Customer Reviews

Captains of Crush Hand Gripper - No. 1.5

5 star:		(203)
4 star:		(26)
3 star:		(7)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

If you are really serious about hand grips, and you want something that is not your standard sport shop model, this is where to go. I got the Trainer, and for someone like myself that has been using hand grips since childhood, it was too easy. Then I got #1 and that was tuff; but I decided to get #2 and #3 as well. I have just recently graduated from #1 and using #2, and maybe in a year or more I can go to #3 and get certified.
Let me tell you this, if you can squeeze #2 at least once all the way, you are good. You can't really understand what I am trying to tell unless you get one. So if you are person that has never used hand grips regularly if at all, then go with the Trainer. If you have been using hand grips for awhile, and looking for something harder, then get the #1.
Remember to always squeeze hard!!!

I was searching for a durable quality gripper that took some power to close. I figured that I would have no problem closing the Trainer and figured I would buy the Trainer and the Level One gripper. Glad I bought the Trainer. The Level 1 is pretty tough to close and I like to do it a few times then go work on the Trainer.

As for quality like Mr. Baotic said, these are high quality. Now that I have two I want the whole set. I've heard people complain that the grips are a little rough but they don't injure you at all they are just rougher so they don't slip when you sweat. If you want a quality, durable, gripper buy from the Captain's of Crush line. I know I will never go back.

I was very tempted to start and order the Captains of Crunch #1 and bypass the Trainer but after reading the reviews I opted for the Trainer.

Good thing.

I was amazed that I had a difficult time closing the Trainer 10 times when I first got it and by the second set I was burning out at 8 reps.

Now two months later I'm up to 2 sets of 12 reps and 1 set of 10 reps.

I figure in two more months I will order the #1...but use the Trainer as a warm up.

Handle is rough but prevents losing your grip. I do have some new callouses but nothing overt.

Very good product that produces good results.

p.s. I keep it in my car so during my commute I just do several sets...so no excuses to get your grip in shape.

If you are really serious about hand grips, and you want something that is not your standard sport shop model, this is where to go. I got the Trainer, and for someone like myself that has been using hand grips since childhood, it was too easy. Then I got #1 and that was tuff; but I decided to get #2 and #3 as well. I have just recently graduated from #1 and using #2, and maybe in a year or more I can go to #3 and get certified.
Let me tell you this, if you can squeeze #2 at least once all the way, you are good. You can't really understand what I am trying to tell unless you get one. So if you are person that has never used hand grips regularly if at all, then go with the Trainer. If you have been using hand grips for awhile, and looking for something harder, then get the #1.
Remember to always squeeze hard!!!

After a couple of months with the Trainer and 1.0, during which I made great strides in grip strength, I decided it was time to take it up a notch. I bought the 1.5 thinking I would need to "transition" to the 2.0. To me, at least, there isn't a dramatically noticeable difference in tension between the 1.0 (145 lbs.) and the 1.5 (approximately 165 lbs) as there is between the Trainer (100 lbs.) and the 1.0. Maybe that's the whole point.

So, I'll give it another month or so, then move up to the 2.0 where I am sure there will be a *definite* challenge. Oh yes, I now own three of these and they are all wonderfully constructed and worth every penny spent.

ADDENDUM: 11/03/08 - OK, time to qualify my comments, above. I underestimated the challenge of the 1.5. There is an appreciable difference between the 1.0 and the 1.5, enough to the extent I feel I probably need another month of work before moving up to the 2.0 to where I would be able to squeeze off more than just two or three reps with my dominant hand.

In the meantime - I have noticed a serious uptick in grip strength, particularly when doing barbell trap shrugs, heavy dumbbell shrugs and lat rows, bent over barbell rows, dead lifts, etc., where you have to be able to hold the weight against gravity for an entire set in order to get anything out of the exercise, then do two or three more sets. This is where grip strength pays off in weight training and the real value of the CoC grippers becomes apparent.

Addendum # 2 01/22/10 - This is still my main gripper while now working with the 2. The 2 is miles above the 1.5 but is attainable. My 1.5 developed a little "squeaking" in the spring after about a year of use. A quick shot of WD40 eliminated that. Again - using these grips is essential if you're going to do any serious weight training where you have to hold the weight against gravity while working other muscles - best example: shrugs and "farmer's walks" - Your traps and shoulders may be strong, but if you can't hold the weight, you're never going to improve.

As for quality - I'll probably croak before these guys do. Built to last. Period.

In the summer of 2009, I bought a cheap plastic hand gripper out of curiosity and used it for a few months at work. It was slightly hard at first but only after a few weeks, I was doing tens and hundreds of reps each day. I had absolutely no hand grip training prior to using this cheap plastic hand gripper.

But one day, the metal spring snapped while I was on the 1,234,567th rep. I knew I was getting stronger but this was shocking because I just destoryed a piece of metal with my right hand!



In all seriousness, I felt like I needed a better hand gripper that doesn't break easily. I did some research and found out that companies made hand grippers with varying resistance. I came across Captains of Crush on Google search. They seemed like well built, tough looking hand grippers. I read some reviews and one person said that #1 usually stops a grown man cold. I scoffed and ordered #1 and #2 because I thought I had above average or at least average hand grip strength after using the cheap plastic hand gripper.

