Best Liquid Chalk for Lifting: Get Better Grip with Less Mess

Grip Quality:

Very High — Easily the best of all liquid chalks tested.

Drying Time:

Fast — Dries in just 10-15 seconds, in my experience. The bottle says 15-25 seconds, but I personally have never had to wait that long.

Smell:

Very Slight — Has a very slight odor from the alcohol-based solution. It is barely noticeable and dissipates rapidly.

Amount:

Very Small — Half of a dime-sized dollop.

Viscosity:

Low to Medium — It has semi-thick/semi-runny consistency; it will run slowly if you angle your hand. It is not so runny that it could accidentally spill off your hand (which is the case with Liquid Grip Liquid Chalk, discussed below).

Feel:

“Gooey” / Dry + Minimal Stickiness — Feels gooey when initially applied. After applied, it’s dry and grippy. It offers minimal stickiness and does not have a softness or smoothness feeling to it, which is ideal.

Duration:

High — It can easily last for multiple heavy sets without needing to be reapplied. In fact, I can often complete multiple exercises (each for multiple sets) consecutively without needing another application, though it depends on several factors (i.e. exercises, weight, sweat, etc.).

Longevity of Bottle:

High — The 1 oz. bottle lasts me approximately 3 months. This is longer than all other brands I've tested, some of which are larger than 1 oz.

Other Notes:

There is no carabiner included, and there is no hole on the bottle for conveniently attaching your own carabiner. However, there is a workaround--you can secure a rubber band around the bottle and then attach the carabiner to the band (see image above).

Grip Quality:

High — Provides a strong grip, but it's a step down from that of Dry Hands (discussed above).

Drying Time:

Medium — Takes approx. 15-25 seconds to fully dry. It will seem like it's completely dry before it actually is. If you don’t wait long enough, you’ll think you need more than you actually do, and thus you'll end up going through the bottle faster than necessary.

Smell:

Very Slight — Only smells when you're applying it to your hands. Even then, you may not notice the smell unless you're rubbing it in close to your face.

Amount:

Small — Approx. 1 dime-sized dollop.

Viscosity:

Medium to High — It has a generally thick consistency. It is not runny, but I would say that it is "wetter" than other brands that also have a thicker consistency (e.g. Beasty and Mosher).

Feel:

Moisturizer Cream-like / Dry & Mildly Sticky — Feels almost like a moisturizer cream similar to Beasty Liquid Chalk (discussed below). However, compared to Beasty, it leaves a drier, less soft feel, which translates to better grip. That being said, it does have a softer feel than the Dry Hands Liquid Chalk (discussed above) and is somewhat less grippy. Lastly, SportsmediQ also has a mild stickiness to it; enough to help with grip, but not so much that it's uncomfortably sticky.

Duration:

Medium to High — It’s typically easy do go multiple sets without reapplying. But you're less likely to be able to go through multiple exercises (with multiple sets per exercise) without reapplying, unless you're using lighter weights and/or doing exercises that aren't very grip intensive.

Longevity of Bottle:

Medium to High — You can make it last for a while but the key is to not overuse it. It's easy to accidentally overuse it since its initial "feel" makes you think you need more than you actually do, per application.

Other Notes:

Grip Quality:

High — The Mosher liquid chalk provides an impressively strong grip. The grip quality is neck-and-neck with the SportmediQ liquid chalk (discussed above). However, if I had to pick a winner from these two, I'd say Mosher provides slightly less grippiness.

Drying Time:

Medium — It takes about 15-25 seconds to completely dry. It's similar to SportmediQ in this way, and also in terms of needing to wait longer than you think for it to fully dry. If you don't wait long enough, you'll feel the need to apply more. Or if you grip onto something before the application has completely dried, you'll lose some of it on the bar/equipment handle, and your grip will be less effective.

Smell:

Glue-like — It smells a bit like Elmer’s glue. But don't worry, there's no actual glue in the product. Also, the glue-like scent is not intense, though, and is only temporary.

Amount:

Small to Medium — Approx. 1 ½ dime-sized dollops.

Viscosity:

High — It is very thick with no runniness. I’d compare it to “creamy” or “smooth” in terms of consistency.

