Hyperice knee sleeve vs Froning 7mm knee sleeve
This is a comparison between the Hyperice knee sleeve and the Froning 7mm knee sleeve including pros, cons and alternatives. Follow the links for more details.
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
- 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
- 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 In addition, some also might think that the design of the Rehband sleeves might be a little outdated.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
- Dan Bailey Clang and bang
- Mark Bell Xtreme Sleeve
- Rogue custom knee sleeve
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.
Overview and review of the hyperice knee sleeve
The hyperice knee sleeve is quite pricey at $90 and a sleeve with inbuilt gel might be faster better cheaper. Only exception is if you are massive. The back and shoulder range of hyperice makes more sense.
Overview of the Hyperice knee sleeve
The hyperice knee sleeve is one of the products of hyperice that help you recover faster. There are also variations for the shoulder, elbow, and knees. The principle of the hyperice is to provide you with an ice bag that you can easily strap to your body.
The hyperice comes with the following features:
- 3mm neoprene
- Machine washable
- Air release valve to adjust compression
- Loadable bag
With this, you can work several areas of your body with an ice bag that you can strap to your body to stay mobile. Great for big athletes who want maximum icing effect and are used to it for recovery.
Pros of the hyperice knee sleeve
The pros of the hyperice are:
- Uses ice cubes or any other liquid
- Highly adjustable
- Comfortable
- Easy to set up
A big advantage of the hyperice is that it uses ice cubes or any other cold liquid to get the desired recovery effect. This makes it a good utility at sports events or in your gym bag as you will always find something cold to put in. Compared to a towel makeshift solution it is superior. Your ice packs might not always be cool on the road if you forgot to put them in the fridge. Especially on an away game or when you are traveling.
The combination of ice and air compression makes it an adjustable solution for any sized athlete. Especially the huge ones where the liquid packs are not covering the area or do not cool the deep tissue.
The neoprene is easy on the skin, absorbs sweat and can, therefore, be worn by anyone who sets eyes on it easily. There is no complicated setup or wrapping.
The big nozzle makes sit easy to laid the hyperice with coolant. This makes it a fast solution to cool any area as long as you have ice within reach.
Cons of the hyperice knee sleeve
The cons of the hyperice are:
- Can not be worn during exercise
- Bag and nozzle prone to error
- Price
The big bag makes it almost impossible to exercise and keep the ice in place. It is great to do chores like cleaning and shopping while you are recovering, but hyperice is not suitable for some of the training methods which involve being cooled. The Titan vest might be a better option for this.
The normal use and abuse of a strap or knee sleeve in a gym bag is prone to break the screw top or the ice bag of the hyperice. I wouldn’t put that on the manufacturer as I don’t see a better solution without making the membrane too thick so it does not cool anymore. Most average joes will just throw this into their gym bag and that begs to break the mechanism.
The price is very high for a knee sleeve or ice pack. You pay for your comfort.
Alternatives to the hyperice knee sleeve
Alternatives to the hyperice knee sleeve are:
The freeze sleeve is a neoprene sleeve with in build cooling gel. This makes it a very convenient solution unless you object to the chemicals used to make the cooling gel. Compared to the hyperice knee sleeve it is the better solution in my opinion for recovery at home for average-sized athletes. There is no extra set up required and you can use it on elbows and knees. For away games, it might not be better as it is easier to ask a stranger for some ice than putting your gross sleeve in their fridge.
If I was to spend money on hyperice I would spend it on the back solution. I have regular back pains from squatting and deadlifting. The usual icing solutions like a bag of peas or ice or hard to keep in place in the lower back. The hyperice back is ideal for that.
The hyperice shoulder would the equivalent of the back version for the shoulder. I personally have no problems with my rotator cuff, but if you do this can be a good solution.
The hyperice utility is a little different in design from the knee sleeve to go anywhere on your arms or legs. For the knee, you will have a harder time to keep it in place as the straps are arranged differently.
Summary for the hyperice knee sleeve
For cooling your arms or legs I think that the freeze sleeve is the better option unless you are a massive human being. If you have arms like thighs you might have problems to find a fitting sleeve. Out of the hyperice line up the back and shoulder version are great options if you have problems in these areas and need faster recovery. Try icing with peas first. The usefulness of icing for recovery is highly debated among professionals and it usually comes down to personal preference
