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It has been way too long since the last Tried It Tuesday… and not because there are a lack of products to review!! There are a a handful stacked in the “draft/to finish” pile, including my hands-down favorite ever (so far) running shoe, some compression wear, and more on the hydration. (It’s supposed to be 100° on Thursday – gotta keep those fluids going!)
But on THIS particular Tuesday, the review is in, and we’re talking about Hammer Nutrition Endurolytes Fizz.
While this is not a brand new product (I think they came out ~October, 2010), they’re new to me. What took me so long to try them? Well, it just so happens that there’s a very similar product I happen to like a lot. Rhymes with the word moon, comes in flavors like kola (which others have likened to “armpit”, but I think is delicious. Bigger question – why do you know what armpit tastes like?), is linked right over there (—-> glance page upper right), and was featured in Train On Top Volume 4: Hydration. You know the saying – if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it – which is why I have been a little hesitant to make the jump when I have something that works so well for me already.
But then there’s that other saying - Never be afraid to try something new. Amateurs built the ark. Professionals built the Titanic. – (or something like that… 
) so I decided to give them a shot. Below you will find my review on Hammer Nutrition’s Endurolyte Fizz tablets, as well as a comparison between the Endurolytes Fizz and Nuun’s Electrolyte Enhanced Drink Tabs.
According to the Hammer Nutrition blog, the Endurolyte Fizz tabs were one of the products to take the longest from a nice idea to a finished, fully functional hydration/electrolyte choice. Obstacles to overcome were taste, the chemical stability and breakdown, as well as combining everything into a product that gives you a bang for your buck. Regarding the economics, I’ll quote the Hammer Blog so you can see what they had to say:
Endurolytes Fizz is economical as well, with 13 effervescent tablets in each tube—not 10 to 12, like some of the others—at a cost of $6.50 per tube, or 50 cents per tablet. One of the reasons why Endurolytes Fizz costs less is that, unlike other effervescent electrolyte products, it doesn’t contain inconsequential amounts of vitamins or other nutrients, which only serve to increase the price. Instead, you get the full-spectrum electrolytic mineral support that you need, along with adequate amounts of auxiliary nutrients, just like you do with Endurolytes capsules or powder, but without the hefty price tag. Compare Endurolytes Fizz to the competition and you’ll see that you’re saving a lot of money!
Originally available in Grapefruit, Mango, and Lemon-Lime, the Endurolyte Fizz’s also now come in Peach. I’ve had the joy of trying all the different flavors, and according to my personal tastes I would rank them (from best to worst) as follows: Grapefruit > Lemon-Lime > Peach > Mango.
I will admit that I pretty much hate mangos, in any shape or form, so you may want to disregard that last ranking and just try it for yourself! I felt that all of the flavors were subtle – not overwhelming your water bottle or sickly sweet – in what I believe leads to a drink that’s crisp and refreshing, rather than something that tastes like juice. The “fizz” component of Endurolytes Fizz was also pretty mild, which I appreciated because no one likes bubbles up their nose during a 40 minute threshold interval. Each Endurolyte Fizz tablet is said to contain just 10 calories, <1g carbohydrate, a $#!&ton of Vitamin B6 and Maganese, 200mg sodium, 100mg potassium, and 50 mg magnesium. (See nutrition label at left.)
LIKES: I like the subtlety of the fizz and flavor. I like that you get a bonus tablets (13 in Hammer, vs. 12 in Nuun), and I really like the Grapefruit flavor!! I also like that this is a [practically] calorie / carb free product. As I explained in the HYDRATION issue of Train On Top, I like to be able to control the amount of extra energy I need (depending on the length/intensity of the workout) by adding my own magic to the mix.
DISLIKES: There are only four flavors, and I really dislike one of them (coughmangocough). I know Hammer touts the affordability of these little tabs, but at $6.50 a tube (or 50 cents/tablet), I guess I dont’ feel that it’s worth quite that much. (You could by 34.2 bananas at Trader Joe’s for $6.50.) Nor is it any more affordable than “the other” product. That “bonus” tablet doesn’t really seem like a bonus anymore once you realize both products cost $0.50/tab, and the product with 13 tabs instead of 12 costs $0.50 more. Doh!
How about a little Nuun vs. Hammer throw down? Lets look at just the facts:
Nuun flavors: banana, fruit punch, lemon lime, tropical, kona kola, orange, citrus fruit, tri berry, grape, lemon tea, strawberry lemonade
Endurolytes flavors: lemon-lime, peach, grapefruit, mango
Nuun tablets per tube: 12
Endurolytes tablets per tube: 13
Nuun cost per tube / tablet: $6.00 / $0.50
Endurolytes cost per tube / tablet: $6.50 / $0.50
And the less objective measures….
Nuun flavor intensity (scale of 1-10, 10 being highest): 7
Endurolyte flavor intensity (scale of 1-10, 10 being highest): 4
Nuun fizz intensity (scale of 1-10, 10 being highest): 7
Endurolyte fizz intensity (scale of 1-10, 10 being highest): 4
Nuun flavor options: 11 choices. My favorites = Citrus Fruit, followed by Kona Kola. Least favorite = Tri-Berry*
Endurolytes flavor options: 4 choices. My favorite = Grapefruit. My least favorite = Mango
*I have not tried several of Nuun’s new flavors, including Lemon Tea, Grape, Raspberry Lemonade, or Tropical, so can’t give a fair opinion on those. Nor can I be held responsible if you try them and think they taste like “armpit.”
FINAL GRADE: I’d give the Hammer Endurolyte Fizz tablets a B. The three factors bringing the grade down are 1) cost, 2) limited flavor options, and 3) the Mango. Ick.
But the score that really matters (to Hammer at least) is the amount sold. After all, a business is a business and they need to make a profit. Good, solid products typically have no problem selling! It is up to YOU to decide that for yourself, so if you’re curious about these little electrolytning fizzy drink tabs, I’d suggest you give them a try!
Reader Qs:
Have you tried the Endurolyte Fizz tabs? What did you think? Which was your favorite? Do you use electrolyte products like these during your workouts or racing? Do you have a different favorite drink product I haven’t talked about yet? I’m definitely open to other reviews!
Take care amigos,
-E
Being on a medical leave of absence from school right now, my have to read list suddenly vanished, and my want to read list is growing shorter and shorter at the rate I’m plowing through books! The Distance by David Mills had been on that want to read list for a long time. The tagline for the book states, “An average Joe’s path to balancing family, work, and triathlon.” Kind of ironic that I read it now, when I don’t have to balance anything, and am doing zero tri training to speak of. 
On the second day of the sale, a neighbor lady stopped by who works with 
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If you’ve never heard an angel sing, put these on and go outside for a run when it’s below zero and the wind is making it feel like -25°. Return home (/to car) and whip off mitten to grab for key. Suddenly, thoughts will be zooming through your mind at a speed faster than you’ve ever run a mile, sounding something like:
