Final Review of 2Toms BlisterShield

If this is the first time you’ve heard of BlisterShield from 2Toms, you can head over to our initial review for a bit of background.  As I mentioned in the initial review, I don’t suffer from blisters regularly, but I sometimes experience a blister on my right foot during 10K or higher runs.

Since the initial review, I’ve used the BlisterShield product five times.  All told, I used BlisterShield three times running, once while it was raining and twice while it was dry.  On one of the dry runs, I used cotton socks and on the second I used technical socks.  I also used the product twice on my bike, once with technical socks and once without socks at all.  I’m not one of those hard core triathletes that do the entire bike portion without socks, but for shorter races, I’ve considered going sockless to speed up the transition.  BlisterShield is designed to be used with socks, so when I went without socks, I made sure to coat my feet with the powder and then put the remaining powder in the shoes.

Our second tester used BlisterShield five times also, all during her run training.  The product was used on all distances, from 1 to 2 mile jogs all the way up to 10K.  Her tests used cotton and technical socks also, but all runs were conducted during dry conditions.

Running with BlisterShield

As I mentioned in the earlier review, we were  impressed with the performance of BlisterShield.  If you follow the directions for applying the powder, you’ll avoid any clumping or irritation from the buildup of powder under your toes.

Running in dry conditions provided the best way to measure the effectiveness of BlisterGuard in preventing blisters and hot spots.  There was no difference in using the product with cotton socks versus technical socks.  In both scenarios the power coated our feet well, again, if we followed the directions for proper use.  The powder performed for the duration of our runs, no matter how long.  Even the one time I ran after a serious El Nino winter rain, BlisterShield continued to prevent any hot spots, though my feet and socks got quite damp.

I was most impressed with the performance of BlisterShield during my first run in my new Saucony Stabil CS shoes.  If you didn’t read that review, I did battle with a Chinese buffet for lunch and decided to head for a long run.  Being a glutton for punishment, I broke out my brand new, as in Never-Before-Worn, Stabil CS shoes.  This would be a real test for the BlisterShield.  I’m happy to report that, after a 9.5 mile run in brand new shoes, there were absolutely no issues with blisters, hot spots, or rubbing.

Cycling with BlisterShield

After testing the BlisterShield product three times during a run, I thought I’d give it a shot on a longer ride.  I powdered up my socks and headed out for a 26 mile ride.  The weather was average for this time of year, in the 60s, so I wasn’t sweating profusely.  I didn’t expect my cycling experience to be significantly different from running, however, cycling and cycling shoes can cause unusual blisters because of the direction and repetition of movement.  I also tried the BlisterShield once without socks on a very short ride.  When I installed the Profile Century Aerobars, I needed to pedal around a bit to make sure they were aligned and installed properly.  There are numerous triathletes who don’t wear socks during the bike portion of a race because they believe it gives them an advantage in T1.  After installing the aerobars, I powdered up my feet and headed out for about 10 miles of biking in about 5 shorter segments as I got the bars set up properly.

In both cases, I didn’t experience any discomfort.  During the longer ride, the powder created a noticeable cooling effect in my shoes and during the short sock-less ride, the powder really prevented any problems.  Just for full disclosure here, I’ve never worn my cycling shoes without socks, so I don’t have anything to really compare BlisterShield to, but I figured that no socks would be a real test, that is, if anything was going to cause a blister, no socks would be it.

Overall

Both testers were impressed that BlisterShield delivered on it’s promises.  Though neither of the testers are horribly prone to blisters, both could notice the difference before and after adding the BlisterShield powder to our socks.

I was impressed that the powder prevented any chafing, rubbing, or blistering while riding without socks.

2Tom’s BlisterShield is a straightforward product that deliverers on it’s promises to prevent heat buildup and blistering.