sells energy balance bracelets and recovery tape.  They offer a variety of these products at competitive prices.  They sent me one of their neon energy bracelets and a roll of their pre-cut recovery tape for review.

QUICK REVIEW:

Energy Bracelet

Style: B

Comfort: A

Utility: C

Value: D

Overall: C

Recovery Tape

Quality: B+

Utility: A

Value: A

Overall: A-

When I was contacted to review items from EnergyBalanceShop.com, I was surprised that there are companies out there still selling silicone hologram bracelets.  The Energy Balance bracelet that EBS sells looks just like the Power Balance bracelets that were popular a couple of years ago.  Power Balance was sued by consumers for $57 million and the company was forced to admit that its product is not scientifically proven to enhance balance, strength, and flexibility, contrary to the maker’s original claims.  While the Energy Balance Shop does not explicitly make these claims about their bracelets, they look just like the ones that did, and that’s enough to deter me from wearing them (other than for the purpose of this review).  Not only do they look just like Power Balance bracelets, they cost almost three times as much (Power Balance bracelets go for around $5 on Amazon.com nowadays), and I simply can’t recommend them.

I think the Energy Balance Shop should change their name to the Recovery Tape Shop, as this should be their bread and butter.  The Recovery Kinesiology Tape they sell is high quality, and comes in easy to use pre-cut strips, or solid rolls if you prefer to cut your own KT Tape.  The tape they offer is more affordable than many of the competitors on the market, and I highly recommend EnergyBalanceShop.com for any and all your Kinesiology Tape needs.

FULL REVIEW:

One thing the Energy Balance Shop has going for their Energy Balance bracelets is the packaging.  They come in this cool tube.  They sell the bracelets in 3 different sizes and 10 different colors for the marked down price (from $29.99) of $14.99.  The Energy Balance Shop representative made sure to point out to me that they “don’t make any claims about our bracelets as far as improving balance, flexibility or energy although some people do find that they help them.  They do contain negative ions which are known to help those things but we sell ours as fashion items.”

I found this statement interesting, as on the front page of their website it says:

Our ion bracelets are made of 100% medical grade silicone and set with two negative ion holograms. Negative ions are known to increase mental health, power and stamina as well as strengthen the body’s immune system.

Worn for their fashionable appearance as well as performance benefits, our power bracelets are popular among athletes of all sports as well as celebrities and everyday people

Now if they don’t make any claims about their bracelets as far as improving balance, flexibility, or energy, why would they be worn for “performance benefits,” and why would they even bother mentioning what negative ions are “known” for?  That’s a mixed message if you ask me.  If the Energy Balance Shop is going to continue to sell these bracelets and not make any claims about them other than their fashionable appeal, they should probably take those statements off of the front page of their website.

The Energy Balance bracelet fits nicely on the wrist as it is molded in an oblong shape that fits the contours perfectly.  It is very comfortable, and easy to forget that you even have it on.  I wore it for a few days without taking it off.  You can wear it while you sleep, in the shower, while you workout, etc.  This bracelet is quite durable.  I received a ton of comments while wearing it, and they were generally all negative.  Some examples include “You know those are fake, right?” (in reference to their ability to improve performance), “Is that a Power Balance bracelet?”, and possibly the most negative comment I received was “People still wear those?”  You get the gist.  Not one person who commented on my Energy Balance bracelet regarded it as a fashionable accessory.

While I’m unsure whether or not Power Balance were the first to come out with silicone hologram bracelets, they were definitely the most popular company to do so, and any bracelet that looks like one is generally deemed a “knock-off”.  While these bracelets were once extremely popular among athletes and everyday people, the social stigma that now comes along with wearing one is that of a fool or a sucker who at one time actually believed a hologram around your wrist could improve your balance or have any other positive impacts on your well-being.  That alone would prevent me from purchasing or wearing one, and the Energy Balance bracelet’s price of $14.99 vs the highly discounted Power Balance bracelet price of $5.30 (as sold by the company on Amazon) would make my decision of not purchasing one from EnergyBalanceShop.com even easier.

