Customer Reviews
Great Things 
2008-02-09
Probably the best of its type of..er...exercise device (gripper sounds like a fake word).
Fast delivery, very good quality, though it took a little while for my hands to get used to the metal grip (it scrapes skin off at the beginning).
The No. 1 wasn't all that difficult to close, but I still can't close No. 2 (even after being able to close No. 1.5 and do about 10 reps with it). Maybe there should be a No. 1.75 or something.
If my wrist were not horribly screwed up (possibly from using the same Captains of Crush gripper, though that's unlikely), I'd be using it even now. Instead, all I can do is squeeze the Iron Mind egg. How sad.
Superb Construction 2007-12-05
As another reviewer put it, the Ferrari of hand-grips. I was tempted to call it the Cadillac of hand-grips but now that I think about it, that just wouldn't do it justice. These grips are solidly constructed, 100% metal with knurled gripping surfaces and easy to read engraving so you can tell which tension you've picked up (I own several tensions). I've tried every brand I've come across, and these are the best. They don't break, they don't slip, they're consistent and they are available in bone crushing tension levels and many stages between beginner and pro.
The COC #1- Where to Start if Your Hands are Strong 2007-11-24
The COC 1 is a good place to start for men who already lift weights, work manual labor or have otherwise strong hands. Beware that grip strength is entirely it's own thing and a lot of "strong" people cannot close the #1. Still, with effort, people of ordinary strength can find themselves closing it with practice.
In my opinion, the #1 is the best place to start for men with already "strong" hands (strong by 'ordinary' standards, not 'grip strength practitioner' standards). If you are just beginning with grip training, go with the "Trainer" or even the "Sport". Under no circumstances- save for true freaks of nature or dedicated weightlifters- should anyone start above a #1 unless your goal is to own a gripper that you simply can't close.
Bring on #2 2007-11-02
At first I could only close the #1 gripper 1 time in each hand. After a month I can now close it 10 times in the right and 5 times in the left. It is very high quality and I recommend it for people who have some hand gripping experience. Most of my friends could not close it.
very good quality for the price 2007-10-22
I've known about and these grippers since 1998. I've owned them for about eight years; although I have not used them consistently. I own the Guide, Sport, Training, and 1. I've used, limited though, "sporting goods store" grippers in the past, and didn't not find them difficult to use.
These grippers are an excellent hand strength builder, especially for doing things like pinching, grabbing, and overall strength. When I use to work out 4 days a week, I could only close the Trainer. I used a straps to hold heavier wieghts to do shrugs and olympic lifting training. When I trained with them, I found I could hold more wieght without the straps.
I wasn't really able to appreciate how difficult these grippers were, till I brought them to work, a pizzeria, so I could do a few sets here and there. Out of the four or five people who tried the trainer, only one person was able to close it completely. Most were in the half to three quarters. I've only been able to recently close the #1, with several sets a day of training using the Trainer and Sport; On the verge of over training.
As to the rough grip comment, it true they "can" be rough. It's just like the non slip grip portion of barbells and deadlift and bench bars, some bars for cable machines, and so forth. If you find those to hurt when you use them, these will irratate the hands as well. Unfortunately, it does take some time to get use to them. As to soft hands going away, two suggestions, 1) use a brimmice stone on the calluses, 2) use plenty of moisturizer thoughout the day; I prefer intensive healing. Of course, these should be used anyway because some lifts are know to rip off calluses.
The real deal! 2008-05-26
As the other reviewers have stated, these are far beyond the cheap grippers found at sporting goods stores. The Captains of Crush grippers will definitely allow you to train for a that monstrous grip strength you've always wanted but was never sure how to get. Whether your a martial artist, weightlifter, or just an average joe who wants to crush some hands, these are what you need!
I've been using these for about two months, and my friends and family have commented on my increasingly powerful grip. And I've just barely started on the No 1. Imagine when I get to the No 2...
Now for the downsides: The grips themselves are pretty rough on your hands initially. But after awhile you'll develop some manly calluses, so no big deal.
The other downside is that after the Trainer (100 lb grip), the grip increments start getting steep. While progressing from the Guide or Sport to the Trainer is pretty straightforward, it's tough to jump from the 100lb Trainer to the the 140lb No 1, and so on.
