Hyperice knee sleeve vs Strong sleeves

This is a comparison between the Hyperice knee sleeve and the strong sleeves including pros, cons and alternatives. Follow the links for more details.

Overview and review of the Strong Knee sleeves

The Strong knee sleeves come in at $80 and are the first attempt at seamless knee sleeves from Mark Bell. They are stiffer than regular sleeves but not as stiff as the Xtreme X Sleeve.

Overview of the Strong knee sleeves

The strong sleeves are the entry-level knee sleeves from Mark Bell designed for comfort and stability. With 7MM in thickness and level 3 neoprene, they are comparable to the sturdy upper range knee sleeves of other vendors like Rehband. This is based on Mark Bell's target group of powerlifters who usually need everything one step stiffer and thicker than other athletes as they give up mobility in a trade-off for strength. The main specification of the Strong Sleeve are:

7mm Thick
Level 3 Neoprene
Sold in pairs
Seamless design

This is a solid option for a beginning powerlifter who feels like Rehbandis not stiff enough for them. Especially when you weigh more than 200 pounds and want to powerlift you might want to consider entering the market with Mark Bell rather than with Rehband.

Sizing for the Strong knee sleeves

The Strong knee sleeve comes in different sizes. These are measured from the circumference of your knee when standing. The options are:

XS - 11" - 12"
S - 12" - 13"
M - 13" - 14"
L - 14" - 15"
XL - 15" - 16"
2XL - 16" - 17"
3XL - 17" - 18"
4XL - 18" - 19"

These are the numbers for the comfort fit. Add 1" if you use the competition fit.

Pros of the Strong sleeves

The pros of the strong sleeves are:

7mm Thickness
Level 3 Neoprene
Seamless design

The main idea with the Strong sleeves was to take the design of other 7mm knee sleeves in the market from SBD and Rehbandand improve it. The main difference is that the Strong sleeves have fewer seams and are therefore less error-prone. The design is still pretty heavy-handed and aimed at powerlifters. Maybe not the best solution for smaller individuals who want to move around as fast as possible while wearing sleeves. Here you may look for 3mm or 5mm options depending on whether you want to be active or you want to use the knee sleeve for rehabilitation after surgery/injury.

Cons of the Strong sleeves

The cons of the strong sleeves are

Price
Stiffness
Thickness

As Mark Bell aims at a smaller target group and the production of a seamless sleeve compared to one with seams as a bit more complex, the price is higher. If you want to pay the extra dollars for a 7mm knee sleeve aimed at powerlifters that is great. Otherwise, you might opt for Rehband.

The stiffness and thickness might work against the strong sleeves based on your use case. If you want to wear sleeves and still run and jump or just support your knee after injury 7mm thickness plus an emphasis on a tight git might be overkill. You do not want to get your knee out of place again after surgery, because the sleeve you bought to support it was too hard to get into. That is the very definition of overshooting the target.

For a 7mm sleeve, you will usually pay less with Rehband. Their designs have more seams and are inspired across disciplines rather than specifically for powerlifting.

Alternatives to the Strong sleeve

Alternatives to the Strong sleeve are

The Xtreme sleeve would be the option if you want to take it to the maximum for your one-repetition maximum attempts on the squat. This is the stiffest and thickest IPF approved knee sleeve currently on the market. If you are big, heavy, strong and do not care that much about mobility, the X is for you.

If you want to buy a 7mm knee sleeve but save a little money you can also go for the Rehbandoptions. One is in direct cooperation with Rich Froning in case you want to support him directly as an athlete or feel inspired by his logo on your sleeves.

Smaller and lighter athletes might find that a 7mm knee sleeve is an overkill for them.

Summary for the Strong sleeves

The strong sleeves from Mark bell are a good entry choice for anyone focused on powerlifting. Other athletes might want to go for 5mm versions from Rehband, depending on how much mobility they want.

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