The 5 Best Finger Strengtheners for Guitar (2024)

A finger strengthener is a great tool to exercise and build the muscles in your fingers. In addition to improving endurance, it helps increase agility and coordination as well. 

At first, it can seem like a novelty product, but it’s not. If you find your fingers cramping over extended periods of practicing, a finger strengthener can help you a great deal. It also comes in handy if you want to build speed on your guitar.

My top recommended finger strengthener is the D’Addario PW-VG-01 Varigrip if you want an optimal and good quality one.

The 5 Best Finger Strengtheners for Guitar (2024)

1. D'Addario PW-VG-01 Varigrip
Top Pick - Build and maintain finger dexterity while keeping your comfort.
2. DILIMI Finger Strengthener
Increase your finger strength and reach.
3. Airisland Finger Stretcher
Stretch your way to stronger fingers.
4. Django Hand Exerciser Strengthener
Compact and comfortable tool to increase finger strength.
5. Riff BANDZ Resistance Training Bands
High-quality resistance bands for stronger, faster fingers.

Let’s compare these in more detail.

1. D'Addario PW-VG-01 Varigrip

Top Pick
Build and maintain finger dexterity while keeping your comfort.
View Price at Thomann (Europe)View Price at Amazon

The D’Addario PW-VG-01 Varigrip is a really neat tool to build finger strength without putting a lot of strain on your hand and forearm. D’Addario is a noted guitar accessories brand, so they understand what guitarists want.

With this finger strengthener, you can adjust spring tension for each finger. Thus, it requires little prerequisite to get started with since not all fingers are equally strong. 

Another nice thing about this is the super ergonomic design. The finger pads are molded so that your fingers sit nice and cozy on top without slipping. The product also includes a reversible palm grip mold to stimulate the feel of a real guitar. 

The Varigrip helps you replicate practice experience even when you’re away from your guitar.

2. DILIMI Finger Strengthener

Increase your finger strength and reach.
View Price at Amazon

The DILMI finger strengthener is nice and convenient for any guitarist to build hand strength and reach. Instead of a four-button design, it features five buttons that give you more variety of positions to practice in.

The stand-out quality of this product is the two buckles it comes with. What they do is allow you to push down on two buttons at a time so that you can space out your fingers even more. It is particularly helpful when you’re just starting out on a guitar. 

You can adjust the spring tension on each button. Also, the finger and palm pads are made of skid-proof silicon, which is always comfortable to hold. And the core is pure copper, so it should last you a decent amount of time.

3. Airisland Finger Stretcher

Stretch your way to stronger fingers.
View Price at Amazon

This might not look like the finger strengthener made specifically for guitarists and that’s because it’s a more generalized grip strengthener for athletes and rehab purposes. However, it works like a charm for guitarists as well

The best thing about it is its simplicity. You put your fingers in the holes and start stretching outwards. There are three resistance bands with increasing difficulty levels. So, work your way up as fast or as slow as you like.

You can use the Airisland finger strengthener just about anywhere, anytime without making any noise. It doesn’t feel bulky since it weighs just 0.11 pounds. It’s also quite durable since it’s made of silica gel.

4. Django Hand Exerciser Strengthener

Compact and comfortable tool to increase finger strength.
View Price at Amazon

Another four-button finger strengthener on the list, this Django hand exerciser is a well-made tool for achieving solid finder strength. It also comes with training workout cards to help you get started.

When you’re not practicing your guitar, this is ideal for you to keep you busy in the interim. Since it is quite compact and silent, you can take it anywhere. 

It is fairly convenient to use as well. It allows you to adjust the spring tension according to your current finger strength. It can handle 3-7 lbs of pressure. Along with that, the molded, anti-slip silicone pads for, both, fingers and palm make it easy for you to get a good grip. 

5. Riff BANDZ Resistance Training Bands

High-quality resistance bands for stronger, faster fingers.
View Price at Amazon

The Riff BANDZ resistance band is probably the only product on this list that can and is best used while you play the guitar. The whole idea behind this four-hole resistance band is to build finger strength specifically for string instruments. 

You practice guitar with this band on and once you take it off, you should feel a noticeable difference. Since there are three bands of varying thickness, you can work your way up to the next level. 

It is very compact, taking up negligible space. So, you can pack one of these in your guitar case and do a great pre-gig warm-up. And it’s made with high-grade silicone, so it should last you a good while. 

What are the different types of finger strengtheners?

The two most common types of finger strengtheners are expansion-based and compression-based. The difference between them is that the former uses an outward motion to strengthen your fingers while the latter uses an inward motion.

Both of them target different sets of muscles. Compression-based strengtheners are better if your main goal is to get faster at playing guitar. This is because you want to replicate that motion as much as possible. Although, if you engage in other athletic hobbies, then an expansion-based strengthener can also be very useful.

Do finger strengtheners make a difference?

The primary objective of a finger strengthener is to strengthen your fingers. No surprises there. It helps you build stronger, faster finger muscles so that you have an easier time moving around the fretboard or practice for long without cramping. You should feel the difference in a short time.

Although, don’t forget that at the end of the day, you still have to put in the hours honing your techniques and craft. That’s the only way to get better at guitar. 

What are alternatives to using finger strengtheners for guitar?

If you feel like a finger strengthener is not your cup of tea, there are simple yet effective exercises that you can use as alternatives. 

Holding and releasing a fist, finger stretches, and claw stretches for 30-60 seconds done over a few reps is great. You could also incorporate finger lifts into your routine or even hang from a monkey bar using only your fingers.

Summary

Using a finger strengthener can be a very practical way of improving strength, endurance, agility, and speed. This can help you navigate your guitar better or prevent cramping during long sessions.

A finger strengthener is a simple product and there are some good ones available in the market. I’ve listed my top five products, with the top one being D’Addario PW-VG-01 Varigrip. Whichever one you buy, just remember to use it judicially.

Brian Clark

Brian Clark

I’ve been a writer with Musician Wave for six years, turning my 17-year journey as a multi-instrumentalist and music producer into insightful news, tutorials, reviews, and features.

Leave a Comment

Leave a reply

Musician Wave
Logo