During-effort fuel · gel · reviewed 26 Aug 2026
Precision Fuel PF 30 Gel 49
A 2:1 blend at close to a 1:0.8 price. The ratio is a generation behind what the top of this table now does.
Score breakdown
The overall score is the average of what's below, each measured against every other gel we've reviewed.
49
Mixed
Based on 4 of 5 measures ?A dimension a product doesn't declare is left out of its average rather than counted against it -- so this score reflects fewer measures than a product with a full panel.
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
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).35
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.57
Cost per gram of carbohydrate
$0.104/g
Glucose : fructose
1:0.5
Comparison
5 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 | Precision Fuel & Hydration Precision Fuel PF 30 Gel | Maurten Maurten Gel 100 | Science in Sport SiS Beta Fuel 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 | 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 : 0.47 | |
| SodiumAgainst 400 to 1000 mg an hour typically lost in sweat. | not declared | 20 mg | 30 mg | 200 mg | 60 mg | |
| ProvenanceWhether that ratio is read off the panel, computed from it, or inferred. | Stated | Stated | Derived | Stated | Estimated | |
| Price per sachetWhat one costs. Not comparable across sachet sizes. | $3.12 | $3.75 | $2.50 | $3.50 | $2.00 | |
| Cost per gramThe only price that compares across sachet sizes. | $0.104 | $0.150 | $0.063 | $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 | 4.1 |
Verdict
what it does · what it costsWhat it does well
- Publishes its ratio openly.
- Seven ingredients, no flavourings, no gums.
- 30 g lands on a clean three-per-hour rhythm.
- Pectin rather than gum gives a looser texture.
What it costs you
- 2:1 is the previous generation of the ratio science.
- $0.104 per gram for a worse ratio.
- Sodium is not declared on the panel.
- Sold in fours rather than boxes at most retailers.
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 want a plain, low-ingredient gel.
- You are fuelling at 60 g/hr or below.
- You already use their planner.
Look elsewhere if
- You are targeting 90 g/hr or above.
- You are cost sensitive.
- You need declared sodium for a hot-weather plan.