GD Grip Strength Trainer (Premium Adjustable Grip Strengthener for Forearm Training) Wrist and Forearm Strengthener

I've had my GD Grip Ultra 70 exerciser for a little more than 6 years. It is very durable. I especially like how the grip handles stay parallel throughout the exercise. Both the resistance and the grip size are adjustable. The front black knob adjusts the resistance while the silver wheel adjusts the grip size. When the front knob is turned, the spring compression is changed, changing the resistance and moving the bolt forwards or backwards. That also moves the silver wheel the same distance which changes the grip width, which then must be readjusted. For instance, if the front black knob is adjusted 1/2 turn clockwise to increase resistance, that moves the bolt forward and compresses the spring. Then the silver wheel must also be turned 1/2 turn in the same direction to maintain the same grip width as before. Otherwise, increasing the resistance will decrease the grip width making it generally easier, while decreasing the resistance will increase the grip width which makes it generally more difficult. So, the key is to turn both the front knob and the silver wheel the same amount and in the same direction to keep the grip width the same while changing the resistance. Turning the silver wheel to widen the grip will also increase the resistance. This occurs because as the grip gets wider, the cam pressing against it to compress the spring moves horizontally and feels the full force of the spring. When the grip is narrower, the cam moves at a more downward angle giving a mechanical advantage over the wide grip when compressing the spring. It also means that as the grips move closer together, the required force to close the grips becomes less. So, the resistance level isn't linear over the full grip range, though this isn't obvious when using the device. Things that could be better: 1. The grips are hard plastic, and at higher resistance level might be a bit uncomfortable and a bit slippery. Workout gloves should help with comfort when needed and friction tape should help with slipperiness. 2. The front knob resistance adjustor doesn't stay set very well. It is just a nut on a bolt. When the grip is flexed, the nut moves forward and can easily turn on its own, changing the resistance. If you like to work with progressive resistance, that will undermine the effort. I wound Teflon thread tape around the bolt 15 or 20 times (it's thin) and then put the nut on. That gives it enough resistance to keep the nut/knob from turning on its own while still allowing it to turn easily for adjustment. I highly recommend this grip exerciser for its stable, parallel handles during use, and for its resistance and grip width adjustability. It has a wide range of resistance, though the lightest resistance might still be too strong for many women and boys.

This grip strengthener seems to be very well built. I have been using it for about a week with no issues. Here are a couple of comments based on other reviews, questions others had and some questions I had before buying it. Will this fit my hand? - I have smaller hands and I was concerned this would be difficult to use. Measuring from the bottom of your palm to the end of your middle finger, my "hand" is 6.5" in length. I have no issues gripping this. Sometimes, I find myself sliding the grip further down my fingers towards my palm. So, there is even a little extra room if your hand is smaller. It does get slightly bigger as you increase the resistance. It is about 0.25" wider (at the end of the handle) on it's hardest setting. How hard is this to grip / Can I use this or is it too hard to squeeze? - Yes, unless you classify yourself as very weak. I used to rock climb (not professionally or anything) but I haven't done that for years. I purchased this to use while I am watching TV, reading at work, etc to give me a little workout and improve my grip strength. I would say I have average strength (there are some pickle jars I can't open and reach for the rubber mat to improve grip). I am currently using this on the W setting, which is the lowest setting and I can complete about 30 reps with full travel of the grip (bottoming it out so the handles touch). Eventually, I expect to move up the scale, but I'm not looking to bulk up. Is this worth the price? - Bottom line, yes. It is pretty robustly built. It feels solid in your hand and doesn't feel cheap. I used to have one of the plastic 3 spring compression grippers and those feel cheap. The grip has a slotted pattern to it which keeps it lighter but retains strength/rigidity. If there's one weakness, it might be the strap. It is a standard cord strap that is found on most point and shoot cameras and could wear out over time. However, I don't really use it and may remove it entirely. This would be your preference. Does this make noise? - For the most part, no. I have held it up to my ear and I can hear a very, very faint click which occurs about 3/4 of the way through the travel when it is on the weakest setting. Turn up the resistance at all and the sound disappears. If I am holding this in my hand, in a comfortable, bent arm position, I can't hear it. It is only when it is about 8 inches from my ear that I can even perceive the sound. It is in no way obtrusive, distracting or a detraction from this product at all. Other grippers I have used creak and squeak during use. This does none of that. Bottom line, this is highly recommended and I would purchase it again. It is far better than the many of the other different styles of grippers I have used. As a bonus, the strap is reflective for when you're out running/walking in the dark and want to work on your grip strengthening.

