During-effort fuel · gel · reviewed 28 Aug 2026
NEVERSECOND C30+ Gel 36
The same 2:1 blend, 200 mg of sodium and $3.50-a-gel price as Neversecond's own plain C30 Gel, with 75 mg of caffeine added at no extra cost.
Score breakdown
The overall score is the average of what's below, each measured against every other gel we've reviewed.
36
Mixed
Absorption rate ?How much carbohydrate an hour the glucose-to-fructose blend can move. Scored from the stated or derived ratio (1:0.8 tops out this scale); an Estimated ratio counts the same as a Stated one here.72
Carb density ?How much fuel one sachet carries. 90 g is the ceiling here, matching the top of the range cited for multi-transportable-carb intake.33
Sodium ?Sodium carried by the gel itself, on a scale topping out at 1000 mg — the upper end of what's typically lost to sweat in an hour.20
Value (cost/gram) ?Price of one gram of carbohydrate. Not physiological -- a market-based scale from $0.15/g (0) to $0.02/g (100).26
Gut comfort ?A proxy, not a taste or tolerance test: shorter ingredient lists score higher, from 15 ingredients (0) to 1 (100). Nobody has actually run these through anyone's gut for this score.29
Cost per gram of carbohydrate
$0.117/g
Glucose : fructose
1:0.5
Comparison
6 of 22 gels heldPrices per single sachet at the cheapest box size we track. Best in green, worst in red, across the gels shown.
| Measure | NEVERSECOND NEVERSECOND C30+ Gel | Maurten Maurten Gel 100 | Science in Sport SiS Beta Fuel Gel | Precision Fuel & Hydration Precision Fuel PF 30 Gel | NEVERSECOND NEVERSECOND C30 Gel | GU Energy Labs GU Original Energy Gel |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CarbohydrateHow much fuel one sachet carries. | 30 g | 25 g | 40 g | 30 g | 30 g | 22 g |
| Glucose : fructoseGoverns how fast you absorb it. More fructose, higher ceiling. | 1 : 0.5 | 1 : 0.8 | 1 : 0.77 | 1 : 0.5 | 1 : 0.5 | ~ 1 : 0.47 |
| SodiumAgainst 400 to 1000 mg an hour typically lost in sweat. | 200 mg | 20 mg | 30 mg | not declared | 200 mg | 60 mg |
| CaffeineA preference, not a quality, so it is not scored. | 75 mg | 0 mg | 0 mg | 0 mg | 0 mg | 0 mg |
| ProvenanceWhether that ratio is read off the panel, computed from it, or inferred. | Stated | Stated | Derived | Stated | Stated | Estimated |
| Price per sachetWhat one costs. Not comparable across sachet sizes. | $3.50 | $3.75 | $2.50 | $3.12 | $3.50 | $2.00 |
| Cost per gramThe only price that compares across sachet sizes. | $0.117 | $0.150 | $0.063 | $0.104 | $0.117 | $0.091 |
| Sachets for 90 g/hrHow many you open an hour to hold a 90 g/hr target. | 3.0 | 3.6 | 2.3 | 3.0 | 3.0 | 4.1 |
Verdict
what it does · what it costsWhat it does well
- 200 mg of sodium and 75 mg of caffeine in one sachet, so you're not carrying a separate caffeine product on top of your electrolytes.
- Priced identically to the non-caffeinated C30, $3.50 a gel either way.
- Publishes the ratio and full nutrition panel rather than leaving it to be derived.
What it costs you
- 2:1 ratio caps your ceiling the same way it does on plain C30, around 60-75 g/hr rather than 90 and above.
- $0.117 a gram, nearly double SiS Beta Fuel, now with caffeine bundled in whether you want it timed there or not.
- Caffeine and sodium are locked together, so you can't dose one without the other.
Where to buy
Prices and links as last checked.
Who this is for
the numbers, appliedThe field tells you what it is. This is who should act on it.
Worth the money if
- You already use Neversecond C30 and want some sachets with caffeine folded in without switching brands or paying more.
- You're a heavy or salty sweater who also wants caffeine timed to the same stops.
Look elsewhere if
- You want to control caffeine and sodium timing independently.
- You're chasing 90 g/hr or more and want a better ratio than 2:1.