Healthbolt

Product Review and Giveaway: Sweat GUTR

by Wade Meredith on July 21st, 2006

When I work out I sweat. A lot.

Conventional sweat bands suck. They’re hot, and they have a saturation point at which time they become heavy and gross along with the afore-mentioned hot. So I had resigned myself to wiping sweat from my eyes every 10 or 15 seconds, once I got warmed up, for the rest of my life. Or I could always move North…

Enter stage left: the Sweat GUTR.

I had my doubts when I saw this doohickey, but being a man who would no longer stand for stinging eyes and partial visibilty on my runs and bike rides I gave it a whirl. My findings are as follows…

Form: *** (Out of 5)
It’s not going to win you any fashion awards, but what sort of work-out gear will? It is fairly thin and somewhat transparent so it’s not terribly noticeable from a distance, especially tucked up under a bike helmet. It comes in two colors: red and blue. This is only the little button on the front that says GUTR, though, not the whole band. I don’t really understand the color options, since it is such a small portion of the item, but it affects neither price nor functionality so this point is a wash for me.

Function: *****
This is one of those products that does it’s job so well, you really don’t even know it’s there. The adjustability on this item ensures that everyone from Mini-Me to Andre the Giant could wear one comfortably. I literally forgot it was there a few minutes after I put it on for the first time. It’s a very strange sensation when sweat is running down your cheeks, or dripping off your chin, but it’s not in your eyes or on your sunglasses, but it’s one I can get used to.

When I first opened my Sweat GUTR I had visions of red lines on my noggin for hours after my workout, but this is not so. It is designed so that it doesn’t have to be terribly tight to work or to even stay in place on your head. This was the most surprising aspect of the product overall. Almost everything I ever put on my head (ear-buds, bike helmet, sunglasses) requires some adjusting during a workout. Especially once things get sweaty. But the Sweat GUTR stayed in place and did it’s job with no hassle or fuss. It seems apparent to me that whoever designed this product used it, which is a great thing.

Biking: Fits nicely under my helmet and didn’t interfere with my sunglasses either. I considered this a major accomplishment, considering how much stuff was hanging off of my head. It was a huge benefit here, because you don’t always have a free hand to wipe away sweat so you end up doing “the salty squint” until you get a chance. Sweat GUTR eliminated that.

Running: It was great for running. Once again, it was no probelm with glasses. I was surprised how well it stayed in place, too, as jarring as this activity is.

Bottom line: It works as advertised, which is pretty unusual these days.

Value: ****
It costs $15.99. It’s been on 3 workouts so far and it seems no worse for the wear. It’s made of a semi-soft rubber that looks as if it will hold up for a long time. If it breaks in two weeks or something, I’ll do a follow-up about that. But as of now I’m at the point where I’m probably going to buy one for my wife.

Overall: ****
Recommended by Healthbolt.

I have a brand new shiney Red one of these to give to one of you, dear readers. If you want to enter, then just post a comment RIGHT HERE and I will put your name in the drawing. I will announce the winner of the giveaway after lunch today.

The winner will be notified by e-mail, and shipping to the provided address will be paid by yours truly. U.S. residents only, please.

Technorati Tags: sweatband, sweat, review, Sweat GUTR, gear

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POSTED IN: Cycling, Gear, Review, Technology