Loving the build quality and overall feel, but I had to put four stars due to one flaw - front grip is too narrow and slippery to my taste. I glued piece of handlebar grip tape, 3 mm thickness, and it became so much better of a product. I wonder why GD doesn’t do it from the factory with some molded silicone.

This is a really nice grip exerciser. I got the Korean version so no chart and everything is in millimeters and kilograms. However using 1 inch = 25.4 millimeters and 1 kg = 2.204 pounds it is and easy conversion. Now as far as setting the various resistance levels. There are two adjustments. The nose adjusts from 0 to 5 turns, and the metal ring adjusts the grip distance from 65mm to 85 mm over 8 turns. Using these two in the right combination allows you to pick resistances part way between to settings given on the chart. So with the nozzle set to zero, and the handles set to 65 mm/2.5 inches ( the metal ring is all the way forward), the chart says you need 20kg(44 pounds). If you move the nozzle to 1, reset the handle to 65 mm the chart says 23.5 kg (51.8 pounds) So by turning the nozzles only half way and resetting the handles to 65 mm you can get the intermediate 47 pounds. Likewise for a nozzle setting of 0 and handles at 65 mm were back at 44 pounds. Now if you set the handles to 75 mm which is approximately 4 turns of the metal ring you get 26 kg (57.3 pounds). so 57.3-44.0= 13 pounds. So each turn of the ring from 65 mm to 75 mm increases the grip resistance 13/4 pounds. So by judicious selection of grip width and nose settings you can reach a lot of intermediate poundage's when the jump on the chart is just too much. Please note: The pounds etc are not to the decimal point. So don't complain and do your own calculations if you need that kind of precision. Now: usage- These will definitely give you a good work out. I like to use a higher weight that limits me to maybe 20 reps, and then drop back to a lower weight and do another 60-80 reps. I like the parallelogram actions. I find at the widest grip setting it is sometimes difficult to completely close the handles without it wanting to turn in my hand. I wrapped the handles with rubber bands and that did seem to help some. They seem to be sturdily made and only time will tell how well they hold up.

My legs have gotten ahead of my grip strength. I can barely hold onto 300+ lbs when dead lifting. So I needed to increase my grip strength. I looked at those old school ones you see in movies where the head exec is squeezing one while yelling on the phone and chewing gum. But then I realized, once my strength improved, I would have to buy a new one. That's when I started to look for an adjustable grip trainer and landed on this one. It has been exactly what I needed. I sit at my desk reading e-mails or watching videos, I try to get each arm to 100 reps as fast as possible. Once it becomes easy, I adjust the tension by spinning the cap on the front. This thing has insane tension, it's no joke. I can't even come close to the max weight at this time. The other cool feature is the grip adjustment. As your increase the tension, it moves the grip around, so you spin the metal wheel and adjust the grip to exactly where you need it. It's a very well thought out design. It's a very sturdy build, and I have a feeling this is going to be on my desk for years. I am hoping one day to get to the max level for 10 reps in a row with each arm. p.s. As an added bonus, this increases my handshake game in the business world. People have noticed.

Just what I need at 82. Fortunately the lightest resistance is 44 lbs which I could do for repetitions with some effort. But my strength is coming back fast. And if 44 lbs is too much for some folks then use your other hand to give a little helping hand until your hand strength improves. It did take me a little while to figure out setting up the grip width and tension setting. It helps to read the directions.

