In our advertising we stated that Power Balance wristbands improved your strength, balance and flexibility.

We admit that there is no credible scientific evidence that supports our claims and therefore we engaged in misleading conduct in breach of s52 of the Trade Practices Act 1974.
http://www.powerbalance.com/australia/CA

Now don’t be teasing any sadsacks from STW who actually bought one….

Now don’t be teasing any sadsacks from STW who actually bought one….

Who would admit to buying one?

Surely there must be some incredible scientific evidence out there to say that they work though. Hmmm – wonder if this has anything to do with a certain recent decline in the forum’s awesomeness coefficient.

Now, if only the same person who made the complaint against Powerbands could follow the same track with DW-Link…

Rachel

I’m sure someone on here had started a defence of them, then scurried off in shame

Excellent! Although it’s a shame to see that they are still allowed to sell them, just with a link secreted at the bottom of their website…

I’m going to buy one.

And one for the dog.

I reckon they might work.

Rachel, DW link? What have I missed?

They got 2 stars in What Mountain Bike… apparently someone called willow swears by them.

I don’t think it’s this Willow.

I started a thread in defense of powerbands, so there!!

powerband defense

Why didn’t you tie a thread round your wrist and believe in that? Much cheaper and less silly.

I’ve drawn one on my wrist with a permanent marker.

I also save money on homeopathic remedies by drinking tap water.

idave- I take it, you’ve not actually read the thread 😆

@eth3er – It was the first thing that entered my mind that might be even vaguely believable – that’s all.

Rachel

double post, sorry the silly track hamster keeps falling over 😕

I also save money on homeopathic remedies by drinking tap water.

You’ll overdose you fool 🙂

what’s funny about that, is although there is no scientific proof that a power balance works, there is no proof whatsoever that it doesn’t work.

Just some anecdotal stories, so is it placebo or not who knows. Plus you may have to consider this from a legal point of view. If you are considered guilty until you prove yourself innocent then actually power balance wont stand a chance. However if you are considered innocent until proven guilty, then good luck to get to the same result than in Oz.

But then I am not to bothered about it, I am way more bothered about things like the MEDIATOR or the thalidomide then someone being upset to have spend 30 odd pounds on something that may or may not have an effect.

EDIT double post

DWlink cowdung, the engineering people walk out the room and the marketing people walk in.

what’s funny about that, is although there is no scientific proof that a power balance works, there is no proof whatsoever that it doesn’t work.

Did that get lost in translation, I thought you had a job as a scientist?

That’s paraphrasing, “I bought one and am now trying to not look like a a pillock.”

It’s the same wooly thinking that keeps religion going, for I suspect not wholly dissimilar reasons. If you make something up, and can’t disprove it, that doesn’t automatically give it credibility no matter how much you want it to.

I have microscopic invisible unicorns living in my skirting board. You can’t disprove it so hey! maybe there’s something in it.

Ian started this thread. I suspect this is a ploy to divert attention from himself when we discover he has boxes full of them.

No-one ever claimed they cured impotency Ian!

jonb and cougar +1. Jesus Christ Juan, get a grip man.

The Italains here love it….

Also they wear these gumshield things that helps them breathe!!!!

And this stuff aint cheap!!!

First i don’t have one. And no nothing is lost in translation. I don’t get why you guy are so prone to bash it, it’s not more ridiculous than spending money on some titanium bolt for the . If someone want to spend some money in a power-balance let them be. And as much as you look there is no proof it works I concur. But and that is a very big but, there is no proof it doesn’t work.
So as scientific I ask you that: do you have a proof it does not work?
For the record I don’t have one, and I do not believe in it, but I am willing to keep an open mind, even on placebo effect.

And as I said, there is things far more important then being upset because you spend 20 odd quid in a gimmick for a bike.

So, my powerbalance tattoo is pointless?

DrP

A titanium bolt does save weight, I can prove this using scales. A powerband on the other hand does not work at all.

