****** - Verified Buyer
4.5
I am having a lot of trouble with my hands after carpal tunnel surgery and one of many things I need to do is strengthen my hands and fingers. The Gripmaster exercisers are exactly like the ones the occupational therapist has. Each exerciser has a spring loaded button that can be pushed for each finger or the rubber handle can be removed to cover those buttons and expose one full strip that can be pressed on.I purchased the following Cando GripMaster Hand Exercisers for my medical therapy:YELLOW Extra-Light Tension of 1.5 pounds - THIS ONERED Light Tension of 3 poundsGREEN Medium Tension of 5 poundsBLUE Heavy Tension of 7 poundsThe Extra-Light version is really light but is a good starter exerciser for someone who is elderly, a young child, or someone like me who cannot even open a bottle cap with my hand. I use the 1.5 pound tension at home and sometimes the 3 pound version. I have been getting better with the 3 pound tension but it takes time. Nevertheless, I can see my strength improving even after a few sessions. At the beginning I couldn't even press down the 1.5 pound tension fully.I feel that those who are strength building would probably want to start with the 5, 7, 9, or the 13-pound tension. However, for others who have medical issues a lighter tension is best. My therapist recommends that I use the side that has the individual finger springs so that no one finger is bearing the entire load. This means sometimes I am unable to press all the buttons down fully (like with my pinkie) but I'm working toward that.The only thing I don't like is that this comes with absolutely no exercise instructions. Had I not seen the therapist remove the rubber handle to cover the other side, I would not even know that was a possibility.I was able to find exercises on the web from ProHands (which I attached in the comments section of this review) but it doesn't include the exercise I was told to do. I was instructed to hook the rubber side (point up) into the V of my hand and squeeze all at once with each finger on the individual spring loaded slots 10 times.Although these are made by ProHands, they are a cheaper price than other ProHands (without the Cando label) like this one which are advertised on Amazon.PS I contacted ProHands to find out the difference between their PRO and Gripmaster size and they said "The main difference between the PRO and the Gripmaster is size. The PRO is larger, so fits a larger hand better." So I guess a bodybuilder or someone with large hands would want to go with the PRO version. I also attached a picture they sent me of the difference in size.UPDATE Oct 30, 2016 - Since I'm doing well with my strength training, I decided to buy for future use:- BLACK X-Heavy Tension of 9 pounds- Gripmaster Pro Extra-Heavy Tension of 11 Pounds- Gripmaster Pro Edition XX-Heavy Tension of 13-PoundsPersonally, I don't like the Pro Edition (that's the large one picture) because it's too big and the rubber facing the hand is not cushioning enough. Also, the Pro Edition does not have the tension in pounds written on the label as do the standard ones I purchased.
