New Adventures In Kinesio Tape

I’m not sure how I managed to corner the kinesio tape market, but by far my most popular post of all time is my review of KT Tape Pro Extreme. Why? Surely bigger bloggers are covering this topic. Maybe they all made videos about it. I hate videos too. 😂

Thus the people have spoken re: what content they prefer to see from me. And lo, I have two fresh and hot new takes on kinesio tape for you!

KT TAPE PRO EXTREME, PART II

As you may recall, my original review of KT Pro Extreme was not terrible but not effusive. Designed to allegedly offer the longest grip of any KT Tape style, I found it still wasn’t sticky enough to stay on in the Puerto Rico heat.

Then again, I thought, people must be really interested in a stronger kinesio tape iteration if my single blog post is [checks modern slang notes] popping off like that. Maybe I should give it another chance?

So I did. I snagged another roll of Pro Extreme off Amazon and gave it a shot at a redemption arc. (It looks like they’ve since changed the packaging but I don’t see anything about a change in formula.)

OH MY GOD DID IT SUCK.

As you can see from the above package, the Pro Extreme tape is the brown stuff. You can also see it in the before shots on the left below. You cannot see it in the after shots on the right because it is straight up GONE.

Seriously, did I get a defective roll or something? I could NOT get this stuff to stay on my skin. I’m talking like not-even-a-mile-in levels of abhorrent staying power. And given that Extreme costs around $5 more on average than regular Pro, I expect more, not less. After a couple rolls it adds up, y’know?

That’s enough KT Pro Extreme for me, I think. Unless KT Tape wants to send me a bunch of complimentary rolls to try (and trust me, I’ll be over here holding my breath until then), that’s a wrap on Extreme. Pro is quite sufficient.

CVS BRAND KINESIO TAPE

On the other end of the spectrum, you have CVS Health Pro Strength Kinesio Tape, which is about $5 less than your average KT Tape Pro roll. I bought it on a whim when my OK Tape ran out on vacation. I’ve never been one to turn up my nose at generic.

And the CVS kinesio tape feels pretty legit! It’s got the same heft and texture as KT Tape, plus reflective detailing, which I thought was a nice safety touch. It may be a skosh stretchier than other tape I’ve tried, but it doesn’t feel delicate. The precut strips are nice too if you’re used to using the uncut kind.

Best of all, this stuff scores high on the one metric that matters most: it is ADHESIVE. It might be the most adhesive tape I’ve tried to date. I’d need to do more testing to see if has, say, marathon-in-the-rainforest levels of grip, but not only has it held up brilliantly on short runs in the swamp of a Puerto Rican summer, it also holds up in the shower best.

Which is why it is with a heavy heart that I tell you that CVS Health Pro Strength Kinesio Tape has a potentially fatal flaw: it is – wait for it – too adhesive.

I don’t mean it how you think. It comes off your skin just fine. Unfortunately, I found that when I removed the tape, it left a thin layer of sticky gunk on my skin that WILL NOT COME OFF. Not even in the shower. You have to soak this sh*t in alcohol to remove it; soap simply does not do the trick. I’ve scrubbed my ankle raw and it’s still not all off.

Ugh, disappointing!

SO WHICH KINESIO TAPE SHOULD YOU GET?

That’s a personal question – I know quite a few brand loyalists, believe it or not. There might be some chemistry at play here, too; I bet everyone’s skin reacts a little differently to the materials. Who knows? Maybe KT Tape Pro Extreme plays nice with your personal cocktail of sweat! That’s your money to gamble with.

As for the CVS Pro tape, I would suggest the following tagline: For When It Absolutely, Positively Must Stay On, Damn The Consequences.

Myself, Imma stick which my preference of late: OK Tape. Read my review here, and get your own roll here. (Short and sweet version: it works just about as well as KT Tape for a third of the cost.)

Until next time, friends! May your kinesio tape be sweat-proof and your runs be pain-free.

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