PRO Hand Exerciser, Finger Exerciser (Hand Grip Strengthener), Spring-Loaded, Finger-Piston System, Isolate and Exercise Each Finger

SHORT REVIEW: Do not purchase unless you already have seriously strong fingers; will provide a strenuous challenge for individual fingers. Should provide a moderate challenge for those just interested in working on full-hand grips. Five stars for utility and quality.LONG REVIEW: If you're like I was, you probably think the Gripmaster series is for strengthening your grip. This is one of the uses of the Gripmaster, but the intended use is improving individual finger/thumb strength. Sure, the individual tension pads should be a dead giveaway, but Gripmaster ships with limited instructions on how to use it. Prohands clearly hopes that you will take an extra five minutes to visit prohands.net to see their 11 exercises.I would recommend visiting the site: many of the exercises are not intuitive and will come as a pleasant surprise. My favorite exercises work the daylights out of the thumb, a great help for a console gamer such as myself.With that said, this model has 11 pounds per pad. I thought I had a strong grip (I've used traditional "nutcracker" grip strengtheners for years), but when this model broke down my grip into individual fingers, a little humbling was in order.If you have a weak grip and want to improve individual fingers, I would advise starting with light or medium tension, and work your way up the tension scale. This model is not the place to start.Two final notes: Pro Gripmaster models are bulkier than the "regular" variety and have rubbery covers on the pads. I don't believe there's a difference in pad tension (i.e., Extra-Heavy is going to be 11 pounds per pad on both models), so if you have smaller hands - or just want to save a few bucks - the regular Gripmaster line should do the trick.Finally, both Pro and regular models are extremely well-made devices and appear to be relatively indesctructible.

In April 2013, I had surgery for Carpal Tunnel Syndrome (CTS) for numbness in my dominant hand, which resulted in significant hand weakness. Also, an MRI taken November 2013 revealed arthritis in the wrist of the same hand. Only in the past few months have I been able to hold anything over 15 pounds without moderate hand and wrist pain, and playing my guitar has been difficult because of cramping in the hand. I had been using a foam stress ball to build some hand and forearm strength, and for a while it was adequate.After looking on Amazon's list of hand strengtheners, and reading the reviews, I decided to order the Gripmaster Pro with 11 pounds of tension. Eleven pounds doesn't sound that much, but compressing the individual spring-loaded finger piston pads provides sufficient tension to give each finger a good workout.After receiving the Gripmaster Pro, it appeared to be well-constructed and capable of relatively long-term use. The first time I used it, I felt on the lower end of mild to moderate pain in my dominant hand and I wasn't able to completely compress the finger pistons. (I do recommend that you lightly stretch the muscles in your hands and forearms before and after each time you use the Gripmaster.) Over the next few weeks, the pain lessened and my grip became stronger as the muscles in my forearms became more conditioned. After nearly 3 weeks of consistently exercising both hands with the Gripmaster my grip is significantly stronger, and this past weekend I was able to help carry cafeteria size tables a short distance with no relatively no hand pain. The wrist pain persists, but I've been taking methylsulfonylmethane (MSM) 1000 mg for the past month and it seems to help.Now, I use the Gripmaster several times throughout the day to continue conditioning my hands and forearms to improve my grip. This was a good purchase, and I recommend it without reservation. Also, if you have a similar history as mine, I do recommend that you consult with a physical therapist for the best hand strengthening system for your hands. Hope this was helpful.

Prohands offers two types of hand exercisers. I have bought both types. The smaller "grip master" fits my medium hands very well. But because it is small, my hands hurt after long usage. Prohands website shows many different ways to use it. I only use one type of exercise. Just a basic hand squeeze. The larger "PRO" type completely fills my hands. The size is on the borderline of being too big for my medium size hands. The larger size is wider and therefore does not hurt my hands. Both sizes fit into a shirt or pants pocket. Any exerciser you truly use will show results. Because of its size, convenience of keeping it with you, the ability to use it anywhere, and the fact that it dose not hurt when using it, you will truly use this hand exerciser and you will get results. I am 69 years old and my forearms are rock hard. I bought the "extra heavy tension" because the "heavy tension" is no longer challenging for me any more. This is my forth Prohands exerciser. Two are the smaller gripmaster (one "medium tension", one "heavy tension") and two are the larger PRO (one "heavy tension", one "extra heavy tension"). Only the smaller "heavy duty" grip master wore out before I was ready to increase the strength. I also have the basic "A" shaped squeeze hand grip. It is not covenant to carry with me therefore, I use it sparingly at home. I do prefer the pro hands. If you are asking "Why a 69 year old is doing hand exercises?" Both hands were injured in ant auto accident by an air bag.