Customer Reviews
Review by former Physiology Teaching Fellow and musician 
2007-11-08
In the hand gripper area, this is hands-down the best value. It has many levels of adjustments and a good design that fits all kinds of people's hands although it may be too small for someone under 5'4" or anyone with less than average strength hands for an athletic woman or very sedentary male. However, grip strength increases rapidly, so you can certainly work your way up to using this quickly anyway.
The BIG advantage of using this device is providing relatively uniform resistance through a full range of motion and many resistance levels. Most serious bodybuilders have used this and you can find them in most good gyms.
This product is VERY well made and since it has so many adjustable levels, you are not likely to injure your hands using it. This is a serious concern for anyone, but especially musicians, surgeons and other people who have to preserve their fine motor coordination. The reality is that the hands are complicated and relatively delicate. It is very easy to injure one's self and suddenly jumping resistance levels is a step in this direction as is an improper range of motion.
Along with this device, I strongly recommend a wrist roller: Wrist Roller. There are many different types, but one with a thicker than average grip is best. This can be used to alternately roll with the rope in two positions, strenthened both extension and flexion in a very natural way. I do this everytime I finish playing the piano and add a small amount of weight each time.
If you are looking to build hand strength, then I would also consider doing heavy deadlifts. This has an overall positive hypertrophy effect and is great for developing grip. Walking various distances carrying sand bags in each hand and adding sand is also very good. I also do positive and very slow negative chins (30 sec.) then hang on to the bar as long as I can. This is easy to do and an effective challenge for many people. If it's not difficult, just try adding extra weight!
Hand grips are often thought of as ONLY a flexion type exerciser. However, by gripping over two seconds on the positive movement and using a slow eccentric (opening) movement, you get a good training effect on the extensors as well. You can complicate this by opening your fingers against one or more rubber bands or exercise tubing depending upon your needs.
A good book on hand strength is Mastery of Hand Strength. This has many good tips, novel exercises and enough depth to design your own routine. However, for most people a roller and Ivanko power gripper is more than enough.
Get a grip! 
2007-10-21
If you're looking for a great hand strength tool this is it. Unlike other hand grippers that only have one level of resistance this hand gripper can be adjusted to many different levels, from very easy to nearly impossible. The only drawback is that the handle can be slippery at times since there is no slip resistant material where the hand is placed to actually grip. There are several companies offering modified versions of the super gripper, one of them can be found here. For the price I found the super gripper to be worth it.
The ultimate device to strengthen your arms 2007-07-30
The title says it all. You will have to be a professional bodybuilder to exceed the maximum resistance levels. Almost infinite resistance adjustment
Excellent tool 2007-02-19
Very sturdy construction. Works perfectly. Easy to change tension settings. Much cheaper than similar items. High recommended. Shipping was blisteringly fast. A+
best handgripper 2007-01-05
First saw this type of handgripper in an illustration in Bill Pearl's Keys to the Inner Universe. I figured if it's good enough for a bodybuilding legend like Bill, it must be worth a try.
This is no toy. Best thing is its highly adjustable spring design which allows you to do progressive resistance training without having to buy a whole set of different grippers.
Best value for years of progressive grip training 2008-04-05
I bought this for $32 including shipping - compared to one Captains of Crush handgripper (CoC's are non-adjustable) at $27 including shipping a piece - its an amazing deal. You can go from 8lbs (one spring on the lowest setting) all the way up to 345lbs (2 springs on the highest setting). A chart I found in a review has a chart of the spring positions and the corresponding lbs in which it just moves around the 2 springs to go from 45-345lbs, in 5-10lb increments. (Do a google search for 'ivanko gripper review') If you introduce using one spring I bet you could get it into even lower increments - but 5-10 lbs is a lot better than 50lbs that CoC offers. You can also add another spring (sold seperately to get who knows how high of a setting) If you were to buy the full set individually as you go of Captains of Crush Grippers - your talking 8 times $27 = $216!! You can buy a set of 6 for under $100 but I think most people get them one or two at a time. Save yourself a ton of cash and get the Ivanko Super Gripper!
Ok enough of the cost comparison. The directions tell you to do 10 closes on each hand 2 or more times per day / 2 times per week. If you can close it 15 times comfortably they say to move up the settings on the device. I have a more exhaustive exercise that really pushes you hardcore. Grab the closing bar with 2 hands (setting on something you can handle easy enough). Now clench it closed over and over for a full minute. So you are like 'wow this is too easy' until you get to about 30 seconds, then you are pushing pretty hard hoping it ends soon. If you do 4 sets of these (alternating the orientation of the device every other rep so your hands are equally worked) your whole hand / forearm will be quite sore the next day. I am upping the setting by 1 (5-10lbs) each week. This method is so much more intense than the suggested exercise.
Anyway - do yourself a favor and buy one of these badboys!
The Best Overall Tool For Grip Strength 2008-03-04
The 'Ivanko Super Gripper' is a superb value. It is an essential for anyone who wants to gain great forearm strength.
This tool combines incredible flexibility with outstanding quality. The frame is built with very strong metal. It has two very heavy duty springs for adjustment.
Not only is the quality unbeatable, but so is its versatility. It can be adjusted to 50 or more settings. This allows it to be used by someone who has a fairly weak grip strength to one who has forearms that make those of Popeye seem puny. That quality makes it ideal in that this one tool can replace numerous other grippers. If one has a limited budget, this is definitely the way to go. If the buyer intends to get more than just this, I would also highly recommend Captains of Crush grippers to add variety to forearm training.
A super gripper! 2008-01-18
I was looking for something to improve my grip and wrist strength, and found it. The Ivanko is a superior product, which allows progressive resistance training at a reasonable price. I am using it three times a week. Any more, and my arms would suffer. I can already feel much stronger doing other exercises, including chinups, deadlifts etc.
A fabulous product!
Excellent bit of exercise kit. 2008-01-03
This device allows you to tailer the tension to suit your needs and to rapidly work your hand/forearm out to muscle fatigue. Well constructed featuring an all metal frame with baked on paint for durability.
The only hand gripper you'll ever need! 2007-11-09
The Ivanko Super Hand Gripper is an excellent product. It feels solid and appears to be very well made. The numerous resistance settings should suit anyone's needs. The only major flaw is that the hand grip area is too thin to be comfortable. I fixed this with a 97 cent roll of some kind of soft grip hockey tape from a local sporting goods store. With that fix, the Ivanko is nearly perfect! In order to prevent injury and to maintain balance, I recommend exploring other aspects of grip/hand/wrist/forearm training besides the "crush grip" that this product helps develop.
