Why These Grips

The story behind our Panthers

You don’t need them. Let’s start there.

We’ve always said we sell cool shit you don’t need. Because training doesn’t require gear. It doesn’t require branding, marketing, or permission. It just requires you to show up.

But if you want to get the most out of your time training, you can definitely pick up a few essentials that help you work harder and get more out of each session.

That’s where the Panthers come in.

They were the first product we ever made. Still my favourites.

At the time, I was training a lot and was fed up with all the grip options. They were hard to track down in New Zealand, either overpriced, sold out, or just not available. I think I managed to get some Wodies and a pair of Roo Grips. The Roos actually held up alright, but the natural leather deformed over time and the strap and buckle setup dug into my wrist on muscle-up turnovers. Bear KompleX was the biggest name around, but I found them thick and kind of slippery. Felt like holding the bar through a piece of cardboard.

None of it felt right.

Then I came across this video from Jacob Heppner, doing a grip comparison. One pair stood out, the Bumble Bees from Reyllen, a UK brand.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BI2_C_0yfTM

After watching him blow them up with a .50 cal and still use them on the rig, I was sold. It was a great marketing stunt. Later I found out he was an athlete ambassador for Reyllen, but still, it worked. I bought a pair.

They were made from dual-layer synthetic microfibre, and they felt bloody good. Easily the best feel I’d had from any grip up to that point. That tacky, bare-hand-with-chalk kind of connection. Protected just enough. Didn’t get in the way.

But they didn’t last.

I’d tear through them in six to eight weeks. Reyllen were great about it. Always replaced them without hassle. But I couldn’t help thinking, surely we could make something that felt this good, but stronger. And locally available. No waiting. No stress.

So that’s what I set out to do.

I started ordering samples, trialing materials, adjusting the cut, and testing them through real training. Inspiration came from everything I liked about other grips while avoiding the downfalls.

Eventually we landed on what would become the Panthers.

Same clean feel I was chasing, with one key upgrade: a perforated top layer.

The holes weren’t for looks. They helped the grip flex naturally with your hand. They held chalk better. And they acted as little stress relief points, stopping the material from tearing out at the edges. That one change made them breathe better, feel better, and last longer.

Everything that used to piss me off about grips was gone.

What we ended up with was simple, reliable, and solid. Exactly what I wanted. Nothing extra.

Then Frog Grips Elite came onto the scene.

They changed everything. The hypalon Rubber material was insane. Ridiculously sticky. You didn’t just hold the bar, you stuck to it. They weren’t just grips anymore. They were a performance weapon.

And people jumped on it. Because more grip means more reps. If you’re trying to win, especially in CrossFit, why wouldn’t you use them?

We got pulled into that chase too.

First came the Honey Badgers, our classic carbon grip. Then the Otters, our own take on the rubber coated grip. They started as a bit of a parody, but they worked. People liked them. They gave you what you asked for. Full stick. More confidence. More reps.

But over time, it didn’t feel right.

We weren’t fixing anything anymore. We were just chasing market, our grip problem had already been solved. After that, the gear started doing too much of the work.

Those sticky grips started to feel like a Smith machine. Something that makes the movement easier, but not better. And if that’s your thing, cool. We’ll be over here putting the work in.

That’s why we don’t sell Otters anymore. And why the Honey Badgers are being phased out.

They don’t reflect our values around training.

The work is meant to be hard. Your gear shouldn’t get in the way or carry the load for you.

The Panthers still do what they were built to do. Better than anything we’ve put out since.

They were the first product we ever made. And they still feel like the most honest.

CODE: TRAINING