I do not recommend the Energy Balance bracelet to anyone, but that should not deter you from visiting EnergyBalanceShop.com and purchasing something completely.  Their KT Tape is on point.

The Recovery Kinesiology Tape sold on EnergyBalanceShop.com comes in 7 different colors in their standard rolls, and 3 colors in their pre-cut rolls.  At $9.99 and $11.99 respectively, this is a very competitive price, especially for the pre-cut rolls (which I highly recommend).   If you’re unfamiliar with Recovery Kinesiology Tape, also known as KT Tape, K-Tape, or Kinesio Tape, check out what the Energy Balance Shop has to say about it:

WHAT IS RECOVERY TAPE?

– Recovery Tape is designed through the science of kinesiology to help support and stablize (sic) muscles, tendons, and joints without rectricting (sic) you.

– Helps your healing process when recovering from injury by supporting injured areas of your body.

– Warn (sic) by many professional athletes around the world, Recovery Kinesiology Tape stretches up 150% of its original length. This allows for a much greater range of motion compared to normal athletic tape.

– It also gently lifts the skin allowing for more blood flow as well as reducing pain and inflammation.

– It’s easy to apply and remove and it’s (sic) strong hold allows you to use it for days.

– Recovery Kinesiology Tape can be worn for up 5 days without irritation, and can even be worn under water.

– Select from our variety of colors to fit your style and get on your path to recovery with Recovery Tape.

RECOVERY TAPE IS A GREAT SOLUTION TO HELP:

–  Shin Splints                  –  Knee Pain

–  Shoulder Pain               –  Calf Strain

–  Rotator Cuff Injury        –  Hamstring Pain

–  Back Pain                     –  Groin Injury

–  Ankle Sprain                 –  Plantar Fasciitis

FEATURES:

– 2″ x 16′ Uncut Roll or Precut Roll

– Latex Free

– 100% Cotton

– Waterproof

– Sweatproof

– Reduces Inflammation

– Reduces Pain

– Supports Muscles, Tendons and Joints

There aren’t any significant studies that I’m aware of proving or disproving KT Tape’s intended use or effects, so I’m not going to comment much on whether or not I felt muscle or pain relief while using this product (I did feel some minor relief, whether it was a placebo effect or not I’m not sure).  What I am going to discuss, though, is the quality and ease of use of this particular roll of KT Tape from EnergyBalanceShop.com.

This desk is more than likely pain-free

The general application of KT Tape is two strips bound at one end as seen above.  I took a pre-cut section of the tape and stuck it to my desk in order to show you what it looks like.  I also applied the tape to my shoulders and shins, but I won’t be posting many images here as not to distract our female readers from the content of this review.

I noticed an inconsistency on the Energy Balance Shop website, as the Recovery Tape section said it stretches up to 150% of its original length, while the product page claims it stretches up to 140% of its original length.  It really doesn’t matter to me which claim is accurate, as this tape is plenty stretchy.  If you’re a stickler for stretchability, you’ll have to buy your own roll and verify how long it stretches in comparison to its original length.

The Energy Balance Shop’s Recovery Tape is very durable.  It stays on without being too sticky.  I have hairy legs, and thought for sure it’d rip all my hair out when I took it off.  It came off just fine, which was great.  As someone who has battled with shin-splints off and on for the last 15 years or so, I’m very familiar with Kinesio Tape and its application (although I usually have a trainer apply it, rather than myself).

One thing I immediately noticed about the Recovery Tape from EnergyBalanceShop.com is that while the tape itself is pre-cut into two strips and a solid end, the backing is not perforated.  You can split the strips rather easily while keeping the back on the tape, but you can’t break off the backing to the solid end like most pre-cut Kinesio Tape that I’ve used in the past.  This isn’t a huge deal, just something to be aware of when purchasing.

Just as advertised, the Recovery Tape is easily applied and works well for its intended use.  If your PT or doctor recommends using it, you can’t go wrong ordering a few rolls from the Energy Balance Shop.  They offer a great product at a competitive price.  Their Recovery Tape is definitely recommended.