The Conclusion: Rock Tape Vs KT Tape Pro

After many different tests with both of these tapes I have finally come to a conclusion.

I found that KT Tape PRO has a much better stretch than the Rock Tape. KT Tape PRO. Both KT Tape PRO and Rock Tape handles well no my hamstring, although when it came to my back The Rock Tape seems to come off a lot more. Rock Tape did not stick to itself very well and would start to come off from those points. While the KT Tape PRO did a pretty good job on my lower back to stick to itself. The other thing that I noticed was that since KT Tape PRO had a better stretch when you apply the tape to a high moment area like your shoulders, it tends to work better.

On a side note, both of these tapes however would be susceptible to rolling when I slept. Not all the time but it has happened.

My conclusion is that for me KT Tape PRO is the right choice and holds up to my activities. Diving in the ocean, CrossFit WODs, sitting around the house and sleeping.

KT Tape Pro 

Pros:

Customer Service
Good stretch on tape
Comes in an uncut version

Sticks well to itself for taping applications that require that
Works well on flat areas like hamstrings
Comes in a cool plastic case

Cons:
Have to look for uncut version. Not widely advertised.
Slight odor because it is synthetic. (not enough to bother me, come might be sensitive to the smell)

Rock Tape

Pros:

Customer Service

Low Odor

Single Roll of Tape
Works well on flat areas like hamstrings

Cons:
Frays easily
Hurts a bit when pulling tape off
Not as much stretch (need to use longer stripes of tape)
Did not stick well to itself for taping applications that require that

Rock Tape Day 2

Day two of Rock Tape on my hamstring. So far it is still sticking well with a bit of fraying on the outside causing stings to come off. I am a little disappointed that the tape is fraying like this and I haven't even taken it into the ocean or done a WOD with it yet.

Rock Tape, Rock Tape H20 and Rock Sauce

The Story:

Part of my review of  Rock Tape vs KT Tape, I got this in the mail yesterday. It consists of Rock Tape H20 (left), which is supposed to be stickier and last longer in water, compared to the regular Rock Tape (right). I also got a roll of regular Rock Tape to see how that works out. Rock Tape H2O only comes in black unlike the regular Rock Tape, which has may different colors and patterns. The bottle in the middle is Rock Sauce.  A topical pain reliever that is similar to Icy Hot, Tokuhon, or BioFreeze. 

The Initial Review:

The day after I ordered I got a call from Rock Tape. One of the items I ordered was on back order so they wanted to know if I would wait or willing to take a different color. I told them any color was fine by me. He then told me about the different colors. He explained that there were two type of blue and I told him to just surprise me. He obliged and said that the tape would be in that mail that day, it was a Friday. Later I got an email confirming that my packaged had been mailed.

When I opened the box it was packed with some paper so that the items did not slide around. I do appreciate the customer service from Rock Tape. It was a nice and personal touch that they had someone call me about my order. When they could of easily sent me an email. That told me they are a customer-centric company and that they wanted to make sure they got a quick response so that they could ship my order before the weekend or else I would have to wait that much longer. A huge plus in my books.

Battle of the Tapes...Rock vs KT Tape

The Story:

About a month ago my cousin injured his shoulder. When I first saw the bright pink tape on his arm I had to ask what that was. He explained to me that his physical therapist put something called Kinesio Tape on his shoulder. It was there to aid in the recovery. He told me that the way they taped his shoulder also was to help isolate certain muscles of his shoulder so that the other tendons could recover. Seemed pretty cool. I later researched different tapes and came across Rock Tape and KT Tape. There are more but these two companies seemed to be the best. Rock Tape caters towards CrossFitters and has a section on their site about CrossFit, with a photo of Jason Khalipa rocking some Rock Tape. So they do have some reputability with many athletes that support their product. Although KT Tape is endorsed by Kerri Walsh, Olympic Gold Medalist. So they had some pretty legit athletes too.

I am not an elite athlete so I want to know how this will work for me. What works for one does not work for another.

I am going to try out both of the products to determine which one works best for me. Since summer time is here I will be using these both during CrossFit WODs as well as at the beach and freediving. So I will be able to get a very good idea about both products. I have seen videos of KT Tape used in a pool but a pool isn't close to the ocean. I feel that is a truer test or longevity. 

Rock Tape has Three different tapes a 2" and a 4" and Rock Tape H20, made for use in the water. I have both the Rock Tape 2" and Rock Tape H20 on the way as well as some of their Rock Sauce, a topical pain reviler similar to Bio Freeze.

Kinesiology tapes to be reviewed:

KT Tape Pro 

Rock Tape

Rock Tape H20