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Avrox Ei8ht Energy Sachets

6
£37.99

VERDICT:

6
10
Handy sachets for an innovative, oxygen-enhancing pre-ride drink, but the one flavour is limiting
Reasonably priced
Contains useful caffeine and vitamins
Great packaging
Strong and unusual taste
Weight: 
21g
Contact: 

At road.cc every product is thoroughly tested for as long as it takes to get a proper insight into how well it works. Our reviewers are experienced cyclists that we trust to be objective. While we strive to ensure that opinions expressed are backed up by facts, reviews are by their nature an informed opinion, not a definitive verdict. We don't intentionally try to break anything (except locks) but we do try to look for weak points in any design. The overall score is not just an average of the other scores: it reflects both a product's function and value – with value determined by how a product compares with items of similar spec, quality, and price.

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The Avrox Ei8ht Energy pre-ride drink is made of natural ingredients and, it's claimed, boosts the body's oxygen transportation and with it, performance. It also contains caffeine and the vitamins B3 and B12 to reduce feelings of fatigue.

Avrox Technologies collaborated with scientists at the University of Oxford to produce this energy drink, and quite frankly it tastes like it.

That aside, Ei8ht Energy claims to boost oxygen-shifting efficiency by almost five per cent over at least 80 minutes, while its benefits can be felt in just under five minutes, says Avrox.

> Buy this online here

While we have no way to seriously test these claims, independent testing by the University of Surrey's Human Performance Institute found it 'gave a huge, 37-second time improvement for athletes over a 16km time trial.' Or at least, Avrox says the University of Surrey found that, but the actual results are not (at the time of writing) available to the public.

Additional testing is currently taking place, and Avrox says the results will be published on its site in future.

2021 Avrox Eight Energy Sachets 2.jpg

Each 15ml sachet is one portion to be mixed with plain water, and you should not have more than one per 24 hours. It's easy to tear the sachet open, it creates none of the mess that mixing powered drinks can, and as it isn't very viscous it pours quicker than a gloopy gel.

All this means it's easy to pack and use wherever you're starting.

How to use

It's vital to shake the drink vigorously for 30 seconds before drinking. This feels surprisingly long, but Avrox says this process creates friction that activates 'micro bubbles' capable of carrying oxygen in the bloodstream.

> Cycling hydration: Is 1 water bottle or 2 best on long rides?

Ei8ht Energy is a pre-ride drink, rather than one for filling up and stashing in your bottle cage, as it then must be consumed within 15 minutes. Even though it has these bubbles it's not a sparkling drink, and doesn't tingle at all.

Bad taste

Flavour wise you don't have a choice, and the taste is sure to divide opinion. It's like a blend of flat Vimto and liquorice, and it's just not for me. It's quite strong as well, but at least 200ml is not too much to down quickly. Also, as it's pre-ride it's easy to wash the taste away with something else.

The Ei8ht Energy drink also gives you 80mg of caffeine per serving, which is just less than the average cup of brewed coffee at 95mg, according to Healthline.

Furthermore, each drink contains 3.1mg of vitamin B3 and 0.5mg of B12. The B3 (also known as niacin) contributes to a 'normal energy-yielding metabolism' says Avrox, while B12 helps 'normal red blood cell formation and the reduction of tiredness and fatigue'. All ingredients are natural and vegan, and there's no sugar or artificial colouring.

Does it work?

This bit is in no way a scientific study, just whether I felt any effects! While I can't say a huge wave of energy washed over me five minutes after drinking it, I can say that, consistently, I felt good in my workouts and was able to hit all my efforts without problems. This felt the case in a range of sessions, from tempo to VO2 max.

> Eat yourself fit: the best cycling nutrition for weight loss

Also, getting into the routine of slurping this drink before each workout felt good. Having a pre-ride drink can, quite simply, put you in the right mindset – you feel you're taking your preparation seriously.

Perhaps this played a part in lowering my perceived efforts, as I had more belief the session would go well. And they all did... whether it was Ei8ht Energy or placebo effect, I can't honestly say.

Certainly it had no negative effects during my test. Although the flavour isn't for me, I had no stomach upsets any other issues with it.

Value

At £37.99 for 28 sachets this is £1.36 per drink, which means the innovative oxygenation part is not actually coming at much of a premium. It is the same price as the Voom Pocket Rocket Beta Blast pre-ride energy bar, for instance (a box of 20 is £27, so £1.35 each) though that does have almost twice as much caffeine (150mg).

Other interesting performance drinks, such as the Sponser Red Beet Vinitrox (key ingredient: beetroots) can cost much more. Vinitrox is £3 a shot.

Overall

If you're searching for ways to improve your performance, Ei8ht Energy is an innovative concept. Whether or not oxygen delivery is effective, the caffeine and vitamins are worthwhile before exercise, it comes in a very easy-to-use form, and it's reasonably priced too.

Maybe the next version could be flavoured by someone other than scientists, though...

Verdict

Handy sachets and an innovative, oxygen-boosting pre-ride drink, but the flavour is questionable

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road.cc test report

Make and model: Avrox Ei8ht Energy Sachets

Size tested: 15ml

Tell us what the product is for and who it's aimed at. What do the manufacturers say about it? How does that compare to your own feelings about it?

Avrox says: "Whether you're hitting the gym, headed for power yoga or exploring the outdoors, EI8HT: Energy is the perfect partner. We recommend taking this product shortly before or during exercise."

Tell us some more about the technical aspects of the product?

