REVIEW – I’m always interested in new fitness gear, so when NSD offered to send me their Powerball E-Titan Pro and Ionic Dual devices to test, I didn’t have to think too long about it before saying yes. If you like fitness devices that are beyond the norm, then you’ll want to keep reading.
Powerball E-Titan Pro
What is it?
The NSD Powerball E-Titan Pro is a one-handed workout device that uses isometrics to help improve your grip strength and forearm strength using a built-in gyroscope.
What’s in the box?
- Powerball E-Titan Pro
- Zippered storage case
- Instructions
- Microfiber cleaning cloth
- micro USB charging cable
Design and features
The Powerball E-Titan Pro comes in a zippered storage case. I always appreciate little touches like this.
The Powerball itself is an 82.5mm baseball-sized device that is constructed of an aluminum shell and a plastic core with an electric start gyroscope inside.
Around the outside of the Powerball is a grippy band to help you hold the device when it’s spinning.
On top of the Powerball E-Titan Pro is an LCD display that shows information like the mode, RPM, and battery charge. There’s also a charging status LED next to the display. A button below the display powers the device on and lets you switch between modes.
One thing about the Powerball E-Titan Pro gyroscope is that you need to charge it before the first use. The weird thing is that this device uses micro USB for charging. I haven’t seen a micro USB port or cable in years and am wondering why they are still using this older tech… It makes it a little inconvenient if you happen to misplace the included cable since many people no longer have micro USB cables lying around in abundance like years ago.
To use the Powerball E-Titan Pro to improve your hand grip and forearm strength, you just press the power button, wait for it to spin up to about 20 RPM, and then grip the ball in your hand, turn your hand over and rotate your wrist like you’re stirring a pot. It sounds easy, but trust me, once you get the right rhythm, the gyroscope will spin faster and faster to speeds exceeding 21,000 RPM (rotations per minute). As it spins faster, you have to grip it harder so you won’t drop it and all this translates into a workout for your grip and your forearm. Check out the video below where I show it in action.
After using the Powerball E-Titan Pro a couple of times a day for less than a minute over the course of a couple of weeks, I could tell a difference in my grip strength. Although it is tough to actually measure grip strength improvement, I will say that after using this device, I have noticed that I’m able to open jars more easily than before. I know that sounds lame, but hear me out… When you reach a certain age, you may start noticing that your hand strength has decreased and that opening the lids on jars can actually become painful. I’ve noticed that for myself and usually grab a butter knife to tap the edges of the lid to help me loosen it. But lately, I haven’t needed to do that. Coincidence? Maybe, but it doesn’t feel like it.
The only thing that could make the Powerball E-Titan Pro better is if I could work both hands and forearms at the same time. And that’s where the Ionic Dual comes in.
Ionic Dual
What is it?
The IONIC DUAL is a two-handed gyroscope grip and upper-body isometric workout device.
What’s in the box?
- IONIC DUAL
- Instructions
- micro USB charging cable
Unlike the Powerball, you can work both hands, forearms, and upper body with IONIC DUAL. You can also just use it with one hand if you like, but I prefer the Powerball for one-handed use.
The IONIC DUAL kind of reminds me of a compressed dumbell as far as the shape. It’s made of plastic with rubber or silicone (not sure which) bands on the ends that help you keep a tight grip as you’re working out.
The grey buttons on the center section let you stop the rotating display so that you can view the info while you’re working out.
There is a built-in info display on top just like with the Powerball, that will show the mode you’re in RPMs, and battery status. And just like the Powerball, the IONIC DUAL is charged using a micro USB cable.
LEDs built into the unit will glow red while charging.
And turn green when fully charged. The LEDs also light up while you’re using the device.
During my time testing both the Powerball E-Titan Pro and the IONIC DUAL, I have to say that I prefer using the IONIC DUAL. I like it because you can spin the gyro/workout with 3 different motions. I show these motions in the video below. The IONIC DUAL can provide up to 100 lbs of resistance which is amazing for such a small device and as you use it, it recharges the internal battery which is pretty cool.
Also like the Powerball, you can use the IONIC DUAL for recovery work at low RPMs, speed work to try to beat your best RPM score, and timed high speed workouts for 30, 60, and 90 second sessions.
See them in action
What I like
- Both provide a quick workout without leaving your chair!
- Both improved my grip strength
- I could REALLY feel it in my arms using the IONIC DUAL
What I’d change
- Update to use USB-C instead of micro USB for charging
- Include a storage case for the IONIC DUAL
Final thoughts
I enjoyed training with both of these fitness devices but if I had to pick one, I’d pick the IONIC DUAL because you can use both hands/arms at the same time versus just trying with one hand at a time with the Powerball. Both are fun to use and after a very short learning curve, they are easy to do. By easy, I mean that they are easy to get the motion down, but they provide a challenging workout that you can really feel in your entire upper body – especially the IONIC DUAL. I plan to continue to use both devices on a regular basis because I have already noticed improvement in my grip and forearms after only a couple of weeks of testing them.
Price: Powerball E-Titan Pro: $169.99, Ionic Dual: $169.00
Where to buy: Powerballs.com, Indiegogo INDEMAND
Source: The sample for this review was provided by NSD.
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I’ve been using PowerBalls since 2006. In that year I started to have RSI, mostly in my right wrist, due to my job as a software engineer (using keyboard/mouse for 9 hours a day). A friend of mine had a PowerBall and when I tried it, it immediately felt like a beneficial exercise for my wrist, so I got one myself too. After a few weeks, the pain in the wrist was gone. Nowadays, I use a PB almost every day, but just a few minutes, with the RPM’s not too high. I have a very simple PB, without display (I didn’t really use that on the previous one), but with blue/white LED’s which are powered by motion.
Robert, you should try the Ionic Dual 🙂
Thanks, perhaps I will. But for now, the advantage of the PB is that it only requires one hand, so whilst exercising, I can still operate a computer, remote control etc.