Froning 7mm knee sleeve vs freeze sleeve

This is a comparison between the Froning 7mm knee sleeve and the freeze sleeve including pros, cons and alternatives. Follow the links for more details.

Overview and review of the Freeze sleeve

The freeze sleeve is one of the best options for cooling your arms or legs when going about your day.

Overview of the freeze sleeve

The freeze sleeve is a compression sleeve for the legs and arms with an inbuilt cooling system. It works with a gel to combine comfort with icing therapy. This way you can target the areas of most discomfort after training while still going about your day. The main features of this sleeve are:

Made in the USA
Compression Fabric Sleeve with Specially Formulated Anti-Microbial Gel
Flexible Up to -20 Degrees F
Store in the freezer a minimum of 2 hours before use
Color: Black
Important: Do not let the Freeze Sleeve get wet! The gel will absorb water and swell. If your sleeve becomes damp, place it on a flat, dry surface and allow to fully air dry. Do not use wet towels under your FREEZE SLEEVE.

This is a great comfortable and fast solution to cool down any area on your leg or arm.

Size of the freeze sleeve

The freeze sleeve is available in six different sizes ranging from S to 3XL. Measure the circumference just below your knee or elbow for the best results. The size chart is as follows:

S 8" -10" / 20-26cm
M 10" -13" / 26-33cm
L 13"-16" / 33-41cm
XL 16"-20" / 41-51cm
XXL 20"-24" / 51-61cm
3XL 25"-30" / 63-65cm

Take your measurements seriously and maybe go a little down from what you measure as sleeves tend to widen over time with extensive use.

Pros of the Freeze sleeve

The pros of the freeze sleeve:

Fast application
No moving parts
Price

The freeze sleeve is fast to use as long as it has been in the freezer. You easily slip it on and off after raining and is, therefore, a great solution for rehab post-workout.

There are no moving parts in the freeze sleeve that can break or get lost. Other solutions have nozzles to fill in ice or liquid while the freeze sleeve is one piece of equipment.

The price for the freeze sleeve is relatively low compared to other icing solutions with a similar impact.

Cons of the freeze sleeve

The cons of the freeze sleeve are:

Does not use ice
No choice in freeze effect
No choice on compression
Small areas only

Compared to ice packs that are filled with ice cubes the freeze sleeve provides less cooling and compression. If you want to shock freeze certain areas immediately after injury, the freeze sleeve is not the right tool. Here the hyperice range of products does a better job. The same goes for larger areas like the shoulder or back.

Alternatives to the freeze sleeve

Good alternatives to the freeze sleeve are:

The hyperice range can cover bigger areas and freeze them quicker. If you are a big athlete you are probably better off with these. The main disadvantage of the freeze sleeve is that you need to fill the bag with ice cubes to make it work. This requires setup and leaves the product with more moving parts that can break or get lost.

Summary for the freeze sleeve

One of the best solutions for post-workout cooling of niggling areas over time. Not the best solution for immediate icing of severe strain injuries at the side of a pitch.

Overview and review of the Froning Rehband 7mm knee sleeve

These are the best knee sleeves for all around usage at $49.99 a sleeve. Take that these are sold individually and not in pairs.

Overview of the Froning knee sleeve

The Rehband RX 7mm Knee Sleeve from the Froning series is probably the safe bet when it comes to sleeves. For the price, you get a thick sleeve with a wide range of options in size. With Froning branding, you still get some inspiration from a top Crossfit athlete while the sleeve itself is produced by the main vendor in the sleeve industry for sports. Take care that these are sold individually and not in pairs. The specifications of the Rich Froning 7mm are:

Sold Individually
7MM thick SBR / Neoprene blend flex-material
Size Options: XXS-XXL (See Chart Below)
Color: Black & Red

This is the sleeve for Crossfit champions.

Size of the Froning knee sleeve

These are the sizes that are available for the Rich Froning knee sleeve. Measure at the upper calf about 10 cm down from your knee cap.

XXS 29 - 31cm
XS 31 - 33cm
S 33 - 35cm
M 35 - 37cm
L 37 - 40cm
XL 40 - 43cm
XXL 43 - 46cm

This is one of the widest ranges of sizes you can find for knee sleeves in the current market.

Pros of the Froning knee sleeves

The pros of the Froning knee sleeves are:

Wide range of size options
Reliable vendor
Only vendor with Froning products for sleeves

Rehbandis one of the powerhouses in the area of knee and elbow protection across all sports. They have teamed up with one of the most successful athletes in Crossfit to provide a solid sleeve option for Crossfitters and strongmen.

The cons of the Froning knee sleeves

The cons of the Froning knee sleeves are:

Not sold in pairs
Price
Design

The Froning 7MM sleeves are unfortunately not sold in pairs. This is an exemption from the standards for other vendors. This drives the price up. In addition, some also might think that the design of the Rehband sleeves might be a little outdated. Rogue and Rocktape have made some efforts here to push the envelope for the industry. Especially Rogue with their custom designs from the Zeus engine.

Alternatives to the Froning knee sleeve

Alternatives to the Froning knee sleeve are:

The Dan Bailey clang and Bang knee sleeves come in 5mm with a grey design. The good news is that they come in pairs. If you are a Crossfitter who wants to support an athlete but do not want to pay double for protecting both of your knees, the Dan Bailey sleeves might be the option for you.

If your main goal is to get your One repetition maximum up, the X treme Sleeves from Mark bell might be just the right option for you. These sleeves have been designed very stiff so you get maximum support on your one-repetition maximum attempts. With this, they can be quite restrictive if you want to run and jump in them.

If you want to do your own design on a knee sleeve with medium thickness and support the custom Rogue knee sleeves are currently one of the options where you can upload your own design and get it delivered to your doorstep.

Summary for the Froning knee sleeve

The safest bet for overall quality, comfort, and support. This comes at the cost of not being able to buy in pairs.