Initial view is they look like a good wristband
I have been becoming more aware of X-Bionic over the last few weeks, perhaps mainly because their products seem so expensive. I was interested to if there is justification in the price tags or whether it's a case of marketing a product for people with "all the gear and no idea."
Interestingly I didn't feel that the price tag was too bad for this particular item. At £8.99 for a pair I was reasonably happy. If we consider the disparity of the cost of a technical t-shirt and a non tech t-shirt then the cost difference can be worlds apart. The price of the wrist bands was a good start.
I've read a lot of things about the X-Bionic technology and all the awards they have won. These seem to be genuine and not like a movie review that has been chopped and changed to sound much better than the review and indeed the film was *cough, cough, Prometheus, cough cough*
As well as what seems to be genuine awards and a positive response from the Ultra Running community the Wristbands look good. I first saw them being worn by Neil Bryant at the North Downs Way 100 and thought they looked pretty cool. To be honest at this point I hadn't thought much more than that. My view was a wristband is a wristband. Whether its bought from an unknown brand or X-Bionic it's ultimately just a wristband.
So is a wristband just a wristband?
My initial experience of the X-Bionic product was tainted with some sceptism, but so far the experience has been good. They are lightweight and comfortable. The company claims;
Your sweat is too precious to be wasted. Special hi-tech knitting-structures and the patented 3D-BionicSphere System widely disperse the perspiration in a film over the skin at the wrist, where blood vessels are closest to the surface. Cooling occurs by evaporation which contributes to keep the body temperature at the optimal 37oC and therefore, powerful. This natural turbo charger therefore effectively turns sweat into energy. The more you use the X-BIONIC Wallaby to mop sweat from your brow, the greater the benefits.
Now if it is a case of using sweat as a turbo charger then I should be off like a rocket. Sadly I can't say that I am off like a rocket, but certainly I feel very comfortable. The wristbands appear to absorb the sweat well, at no point is sweat dripping off my hands. When I have finished running and I remove the wristbands they are relatively dry.
It is difficult for me to comment on the level of benefit coming directly from the wristbands. What I can say for definite is that in recent runs I have not felt like I'm overheating and I have been feeling the need to consume less water. Even if the Wallaby wristbands play a small factor in the improvement then for the price I believe they are worth a go.
One issue I have is that in wearing both wristbands it can be difficult to wear a watch. One option would be to wear one wristband and alternate them between runs. It seems to me the optimal use is to wear both wristbands. I have no problem with wearing my watch higher up my wrist, but for some this may be an issue.
Why are these wristbands called
Wallaby?
The packaging appears to answer this very question.
The wallaby is the role model. As the animal licks it's underarms frequently, it creates the evaporation cooling process. It cools the blood an consequently the whole body. Scientists have proved that the human body performs best at 37 C. X-Bionic cools an turns sweat into energy.
I like these wristbands and if it is a case of wearing these, or licking my arm pits during a race, then I know what I'd choose :)
Happy Running Everyone!
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