Just Got My Mash Monster And Rb400 Today

[MVillani1985]

I was amazed at how fast they shipped out and how both were so neatly individually packaged. What I especially loved about the Mash Monster replica (only seen at the Gripper Superstore) is that MM1 is carved onto the bottom, so I won't have to squeeze it to know what it is, not risking something like mistaking it for my Elite or my Master. The MM1 is for gripper work and the RB400 is for chest crush work, the pre-ordering advice turned out to be right on the money, the RB400 feels like a perfect stepping stone for me for chest crushing and my Mash Monster replica, which has an easier sweep but slightly harder finish that makes it overall equal to or slightly easier than my #3, but the overall feel is so different that I believe it'll prepare me for the mash monster certification attempt that I have planned later on this year. Of course, I'll need to shut my #3 for the MM0 cert, but at least I won't have to wait much before going for the MM1 once that happens.

[glengoodwin]

ya gss is the only place i buy my grippers its great

[Wade Gillingham]

Thanks for the support.

[MVillani1985]

Thanks for the support.

Also, you did a great job at answering some pre-order questions. I'm thinking of down the road also getting myself a couple other grippers, a Beginner just to have the whole BeefBuilder set (even though it'll be like a stout COC Sport, if such a thing makes sense, since I know my Advanced is like a stout Trainer), and I might also get an RB160 for someone I know that can easily close the BB Super Advanced and is about 1/8" or so from closing the BB Master, since I've heard an RB160 is inbetween the BBSA (1.3) and BBM (1.8)

On a side note, were you surprised that compared to my #3, the MM replica feels like a 2.9 or 2.95? But then again, my #3 and #4 both seem to have mounting beyond flush by a millimeter or so and are 3" wide (which is signifficant, since every gripper I own up through the Pro other than those two have a 2.75" or so spread.

[Wade Gillingham]

Thanks for the support.

Also, you did a great job at answering some pre-order questions. I'm thinking of down the road also getting myself a couple other grippers, a Beginner just to have the whole BeefBuilder set (even though it'll be like a stout COC Sport, if such a thing makes sense, since I know my Advanced is like a stout Trainer), and I might also get an RB160 for someone I know that can easily close the BB Super Advanced and is about 1/8" or so from closing the BB Master, since I've heard an RB160 is inbetween the BBSA (1.3) and BBM (1.8)

On a side note, were you surprised that compared to my #3, the MM replica feels like a 2.9 or 2.95? But then again, my #3 and #4 both seem to have mounting beyond flush by a millimeter or so and are 3" wide (which is signifficant, since every gripper I own up through the Pro other than those two have a 2.75" or so spread.

I'm not totally surprised. The MM1 is narrower I'm sure which makes it easier to handle. If you are strong at the close then the wider gripper would naturally feel harder.

Edited April 21, 2010 by Wade Gillingham

[MVillani1985]

Thanks for the support.

Also, you did a great job at answering some pre-order questions. I'm thinking of down the road also getting myself a couple other grippers, a Beginner just to have the whole BeefBuilder set (even though it'll be like a stout COC Sport, if such a thing makes sense, since I know my Advanced is like a stout Trainer), and I might also get an RB160 for someone I know that can easily close the BB Super Advanced and is about 1/8" or so from closing the BB Master, since I've heard an RB160 is inbetween the BBSA (1.3) and BBM (1.8)

On a side note, were you surprised that compared to my #3, the MM replica feels like a 2.9 or 2.95? But then again, my #3 and #4 both seem to have mounting beyond flush by a millimeter or so and are 3" wide (which is signifficant, since every gripper I own up through the Pro other than those two have a 2.75" or so spread.

I'm not totally surprised. The MM1 is narrower I'm sure which makes it easier to handle. If you are strong at the close then the wider gripper would naturally feel harder.

Also, I used the RB400 today in a chest crushing workout, and I've found it's a perfect step up, I was worried it'd just be a stout #4, but it's actually about a 4.4 or so (mine also has a wide spread of 3" or so). What's weird is that my Grand Elite, which many have said is slightly harder than a #4, is way easier than my #4, and my GE is a very standard GE with all the specs and everything. Are most big COC grippers nowadays 3" wide or do I just have an unusually wide #3 and #4?

[Wade Gillingham]

Thanks for the support.

Also, you did a great job at answering some pre-order questions. I'm thinking of down the road also getting myself a couple other grippers, a Beginner just to have the whole BeefBuilder set (even though it'll be like a stout COC Sport, if such a thing makes sense, since I know my Advanced is like a stout Trainer), and I might also get an RB160 for someone I know that can easily close the BB Super Advanced and is about 1/8" or so from closing the BB Master, since I've heard an RB160 is inbetween the BBSA (1.3) and BBM (1.8)

On a side note, were you surprised that compared to my #3, the MM replica feels like a 2.9 or 2.95? But then again, my #3 and #4 both seem to have mounting beyond flush by a millimeter or so and are 3" wide (which is signifficant, since every gripper I own up through the Pro other than those two have a 2.75" or so spread.

I'm not totally surprised. The MM1 is narrower I'm sure which makes it easier to handle. If you are strong at the close then the wider gripper would naturally feel harder.

