Mark Bell Grippy X sleeve vs Rehband 7790
This is a comparison between the Grippy x sleeve and the Rehband 7790 including pros, cons and alternatives. Follow the links for more details.
Overview and review of the Rehband 7790 strong man
The 7790 Rehband strongman comes in it $69.99. It has extra straps to fixate the knee for very heavy carries.
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Overview of the Rehband 7790
- Yoke carries
- Farmers walks
- Heavy lifts from raised platforms
- Car walks
- Car deadlifts
Basically any lift that is very heavy and does not need too much bending of the knee. The
Rehband 7790 will be less practical for:
- Atlas stone lifts
- Heavy Squats
- Fast circuits
Whenever a
strongman has to move fast or have full flexibility in the knee it might be better to opt for a sleeve without any extra straps. The specifications of the
Rehband 7790 are:
Sizing for the Rehband 7790
The size for the
Rehband 7790 Strongman is measured at the upper calf and is available in five different sizes. These are:
- S 13"- 14"
- M 14" - 14.5"
- L 14.5" - 16"
- XL 16" - 17"
- XXL 17" - 18"
Measured while standing.
Rehband sleeves are known to be more forgiving than Mark Bell products on sizes as they are designed for more freedom of movement and less stiffness in general.
Pros of the Rehband 7790 Strongman
- Extra support with straps
- Freedom of movement
- strong brand
The extra straps are the main advantage of these sleeves. They will help you with very heavy carries of any sort. With this, you will have a better experience and protect yourself as a
strongman.
For a sleeve which provides stability around the knee, the construction still leaves you some room to move freely and perform. You will not sprint or break a new high jump record in the
7790 Strongman, but you also won't waddle and be barely able to walk.
Apart from this, you are buying a
Rehband sleeve.
Rehbandhas been around for years in the business of sleeves and supports for athletes and rehabilitation. This is across several sports and through the decades. You are putting your money on a safe bet.
Cons of the Rehband 7790
- Limited movement
- Extra straps
Depending on your goals the
7790 is most likely overkill for you. Unless the carry yokes of several 100 kilos in weight you might as well go with sleeves without straps and which are less thin.
The extra straps will also bear a risk of ripping. Whenever you have additional flaps and straps on a product like this you can fairly sure that they will be ripped or at least loose after a year, if you use the sleeves regularly.
Alternatives to the 7790
The
x Treme sleeve from Mark bell would be the weapon of choice to maximize your one repetition squat. While they are too tight for walking long distances, they have more flexibility around the knee and help you out of the hole for 1 repetition maximum attempts.
The
Rogue 7mm sleeve is an alternative for the ambitioned CrossFitter or lifter who wants to incorporate heavy farmers walks and squats into their repertoire. Less stiff than the
X Treme sleeve they provide more flexibility while still being supportive for heavy loads for average joes.
Rogue also has a wide range of designs, specially tailored to the US market, which might be more appealing to you than the reds, grays, blues, and blacks of the
Rehband series.
If you want a 7mm knee sleeve from
Rehband without the straps the
Froning series might be the right call for you. You will nod to the fittest man on earth while still having one of the most classic brands in sleeves touching your knees.
Summary for the 7790 Strongman
The
Rehband 7790 Strongman sleeves are a great option for someone who does very, very heavy farmers walks and yoke carries on a regular basis and does not want to use straps. Most simple humans will be fine with a 7mm or even 5mm sleeve for their regular training.
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
- 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
- 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 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 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.