TRISLIDE Product Review

TRISLIDE Product Review

Steven Munatones 02/16/2010 Open Water Swimming No Comment
Product: TRISLIDE, the anti-chafe continuous spray skin lubricant

Manufacturer: SBR Sport, Inc.

Price: US$13.45 for a 4 oz. aerosol spray can

Description: Anti-chafing skin lubricant in an easy-to-apply continuous aerosol spray

Sales Pitch: Keeping you comfortable and keeping you competitive The liquid silicone-based TRISLIDE promotes easy and quick entry/exit from wetsuits and swimsuits and prevents chafing, blistering, irritation in the water and out. TRISLIDE does not damage neoprene materials as other petroleum-based products and cooking sprays do.

Would I Buy It? Yes, without a doubt.

Test Location: We tested in four locations among world-class athletes, intermediate and experienced triathletes and beginner open water swimmers and triathletes:
(1) In Italy in July at the 2009 World Swimming Championships in the warm Mediterranean Sea under slightly windy conditions;
(2) in the warm Copacabana Beach in November in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil at the 2009 Rei do Mar Desafio (King of the Sea Challenge) pro race;
(3) in Santa Monica, California during July at the Tower 26 ocean practices during both glassy-flat and rough conditions when waves got up to 3 feet; and
(4) in a 25-yard pool in Seal Beach, California at a 5:00 am masters swim practice.

Why? The liquid-silicone product, simply put, does what it says: it is an extremely effective anti-chafing lubrication that prevents friction and, very importantly, leaves no mess.

Upside: TRISLIDE has multiple benefits and can be used by triathletes, runners, walkers, rowers, surfers and cyclists. Very importantly, TRISLIDE can be easily removed with soap and water – something that cannot be done with lanolin. TRISLIDE is great to help you quickly slip out of a wetsuit or a speedsuit, a key benefit during a competitive triathlon. TRISLIDE is also not as messy as Vaseline® if it incidentally get smeared on your goggles. TRISLIDE was purposefully produced as an aerosol and not a gel or a stick. The spray application is a sanitary application because it does not harbor bacteria, whereas a stick directly touches the skin. Due to the aerosol spray application, your hands stay free – and clean – which is not always the case with Vaseline® or lanolin.

Test: During an hour-long ocean workout, TRISLIDE was tested by 16 triathletes and open water swimmers who sprayed TRISLIDE on one side of their body (underarms, inside thighs, ankles, shoulder or necks) and compared it with their other side (either covered with Vaseline, other lubrication products or nothing at all). The athletes were asked to rate the TRISLIDE on a scale of 10 with 10 being excellent and 1 being poor.

The results of this side-by-side test were as follows:

Athlete #1 (male): TRISLIDE did not chafe on left side. Other side with other product chafed.
Athlete #2 (female, age 32): TRISLIDE worked, but would try something else, 5 out of 10.
Athlete #3 (male, age 47): No chafing
Athlete #4 (female): No chafing, quick to get wetsuit off, 10 out of 10
Athlete #5 (male, age 34): TRISLIDE and the other product was about the same, 3 out of 10.
Athlete #6 (female, age 44): No chafing, TRISLIDE on one side, but chafed on other side, 10 out of 10.
Athlete #7 (male, age 45): Put TRISLIDE around neck, 10 out of 10.
Athlete #8 (male, age 38): No chafing on neck, 10 out of 10 compared to the other products.
Athlete #9 (male, age 44): Put TRISLIDE under arms, 10 out of 10.
Athlete #10 (male, age 41): Good, put TRISLIDE around neck, 8 out of 10.
Athlete #11 (female, age 55): Put TRISLIDE on neck, 8 out of 10, better than the other products.
Athlete #12 (female, age 39): Put TRISLIDE on neck, better than others, 10 out of 10.
Athlete #13 (male, age 40): Put TRISLIDE all over, slicker, cleaner, easier to get wetsuit off.
Athlete #14 (male, age 34): Works well around neck/feet/ankles/wrists, 10 out of 10.
Athlete #15 (male, age 30): No chafing, but about the same. Nothing special.
Athlete #16 (male, age 40): Put TRISLIDE all over, was using other products, 10 out of 10.

Downside: Like any lubricant used in the open water, TRISLIDE does come off over time. But for most triathletes who will be in the water for at most 2.4 miles, TRISLIDE will last sufficiently long. It is also lasts long enough so in the T1 transition, the triathletes can slip off their wetsuit and get into their cycling gear in a few seconds.

Note: we did not test in the water for over one hour, but we cannot imagine that the product will stay on longer than lanolin on the human skin. But certainly for swims under one hours, it is an independently confirmed to be sufficient and superior to other commercially available products.

Changes: We cannot imagine a re-design of the product that would improve the product, other than make the container larger. The small container (4 fluid ounces) is good for 15 – 20 applications, depending on how much is used during on each application.

Overall: If you chafe and compete in races 5K and under, TRISLIDE is a nearly an absolutely must-buy like a pair of goggles. The needs – chafing, blistering, slipping in and out of wetsuits – were identified and the TRISLIDE definitely met those needs. Overall, the product is a job extraordinarily well done and is colorfully and professionally presented and marketed. TRISLIDE would be a great gift for triathletes or open water swimmers.

Copyright © 2010 by Open Water Source
Steven Munatones
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