Making use of Addmaster additives, Casking has developed a range of antimicrobial grips to cover the full length of barbells 28 to 30 mm in diameter. Their selling point, in the age of the Covid pandemic, is gym sterility. The press release from Addmaster’s parent company, Polygiene, cites two studies finding that gym free-weight sections are “saturated with germs averaging more than one million per square inch” and that some gym equipment can “harbour up to 362 times more germs than a toilet seat.” The grips can be manufactured in various colors and are applied with a tool. According to Polygiene, the protection is “effective against most types of pathogens for the lifetime of the product.” The grips are made with a proprietary material called Biomaster, produced by Addmaster, which specializes in additives for plastics, textile, paper, paints and coatings. Casking was founded by Josh King and Harvey Castree. The grips appear to be its only product for now.
