Product Review - Clif Shot Energy Gel

I have not posted too many product reviews of late as I seem to purchase the same items over and over again. The items I have found to work for me a few years ago seem to do the trick for me several years later.

After doing some reading, and shopping around, I noticed the Clif Shot Energy Gels were close to 25% cheaper than my usual Power Gel products. If you add up the number of gels I consume over the course of a season, this could make a small, but favourable, difference in my multisport budget so I was curious to test them out. If they work for Macca, they must be good, right?

Well, after going through half a box of two of my usual flavours (Strawberry and Vanilla), I must say I am left disappointed.

I have found the flavours to be rather weak and not as enjoyable as the same Power Gel options. I see that Clif tries to sell itself on Organic ingredients (90% Organic) but to be honest, that is not a selling feature for me. If I do not dedicate myself to an organic lifestyle on an everyday basis, than I am not going to worry too much about the organic nature of my tiny intake of gels.

I also found the consistency of the gel to be much thicker and tougher to get out of the packet than Power Gel. When you are fighting to get the product out of the package, it takes focus away from the task at hand. Once again, Power Gel comes out on top in the head to head battle for gel preference when it comes to this important quality.

As for performance, I did not recognize an extra boost in effort from the Clif Shot over my experiences with Power Gel. It seemed to keep me just as energized as Power Gel but nothing more that would make me want to change brands.

Overall, the lack of taste and the extra effort required to get all the product from the package cannot make up for the cost savings. When you are in need of a quick fix during a race, or in training, you need something to look forward to from your nutritional choices. For me, I like the taste of Power Gel and look forward to that little, sugary reward during a longer effort.

Remember, this is just my opinion and my taste buds could be much different than yours. I would love to hear what you have to say regarding this topic.

Note - I have also compared Gu Gel to Power Gel and they were relatively similar. I found the Gu a touch thicker but was able to get the gel out in respectable time. The Gu flavours I tested tasted well so that was not an issue. Where Gu (especially the Roctane) lost me as a consumer is in their pricing.