Mark Bell Grippy X sleeve vs clang and bang sleeves
This is a comparison between the Grippy x sleeve and the clang and bang sleeve including pros, cons and alternatives. Follow the links for more details.
Overview and review of the Dan Bailey clang and bang
The Dan bailey clang and bang comes in at $52 for a pair. If you want a Crossfit athlete sponsored 5mm knee sleeve this is your best bet.
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Overview of the Dan Bailey clang and bang
The Clang and bang Knee sleeves from Dan Bailey come in 5 different sizes and are 5mm thick. They bear Dan Bailey's clang and bang logo and have been built by a team of Florida CrossFitters in cooperation with scientists and therapists. If you like some design and support Dan Bailey when buying a knee sleeve this one is for you. The features are:
- Sold in Pairs
- Exclusive Dan Bailey “Clang-N-Bang” logo design
- 5MM thick Neoprene
- Color: Gray & Black
- Sizes: XS, S, M, L, XL
If you have enough things from Froning or just like Dan Bailey this might be the sleeve for you. If you want to go for a stiffer, thicker sleeve, this might not be the right option.
Sizing for the Dan Bailey clang and bang
The Dan Bailey clang and bang knee sleeve is available in five sizes. The sizes are measured from the circumference of the knee while standing. The available sizes are:
- XS 30 - 32cm
- S 32cm - 34cm
- M 34cm- 36cm
- L 36cm - 38cm
- XL 38cm - 40cm
Especially in the smaller ranges, you might find The Dan Bailey knee sleeves to be more practical than other knee sleeves.
Pros of the Dan and bailey clang and bang
The pros of the Dan Bailey knee sleeves:
- Unique design
- Flexibility
The Dan Bailey clang and bang knee sleeves provide flexibility and comfort while still supporting your knees. The Clang and bang design is also unique to this line of knee sleeves.
Cons of the Dan and Bailey knee sleeves
- Price
- Stiffness
For a 5mm knee sleeve, the Dan Bailey clang and bang sleeves are situated at the higher, rather than the lower end of the spectrum. For this get a unique design and comfort, but you might as well go for other brands at 5mm which will cost you less.
These will not be the stiffest sleeves in the sortiment. If you are getting sleeves to improve your one-repetition maximum, rather than protecting your knees generally, go for the X treme sleeves from Mark Bell.
Alternatives to the Dan Bailey clang and bang knee sleeves
The X Treme sleeve is probably the best sleeve in the market at the time of writing for improving your one-repetition maximum on the squat. At the same time, it is also one of the most expensive. If you want to improve your 1RM with a very stiff design this is the right sleeve for you. For general protection on fast movements, it might be too stiff.
If you prefer Rich Froning over Dan Bailey as ana athlete or want to spend your money on a brand that has been established longer you can opt for the Rich Froning Rehband sleeves. The Rich Froning sleeves are available in 3mm, 5mm, and 7mm.
The Rock tape Assassins sleeves cost a little less for getting a 7mm instead of a 5mm and have a different design. If you prefer thicker neoprene and black and red rather than grey colors, this might be the option for you.
Summary for the Dan Bailey clang and bang sleeves
The Dan Bailey clang and bang sleeves are a good mid-range option with extra comfort features and unique design. If you want to support Florida, Dan Bailey, and comfort, this is the sleeve to go for.
Overview and review of the Grippy X Sleeve
Grippy x sleeves are one of the stiffest and thinnest knee sleeves on the market and comes in at $85. This is the one to go for to optimize your one repetition maximum.
Overview of the Grippy x sleeve
The Grippy x sleeves come out of the range of Mark bell’s wraps and sleeves. His channel supertraining06 is probably one of the biggest, if not the biggest, powerlifting channel on YouTube. They are designed to emulate wraps and be as stiff as possible for heavy squats. The specifications are:
- Sold in Pairs
- Thickness: 6.5mm
- Length: 29cm
- Approved by USPA
To provide a good, right support to place another squat personal record.
Sizing for the Grippy x sleeve
I take no responsibility for any size information as it usually lands me in trouble with at least one person. What I will say is that the design of the Grippy x sleeve is unforgiving. Take the measurements seriously and spent some time thinking about size or you might be in a world of pain to get these on. This is intended for the support the x sleeves provide. Rehband models are more forgiving in this regard. The sizes are
- S - knee circumference 13-14”
- M - 14.25” - 15”
- L - 15.25” - 16”
- Xl - 16.25” - 17”
- 2xl - 17.25” - 18”
- 3xl - 18.25” - 19”
- 4xl - 19.25” - 20”
If you have very big calves which are potentially thicker circumference then your knee, go a size up.
Pros of the grippy x sleeve
The pros of the grippy x sleeves are:
- USAPF approved
- Stiffness
- Experienced vendor
The grippy x sleeves are USAPF approved. This means that you can use them in competitions in this federation. It is always good to simulate competition conditions as close as you can in training. With these sleeves, you at least compete on a national level. IPF approval is a different topic.
The stiffness of the x sleeve is its main selling point. The grippy x sleeves are probably the closest you can get with sleeves to simulate a wrap. A good knee wrap will be tighter and provide more bounce, but it is also hard to do it yourself.
Mark Bell has been around for a long time and was a powerlifter for a long time. Whether you actually need all of the sleeves he puts out can be debated, but his products do what they say on the tin, based on my experience.
Cons of the Grippy x sleeve
The cons of the grippy x sleeve
- IPF controversy
- Price
- Stiffness
One con for international powerlifters is that there is a debate about whether they should be IPF approved. There is a controversy for how they function and a complaint was filed (probably by SBD).The IPF is the international rather than national federation for powerlifting and considered the gold standard of raw lifting. If you read this check the current status as it might have changed.
The price is a little steep but you pay for the quality. This was so good that it was ruled out, so it will probably protect your knees and improve your PR.
The stiffness can work against you. Of you want to use these sleeves for CrossFit WODs or Olympic lifts they might limit your range of motion too much.
Alternatives to the grippy x sleeve
- Knee wraps
- Rehband Knee sleeves
- X Knee sleeves
Knee wraps are the ultimate stability tool for your knees. While they are harder to put on correctly they provide the most amount of bounce. Depending on the lifting federation they might be allowed or not. Lifting with wraps is not considered raw lifting.
The Rehband knee sleeve is the long-held general standard for knee sleeves. You will find Rehband products across all different sports. The use is versatile and they are not as stiff as the Mark bell grippy sleeves.
The x knee sleeves from Mark bell are the upgraded version after the IPF pulled their approval for the grippy sleeves. This is the updated version with thicker neoprene that covers USAPF and IPF approvals.
Summary for the grippy X Sleeve
The grippy x sleeves are the “cheater” sleeves which will provide you with great support for raw lifting and were so effective that the IPF banned them. Definitely worth having if it just for the story around them. Of you want sleeves with similar attributes to go for the extreme x sleeves.
