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| Brand: Gripmaster
List Price: $14.95
Buy New: $9.40
You Save: $5.55 (37%)
New (22) from $9.40
Rating:  130 reviews
Sales Rank: 140
Color: Blue, Light Tension (5-Pounds per Finger)
Autographed: No
Memorabilia: No
Size: Light
Shipping Weight (lbs): 2.8
Dimensions (in): 3.6 x 0.9 x 2.9
Most popular finger exercisers ever made. Rubber base is contoured to fit snugly at the base of your palm for longer and more controlled workouts. Use it to build strength and dexterity in your fingers, wrists, and forearms so you can play longer and stronger.
MPN: 736963001
Model: 14001-BLU
UPC: 019954925512
EAN: 0758895140010
ASIN: B0006GBDZY
Release Date: March 22, 2007
Availability: Usually ships in 4-5 business days
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| Customer Reviews:
 Design change is disappointing November 8, 2007
Brian
16 out of 16 found this review helpful
I [used to] love this product. But Gripmaster has reduced the palm pad to something too uncomfortable to be useful. I have a 5lb blue version, which I use often. I decided to get a 7lb medium version. What arrived was the new version, which I didn't expect - images weren't yet updated. As of this writing, Gripmaster's own site still doesn't picture the currently sold version. I've posted my own pictures here, which compare the original with the new version. The old version was nicely padded and ergonomically large. The new version has much less padding and it feels sharp and blocky. It wears on you after too few reps. With the original, I could go as long as my finger and forearm muscles would allow; with the new one, discomfort kicks in first. As other reviewers have noted, these aren't best for developing brute strength (weights are) but rather for therapy and dexterity, which require moderately high reps. If it can't do the reps without discomfort, it's just not worth using at all.
And in case you own the original and you're thinking you'll just put the big pad on the new skeleton, forget it. They're not interchangeable, which is also disappointing. On the original you could put the pad on either side, allowing you to use all your fingers on the unified bar or independently on the buttons. Can't do that with the new one. (See the pictures.)
Too often a company makes a good product and once it gains a market foothold, they cut costs and expect it will only increase profit margin. This is a perfect example. Well, I hope this review will encourage purchasing choices that make Gripmaster regret their choice to go cheap on their customers. Maybe they'll be compelled to resume making the great product it used to be, which led to all these positive reviews, almost all of which are NOT about the product you'll actually receive.
While I expect resurrection of the original Gripmaster to be a long shot, the fact remains: here's a smart little product I used to recommend to anyone - and now I think it's nearly useless. Disappointing.
 Just awesome! October 23, 2006
April P (Maryland, USA)
14 out of 14 found this review helpful
I used to try to strengthen my fingers using the Gripp balls, and later, the Gravity Gripp, which were grip balls that were also 1 pound weights. However, they were bulky, hard to get a grip on, and heavy and pretty silly looking. So, when I saw the picture of these awesome little gizmos in a catalog, I ordered one right away. They are about the same price of the Grip balls, but they are SO much cooler! Not only is this good for fitness training, they're even better for musicians! (my instrument is piano.) These are light and flat and they fit right into a purse. I don't feel silly using this out in public -- if anyone asks, I just let them try it, and they are immediately hooked. I carried my blue one around everywhere until this weekend, when I gave it away to a friend.
It is difficult to know which tension to use. I'm a woman with small hands, and found that I am right between the blue and the red. I use the blue one for 4th and 5th finger (left hand). I can usually handle the red one for everything else, but the booklet says that repititions are more effective than heavier tension. I use mainly the blue one now. I hope to work up to the red, but that will be a while. I'm also going to buy a couple more so I can work both hands simultaneously.
I do have one caveat -- make sure you use these correctly. Don't overdo it, or try to use a heavier tension to just to feel all macho. Like any weight training, you have to press the buttons precisely to isolate the muscles. Don't use your whole arm just to get the button pressed. I found that if I started to cheat, I got a little wrist pain and felt the beginnings of tendonitis. (another reason I'm staying on the blue tension for now.)
Oh, and buy your Gripmaster here at Amazon. They are $15 each everywhere else.
Full range of motion is the key to exercise February 9, 2007
V. Velasco (San Diego, CA United States)
13 out of 14 found this review helpful
If you are working to improve your overall grip, the medium is great. If you are trying to build up strength of a lazy pinky, then you might want to start lighter to get the full range of motion for this exercise. I'm trying to learn bass guitar and need to cheat with my ring finger when hitting notes meant for the pinky. Bought the medium Gripmaster which works great but is a little too much to start out with for my pinky finger. Unless you go through the full range of motion, you're just cheating yourself out of the full benefits of the workout. It's just like bench pressing. I may not max out as much as the next person at the gym, but at least I bring the bar off the rack and all the way down to my chest. Same principal with this exercise.
 Expensive for what you get and misses the mark in some important ways... November 8, 2007
Patrick D. Goonan (Pleasanton, CA)
12 out of 18 found this review helpful
First of all, I want to preface this interview by saying I'm a musician, former physiology Teaching Fellow and someone with experience in rehabilitating an injured hand. It's from this perspective that I offer my opinion of this product.
Pros:
-- Innovative
-- More than one type of exercise available
-- Will work for most people
Cons:
-- Expensive for what you get
-- Requires you to JUMP resistance levels to quickly
-- Possibility of injuring the fingers or hands
This product can be very useful, however, I feel it tries to be to many things at once and misses the mark. For example, resistance is not uniform throughout range of motion and often not complete. In addition, you need to jump resistance levels suddenly, this is NOT a great thing for a complex and delicate structure like the hands or fingers. It is also quite expensive for what you get, say compared to an IVANKO Super Hand Gripper Hand Strength Forearm or GoFit GF-WFB Wrist & Forearm Blaster.
As a musician, not getting injured and producing strength along with flexibility and coordination is very important to me. I feel the two products above do this best based upon my own experience and research. For example, the Ivanko Gripper has 100 incremental adjustment levels and produces what in my opinion is a better range of motion and uniform resistance. The wrist roller allows you to exercise both flexion and extension in a very simple, coordinated and progressive manner.
If you are serious about hand strength, you may want to pick up Mastery of Hand Strength before spending a lot of money. In many cases, you can train grip with things you have at home e.g. carrying sand bags, plunging your fingers into sand, using tennis balls, doing manual labor, chopping wood, etc.
One of the best grip builders in my opinion is properly performed deadlifts with an overhand grip. I also find negative chins followed by hanging on the bar until you drop off helpful. If necessary, you can add weight so that you can't hold on for too long. However, for most people chin ups followed by negaitve chins (the lowering phase over 30 secs. to 1 minutes) will not only build great biceps, but hit your forearms hard as well. You may also want to try doing deadlifts and other exercises like shrugs with a thicker bar and no gloves. These two movements build mass and hand strength along with many other benefits.
For injured people, you will want to consult your physician or physical therpist, but there are a variety of different putty type substances available for hand rehabilitation, various types of squeezable balls, etc. These might be a better bet if you aren't ready for some of the suggestions above.
GRIPMASTER RULES April 10, 2008
Tim Surette
11 out of 16 found this review helpful
Gripmaster is the best thing to happen ever. I can now crush small children and kittens in the palm of my hand. Gripmaster has changed my life. When I'm stressed--Gripmaster. When I'm happy--Gripmaster. When I'm sad--Gripmaster. When I'm eating--Gripmaster. When I'm bleeding--Gripmaster.
Try and pry it out of my super-muscular hands, punk.
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