Also, I used the RB400 today in a chest crushing workout, and I've found it's a perfect step up, I was worried it'd just be a stout #4, but it's actually about a 4.4 or so (mine also has a wide spread of 3" or so). What's weird is that my Grand Elite, which many have said is slightly harder than a #4, is way easier than my #4, and my GE is a very standard GE with all the specs and everything. Are most big COC grippers nowadays 3" wide or do I just have an unusually wide #3 and #4?

It seems like most of the #3's are coming out around 2 7/8"-2 15/16" and #4's are right around 3".

[MVillani1985]

Two updates:

1. I measured my #3 and #4, the #3 comes in at 3 3/16", while the #4 comes in at 3 1/8" and both have sub-flush mounting, so that's going to frustrate me to no end with MM0 certification, even though I can close the #3, I can't seem to get it to work on camera. As a result, my BB grippers are all standard specs (except the Grand Master, which is slightly easy), but my Elite seems like a 3.1 compared to my 3 and 4, my Super Elite a 3.4, and my Grand Elite a 3.7. That's strange because I know the Elite is usually a 3.4, the Super Elite a 3.8, and the Grand Elite a 4 or 4.1. Also my MM1 replica is a 2.9, my Grand Master is a 2.6, and my Super Master is a 2.4, for those wondering.

2. Now back on topic, I just ordered a few new grippers from Wade. Once again, these grippers shipped FFAASSTT!!! Because of that, GSS is now officially my one stop shop for grippers unless I can't get them there. I got the BBB, the RB300N, and two 5'8" handle grippers (a BTR BBSM and a BTR BBGM). Most of these grippers I got to shore up some weaknesses of mine. The RB300N is so that I can work on the coordination of TNS closing grippers. Although I'm good at NS closing a gripper, I often miss by 1 mm a TNS during a workout and as a result, I do a "redo" of that set using a NS instead. The others are so that I can get stronger at the close. Since these were made for working that portion, and I don't want to make my main grippers tougher for others attempting later on, I won't file them on the insides, but I very well may file THESE down to make it even more extreme.

I got the BB Beginner just to complete the set, even though it's of little use to me. It's the narrowest gripper I have other than the RB300N (and even then it's pretty close). I'd say that the BB rating of 110 lbs is grossly overrated just like the BB rating of 130 for the Advanced. Their other ratings I feel are dead on except the average BBGM if it's a #3 equivilent is actually a tad underrated. However, the Beginner at the beginning actually feels like the Guide. The Guide is the one I note for feeling like a store bought gripper up until parallel and from them on you notice a difference (which is why I say the Guide is tougher than a store bought gripper by a good bit if you close it the whole way, which isn't saying much, but still, I say the Guide is to a sporting goods store gripper as the Sport is to the Guide). However, towards the end, the Beginner feels slightly tougher than the Sport. So I'd actually rate the Beginner as a Sport equivilent, perhaps like a stout Sport, like how GSS rated it, which is another reason I like GSS, they get the gripper ratings right. Likewise, I say the Advanced is a stout Trainer, the Super Advanced is a stout #1, but the Master is an easy #2.

Also, to further elaborate on the other grippers I got, I think the skinny handled BBSM and BBGM should help me out with doing more than just closing the #3 and Elite on a good day, I want to MASTER them. I want to be able to be on camera and close the #3, because I don't know what it is, but I miss the #3 by a million miles when on camera, but when I'm not on the spot, you can hear the handles "CLUNK" together. I figure that with enough work with these things, alternating between mixed work with skinny handled grippers and normal grippers and full workouts with the normal grippers so that I'm still doing normal workouts, I should eventually solve the problems I may have with my weakness with the close. As far as the RB300N goes, that's to help me out with finishing off the close in my TNS closes. I've had to often in a TNS attempt during a workout switch to standard NS and even a positioned NS after a failed attempt. So hopefully this will shore up my overall weaknesses with grippers. It seems that I'm strong at the sweep, I can get my bear of a #4 down to just over an inch, and I can close my Super Master and Grand Master without a set and inconsistently TNS them, and I can close my MM1 replica with a semi-wide set (CCS width without the card), but there are times I can't even close it with an MMS and I don't do much worse with a CCS width, and the #3 I can close much of the time with an MMS, and can almost close it with a shallow set (again CCS width), but I can't seem to finish it off on camera for my MM0 cert attempt even if I set it to deeper than MMS depth (maybe it's all the focus I'm putting on keeping it on camera), my Elite is a similar story, just a touch harder than my #3. Hopefully this helps a problem I have where I can on one hand, almost close my Super Elite during workouts, but on the other hand, struggle to close my #3 if I have to worry about things other than just closing it.

[Bill Piche]

I just ordered a few new grippers from Wade. Once again, these grippers shipped FFAASSTT!!! Because of that, GSS is now officially my one stop shop for grippers

This is a common theme!

[MVillani1985]

I just ordered a few new grippers from Wade. Once again, these grippers shipped FFAASSTT!!! Because of that, GSS is now officially my one stop shop for grippers

This is a common theme!

And I ordered one of the novelty grippers there, a RB210L, wondering if it'll give me unique training, even though I know it'll be pretty much a #2 equivilent or a little harder, it should feel strange at first and maybe that bit of overload at the end for my right hand will make closing regular grippers seem like not that big of a deal.