110% Playharder Compression Gear (Edit)
NOTE: in the spirit of making this a true gear review, I've left the buildup posts that lead up to my trying the 110% Playharder Calf Compression Sleeves.
If you have any experience, good or bad, with any of the companies, please share....
I'm shopping for calf compression but please don't limit it to the calf. Share for all to see...your info, just your info 
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I did win a pair of Zensah compression tights that are quite nice as well. Only drawback I have is that they have no drawstring and tend to fall down my ass.
As far as Calf Compression Sleeves, I went through about 4 different brands (Zoot, Zensah, Skins, CEP), before I learned that I liked the 2XU ones by far the best, but I went one size smaller than the sizing chart. The 2XU feel lycra based, but the others seem to feel cotton based or something.
The socks seem great for trainer workouts or wearing to work for recovery, but don't look as tri-geek cool as branded gear for group workouts.
My Dr Leonards are still going strong one year on. My 2XU compression socks lasted like 3 months before that before they stopped compressing. And why would anyone wear compression gear to a workout? Post workout I get but during?
@ Stephen - I have always said that I would never be 'that' guy running with the calf sleeves. And here I am, looking into it, not trying to be Cool Tri Guy, just trying to protect my calf from getting re-injured after it heals. As I said, I am over this calf thing coming back 2-3 times a year. So, if I am 'that' guy, I'll keep my hat down low and look straight ahead, knowing peeps will be hatin' me for the wrong reason.
For recovery, I swear by them - the more compression (full length tights) the better!
May I also suggest you guys pick up the following:
www.powerbalance.com/
www.trionz.com/
The mooning gave it away.
@ Chris - I with you bud. It isn't THAT you wear them, it is IF you don't know why you wear them, right?
Haha
I walked down the street to Walgreens, asked for the Old People section and picked up a pair of full length compressions stockings. They were cheap, work, and drive Joanne crazy (not in a good way) so bonus!
I also own a pair of Zoot Recovery Tights that I picked up at Scheels for 50% clearance. They like to ride down, but I always wear them under something, so it's not a huge deal. Am I the only one that thinks wearing tights without anything over them (shorts, skirt, even a long shirt) looks odd?
http://www.110playharder.com/ I've tried them on, the cool packs are awesome, stay frozen for up to 6 hours when stored in the freezer bag, very tight compression on the calf.
More $ than I would spend normally, but Santa may get some of his elves on it.
FWIW, I've made it since Tuesday without even trying to run. My goal is to make it to Dec 12 before I even try a jog, no matter how good it feels in the upcoming week.
started by a med company, like most of the others.
comes in a NASA looking padded envelope, like we see at a UPS or FedEx, about 1ft by 1ft w, with a tinfoil type outer shell, like the kevlar blankets you get after marathons.
inside, you get 2 sleeves and about 6 packs of ice cells. these ice cells swell with water then frozen til use, they are very moldable and can be trimmed.
each sleeve has two layers, acting as a pocket. after a run, you can slide the ice cells into the pocket covering just about every possible injured area on the calf.
also, the bag's purpose is to act as a good insulator. Put the ice cells in the bag when you head to the gym or the trail, go for the run, get back and remove the still frozen ice cells and place in the pocket of the calf sleeve. And, yes, it stayed frozen for me, after sitting in the insulated bag for about an hour and a half. They promote 6 hours, will test that out later
First impression has been very good. Keep in mind that I've never used compression gear before.
I seem to have healed up nicely. Wearing these is not an attempt to fix an injury but to prevent a reinjury.
I really liked how tight they are. I know they're new, but, I never felt like they were falling down the leg. I'll keep an eye on that and see if they loosen up over the year or get too loose.
they were so tight that they were very tough to get on, using socks helped alot, then took socks off for the run.
loved them on the run. felt great, felt strong, felt fresh. 40' run and quickly forgot about my fear of reinjuring the calf. So, for the first time in months, I was able to just run, and not worry.
After the run, applied the ice pack into the pocket at the back of the leg and it wrapped perfectly around the calf. perfect!
taking them off was another story...so tight that they made our wetsuits feel like pajamas. I thought I was gonna pull a hammy or break a finger trying to get them off. But, I think this is a fair trade off for getting the support I want.
Bottom line.... very good first impression.
I plan on using them for most of my running this year unless they present some unforeseen problem.
As the months go by, I'll add some notes if they fall apart or not.
BTW- you guys that race in these types of things, when do you put them on? Before the race? Under the wetsuit? in T1?
So, yes, try to get the Team a deal. I have to think that the usual retail price being considerably higher than others would scare peeps off. A decent discount could go a long ways to getting the gear on the athletes. That's your buddy's angle. But my angle is.... Running takes its toll on us more than any other discipline, obviously. If this compression helps me stave off injuries during a workout AND encourages me to ice afterwards, I'm super confident that I'll be a better triathlete and runner.
Sorry, longwinded way to say...yes.
BUT....and I'm biased due to the recent injury...keep in mind that I'm not really saying that there's any improvement in performance, extended time to exhaustion, or anything like that.
regarding any active exercise benefits: I didn't rush out to get these because someone told me that they saw data that performance is improved or there was an increased time to exhaustion result. I'm liking them, at this point, because I do feel like there is considerable support for this recurring muscle injury. Sure, it's probably caused by the way I run so I should just..change the way I run. But, in the meantime, I'll use these for the added support/confidence. And the icing perk is just gravy, a nice option.
@ Paul - I've considered that very point, don't want to be running around with a tourniquet on. So, I'll pay attention to that as the runs get longer later on in the year. I'll be surprised if my feet swell any more than usual. But, experience will tell.