If you’re looking for the most portable Pull-Up Bar, a set of Pull-Up Handles is what you need. Pull-up Handles are small, lightweight, and easy to install and remove. They go all in on transportability and temporary placement. The best-tested pull-up bars in this category are the Duonamic Eleviia and the Jayflex CrossGrips. In this review, I’ll compare the two Pull-Up Handles directly and determine which one is the best.
You can also watch my Duonamic Eleviia vs. Jayflex CrossGrips Pull-Up Handles Review on YouTube:
🔑 Key Takeaways
- You need Pull-Up Handles for their portability, ease of temporary installation and small size for storage when not in use.
- Both the Duonamics and Jayflex Crossgrips are small in size and easy to transport. The Jayflex Crossgrips are smaller, but the Duonamics are lighter.
- The Duonamic Eleviia has better grips. These are more comfortable due to their 32mm diameter, opposed to the thin 26mm Jayflex grips.
- Both the Duonamic Eleviia and Jayflex Crossgrips are safe and stable for exercises performed below the bar. The Jayflex features rigid grips, making them easier to use. The Duonamics have Suspension Trainer grips, which give you increased gains.
- The Duonamic Eleviia are easier to install and remove.
- Overall, the Duonamic Eleviia edges out over the JayFlex CrossGrips as the best Pull-Up Handles.
Why Do You Need Door Pull-Up Handles?
You need door Pull-Up Handles for their ease of transportation, ease of installation and small size when you’re storing them or taking them on a trip. These qualities are ideal in many different circumstances. If you live in a rental and don’t want or aren’t allowed to drill into walls, Pull-Up Handles offer a quick and cost-effective solution for your Pull-Up exercises.
Since you’ll be putting them on and taking them off before and after every exercise, installation should be straightforward. Most Door Pull-Up Bars are simple to install and remove, but Pull-Up Handles make it almost effortless. Their small size also means you can easily store them when not in use, or carry them in your bag and take them with you on a trip or holiday.
Duonamic Eleviia vs. Jayflex CrossGrips Pull-Up Handles Compared
The best Door Pull-Up Handles from our previous reviews are the Duonamic Eleviia and the Jayflex CrossGrips. These are the products we’ll review, and since there are just two of them, I’ll be comparing them directly. I’ll compare each desired trait of Pull-Up Handles and come to my conclusions at the end.
Portability
A good Portable Pull-Up Bar needs to be easy to transport. Door Pull-Up Handles offer the highest amount of transportability, being the lightest and smallest version of this type of Pull-Up Bar. Both the Duonamic Eleviia and the Jayflex CrossGrips have a very small signature, and both can be easily transported in a backpack.
The Jayflex Crossgrips can be folded up very flat, and you can also purchase a Velcro band to keep them securely in place. Of the two, the Jayflex Crossgrips are the smallest in size when folded up. However, the Duonamic Eleviia is lighter in weight and nearly the same size (only slightly larger in width and height). You can also get a carrying bag for your Duonamics, which also accommodates a set of Gymnastic Rings.
In terms of portability, it’s tied between the two.
Grips
The Duonamic Eleviia grips are plastic and measure 32mm in diameter. The Jayflex Crossgrips come with powder-coated steel grips, which are a mere 26mm in diameter.
I prefer powder-coated steel over plastic grips. However, the Crossgrips are very thin, and both the Crossgrips and Eleviia need chalk or grip tape if things get sweaty. The 32mm grips of the Duonamics are the standard CrossFit girth, which we are accustomed to. Despite being made of plastic, the grip feels sufficiently good.
The length of the handles on the Crossgrips can also be a problem for people with big hands. The vertical grips are also slanted, which is only a good thing for Wide Pull-Ups, which you’re typically unable to do on a door frame anyway.
In this case, I do prefer the Duonamic Eleviia grips over the two.
Stability
For stability, we must consider both the stability of the grips and the security of the attachment to the door frame. The Duonimac Eleviia and Jayflex CrossGrips have very different design philosophies when it comes to grip style and attachment method. Both are very safe to use, and it comes down to grip style preference.
The Duonamic Eleviia grips are a miniature Suspension Trainer. The added instability of this grip style has benefits, such as increased gains and the activation of smaller, ancillary muscles during exercises. The unstable, free-swinging nature of the Duonamic Eleviia grips makes them far less suitable for side-to-side or front-to-back exercises
On the flip side, the rigid grips of the Jayflex CrossGrips make them easier to use for beginners.
