this because on the second week, doing the exact same exercises I began to feel the muscles in my arms being worked. As I progressed through the week my pinky and ring fingers seemed to gain strength and adapt to the exercises alarmingly quick and as of the time of this writing I’m very proficient with the Gripmaster model and can do all the exercises quite completely. A couple unexpected side effects of doing this that I noticed were that when I was stressed I would pick up the Gripmaster and begin squeezing it, also I noticed that any pain I had while typing at work each day slowly went away over the two weeks.

    At the end of the two weeks I grabbed up my Glock again and gripped it till it shook in my hand then lessened my grip until it stopped shaking much like before. It felt the same which was a little disconcerting. Then I did the tests where I pushed on the top and sides like before, this is where I noticed all the change. Before where I could relatively easily move the gun around despite my grip, now I was struggling to do that same thing. Instead of the gun moving in my grip it was moving my entire arm. Again, not the most scientific of methods but something tangible that I could personally register a difference from beginning to midpoint.

    Now that those two weeks are up and I’m working very well with the Gripmaster I decided to break out the Pro and start working with it. The first thing you notice about the Pro is that while it’s a tougher spring at 9lb it actually seems easier to use. I attribute this to better design, construction and quality. There really is no comparison, if I had it to do over again I would have gotten two Pro models. The slight cost increase is definitely worth it. Now I’ve only been working with the Pro model for two days but I can tell already that it’s a good thing I started with the 7lb. The 9lb Pro is literally making my arms feel like they’re floating after I use it. The muscle strain isn’t horrible and there’s no pain but it definitely makes your forearms feel tight. I’ve found exercises I struggled with while using the Gripmaster originally I am now struggling with using the Pro and it’s obviously going to be a growth thing where I grow into using it proficiently. I don’t think I need to wait two weeks to finalize this review based on the usage of the hand strengtheners.

    Final conclusion? Well, I not only would recommend them, I already have to co-workers and family. I’ve let both family and co-workers use them and everyone has been as impressed with them as I was. They all say that the individual finger plates make all the difference and I am inclined to agree with them. While the Gripmaster is effective I would recommend getting the Pro of the same weight if you can, the Pro is much better built, far more comfortable to use and definitely worth the few bucks more you’ll pay for it. For smaller hands I’d almost recommend starting with the Via even though I haven’t used one. The finger pads really do help with some exercises and I cannot imagine that starting with the 6lb Via would be a huge detriment versus the 7lb Gripmaster.


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    Link to Original Thread: https://www.indianagunowners.com/fo...ear/286759-review_prohands_by_gripmaster.html
     
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