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Two Australian brands. Both built for CrossFit. Both with loyal followings in boxes around the country. But they’re solving the knee sleeve problem in very different ways — and depending on how you train, one of them is going to suit you a lot better than the other.

Let’s get into it.

First: Credit Where It’s Due

Frog Grips is a legitimate Aussie CrossFit brand. They’re best known for their gymnastic grips, which have a big following in the local fitness community. Their knee sleeve range is an extension of that — and it’s clear they’ve put thought into it.

Buff Roo is newer. Sydney-based, about three years old, built specifically around one problem: knee sleeves that are an absolute pain to get on and off. The velcro closure system is the entire design philosophy.

Both brands are CrossFit-focused. Both use quality neoprene. Both ship fast within Australia. So what’s actually different?

The Frog Grips Knee Sleeve Range

Frog Grips runs three main knee sleeve options:

The Reversible Range (7mm)

Their most popular sleeve. Standard 7mm neoprene, competition legal, sold in a wide range of colours and patterns including leopard print, pink, green and black/white reversibles. The reversible feature is genuinely clever — flip them inside out for a different look depending on the day.

Downside: they’re slip-on. Tight neoprene, pull-on design. Frog Grips themselves note on their website that “following the size chart should be spot on for most people.” But if you’ve ever tried to pull tight 7mm neoprene over your shoes and up past your calf mid-WOD, you know how that goes.

The HD Range (4mm — “feels like 10mm”)

Frog’s heavy-duty sleeve. 2-ply rubber/polyester blend, marketed as providing “maximum support and compression” with a springy rebound effect out of the bottom of squats. They’re not traditional neoprene — more of a performance lifting sleeve.

Frog’s own product page includes this note: “Please note, the compression is the highest level, some ‘wearing in’ to pre-stretch is required so you may have to pull them up and down when using initially.”

That’s a polite way of saying: these are hard to get on. Great support, but you’re not slipping these over your shoes between rounds.

The Shorty/Elbow Crossover

A shorter sleeve that doubles as both a knee shorty and an elbow sleeve. Handy if you want versatility. Frog actually recommend going up two sizes on your standard knee sleeve size for this one.

The Buff Roo Knee Sleeve

Buff Roo makes one thing: 7mm neoprene knee sleeves with a velcro closure system. That’s it. No leopard print, no reversibles, no elbow crossover.

The entire product is engineered around a single question: why do you have to take your shoes off to put on knee sleeves?

The velcro lock system means you can put them on or take them off in about 10 seconds, standing up, shoes on, mid-transition between a metcon and a lifting segment. You’re not losing the 7mm support — you’re just not wrestling them over your Nanos anymore.

For CrossFit specifically — where a WOD might combine a 400m run, box jumps, and heavy back squats all in one session — that matters. You want them on for the squats. You might not want them bunching behind the knee during the run.

Head-to-Head: The Honest Comparison

Where Frog Grips Wins

Let’s be straight: Frog Grips has a genuine edge in a couple of areas.

•        Style range. If you want your knee sleeves to match your kit, Frog Grips has options. The reversible range in particular is a smart design — two looks from one sleeve.

•        Brand ecosystem. If you’re already using Frog Grips gymnastic grips, there’s a logic to keeping your accessories in the same brand family.

Where Buff Roo Wins

One word: usability.

CrossFit training is dynamic. A standard class might take you from a barbell warmup to a metcon to a strength complex and back. Your knee sleeves need to work with that rhythm, not against it.

With Frog Grips’ standard slip-on range, you’re either leaving them on the whole session (compromising mobility during running or jumping movements) or doing the squat-and-yank every time you need them off. With the HD range, you’ve got a product that Frog themselves acknowledge needs “wearing in” before it becomes manageable.

Buff Roo removes that problem entirely. The velcro system isn’t a compromise on support — it’s 7mm neoprene, same as the standard competition-legal thickness. You just don’t need a fifteen-minute change room session to use them.

For athletes over 30 — who are more likely to need knee support consistently across the whole session rather than just for one movement — the ability to put them on and take them off without disrupting training flow is a genuine training advantage.

What About Price?

Both brands are in a comparable range for the Australian market. Neither is a budget sleeve, and neither should be — cheap neoprene falls apart, rolls down mid-WOD, and smells like a locker room within a month.

You’re paying for quality construction either way. The difference is what you get beyond the neoprene itself: with Frog Grips, you’re paying for style options. With Buff Roo, you’re paying for the velcro system.

Decide which matters more to your training.

The Verdict

If you train CrossFit in Australia and you want a sleeve that you can put on in the warm-up and take off mid-metcon without drama, Buff Roo is the better pick. Full stop.

If you care more about colour options, want the reversible feature, or you’re specifically after the HD springy-rebound sleeve for heavy lifting days, Frog Grips is a quality brand worth considering.

But for the athlete who trains five days a week, does a mix of lifting and conditioning, and is sick of the shoe-off sleeve ceremony? Buff Roo was built for you.

Check out Buff Roo Knee Sleeves at buffroo.com.au — Aussie-made, CrossFit-tested, and on in 10 seconds flat.