Elite Sportz Equipment 16" Muscle Roller

3 star review from when I first got it ( you will understand better if you read the full review)(purely for the stick I received) Has some sharp edges that will need to be addressed before it's used on skin directly...but that's to me factory issues with the injection mold used not being lined up fully...to better explain what I am saying, if one was to move the stick a certain way the edges where the central seam on the rollers can be sharp, as if they didn't fully join in a proper manor or the mold was off slightly. If you grasp it and pull it through your hand you could feel these sharp edges both directions (really ripped up the paper towel fast and snagged on the cloth towel too), and they at times felt like they could be sharp enough to cut ones skin if you rolled it over your skin in the wrong way or pressed to hard, this is quality control of the factory not the vendor.Fallow up review after vendor contacted me via comments and giving it a better chance then just give it a 3 star review off the bat because of a factory overlook.I am going to upgrade my rating to 5 stars, after taking the time to sand down the sharp edges that it had ( before taking note to the vending saying I could contact them and replace it.) and making them smooth (It didn't take much to fix this other then time. that after viewing the comment I figured was still faster then return shipping or shipping a replacement to me) I have used this now on and off on my bad knee since I got it and fixed it, and it does help it a lot. the center rod is a metal rod, giving you a lot of leverage to work with without it breaking or bending easily ( looks like 1/2 inch tube when I had it apart that is reasonably sturdy). I have also used it on other people and found they say it helps there back and shoulders as well. So to be fair here I decided that because of the vendor having great customer service it gets another 2 stars and a updated review.,Every thing has been prompt from the vendor and very understanding with this product.So hear is the break downI give this particular singled out 18" roller stick ( the one I received before fixing it) 3 stars wouldn't wish the torture on a loved on that it could have inflicted.4 stars after being fixed up and no edges to worry about before the vendor contacted me. why 4 stars? simple reason it was the stick that I had fixed so tho it works and works great it was one of those sour grapes moments when I had finished it up and making it with the small indentations on the rollers still smoother then a babies butt.5 stars after the vendor contacted me, took the sour grapes taste away and made this a useful tool to work on my sore knee with and help it feel as if its got less issues with it. I do tend to press really hard on myself and find that this really does get down deep into the muscles without making me feel like I should leap up out of my skin. and it does seem to help with the scar tissue feeling like its less of an obstruction.

I bought this stick in the original color as well as purple, green and blue for gifts so I'm leaving the same review for all of them since I inspected all of them and they are the same except the color. I'm really giving it 4.5 stars but that wasn't an option. I typically use the grid foam roller for stretching and sore muscles but using that on a leg takes too much effort to get in a good position so I can put a lot of pressure on the leg on the roller without actually using the muscle I'm working on, so I thought I'd try a stick. This one is way better than any of the others I've tried for a few reasons- it is very durable. I put way more pressure on it than you probably should with no give or stress on the stick. I've tried the sticks that have a shape to them (look like gears instead of rings) and those are just too painful because they are hard plastic gears and just seem to do more damage than good no matter how I use them so this one has a much better shape. I also love the handles on this. They are very comfortable and easy to hold and apply pressure. The only way I would make it better is to give it the same exterior coating as the grid or other rollers that have a hard center and a rubber/foam type exterior. It is that coating that makes the difference in the way it grabs, stretches and releases the fascia. Honestly, without that coating, this isn't too far off of a standard rolling pin except that this one has little grooves between the rings and texture which does help work out the fascia more than a smooth rolling pin would. I'm considering putting a hole in a tennis ball and slipping that onto this stick. I have yet to find anything that beats a tennis ball in getting rid of muscle pain but it can be difficult to get the right pressure in all the right places. I'm just not sure that the hole in the ball wouldn't compromise the structure too much so that the ball just collapses and no longer provides the right resistance. If I ever try it, I'll up date this. If you are in the market for a stick muscle roller, this is certainly the best one I've tried and a great price too. About the size- I love it. If you were trying to get straight across your back though, this would be too small. I don't think you should be doing that though because you would be putting too much pressure on the spine instead of the muscles. This really is perfect for legs and the back (as long as you work one side at a time which is a better way to do it anyway) which is what I want. If you want something that will reach all the way across the back, this would probably not work out.

I usually do not give 5 stars until I do a re-review after I had the product for awhile (just to make sure with durability and longevity of a product) but for the few weeks I have own the product, it has done as expected and done well as I recover between various marathons and half marathons that I run. I am transitioning from my tiger tail to this as I left my tiger tail behind during traveling. But between the effectiveness of this product and the tiger tail, this product is extremely effective especially during my recovery between races. It did take me a little bit of time to get use the "beads" instead of a single stick (tiger tail structure) just because I had the tiger tail for such a long time but besides that, real effective if it used correctly. I mainly use this roller on my IT Band, calf, shin and quads while using a thick foam roller for my hamstrings and also my IT band (do it twice) and it has been extremely effective for getting me from race to race each week. The product is also pretty compact so it fits in my backpack or takes up little space in my duffel bag when I travel. Customer service is also extremely friendly and useful if there are any questions or concerns. Overall, I would highly recommend this product.