The compression sleeve from one of the biggest athletic and sports apparel manufacturer out there: Adidas. The thing that immediately caught my attention with this product was obviously the branding. But after reviewing several compression sleeves and gear in general, I wanted to check out how a top branded piece of apparel stacks up against others that I have reviewed. As for any piece of gear, there are a few main things you have to watch out for: function, fit, and comfort. There also little things here and that might be a deal-breaker for you when you’re in the market for a compression sleeve. With all these things in mind, I will give you my opinion of this product.
Appearance and Looks
A quick piece of info before you’re thinking about getting these, you’re only getting a single sleeve, NOT a pair. With that out of the way, let’s continue on. Although I recommend buying a compression sleeve for its recovery and performance properties, something can be said of also having looks contribute to their search, and this sleeve definitely has that. Most compression sleeves boast a simple minimalist look, usually in a single color, that an outsider wouldn’t be able to differentiate immediately unless they looked deeper for the tag and the branding. But with Adidas, it’s different. How so, you may ask? Brand recognition obviously. Anyone’s first impression of this sleeve they can immediately put two and two together. “Black sleeve with 3 white stripes at the top and subtle logo at the bottom, Oh, it’s an Adidas sleeve.” (There other options besides black as well).Sometimes it’s nice to have a piece of clothing that you can quietly show off. When you go to the gym or go out, in general, it’s a mental boost to have a recognizable piece of apparel to flex.
Material & Nylon Fiber
With most compression gear, polyester is generally the more popular piece of material when manufacturers develop their products. But for sleeves, it’s a little different. Polyester is a popular component for pants, underwear, socks, and shirts because those areas of the body usually produce a lot of sweat during activity. Polyester’s natural properties allow it to wick sweat keeping you dry and also combating other odors and stenches. But as you can probably guess, an elbow sleeve doesn’t need that as much because it isn’t a sweat center as the other places on the body. In terms of support, nylon is a durable and strong piece of material that will sufficiently provide aid to all the muscles and joints in your elbow and arm. Adidas uses 100% nylon which is okay, but for this price point it’s competitors have it beat. The Copper Compression sleeves use copper embedded nylon fibers. There aren’t any real tests out there that prove copper fiber is better but I feel that since they’re similar in price I feel that Copper Compression would be the better option to go with. That’s not to diminish this product’s reliability. It still functions the same most likely but probably performs somewhat less compared to copper products. Plus there are other things like brand reliability that may be important to you or some other factors I may have mentioned.
Comfort
If there is one thing that this compression sleeve has the others one beat is the comfort. In terms of performance recovery, it may not be as good, but 100% nylon is much more snug. Just to let you know that this is more of a personal opinion than a scientific fact. These are seamless sleeves that don’t have any ribbing among the sleeves. It felt good wearing it for a prolonged duration throughout the day, even if I wasn’t training or anything. On another personal note, it gave me a mental boost in how I perceived myself. I felt like I was more sporty and active while wearing a sleeve.
How to Measure and Size the Compression Sleeve
The sizing chart on the product didn’t really describe the sizing for sleeves so I thought I would I go to Adidas’s website and check out the actual size chart. To measure yourself for size, get measuring tape and measure the circumference of your bicep in a relaxed state (no flexing). After that, you can consult the sizing chart below for reference:
| US Size | Bicep |
| Small/Medium | 9” – 12” |
| Large/XL | 12” – 15” |
If you’re borderline anywhere, I would recommend sizing down to get that tighter and compress fit (unless you prefer a looser sleeve).
When & Why to Buy a Compression Sleeve
The time to purchase a compression sleeve is when you begin to start noticing persistent soreness or pain located in your arm area. The pain may be a product of your muscles needing to recover more or it may have been from natural factors such as aging and a sedentary lifestyle. Although I recommend purchasing a compression sleeve if you know your activity or job involves heavy use of your arms. It may not seem like you need it at first, but you’ll be surprised what can begin to develop after a long period of time. A compression sleeve provides the support needed to take a little bit of the burden off your arms. After wearing it day in and day out, the amount of pressure it actually handles makes it a quality investment for anyone.
Final Thoughts
Adidas manages to create a quality compression sleeve but I feel at this price point, there are better alternatives out there. The two reasons I would buy this for yourself is if you’re an avid Adidas fan and if you’re looking for something that is cozy and comfortable. It still functions the same as any other compression sleeve, but this is some advice on the budget perspective. It makes sense that you would want to invest in a sleeve that might be slightly better for a similar price. If you’re interested in reading more or purchasing this sleeve, you can click here to view it on Amazon.