When I was new to powerlifting, I was very much confused about all the different belts and straps and sleeves that everyone was using at powerlifting gyms. It felt like a complete new world to me. As I introduced my boyfriend to powerlifting, he was also overwhelmed as he did not know where to get this, what to get that or even just how to buy gears in Hong Kong. In this article, I will be introducing the most common lifting gears that you can sort in Hong Kong!
Major brands for powerlifting gear
- Belts: SBD, Inzer, Rogue
- Shoes: Notorious Lift
- Knee Sleeves: SBD, Inzer, Stoic, A7
- Singlet: SBD, Titan, A7
- Wrist wraps: SBD, TeamJoined
- Deadlifting socks: SBD, A7
You can learn about the lifting gear I used during my competition here!
1. How to get SBD?
Website: https://sbdhk.shoplineapp.com/
Instagram: @sbdhongkong
From Taiwan reseller: https://www.perigoods.com.tw/
SBD has an official online store in Hong Kong! I got my singlet from them within a week of ordering. However, things tend to sell out very very soon. So if you follow SBD and notice a new collection dropping soon, I highly recommend you to not think twice and buy immediately. Powerlifters in Hong Kong are ferocious for SBD. From time to time, there would be goods on sale but the sizes are fairly limited for the discounted products. SBD is the most standard brand you can get for everything as they are approved by IPF and USAPL. Strongmen are seen sporting SBD gear as well.
If everything is sold out, don’t panic. There are other ways to sort your gear!
2. How to get Inzer?
US website: https://inzernet.com/
Inzer’s forever lever belt is probably the most newbie friendly belt that allows you to do the belt flick on stage. I got mine through the official US website and the shipping was very pricey. As I ordered the rust, a custom color, the belt took a full 12 weeks to arrive in Hong Kong as well. However, you can always share the shipping with friends who want some Inzer knee sleeves! They normally ship the goods immediately if they have them in stock. They do have an active customer service and I had no major problem with them as they were quite transparent about the time needed for my goods.
3. How to get A7?
A7 Taiwan: https://www.perigoods.com.tw/
A7 USA: https://a7.co/
If you can read Chinese, buying from Taiwan might be a good idea! Typically they arrive in Hong Kong within two weeks and they are the official reseller of A7 products as well. Their singlets are quite popular with more color choices too!
4. How to get Titan?
US official site: https://titansupport.com/
There are Titan counterfeits lurking in the market right now. I highly recommend buying from the US official website. The official online store has worldwide shipping and a large collection of singlets to choose from! It may take around a month to arrive but you can always contact their customer service email if you need reassurance!
Authenticate your titan goods: https://genuinetitan.com/titan-authenticity-check/
5. How to get Notorious Lift?
HK official store: https://notorious-lift.com.hk/en
HK instagram: @notoriouslift_hk
From Taiwan reseller: https://www.perigoods.com.tw/
Notorious Lift is probably the most popular lifting shoes around. It is meant to be a deadlift slipper but I use them for all three of my lifts! I cannot really recommend other shoes because I have never tried squat shoes or other footwear marketed towards powerlifting. The brand has custom colors other than your standard black. They also do discounts from time to time so check out their instagram for more information!
According to my experience, they do go to powerlifting meets and set up booths if you feel like checking the shoes out before committing!
6. How to get Stoic?
Official store: https://www.lift.net/brand/stoic/
I really only ever see Stoic knee sleeves during competition and I don’t think I have ever touched them myself. Stoic is actually approved by IPF, USPA and USAPL so I think new lifters can feel safe shopping from their official website. They do ship to Hong Kong but it may take around 14 business days to arrive.
7. How to get TeamJoined?
HK official store: https://hk.teamjoined.com/
Taiwan official store: https://www.teamjoined.com.tw/
Team Joined is a fairly popular brand from Taiwan and I would say their price point tends to be on the lower side. I’ve ordered wrist wraps and elbow sleeves from them before. Both HK and Taiwan official stores ship their goods rather quickly as I got my order within a week! However, I do not recommend getting their lifting belt as it felt less solid than Inzer or SBD. My brace does not feel as good using their belts.
No official websites in HK or they sold out, what to do?
Taobao
Taobao is the alibaba of Hong Kong and China. But, there are official stores on the site! I highly recommend doing your research before buying brand-less gear as you do not want to get injured because of cheaping out on equipment. (Physio is around $800-1000 HKD per session.
Here you can find the official resellers on Taobao:
They do sell Inzer belts, Titan singlets and Notorious Lift if you cannot find them through the official links. I do recommend checking with them about whether they have stock before buying.
Taobao resellers generally ship goods 1-2 days after order and arrive in Hong Kong within 1-2 weeks. I advise avoiding the “peak ordering season” such as Christmas, Chinese New Year, golden week (first week of October) and 11/11. Resellers may take longer to ship, couriers might get overloaded and customs get slower.
Carousell
Sometimes, people let go of their old equipment and put them on Carousell. Sometimes, people buy equipment and realize they do not like them. I personally bought knee sleeves that did not fit me and sold them on Carousell. I recommend dealing face-to-face as there are more scams on the site!
Overall thoughts:
As most of these gears can only be bought online, I think new powerlifters may get scared of getting on the wrong site or getting counterfeits. I hope you can find reassurance by shopping officially! I also hope that powerlifting will get enough popularity for brick-and-mortar stores to open up soon! Also very looking forward to Hong Kong having their own lifting brands for the community!