And as much as you look there is no proof it works I concur. But and that is a very big but, there is no proof it doesn’t work.
So as scientific I ask you that: do you have a proof it does not work?

It’s a bit of plastic with a sticker on it, why on earth should anyone have to provide proof? Surely the onus is on the manufacturer to provide it?

Since the manufacturer has now admitted that their claims were false, there’s no need to “prove” anything.

Now then, how long before someone takes a UK retailer to task over them?

Druidh lets read the statement again shall we ;-). They said they have no scientific proof it works… That is different. It is indeed a rubber band with a sticker on it, but once again can you prove it does not work?
And that is the point, scientific theories work until you prove them wrong. In this case no-one have proved them wrong. Yet.

Surely the onus is on the manufacturer to provide it?

Well not really. It’s a bit when a manufacturer says the new rebound damping is better etc etc… No-one actually prove that. Or a bit when it is stated that 10 or 9 speed is better than 8. Once again there is no proof of that either, but most are happy to believe it.
As I said people on here are prone to bashing without proof or anything. It’s a bit like when TJ says you can’t prove the helmet saved your life he’s right, however it is right to say that you can’t prove it didn’t.

I have microscopic invisible unicorns living in my skirting board

You have them too? Did you know that by licking the skirting boards you can take on the power of the Unicorn?

Greater lung capacity…
Increased sexual performance…
Optimised forum pedantry…

You’re just one lick away!

Edit: Juan this is one of those threads that you really shouldn’t troll on!

No-one ever claimed they cured impotency Ian!
True, but the shiny hologram can be used to hypnotise ladies into thinking my little problem has gone away.

Juan is talking sense if only people would care to read what is written.

An absence of proof that something works is not the same as proof that it doesn’t work.

If you were to research massage for example you would find very little that actually proves its effectiveness.

Juan for the last time, you are embarrassing yourself. Read and understand the scientific method. Science is about Postulation, evidence and proof. Otherwise you could postulate any old preposterous rubbish and claim it was true as there was no evidence to refute it.

Ask yourself this, if there is no proof it works, how did they find out it works in the first place so that they could “develop” the “product”? ESP?

An absence of proof that something works is not the same as proof that it doesn’t work.

SBZ – again this is just a fallacy, if you cannot prove it works, then it doesn’t work.

If you were to research massage for example you would find very little that actually proves its effectiveness.

a) That’s not true there is lots of clinical evidence for the effectiveness of massage in soft tissue recovery.
b) If there were no evidence then again it would prove it does not work.

Titanium frames can fly – FACT!

It’s just nobody has worked out how to utilise their power yet.

They said they have no scientific proof it works… That is different. It is indeed a rubber band with a sticker on it, but once again can you prove it does not work?

Yup, I can prove they do not work. As you well know it’s trivially easy to arrange a trial to prove they don’t work (Although first we’d have to agree on what they are meant to do) The problem is not proving they don’t work, the problem is arranging funding to carry out such a trial. You obviously wouldn’t get any funding from conventional funding streams, because it’s patently obvious they don’t work.
But if you arrange the funding I’m more than happy to arrange for someone at work to arrange a trial. 🙂

Juan is talking sense if only people would care to read what is written.

An absence of proof that something works is not the same as proof that it doesn’t work

well that weak argumentis is usually used when we are looking for things with strong theoretical foundation and supporting evidence such as the Higgs-Boson where it carries some weight. The “theory” behind these claims is very weak .
However if I claim that my powerband makes me lift more, we research it and find there is no evidence to support this claim we could just say it does not work. Science tends to look for evidence to support things and if it cannot then it dismisses/discounmts them as explantions.

The problem is not proving they don’t work, the problem is arranging funding to carry out such a trial.

This is true as well. I am wondering why no-one have done that to be honest. All you need a a few PB, and people volunteering. Then you can test the PB against a placebo and and do your stats. You’ll indeed need two test, a blind and a double blind to validate… I am curious how much money it can cost to be fair.