Best grip exerciser I have ever owned or seen. I’ve owned the simple kind with the big spring at the top. They only have one tension and grip length setting. So that’s the first plus. This one has adjustable tension and grip length. Other grippers have a single pivot point so most of the hand tension is on the fingers at the bottom of the grip. You can actually lift your index finger during exercise because it’s not getting worked as much. This gripper has a scissor action that puts the tension more evenly across all fingers. That’s the second big plus. There are lots of other adjustable tension grippers available. But look at the hinge at their pivot point. They all have minimally small pins through the hinge. This looks like the weak point to me or their smaller springs. This gripper has much more robust hinges and springs. That would be the third big plus. I found the handle surface to be a little smooth feeling at first. After using it for a while, my hand strength improved and I have no problem with the grip. The stresses on my fingers made them a little sore and I was wishing for a softer grip, but after a while my fingers toughened and it’s also not a problem. Man up. The grip is fine. I got one without instructions in English. I played with it and got frustrated and almost sent it back. Don’t do that. It’s not that hard. Here is what you need to know. Tension is the black knob on the front. The silver wheel is the grip width. It’s not exactly straightforward because one affects the other somewhat. Start here. Unscrew the front knob until it’s not engaging the frame. Then screw it back to just touching the frame. This is minimum tension. It’s also how you should store it when you’re not using it. The frame will bow if full tension is left on it all the time. (See pics in other reviews.) Now adjust the grip width. Open the grip to full open to take the pressure off the silver wheel. Spin the silver wheel toward the front (towards tension knob) as far as it will go. Then putting your hand on the gripper, figure out how far out you want the grip to open. Hold it there and spin the wheel back to touch your grip length position. Now your tension is at minimum and your grip length is set to your hand. Give it some squeezes. If it is too hard, shorten the grip length. If that’s still too hard, this one is not for you. If it’s not enough tension, squeeze the gripper to take tension off the tension knob. Then spin the knob in the direction of the arrow. I went one revolution at a time until it was too high and then backed off until it was just right. There is a hole and an arrow on the tension knob so you can count revolutions. If you move the tension very much, it will change the grip length and you will have to readjust that with the silver wheel. Don’t forget to open the grip to take the pressure off the wheel to make it easier to move. That’s it. Here is a tip. Remember how many revolutions of the tension knob to get to your setting. Always unscrew the tension knob to just touching the frame for storage. Then when you’re ready to use it, just spin the tension knob to your setting. Hope this helps you to like your GD 70 gripper as much as I like mine.

I like it. Its certainly very robust and stout feeling. Seems like it is well designed and will last. They aren't kidding about the weight ratings. I had a previous adjustable set, that supposedly went up to 90 lbs. I could do multiple sets on that with full range. I always suspected it was overrated. With this device, I have it set around 80 lbs, and I can only do one set of 10 reps before I can't compress them full range. It'll be a while before I work up to the upper ranges of adjustment. These have the spring in compression, which is a superior design. My last set the design had the spring in tension. The spring broke while I was using it, and grenaded into shrapnel with a loud snap. Fortunately it didn't cause any injury, but it was a bit scary. These things are also whisper quiet. The old set I had wasn't loud and squeaky like the kind where the handles are an extension of the spring. But it still would make a little noise. These new ones are quiet enough to use in the office on a conference call. They aren't perfect though. There are mold seams on the handles, which dig into your hands as you squeeze them. I solved that by scraping the lines with a sharp knife, with a curved blade. I didn't want to use sandpaper or anything, as I didn't want to rough up the handles. I like that they are smooth and allow your fingers to slide on them a bit as your grip tightens. By using a curved blade, I was able to scrap just that one, narrow line where the seam was. If you want to change your grip, and grip them upside down, you have two choices, neither of which is ideal. One way the bumps that separate your fingers dig into your palm. If you turn it around the other way, then that big bulge at the top, where the spring indents into, gets in the way of your palm. But its still feasible to use it either of these ways, its just not ideal. The dial that adjusts the spring tension, you gotta crank it forever to change resistance. So if you want to start off low, and warm up, then build up to your max, then work down to a lower setting to finish off, well you are going to get sick and tired of turning that knob real quick. The knob just turns a threaded bolt, and the spring carrier is a nut that rides on those threads. So imagine how many turns of a fine thread bolt it would take to move a nut from one end to the other (like an inch of travel). Now imagine you can only turn it 1/4 turn at a time, as that is how much of the knob sticks out in the opening. So its turn, turn, turn, turn, turn, turn, turn, turn....then turn some more. It would be better to have a weaker set of some other grips, and just leave this one set at your current working setting, and use the other pair to warm up and to finish off. But for the price, these are excellent. The difficulty in changing the setting is the one real drawback, but its part of what makes the design robust, so not easy to address.

Very good quality, and even after years using there still no problem.

Extremely good quality, adjustable strength, made in South Korea.

Het is niet goedkoop maar wel top kwaliteit

Very good product

Llevo un tiempo usándolo y llegó a la conclusión de que es tremendamente bueno es silencioso a más no poder buen agarre se cambia de posición con la rueda que tiene en el frontal y el muelle de resistencia te pone en tu sitio real no como otros que he usado que ya sea con un muellecillo y otros que no tienen tensión y al poco rato hacen ruidos y se atascan este es solido y silencioso