Moving away from the flavor factor, in terms of working, it’s not bad. The only problem is you have to chew for at least 10 – 15 minutes to get the full effect of the gum, and it is unbearable after the first three. So it’s a challenge to get the proper effect from the gum, but if you’re willing to put up with it, it is a decent energy provider. Two pieces, according to the packaging anyways, is equal to one 8 oz. energy drink. That isn’t bad, I suppose. Not spectacular, but not bad.

So, in closing, I think I would make a great student council representative because of my strong work ethic and willingness to help others. And Mad-Croc Energy Gum sucks.

Anyways, onwards and upwards to the review. Coke is a wonderful beverage. I mean, it’s the granddaddy of soft drinks, and it still has that great Coke taste. Screw Pepsi, given the option I’d choose a Coke over Pepsi any day. Anyways, I digress. Coke tastes great, and anyone who says otherwise deserves to be strung up naked in town square and by his own entrails, and flogged by his own festering, lying lungs until he is deemed purified, at which point he will be dragged around town behind a horse while passers-by will attempt to shoot him as many times as they can without killing him. Then he’ll die. Yeah, thats how it’ll go down.

Energy-wise, it’s effective, but needs to be consumed in large amounts if you’re looking for a significant boost. During the school year, I’ll generally drink a can of Coke in the mornings as a little pick-me-up, but it’s not something that will keep you up for long periods of time. If it’s any consolation, you can get two 44 ounce Cokes at your local convience store for about the same price a 16 ounce energy drink. All in all, I’d say that Coke, though not technically an energy drink, is definitely a winner in my book.

Now, I am a huge Sobe fan, but No Fear is nowhere near Sobe’s generally extremely high standard of Energy Drink flavor. No Fear tastes, in a nutshell, like crap. I got the standard “Energy Drink Supplement” flavor, and it was thoroughly gross. Imagine a glass of orange soda, with some grape drink. Now, add in some salt water, urine, and Canadian bacon, and you’ve pretty much got what No Fear tastes like.

On a better note, I will say that it’s very effective as a pick-me-up drink. I had the energy to work through a three hour drum-line practice on 4 hours of sleep. With 174 mg of caffeine in a single can, its a heavy hitter when it comes to giving you the jitters. Not quite at NOS levels, but still pretty good.

The jury finds the defendant, No Fear, guilty on two counts of tasting crappy, as well as guilty on charges of extreme bursts of energy.

NOS is also promising in the department of energy. Any tiredness I previously felt was almost immediately with NOS coursing through my veins. With an electrifying 15.63 milligrams per ounce of caffeine, there is almost no chance of you falling asleep after drinking one of these bad boys.

The downside? sugar content. There are 71.5 grams of sugar in one NOS, which means you’re gonna crash. Epically. My verdict, NOS is pretty good, just look out for the crash after the aftershock. In other words, drink responsibly.

Now, combining my two favorite things, water and energy, seemed like a good idea. I was wrong. I’m not going to lie to you, the best part about this drink is the bottle, which is arguably the coolest bottle I’ve ever used. I’m probably going to keep using it for a while, because its elongated leetness. But after the bottle, it kind of goes down hill.

Flavor-wise, it is severly lacking. I got the Citrus Burst flavor, and let me tell you, it didn’t taste anything remotely like the orangy goodness I was expecting. If you only drink energy drinks for flavor, I would highly encourage you right now to never get Hydrive. The so called “Citrus Burst” was more like water tinted slightly with orange and the water from a bowl of fruit loops left sitting in the sun for two months. Now, if thats your thing, then go for it, but otherwise, I would highly recommend staying away.

Energy-wise its debatable. The kind of energy i was looking for was more of the sudden burst oh my god whats going on why is the room spinning kind of energy. Hydrive has nothing of the kind, but it has something on a different level. Hydrive is more of a Gatorade substitute, in the sense that it rehydrates but tries to cut back on the sugar and whatnot, but made it instead just water. I didn’t go on a run with Hydrive, so I personally have insufficent knowledge to review it in that sense, but from a gaming/speed point of view, it fails.

So all in all, I would say Hydrive really depends on what you need the energy for. Late night gamers, stay away. Marathon runners, go for it, so long as you can get past the flavoring.