Luckily you can purchase some nice "inserts" which will add an extra 20lbs of force to any gripper, allowing you to increase increments for gradually. These aren't sold on Amazon though, you'll need to go to the IronMind website.
Overall, these grippers are worth the money.
Look out Popeye!! 2008-05-23
I have used many different products from Iron Mind and let me tell you they have the market when it comes to grip strength training equipment!! If your serious about grip training, the Captains of Crush (COC) grippers will take you to another level of strength. They sell about 10 different COC grippers but the main ones you should have in your home gym are these 5:
T = 100lbs
#1 = 140lbs
#2 = 195lbs
#3 = 280lbs
#4 = 365lbs
OK, so the #4 is more of a novelty item because I will never close it with 1 hand, but it's fun to see my buddies struggle trying to close it with 2 hands!! You can work your way through the ranks of these to achieve massive gripping power, and each gripper has a workout routine on the packaging to get you started. Note: These are not made for the desk jockey or the couch potato to sit around and smash out 100 reps in each hand. Go to Wal-Mart and buy those cheap plastic ones for that nonsense. These are precision crafted machined aluminum and steel grippers that are built to last, and for serious training!! So add these to your arsenal of training implements and smash them until you look like Popeye!! Toot! Toot!
Get a Grip! 2008-04-16
The No. 1 is 140 lbs. of resistance. This is plenty challenging, I suspect, for most folks who have some degree of hand and forearm strength, but haven't really gotten serious with this usually-neglected (I'm guilty!) aspect of focused strength training. I am able to close it fully only three times at this point, and I have been lifting for 10 years. I intend to buy the "Trainer" (which is 100 lbs of resistance) to use as a warm-up (as recommended by IronMind) for workouts with the 1.0. The gripper comes with a little "user's manual" from IronMind on how to get the most out of your workouts with the gripper, suggested routines, warm up and working sets, and "care and feeding". All good stuff.
Frankly, this is a fabulous product from a great company. The "Gold Standard" is no exaggeration. It's extremely well made, and I anticipate that I will be using it for a good while, at least until I "graduate" to the next level (1.5 - approximately 165.5 lbs resistance).
Addendum: Two weeks after I wrote this review, I purchased the Trainer. I have no trouble squeezing off 20 reps with the Trainer with either hand, so it may be a little bit too easy for some. Now, after about a month and a half from time of purchase (and some new callouses on the insides of my fingers), I'm able to do two sets of 10 with the No. 1 after a 20-rep warm up with the Trainer without much difficulty. It doesn't take long to see a marked increase in your grip and forearm strength and your hands get used to the roughness of the grips fairly quickly.
A Strength Essential 2008-03-16
Although I have been into weight training for 20+ years, I had never specifically focused on grip strength until the last few months. One of the reasons that I never used grippers is that the only ones that I had seen were the junky kind sold in sporting goods stores. I thought (and think) that those are pretty much a joke. These Captains of Crush grippers are nothing like that.
I have been very strong for a long time. The closest that I had ever done to grip training is forearm work such as reverse curls and wrist curls. In addition to those, I have done a lot of work that hit the forearms with exercises such as deadlifts, etc.
Even though I am very strong overall, I was humbled when first working with these grippers. I bought the Sport, Trainer, and #1 initially. Even for someone with a background of a lot of weight training, the # 1 was a major challenge. The Sport was very easy and all that I ever used it for was warming up. I did a lot of work with the Trainer. My grip strength improved quickly and I did more and more with the #1. There are ten different models ranging from 60-365 lbs.
I would recommend that anyone who has not done a lot of gripper training not try to start off with too challenging of a model. The Trainer will be quite a workout even for pretty strong people. It is probably a good idea to get at least three different strength levels so that one can do warmups with one, higher repetition sets with another, and have one for doing low repetition sets that really work the muscles hard.
These grippers are all very high quality. They are made with aircraft grade aluminum handles. The springs are also top notch. They do tend to squeak at times so keep a can of WD 40 close by for the occasional spray.
If you want to improve your forearm and grip power, these are a great tool. I also recommend the Ivanko Super Gripper IVANKO Super Hand Gripper Hand Strength Forearm.
Purchased for my son..... 2008-02-13
exactly what he wanted......a football player, wrestler and currently RUGBY player who strength trains 3 times a week....he loves this gripper! You will not be disapointed with this product!
