Reviews

Review: Power Blade

Everyone wants to add yards to their drive. You know you want to belt it 325 down the middle like Tiger. There are plenty of training aids out there on the market claiming they will add 5..10…25 yards to your drive, but most fall short in delivering on those promises. The problem generally is due to the fact that even with the greatest of training aids, you must put in the work with it to see results. So the challenge for a training aid designer is to create an effective tool that both shows results and is fun to use. Today we will have a look at a new device from GP Golf (creators of the Swing Tempo), the Power Blade. Is the Power Blade the answer? We’ll find out!

Power Blade Attached

Background

Introducing Power-Blade, a new swing trainer that combines two of the most popular power-building techniques into one sleek, portable training device. Using the feel of a weighted club properly balanced with wind-resistance technology, the Power-Blade leads to two things – more power and more distance.

When folded, Power-Blade measures only 16 ” x 5 ” x 2″ and weighs just 12 ounces. Use Power-Blade anywhere, anytime.

Power-Blade was designed to be used with your own clubs. By attaching the Power-Blade to your club, your club becomes an instant power trainer. The longer the club you use, the more resistance you’ll feel.

The key to hitting long drives relies simply on increasing clubhead speed. Most great players maximize clubhead speed by creating a clubhead lag along with a powerful release. By using wind-resistance, Power-Blade allows you to develop clubhead lag on your downswing generating a sling-shot effect through the impact and release positions. All the while, strengthening the power muscles in your forearms, back, and shoulders.

Adding 10 to 30 yards has never been made easier. To achieve the best results with Power-Blade, create the sound of the “swoosh” at the bottom part of your wing. The weight of your own club produces a smooth consistent tempo while keeping your swing on plane. If you hear “swoosh” in the right place, you’ll know that you’re developing proper lag and release. The later you create the sound, the more clubhead speed you’ll generate.

Look and Feel

The Power Blade is an elegantly simplistic design offering both added weight and resistance to your training regiment. The device folds up small enough to fit into one of the larger pockets of your stand bag, and doesn’t even weigh a pound. So taking the Power Blade to the range or even the course is no problem whatsoever. It even comes with a nice little bag to offer some protection from nicks and scratches.

The device itself is made of a rigid plastic with high quality metal hinges used to attach the blade to your golf club’s shaft. It will take you all of 30 seconds to attach the Power Blade to one of your clubs. Really the most difficult part is making sure it is aligned properly with the clubface…and that’s about as difficult as tying your shoes.

One nice thing about the look is that it is a nice subdued black. Most training aids seem to be very bright colors. Some people find it embarrassing to take one of these neon yellow training aids out when they’re on the driving range. If you are that worried about someone seeing you trying to improve your game…don’t worry about the Power Blade, most people probably will not notice it.

Performance

In the past we have reviewed a few other ‘power’ game training aids (The Momentus Power Hitter and SKLZ Swing Accelerator) and while we have found them to be effective when used regularly, sometimes it’s nice to switch things up. Both the Power Hitter and Swing Accelerator are designed to hit balls and really help get your swing on plane while building strength in your swing. They both are quite large, and weigh a ton as well, so they are a little less practical than the Power Blade. As I found out with the Power Hitter, it is also very easy to injury yourself if you start trying to swing that thing too hard too fast.

The Power Blade, on the other hand, provides a great workout by just offering significant wind resistance. You still have the benefits of the training aid help put you on plane and swing more with your larger muscles, with less of a threat of injury. I found that the Power Blade really encouraged me to drop the club into the slot and create a lot of lag in my swing. After 15-20 minutes with it, and a few minutes hitting into an impact bag, my swing really felt very powerful. So there is definitely a lot of potential here to help improve your swing speed and clubhead path in general. However, like any training aid, you need to stick with it to see the results.

I did not try hitting balls with the Power Blade attached, I am not sure if it is recommended…but I think it would be very distracting. So, you loose a little of that instant gratification factor. What I did was went through 10-20 swings with a club with the Power Blade attached, then took 5 swings with the next iron down. It is pretty fun to use. The swoosh sound the blade makes as you swing provides a lot of great feedback. You can quickly identify an early release and really feel the acceleration through the ball on the nice smooth swings.

Conclusion

If you are looking to add a few yards to your drive, work on your swing path or just want a little golf related workout, the Power Blade is a great little device that is both highly portable and highly effective. I love the fact that it folds up small enough to stuff in my bag and snaps on your own club in a few seconds. I cannot say that it has added any yards to my drive at this point, but I will post a follow-up on this one in a few weeks to keep you updated. Hmm…I wonder what would happen if I attached the Power Blade to the Power Hitter? JB Holmes anyone???

My swing speed range was up in the 110-115 range toward the end of last year, though has been back hovering around 105 right now (check out the Swing Speed Radar review to accurately gauge your swing speed). We’ll see if the Power Blade can get me back up to 115. I’ve been losing my lag a little early lately, and the Power Blade has definitely helped me work on that. Again, just a matter of commitment!

The Power Blade can be had for $54.95 directly from the GP Golf website. So if you thought spending $100-$200 on a weighted driver was a bit pricey, this could be a great option. The Power Blade can be attached on anything from your 7 iron through Driver.

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