The Xtensor (Finger Exercise Glove) - Review

Articles November 21, 2009

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Carpel tunnel. Hand cramps. Wrist pain. Tennis elbow. Arthritis. Hand stiffness. Tendonitis. All night gaming sessions. At some point in your life, it is guaranteed that you will have some sort of hand, wrist, or elbow pain from physical activity or with the wear and tear of age. Like physical training for your hands, fingers, wrist and elbow, the Xtensor can help strengthen those hard to train hand muscles.

Worn like a glove, the Xtensor looks like a skeleton hand or something out of a horror movie. Looks, however, can be deceiving as the product actually works surprisingly well.

To get users up to speed, the product ships with a DVD that is no longer than 10 minutes. The video guides users on how to set up the unit and explains different exercises along with why you should do them. It is very straightforward and will only need to be watched once.

As if putting on any other glove, your hand slides through the bottom Velcro strap with your four fingers resting at the top. Designed for both left and right hands, the thumb fits in the corresponding rubber hole. But before you can start doing your finger exercises, you need to install the four other rubber finger bands. The underside of the glove looks like a cheese grater, but each grate is used to lock the finger bands in place. There are three tiers of strength too which allows the user to build hand strength over time.

The unit comes with a couple plastics bags filled with different finger bands. Once you find the size that will fit your fingers best, simply lock them into place on the underside of the unit. Each band firmly sits in place and will not come loose unless you want them to, making the unit incredibly easy to use.

After all four finger bands are in place, you are ready to start building up those hand muscles. Simply insert your fingers into the holes and start extending. Like weight training, it is best used with slow/controlled movements, holding the fully extended position for about five seconds before return back to the starting position.

Because the finger muscles are linked into the forearm, your entire arm will start to feel the burn with only a few reps. There are also a number of different exercises too, all of which are demonstrated in the video. Extending your fingers palm up will give you different results if you do the same motion palm down. And doing a swinging motion can also help strengthen your elbow and wrist for golfer and tennis players. The video also recommends that you only have to use this product a few times a week for just minutes a day to see results. This is definitely true as it is possible to over exert these smaller muscles.

For added comfort, the unit can be adjusted thanks to the durability of the Velcro straps. Also, the unit comes with some comfort pads, which can be used to soften the areas of the hand that touches the hard plastic. Just slip one of these optional thin padded cutouts to make the top of your hand a little more comfortable.

The unit that I received is painted with a yellow and gray design, but a blue model is also available. There is also the possibility that your medical insurance can cover some, or all of, the cost of this unit too.

If everything written above sounds like a written infomercial, that is because this product really does work. Being the Editor in Chief of the gaming website has me constantly typing and playing games, two activities that can be stressful for hands, fingers, and wrists. After just a few repetitions, you can feel the muscles in your hand and forearm getting a workout.

The only thing negative I have to say about this product is that the $40 price point does seem a little high. Secondly, if you plan on using your Xtensor a lot, the rubber finger bands might start to stretch out, losing the critical elastic resistance along the way. Perhaps there is a way to just order replacement finger straps, but I did not see any option to do this on their website. However, the unit comes with many extra finger bands so this is hardly an issue.

Yes, this product looks a little strange, but it really does work. If you suffer from hand pain, need physical therapy for your hand, or want to build finger muscles and stamina, you should definitely give this product a shot. Or, if you want to beat all opponents the next time you boot up Castle Crashers’ All Your Can Quaff minigame, then give your fingers a work out so you can button mash faster.

Positives:

– Great way to increase the strength in your hands, forearm, wrist and even elbow

– Might be covered under health insurance

– Comes with everything you need, including a short but highly informative DVD and extra finger straps

– Easy to use

– It is actually kind of fun

– Can do many different exercises

– Good to build up gaming finger muscle for button mashing mini games

Negatives:

– $40 price tag is a little steep, but the unit contains quality

– Looks a little strange – like your wearing a skeleton hand over your skin

– Finger bands might wear down in time and become too loose