Grippers - some technical stuff

Yep - another oldie but hopefully goldie:

Ok, as a Grip Athlete (one who competes in grip strength competitions) I pay very little day-to-day attention to some of the more minute details on spring size and so on. For me it's the challenge that's the thing - can I shut it or what? But, somewhere in the back of my mind, there's a few snippets of info I've picked up as I speed-read others scribblings. Here's some of the basic info.

Handle spread

The width, or space, between the handles affects - even if only in a little way - how hard a gripper can be to close. If nothing else it'll require more effort getting your hand around it. The better makes of grippers try to have a pre-set distance between the handles (from memory about 2.75-inches).

Spring or wire size and tempering of the same.

The thickness of the wire that makes the coil of the spring, if all else is equal, again affects the difficulty you'll have closing it. Thicker = harder, thinner = easier. Of course if the spring has been heat treated or fooled around with in any way other than the usual then that will affect it.

How deep the spring is set into the handle

Again, if all else is equal (and it usually is with most brands) then a standard size wound (see below) spring has a pre-set distance of wire sticking out which is set into the handle (in pre-drilled holes). How deep it's pushed into these holes affects the leverage. The higher up it stands above the handles the more leverage and so easier it'll feel, the deeper, the harder. Indeed on a few odd grippers (some intentionally made that way) the spring touches the handles as it is closed and these are obviously that much harder to close. 

Coil tension

As with all springs gripper springs are wound into their usual shape. Again, if the usual standards are adhered to, then the tighter the coil is wound (literally how much it brushes up against itself increases friction) the harder it'll feel. Most coils are wound to suit the right hander among us (inc me). This affects how it sits in the hand. So a few are wound to suit left handers and a right handed gripper athlete will need to get used to how this feels and vice versa.

Handle size

Most handles are more or less the same thickness - around an inch or so. A few, such as the HG400 and 500 models, are a little thicker. Again there are some custom made bits of kit out there. The thicker the handle, again with the usual standards etc, means less of a distance to move them to get a close and also a 'higher' (further apart) feel to the close.  Some shave off (machined or ground down with a file) the inside of their handles to use the technique known as 'BTR (beyond the range). Using these or the thicker handles will have some effect on how a usually set up set feels when closed.

Knurl and chrome

I personally dislike chromed handles. If only for 2 reasons. One they seem to hold chalk less well than the usual finish and two most gripper companies ADD chrome to a standard handle and so this smooths out the knurl. It might actually be better to make the knurl deeper on those being chromed to compensate for this. While RB's and Ironminds CoC grippers have good grip I prefer the 'no frill' feel I get with beefbuilders. It bites as it should and just feels, at least to me, right.  The average Joe might prefer a 'softer' option which is less likely to have his hands looking chewed up.

More as and when I think of some...