Avrox lists:

"Patented formula that enhances oxygen delivery to muscles

Developed with Oxford University

Vegetarian, vegan and gluten free."

Ingredients: Purified water, glycerine, acid (citric acid), emulsifiers (lecithin from sunflower), natural flavouring, potassium chloride, caffeine (80mg per serving), sweetener (stevia), natural colour (anthocyanin), vitamin complex (niacin, vitamin B12), preservative (potassium sorbate). Contains liquorice: people suffering from hypertension should avoid excessive consumption.

Rate the product for quality of construction:
 
9/10

Great packaging.

Rate the product for performance:
 
6/10
Rate the product for value:
 
5/10

Tell us how the product performed overall when used for its designed purpose

Can't say I felt noticeable performance-enhancing effects, but the product may have contributed to me consistently completing my sessions.

Tell us what you particularly liked about the product

Easy-open sachet and no mess.

Tell us what you particularly disliked about the product

The flavour, and the narrow window for oxygen delivery benefits.

How does the price compare to that of similar products in the market, including ones recently tested on road.cc?

Around average for pre-ride supplements, such as the Voom Pocket Rocket Beta Blast energy bar, but cheap against the likes of performance-enhancing drinks such as the Sponser Red Beet Vinitrox (which is double the price).

Did you enjoy using the product? Yes and no (didn't enjoy the taste)

Would you consider buying the product? No

Would you recommend the product to a friend? Only one hunting any performance gain they can get

Use this box to explain your overall score

The packaging is handy and compact in sachet form, and it doesn't make a mess when mixing with water. But having to consume within 15 minutes of starting exercise is a little impractical, and there's only one flavour – a problem if, like me, you don't like it. The oxygen delivery concept is very interesting, but not something I could detect working... to score higher, these issues need to be addressed.

Overall rating: 6/10

About the tester

Age: 23  Height: 177cm  Weight: 63kg

I usually ride: Road bike  My best bike is:

I've been riding for: 10-20 years  I ride: Every day  I would class myself as: Expert

I regularly do the following types of riding: road racing, cyclo cross, commuting, touring, club rides, sportives, general fitness riding, Gravel riding, indoor turbo and rollers, track

Add new comment

9 comments

Avatar
jaymack | 3 years ago
0 likes

If road.cc are going to publicise this stuff then it would serve the readership well if they also reviewed Christie Aschwanden's excellent book 'good to go'. 

Avatar
ktache | 3 years ago
0 likes

Was the work in Oxford with linguists, I cannot figure out how to pronounce this.

Avatar
Zebulebu | 3 years ago
0 likes

Never mind the taste of liquorice, what about the smell of bullshit?

37 seconds faster over ten miles? What did they do - an out and back with a headwind one way and tailwind the other? Ride the first leg with a slow puncture?

There should be a law against being able to claim such utter dreck without substantiating it, and anybody who buys this on the back of that claim is an total, utter fool.

Also - Road.cc - you want to have a long hard look at yourselves promoting this snake oil. 

Avatar
jaymack replied to Zebulebu | 3 years ago
0 likes

Perhaps an early contender for the road.cc 'snake oil of the year' award? 

Avatar
Chris Hayes | 3 years ago
0 likes

I feel that there is something missing here: companies should be obliged to substantiate claims such as these empirically before putting their products out on the market. It seems that the energy boost might come from high levels of caffeine rather than anything else...though I think my body is immune to caffeine these days... 

Avatar
hawkinspeter | 3 years ago
4 likes

I'm a bit worried about the micro-bubbles passing from your stomach into your bloodstream. Does it make your blood go all frothy?

Also, what happens if you don't shake it correctly and end up making several big bubbles instead? Sounds like embolism city to me.

Edit: I've now found that I can get a similar effect by mixing up my usual energy drink and using a straw (not plastic, for the turtles) to blow lots of bubbles into it.

(Not me in the picture)

 

Avatar
VIPcyclist | 3 years ago
2 likes

"Avrox says this process creates friction that activates 'micro bubbles' capable of carrying oxygen in the bloodstream." Now I'm just an ordinary lay-person but I feel compelled to ask; don't we get oxygen in our blood stream through respiration? Isn't that oxygen carried in the blood stream by red blood cells? I'm afraid I'm very sceptical about the increased oxygenation claims. I look forward to a per-reviewed artice showing the mechanism and validity of the claims made in this review.

Avatar
Drinfinity replied to VIPcyclist | 3 years ago
1 like

Sounds like poop to me, and I (used to be a while ago) an Oxford scientist.

If it actually did anything that 'boosted oxygen shifting efficiency' it would be a pharmaceutical, and be regulated as one.

Avatar
Drinfinity replied to Drinfinity | 3 years ago
2 likes

Ok, so I was a little harsh there. Micro bubbles are a genuine research area. The idea is that you encapsulate the drug in a microbubble, then zap the target site (a tumour for example) with ultrasound, which bursts the bubbles and releases the drug at the site. More efficacious, less side effects.

The idea that you could oxygenate tissue via an oral route sounded a bit far fetched to me, but apparently not. Here's one example of a peer reviewed study using NMR to detect the oxygenation.

I'm going to stick to my regular gel though.

https://ora.ox.ac.uk/objects/uuid:da05f399-7a0f-4371-9a02-85477d143e0a/download_file?file_format=pdf&safe_filename=HTL.2018.5058.pdf&type_of_work=Journal+article

 

 

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