I was seriously wrong. #1 stopped me cold. I cried (my heart did). The first day I tried it, I got blisters on my middle, ring, and pinky fingers on both hands! And I couldn't even budge #2. Blisters were pretty bad and washing my face each morning was a painful reminder that I was still a newbie. It took me more than a week to recover. But while I was recovering, I was worried that I wouldn't be able to do normal exercises with just #1 and #2. So I ordered the Trainer which was rated at 100 lbs.

The Trainer helped me get stronger fast. I used it rigorously for a week and I was able to close #1 a few times with a break between each rep. I always did 3 sets of ten reps with the Trainer as a warm up and did 1 or 2 sets of several reps with #1. I could only close #1 with my dominant right hand but after a month of training, I could also do it on my left hand.



Only about a month after I first closed #1, I closed #2. It came as a surprise. I was showing CoC grippers to my friends and I felt like showing off even more. They couldn't close #1 and I had already shown them closing #1 so I thought even if I fail at closing #2, it wouldn't hurt my pride as much. I tried and closed it. When the metals touched, I thought I had #1 in my hand. But it sure was #2.

A few more months have passed. It was early December 2009 and I could do several reps with #2 with my right hand and barely one rep with my left hand. I got curious again. What's #3 like? I ordered one. It was hard. I skipped #1.5 because I closed #2 relatively fast but this time, I really felt like I needed #2.5 to help me gap the bridge.

#2.5 arrived today (1/12/2010). I opened the package and closed it on the first try. I could feel that it was tougher than #2 but not by much. But regardless, I think it will help me get to #3 faster because what matters is one hard rep not several less-than-maximum-effort reps. As of today, I'm about 1cm away from closing #3. But after #2 rated at 195 lbs (~200 lbs), that 1cm gap is huge. I think it would take me at least half a year to fully close #3. But I'll get there eventually. And I'll write another review for #3 on Amazon.com.


here's a summary of my progress:

cheap plastic hand gripper (a few months)
Trainer to #1 (a week)
#1 to #2 - one rep (1 month)
#2 - several reps (4~5 months)
#2.5 - a few reps with a break between each rep (5 months)
#3 - about 1cm to go!
#3.5 - probably light years away :-)

Captains of Crush

Guide - 60 lbs
Sport - 80 lbs
Trainer - 100 lbs
#1 - 140 lbs
#1.5 - 167.5 lbs
#2 - 195 lbs
#2.5 - 237.5 lbs
#3 - 280 lbs
#3.5 - 322.5 lbs
#4 - 365 lbs

I've been weight training for 14 years and never invested time to strength-train my hands specifically until a couple of years ago. I still had one of those typical black-handled grippers from my years in middle school and worked that much too easily. Although it did actually increase gripping power, I knew I needed to upgrade my training apparatus. After receiving the #1 gripper, I was immediately impressed by the quality construction and level of strength necessary to close just this mid-level device from Iron Mind. Because of the rather harsh knurling, I wrapped the bar I place under my four fingers with tape. I still use my easy gripper for repetitions to improve endurance and tolerance for that "burn," then go to the Iron Mind #1 for some strength-building sets. Also, I enjoy squeezing the #1 and simply holding it in a closed position for 10-30 seconds, simply maintaining focus and squeezing with more strength with each passing second. Afterwards, I may go to the light gripper and crush that thing for maybe another 50. Try it! I will order the #2 very soon.

I was searching for a durable quality gripper that took some power to close. I figured that I would have no problem closing the Trainer and figured I would buy the Trainer and the Level One gripper. Glad I bought the Trainer. The Level 1 is pretty tough to close and I like to do it a few times then go work on the Trainer.

As for quality like Mr. Baotic said, these are high quality. Now that I have two I want the whole set. I've heard people complain that the grips are a little rough, mine weren't that sharp so I have a feeling each unit is different. I understand the theory that they are rougher so they don't slip when you sweat. Like I said I haven't had a problem with them. If you want a quality, durable, gripper buy from the Captain's of Crush line. I know I will never go back.

If you are really interested there is a process to get certified for closing the 3rd gripper. I know that's my goal. If you are from the Northwest there is an independent site that certifies people that close the second one and on. It's definitely something to work towards.

This is an awesome product. Unless you have a superhuman grip strength, however, do not buy this first.

Well, scratch that. Get this, the #1 and the #2. Then get the #3 out of the package, and try and close it.

With diligent and intelligent training, you will one day get the #3 to close like a castanet.

And at that point, you will have INCREDIBLE hand strength. You will be able to do things with your hands you never thought you'd need to be able to do - cut metal with way substandard bolt cutters, use cheap wrenches that people in Home Depot assure you you'll never manage a job with, telling you you'll need much more expensive torque multiplying wrenches to use.

The #4 is my next goal. It's INHUMAN. Only four men on this planet have closed it, and there's some who think you might need genetic gift to reach that plateau.

But make no mistake, the #3 is a superhuman feat, and it's the benchmark by which strong hands are judged.

These are the grippers that got me into training my hands as hard as the rest of my body, and I can't thank Ironmind enough for making such a product. Don't waste your time with cruddy store-bought grippers that you can rep 100 times per hand straight out of the package - you're not getting any stronger with them, so why bother? Do yourself a favor, get a few Ironmind grippers and start your journey toward a fantastic crushing grip! My advice - unless you've been training hard and heavy for a few years, start with the Trainer, and even if you have been doing some hard training, start with the #1 and go from there. Anything more will almost certainly be more than you can close at the start, so begin with one, master it for a bit, and move on to the next. You won't be sorry!