As far as attachment stability goes, both are very stable and safe to use for all exercises performed below the bar, such as Pull-Ups and Chin-Ups. This style of Pull-Up Bar is not suited for exercises above the bar, anyway.
Most Exercise Variety
The Jayflex CrossGrips have both horizontal and neutral grip options for increased versatility. The Duonamics can be twisted in any direction, allowing for multiple grip styles. You can place them both as far or as close apart as your door frame allows.
The Jayflex CrossGrips can also be used as Push-Up Bars, but they are mediocre at best in this role. The handle can rotate freely in your hand, and the asymmetrical feet make them prone to tipping. It’s so unstable that I won’t even consider this option for exercise variety in this comparison.
As Pull-Up Handles, they offer a wide variety of exercises. You can do all your standard exercises below the bar like Pull-Ups, Chin-Ups, Front- and Back Levers, Toe Touches, Skin-the-Cat, and so on. You can even do them explosively on these Pull-Up Handles with the confidence that they won’t come undone.
The slight difference in height, with the Duonamics hanging lower, does not change the fact that you likely have to bend your legs with either.
Ease of Use
Since you’ll likely put up and take off your Pull-Up Handles every time you exercise, ease of use is another important attribute. This is the category with the most differences between the two.
The Jayflex CrossGrips have an internal spring that pulls the two halves together. You first rotate the two halves into their upright position and then pull them apart against the stiff spring. You do have to pull quite hard and hold it that way above your head to put it over the door frame. It’s a simple design, but there is some effort involved with the spring tension, especially with thicker door frames.
Despite the simplicity of the Jayflex design, the Duonamic Eleviia is even easier to use. The Eleviia’s are basically large clamps which you move over your door frame, and you’re done. Especially when you want to make adjustments in the width between the handles, the Duonamics Eleviia is easier to use.
The Duonamic Eleviia Pull-Up Handles win in the ease of use category.
Accesoires
Accessories can add a lot of versatility to the product you buy. Jayflex also offers Resistance Bands for use with the Jayflex CrossGrips as well as Ab Straps, which help isolate your abs with exercises like leg raises.
Duonamic offers an alternative grip style called the Switch Grips. These give you three different grip diameters, up to a whopping 56mm, which is excellent for training your Grip Strength. Duonamic also offers its proprietary Gymnastic Rings; however, you can use any set of rings on both the Jayflex and Duonamic Pull-Up Handles.
Pricing Overview of the Best Pull-Up Handles
I can be very swift in this category, as both the Duonamic Eleviia and the Jayfled CrossGrips cost around the same: $130. The only difference is that we have a discount code (CWW10) for 10% off Duonamic products.
Best Door Pull-Up Handles Conclusions: Duonamic Eleviia vs. Jayflex CrossGrips
They both cost the same and score equally in terms of transportability, stability and exercise variety. Ultimately, it comes down to personal preference whether you prefer a rigid or suspension trainer-style grip for your exercises. Both have their advantages. However, they are both very safe to use and sit securely on your door frame.
Duonamic Eleviia has a better grip, being 32mm, and offers the option to purchase Switch Grips handles for added grip variety. The Jayflex CrossGrips are very thin, with just 26mm. The Jayflex grips are also smaller and will be a problem if you have bigger hands.
The Duonamic Eleviia is also much easier to install and remove from a door frame. Especially when you want to change the width between the handles multiple times or if your door frame is thicker, the Eleviia’s are easier.
This gives the Duonamic Eleviia an edge over the Jayflex CrossGrips as the best door Pull-Up Handles in our comparison.
If you’d like your own set of Duonamic Eleviia Pull-Up Handles, make sure to use our code CWW10 for 10% off the checkout price.
Frequently Asked Questions About Door Pull-Up Handles
A few more frequently asked questions about Door Pull-Up Handles, and which is the best.
Can I do pull-ups on handles instead of a bar?
Yes, doing Pull-Ups on handles is as doable as doing Pull-Ups on a full-sized bar. Pull-up handles are smaller, lighter, and easier to transport. You can also store them out of the way when not in use. A good set of handles gives you most of the basic exercise variety as a full-sized bar.
