REVIEW - PVL HYDROFLOW XP3 REVIEW

QUICK FACTS

RECOMMENDED RETAIL PRICE AUD$209.95

SUMMARY

OUR REVIEW

Developed by PVL, Hydroflow is attempting to get in the Hydrolysed Whey Protein Isolate market offering a fast absorbing hydrolysed protein supplement ideally suited to be taken immediately post-workout. So how does it ‘whey up’ against the other established big boys such as Dymatize’s Iso-100 or Optimum Nutrition’s Hydrowhey.

Taste

PVL take the regular path claiming their product tastes superior to anything else on the market and suggest drinking Hydroflow shakes are simply ‘a joy’. Well you won’t get any complaints from me here, I actually did en-‘joy’ taking these shakes post-workout and overall they tasted pretty good. PVL opts for the basics in sticking to the two most popular protein flavours chocolate and vanilla. So are they superior in taste to anything else on the market?  Well that depends on the flavour. Chocolate makes a pretty good attempt with one of the better tasting chocolate shakes out there, however I don’t think it’s quite up to the standard of Dymatize’s Iso-100 which still holds the chocolate prize in my option. Vanilla on the other hand is outstanding; it was actually one of the first powders/flavour I’ve tried and still to this day is the best tasting WPI vanilla protein I’ve come across. Vanilla also tastes great when mixed with various fruit such as bananas, strawberries and anything else you want to chuck into a blender. Both flavours are up there with the best and neither is disappointing but vanilla would be my pick.

Ease of Mixing

PVL has done an outstanding job here with Hydroflow’s mixability easily on par with both Dymatize’s ISO-100 and Optimum Nutrition’s Hydrowhey. Whether in milk or water, blender or shaker Hydroflow mixes both effortlessly with no lumps, clumps or bumps. Lack of foaming is also one of the best I’ve come across to date.

Effectiveness

I always like how supplement companies claim their ‘unique’ protein line offers something that the competition can never match, in Hydroflow’s case PVL suggests their powder allows you to build a harder, leaner, stronger physique FASTER than with any other "normal" whey.

When supplementing with Hydroflow immediately post workout, I did find an improvement in my recovery and reduced muscle soreness, although nothing differentiable from either the ISO-100 or Hydrowhey. I’m not sure if PVL are classifying these supplements as ‘normal whey’ or if they are instead comparing the Hydroflow XP3 with a Whey protein concentrate/isolate blend, which in that case a faster uptake offered by a hydrolysed protein isolate such as Hydroflow may indeed offer improved benefits. Taken on what it’s worth as a protein supplement, Hydroflow is both very effective in providing a fast acting and convenient protein source especially when utilised post workout and therefore can’t be faulted.

Nutritional Analysis

PVL claims Hydroflow XP3 is the first protein to introduce a new technology that yields a potent protein isolate with over 99% pure whey fractions, which is over 20% more than the next best whey protein. With 24g of protein per 28g scoop PVL’s Hydroflow certainly outstrips Optimum Nutrition’s Hydrowhey, but is equally comparable with Dymatize’s ISO-100 both of which work out to contain 86% protein by weight. So while PVL’s claim certainly doesn’t live up to absolute scrutiny, they do certainty offer one of the highest quality WPI supplements on the market. Amino Acids also known to play an important role post workout are well covered, with Hydroflow said to contain over 48% of the essential Branched Chain amino acids. Unfortunately PVL doesn’t actually supply us with an amino acid profile so we’ll have to take their claims on face value alone.
As with all hydrolysed proteins, one plus of the hydrolysing process is its refinement removes virtually all lactose, carbs and fat from the powder and as such Hydroflow contains both  trace amounts of carbs (0.8g) and fat (0.8g) and should appeal to all those trying to follow a low carb diet or who may be lactose sensitive.

Value for Money

Hydroflow comes in two sizes, a small 908g tub costs $67 and should be good for 32 serves whilst the bigger 3kg bucket is priced at $137 and provides 107 serves. Costing per serve (although higher than a regular isolate/concentrate blend) is quite attractive for a Hydrolysed WPI equating to $1.28 and $2.09 for the 3kg bucket and 908g tub respectively. In this respect the large tub offers one of the best priced Hydrolysed protein supplements on market and you won’t get any complaints from me. The smaller tub is less appealing cost per serve wise, but still cheaper then Optimum’s Hydrowhey and still worth a purchase for those unsure at dropping the full amount for the larger tub.

Conclusion

Although not as well known or renowned as some of the other big supplement players, Hydroflow XP3 can certainly hold its own. PVL have managed to produce a high quality, great tasting protein supplement that provides excellent bang for your buck in the Hydrolysed WPI market. Hydroflow was actually one the first protein supplements I ever used, and the fact I still rate it, especially the taste and quality of the vanilla as among one of the best on the market is a testament to its excellence.