Strong sleeves vs Clang and bang knee sleeves
This is a comparison between the Strong sleeves and the Clang and bang knee sleeves 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.
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
- 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
- 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
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 alternatives to the clang and bang knee sleeves from
Dan Bailey are:
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.
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
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
- 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
- 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
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 s
trong 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.