Rehband is one of the most well-known brands of compression training gear. Their products range from neoprene knee sleeves (5-7mm in thickness) and elbow sleeves to shoulder braces and other compression-based training tools for athletes of nearly every sport. I have personally been training in these exact sleeves for almost two years, and after experimenting with other knee sleeves (ranging in thicknesses, but mainly 5 and 7mm), I was excited to share my experiences and feedback.
In this article I’m reviewing the Rehband 7mm knee sleeve.
Click HERE to buy Rehband’s 7mm Knee Sleeves.
Stability
The Rehband 7mm knee sleeve is the standard thickness for most recreational and competitive power, strength, and fitness athletes. Similar to other 7mm sleeves on the market, these are supposed to offer joint warmth and compressive support for squats, lunges, snatches, cleans and jerks, and other strongman and lifting movements.
The sleeves offer a good range of support for most lifters, however, when compared to other 7mm knee sleeves on the market, to me they felt a bit more rigid and provide more joint warmth (at the expense of flexibility).
I found the added rigidity to be helpful for heavier barbell and strongman training, but the limited flexibility (as compared to other 7mm sleeves) was slightly more noticeable when performing low intensity (% of 1rm) high volume training and WODs.
Personally, I found these sleeve to offer significant support and joint warmth for heavier movements, such as squats, clean & jerks, and snatches. When compared with other 7mm knee sleeves that I have reviewed and trained in, I found the Rehband 7mm knee sleeves to be a little more bulky and less flexible during conditioning WODs and higher rep movement. This potentially makes them a less than ideal option for more conditioning based workouts.
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Comfort and Fit
The sleeves come in a range of colors and designs, and are offered in varying degrees of thickness (3-7mm).
The Rehband 7mm sleeves sizing was comparable to other 7mm knee sleeves that I have reviewed as well a trained/competed in (see the video for my complete measurement and sizing breakdowns).
[Check out our best knee sleeves round-up for our top knee sleeve picks]
The sleeves offered a tapered fit, making it fairly easy to slide up and down in between sets and movements. However, the added stability that I felt with these (when compared to other 7mm sleeves) did limit the flexibility of these sleeves in more dynamic and high intensity WODs. The trade-off, however, was that they stayed in place during more strength and power based movements due to the high compression and thickness of the sleeve.
With that said, I did find that these sleeves kept my knees very, very warm, almost to the point of excessive sweating. While it did not affect the ability to stay in place drastically, I did notice some sliding and excessive sweating wearing them, which could contribute to some unwanted movement and odors.
Material
The Rehband 7mm sleeve has held up well over the last two years of my weightlifting, powerlifting, and higher volume training.
The 7mm neoprene has remained intact, showing little signs of wear and tear, with the seamless construction still able to offer compression and joint warmth. I have found these sleeves to be less resistant to odors, however this could be due to the fact they have lasted me almost two years and provide a good deal of joint warmth (almost so much that my knees excessively sweated, leaving the sleeves to slide around too much at times) leading to some serious perspiration in these sleeves.
As my original pair has aged, I’ve had to take more responsibility washing them after workouts to combat odors, as I have sweated a great deal in them over the years. While this may seem like a potential downside, the simple act of washing them weekly (on the beginning stages and through the years) may help to presence their odorless state and compensate for spending hard-earned funds on another pair of sleeves.
Durability
I have lifted in these sleeves for almost two years, competing in powerlifting, weightlifting, and functional fitness competitions. The durability of these sleeves was good compared with other 7mm knee sleeves, mainly when performing heavy squats, high intensity (% of 1rm) Olympic lifts, and more voluminous squat training.
Even after almost two years of training in these sleeves (5-7 workouts per week, squats 3-4 times per week, Olympic lifts nearly daily) there are minimal signs of breakdown, making these one of the more durable sleeve options I’ve tried.
Price
The price for the Rehband 7mm Knee sleeve is $40-45 for one sleeve. Unlike most other knee sleeves on the market, Rehband sells the their sleeves individually, making the price for a pair (one sleeve per knee) around $80-90, about $30-40 more than most 7mm sleeves on the market.
This particular sleeve has lasted much longer than other sleeves I’ve owned, so I feel like I’m getting longer term use for a higher price.
For more intermediate or advanced lifters who have experimented with other knee sleeve (3,5, and 7mm), this may be the upgrade you are looking for. For others who may not be as concerned with a more rigid and compression knee support, I have also found success lifting in similar, less expensive 7mm sleeves.
Final Thoughts
The Rehband 7mm knee sleeves offer a good amount of support and compression, however lack flexibility and comfort at the expense of the added stability.
Personally, I have found these sleeves to offer dependable support during heavy and high volume squat cycles, snatches, and heavy cleans. Additionally, I have found them useful for general joint warmth and compression support, though they certainly come at a premium price.
Rehband 7mm Knee Sleeves
$ per sleeve - $40
Pros
- Good Stability
- Strong Durability
- Good Joint Warmth
Cons
- Less Flexible
- Excessive Knee Warmth
- Expensive
