Planet Waves Varigrip Adjustable Hand Exerciser

• Develops and maintains the strength and dexterity of your fingers, hands and forearms
• Variable tension provides customized conditioning for individual fingers
• Reversible molded grip uncovers simulated strings to help develop and maintain finger calluses for string musicians
• Perfect tool for pre-show warm-ups and maintaining conditioning when away from your instrument
• The ultimate conditioning tool for all musicians

I spent a lot more money for a Digi-flex but I got the heavy 9lb. one and it ended up being pretty hard. So, I wanted to get a lighter weight one and this one said it was adjustable. That sounded great so, I figured I would get this one. I got it, I loved it and started to use it right-a-way. I like the switchable pad and they even had some exercises to try out. When i tried to do the so-called "Thumb Exercise"one of the finger pistons popped right out. Spring and all. When I tried to put it back in I noticed the the tiny tabs, the should hold it in, broke right off.

I would say this is a good product except that it is made out of very cheep plastic and 2 days later another piston popped out and another tab broke.

I wish they would just try to improve on this but don''t bother spending money on this one because it wont last long.

Also,the Gripmaster''s look just like the Digi-grip I already have, so I would put my money on one of them instead. My Digi-flex is very durable and well made. The next one i get will ether be a Digi-flex or gripmaster.

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This product was great for several days. I really got a workout from it. My fingers became noticeably stronger in a couple days. Within 4 days, however, the second piston broke and flew out of its casing. I managed to put it back in so it still works, but it shouldn''t have come apart. You''ve been warned.

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I''ve just got it and it feels that it really will improve my guitar dexterity, technic and strength. It''s pretty useful that you can change the tension also. I just recommend not to force it because it''s obviously not made with the best materials so it would break. Anyway, it does look resistant... just be carefull ;)

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I own a Blue (light tension) Grip Master and a Planet Waves Varigrip. Both are great and have helped my guitar fretting hand. I thought I''d give a quick summary for anyone considering purchasing one of these.

I bought the Ruff Rider callus builder caps for the GM, and they really added a lot to the value I get from the GM. Calluses are critical to my being able to play well. If you are considering these, I found that it was a lot cheaper to order the Ruff Rider through Guitar Center and have them delivered for free to a local Guitar Center. I would suggest buying the actual PWV and the GM through Amazon.

The PWV comes with the callus ridges on the opposing side (the palm side). So to work on your calluses you need to remove the callus cover and flip the grip over. The downside is that you can''t work on finger dexterity at the same time that you are building your calluses. At first I considered this a disadvantage. However I''ve changed my mind and consider it a distinct advantage over the GM. There are times when you don''t want to shred your calluses (show or important practice coming soon) but you still want to work your fingers. If you''ve put the callus builders on the GM, it takes a little time to pop them off and put them back on again, plus you run the risk of misplacing them, and removing them a number of times may loosen their fit. So I strongly prefer the PWV design for the callus option. I have permanently removed the callus cover from the PWV and it works great without it. Actually it works better for me because it makes it slightly smaller. (With the cover removed the callus builder side just harmlessly presses into your palm and you really can''t feel it).

I have a preference for the GM when it comes to building strength for bar type chords. This I do by holding the palm side with my thumb and running my index finger along the full set of buttons. I prefer the GM for this because it has two sets of springs in it which allow for a better and more natural (for me) squeeze.

As far as exercising for finger dexterity, I much prefer the PWV for two main reasons. It''s much easier (for me) to work fingers individually. It''s very stable and allows me to isolate individual fingers as opposed to the GM which is kind of sloppy (too much movement) due to the double spring action which leads to unwanted movement/tilting and other fingers slipping off the buttons when trying to work a particular finger. Secondly the distance between the palm and the finger tips is about 1/4" shorter with the PWV (when the callus cover is removed) which allows me to use better form by really curling my fingers and bringing my fingertips in from the very top. I have big hands and still prefer the PWV. If my hands were smaller I would prefer the PWV that much more.

The PMV also allows the tension on each finger to be adjusted individually. For me this isn''t as big an advantage as the two previously mentioned because increasing resistance is not important to me. A disadvantage of the PMV is that after about 2 weeks it started squeaking which was a bummer for my wife and kids on a one week vacation when I didn''t have my guitar handy and wanted to keep me fingers in shape. "Dad enough already with that finger gadget". However this problem is easily fixed by an occasional shot of Triflo or any silicon spray (I don''t recommend WD40). I recommend spraying while the fingers are depressed then wiping with a napkin.

For me, finger strength is not as important as finger coordination and speed. I seldom press the buttons all the way down, and I seldom press all the buttons together. I slowly increase speed with partial pushes and various patterns that demand varying degrees of coordination (1234, 4321, 1324, 121314, 1414, 1313, etc.)

If I had to pick one or the other I would choose the PWV without hesitation, but that is just my personal opinion. If you can afford both, I would do that and see what works better for you. But, again, both are great and have really helped my playing.

Keep on pickin''

-Mike

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As a newbie I bought this to help build finger strength and flexibility for playing guitar. I had one of the Gripmasters several years ago and it was a great product so I was looking to get another. However, this modell had free shipping so I figured I would give it try, even though I was a little leery of this model after some reviewers said theirs had broken. I''ve had no such problems with mine. As soon as it arrived I applied a few drops of dry teflon lube to each piston to insure that it would work smoothly. It is not as well made as the original gripmaster but otherwise works as advertised. The one complaint is that even at the low adjustment the tension is a bit high for my purpose. It''s OK in the full grip position, but using it in a thumb tip to finger tip position exercising individual fingers one at a time(as if fretting strings) the tension is too high to get more than a rep or two, especially on the ring and pinkie fingers. I''m in the early (painful)stages of developing callouses and the included callous builder is helping with that process. I use it in the car in the morning and then play guitar in the evening. Overall I have noticed a big difference in my fretting ability after just a week of using this so I have to say it works for that purpose. Would I recommend it? Yes; it''s good for the price and free shipping, but if I buy another one I''ll probably look for a Gripmaster in light or extra light tension.