Feel:

Moisturizer Cream-like / Sticky — It has a bit of the moisturizer cream-type feel, like the SportmediQ, but that’s overpowered by a mild “sticky” feel. Mosher provides a somewhat less dry and somewhat more sticky grip than SportmediQ, which I describe as feeling very dry and mildly sticky.

Duration:

Medium to High — It’s typically easy do go multiple sets without reapplying. However, it's less likely to last for multiple exercises without reapplying, unless you're performing relatively less grip-intensive exercises or using relatively lighter loads.

Longevity of Bottle:

Medium — Doesn’t run out fast but doesn’t last super long either. This is a middle of the road liquid chalk.

Other Notes:

Leaves chalk "crumbs" whenever opening cap if any residual is left around the opening from previous workout. The amount of crumbs is notably less than with the SportmediQ chalk (discussed above), but still worth mentioning. Has hole on end of bottom for hooking onto a clip or carabiner; carabiner IS included.

Grip Quality:

High — Possibly slightly more grip than Dry Hands (discussed above), but part of this may be because it has a “sticky” feel to it.

Drying Time:

Medium to High — Dries relatively slowly. It can take 20-30 seconds, sometimes longer depending on how much is applied. However, you can speed up the process by quite a bit by gently blowing onto your hands. That's what I typically do and recommend if you get this product.

Smell:

Strong but Pleasant — Has a strong coconut fragrance when being applied. I like it, but could see how some people might find it to be a bit much.

Amount:

Medium to High — Approx. 2 dime-sized dollops (technically not dollops, since it's such a runny liquid, but you get the idea).

Viscosity:

Very Low — The liquid is very runny. It could spill off your had if you're not careful and don't "cup" your palm to contain it before rubbing it in.

Feel:

Very Sticky — Although it's not unbearable, it's sticky to the point of being uncomfortable.

Duration:

Low to Medium — Each application is short lived. I found my self re-applying every couple of sets for most exercises. And I'd often apply a new coat after every single set for my heavier pulling movements. Though, I should note that when I reapplied very frequently, I was able to use a much smaller than amount than the "2 dime-sized dollops" mentioned previously in this table.

Longevity of Bottle:

Low — It runs out quicker than I would like for two reasons: higher than average amount needed per application; and it’s easier to apply an excessive amount accidentally because of its runny consistency, which makes it come out the bottle faster.

Other Notes:

It will stay preserved for months even with just a small amount left in the bottle, likely thanks to its low viscosity (runny consistency) compared to thicker liquid chalks that are more likely to dry up inside the bottle if close to empty and not used for several weeks to months. Has hole on end of bottom for hooking onto a clip or carabiner; carabiner IS included.

Grip Quality:

Medium — It gives a better grip for sure, but nothing out of the ordinary; average.

Drying Time:

Medium — Drying typically takes 20-25 seconds to completely dry. This is typical among the ones I tested.

Smell:

Strong but Pleasant — It has a bubble gum smell.

Amount:

Medium to High — Approx. 2 dime-sized dollops.

Viscosity:

High — It is very thick, no runniness; “creamy” or “smooth” in terms of consistency.

Feel:

Moisturizer Cream-like / Very Smooth — Almost feels like a moisturizer cream when rubbing it in. Pleasant, but leaves too much of softness or smoothness, which feels like it detracts from the dryness and grip that it provides. It leaves a noticeably whiter coating on your hands after application, more so than others.

Duration:

Low to Medium – It often requires reapplying between sets.

Longevity of Bottle:

Low — This one runs out faster than all others I’ve tried

Other Notes:

Gets backed up easily; likely to a combination of the bottle/bottle opening design and the thicker consistency--this is a recipe for accidentally shooting out a LOT of liquid chalk at once, and at a high/explosive velocity...especially as the bottle gets closer to empty. It actually shot out at me and went into my eye, which was a terrible experience; lots of burning and eye was irritated for 3-4 days after -- partially my fault, but the chalk and bottle design definitely played a role. Has hole on end of bottom for hooking onto a clip or carabiner; no clip/carabiner included.