Smart Glove Wrist and Thumb Support Score: 98% Developer: IMAK Device Type: Accessory Compatible With:

Function: The Smart Glove with Thumb Support is a reversible cotton sleeve that goes from about half-way up your forearm to the edge of your knuckles. The thumb area extends to the last knuckle on your thumb and there are pockets for two semiflexible splints to keep your thumb at a particular angle. Along the back of the cotton sleeve is a larger splint that forces your wrist to stay in an ergonomically correct angle. At the base of your palm is a pouch filled with little beads that act as a hand rest while you are at a keyboard or using your mouse. This pad works a lot like the wrist rests you put in front of your keyboard and mouse except now you can have the same added support no matter where you are resting your arms.

Performance: I was blessed to not just review the Smart Glove with Thumb Support, but also the next model down, the Smart Glove with Wrist Support. Basically, for the performance testing I wore one on my right arm and the other on my left as I worked for the past couple of weeks. This test period revealed a couple of interesting things. Not only was I able to see how one model compared to the other, but I also realized that I was beginning to come down with a mild case of Carpal Tunnel Syndrome. I didn't realize this until I put the products on and realized just how much better my wrists felt. The tightness of the cotton sleeve helped to hold my wrist and thumb firmly against the three splints and force my hand to stay at the correct angle, while the beaded pad acted as a way to keep my hands elevated to the same level that my keyboard or mouse was without having to bend my wrists. Since the Smart Glove is designed to be used on either hand by simply turning the glove inside out, I found the fact that the splints were removable was a necessary feature since the one on the back of the hand had to be flipped around in order for the other wrist to be held at the correct angle. I did find that, while I could wear the Smart Gloves for a period of time without worrying about them, there were still plenty of times that I just needed to take them off and let my arms breath a little. So this isn't really a product you can leave on for all eight hours of your work day and just forget about them.

Features: Helps Prevent & Relieve Wrist and Thumb Pain Allows Full Use of Hand and Thumb Great with Handheld Devices Latex Free Removable Splint provides Flexible Support Thumb Extension with 2 Removable Splints Bead-filled Wrist Pad Raises Wrist to Ergonomically Desired Position Washable Cotton Lycra for Comfort and Easy Care Reversible for Use with Both Left and Right Hands

Drawbacks & Problems:: I really can't think of any problems about the Smart Glove with Thumb Support to address in this section. The product did a good job of not only giving me full support in my wrist and thumb, but the splints were also flexible enough to let me still use my keyboard or even game controllers. Like the other version of this product, it took a little getting used to because the pads tended to be a little in the way when I first picked up a PS2 controller, but it wasn't long before I got over that issue and was playing just as well as I always did.

-J.R. Nip, GameVortex Communications AKA Chris Meyer