Grip Tester Archives - www.oldtimestrongman.com

Shake Hands With Uncle Sam Grip Tester

Posted on Monday, August 18th, 2014 by John Wood

If you feel like taking a road trip, I know they they have one of these machines right here in Michigan at Marvelous Marvin’s place. These Uncle Sam machines were first made in 1908 as grip testers. Once you dropped your penny in the slot, you squeezed Uncle Sam’s out-stretched hand as hard as you could and the arrow on the dial told how strong your grip was. If you scored 300, a bell rang so you can impress all your friends. The modern versions cost a quarter and tell you the strength of your “personality.”

Either way, bonus points if you noticed one of these machines at the “Double Deuce” in Roadhouse.

The Victor Master Grip

Posted on Wednesday, June 19th, 2013 by John Wood

Grip developers have always been popular and the “Victor Master Grip” is a good one from way back, about 1926 or so. It’s got progressive resistance through a full range of motion and you can adjust resistance by the number of springs. You’ll still see this design around today.

Grip Dynamometer

Posted on Monday, August 6th, 2012 by John Wood

The early physical training pioneers were very interested the study of Anthropometry, or the measurement of various aspects of the human body. The device above, a grip dynamometer, which was designed and used by Dudley Allen Sargent at the Hemenway Gymnasium, was used to measure the strength of the hand and forearm musculature. Squeezing the two handles together compressed the springs which caused a small dial to turn and register the applied amount of force thus giving the amount of grip strength (or lack thereof) possessed by the user.