ARK's Blog

As March Madness basketball excitement ramps up, it got us thinking here at ARK - choosing the right chew tool isn’t all that different from filling out a bracket.

We think about our options, examine their qualities, match them up against other options, and see which chew would be the “winner” - in our case, which chew would be the best fit for each person's unique needs. 

When we recommend chew tools, we don’t just randomly pick a favorite. We look at the lineup. We compare strengths. We think about matchups. And ultimately, we decide which chew is going to come out on top - not as the overall champion, but as the best fit for that person’s specific needs. 

Because when it comes to avid chewers, longevity matters. 

So what makes one chew last longer than another? When we’re comparing two options and deciding which would last longer for an avid chewer, we look at a few key factors:

• Size (Small VS Large)
• Composition (Hollow VS Solid)
• Shape (Long and Slender VS Wide)
• Thickness (Thin VS Thick)
• Type of Chew (Necklace, Handheld, Pencil Topper, etc)

Each of these characteristics affects durability and how long a chew tool lasts.  So in the spirit of the season, we created our own “Chew Madness” bracket, pitting different chews against each other to see which ones prevail as the long lasting options for avid chewers. Let’s dive into the matchups!

Before getting started, it’s important to note that each of our chew tools come in three color-coded toughness levels:

• Standard, Softest: ARK’s softest chew level. Recommended for mild chewers (those who rarely or never chew through things at home).
• XT, Medium Firm: The middle level is firmer, but still fairly chewy, and recommended for mild to moderate chewers. If you chew through some things, but don’t chew through anything super hard, this level is a great place to start.
• XXT, Toughest: Very firm and durable, with little to no give. Recommended for avid to super chewers.

For this super chewer tournament, we’ll assume each of the picks here are in the toughest XXT level. With the toughness level playing field evened out, we’ll now dive deeper into shape, texture, and size to determine the winner of Chew Madness.

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1. MiniBite™ Necklace VS Saber Tooth Necklace (Small VS Large)

In this matchup, we have the Saber Tooth necklace going against the MiniBite necklace. Both of these have qualities that may not be the best fit for an avid chewer. On one hand, the Saber Tooth has a tapered end. However, with the MiniBite being one of our smallest chew pendants, there’s very little room to spread out wear and tear from chewing. 

As the larger option, the Saber Tooth wins this matchup and moves on to the next round!

2. Grabber® P Tube Hollow Chew Tool VS Sidekick™ Chew Tool (Hollow VS Solid)

The Grabber P Tube is certainly the underdog in this matchup. The Sidekick, being our largest chew tool, has the advantage of extra surface area allowing for more room to spread out chewing. Aside from the size difference, the Grabber P Tube’s hollow stem is why the Sidekick is the clear winner. For avid chewers, we need solid, tough resistance against the super strong back molars. Even in the XXT Toughest level, a hollow chew is no match for a solid chew.

Sidekick wins!

3. Bumpy Chewable Pen Necklace VS Brick Stick® Textured Chew Necklace (Thinner vs Thicker)

The Brick Stick® and the Bumpy Chewable Pen Necklace both have a bit of a disadvantage: their texture! Heavy texture is something that may make a chew last a shorter amount of time for an avid chewer. Each person’s chewing preferences and habits are different, but in our experience, some folks tend to focus on the texture, making them wear down faster. We see this more often with our stronger chewers.

Even though both chews in this matchup are textured, the Brick Stick is two times as wide and thick as the Bumpy Chewable Pen Necklace - thicker, more robust shapes are what we look for to hold up for strong chewers.

The Brick Stick wins this matchup and moves forward!

4. Krypto-Bite® Chewable Gem Necklace VS Dino-Bite® Necklace (Slender VS Wider)

Two classic ARK chews face off in this matchup! The Krypto-Bite® Gem is a staple for back molar chewing, and for mild to moderate chewers, the Gem in the Toughest level typically holds up very well. However, for our avid and super chewers, long and slender shapes allow for tougher chewing with the strong back molars. This can cause back molar chews to wear down faster.

The Dino-Bite® is one of our star players in the Chew Madness bracket - it’s got a mild texture that is not raised from the surface of the chew tool (so the texture is not able to be bitten off from the surface of the chew). The big advantage for the Dino is its shape! It features a wide, thick shape that only adds to the durability of the Toughest level. If you bend both the Krypto-Bite Gem in Toughest and the Dino-Bite in Toughest, the Dino-Bite would feel harder even though they’re the same level.

Without a doubt, the Dino-Bite wins this matchup and moves on to the next round!

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Chew Madness Semi-finals

Congratulations to our semi-finalists, the Saber Tooth, Sidekick, Brick Stick, and Dino-Bite! Certainly all strong contenders for mild to moderate chewing, but let’s see who holds up best for our avid and super chewers.

Semi-final match #1: Saber Tooth VS Sidekick™

While the Saber Tooth won against its match in the previous round, the MiniBite, it would be quite the challenge to beat the Sidekick here in the semi-finals.

The Saber Tooth is a thicker option, but the tapered end cuts down its longevity for avid chewers. Upon reviewing the stats, the Sidekick - standing at 6 inches tall, 4 inches wide, and a half an inch thick - wins against the Saber Tooth.

Semi-final match #2: Brick Stick® VS Dino-Bite®

Our final semi-final match is between two of our most popular chews; they’ve both got support from their die-hard fans, but which one will come out on top?

The Brick Stick and Dino-Bite are evenly matched in terms of thickness, both measuring in at half an inch thick. What it comes down to here is texture and width - at its widest, the Dino-Bite is over two times as wide as the Brick Stick. This, combined with the super mild texture of the Dino, make it a better fit for avid chewing.

The Dino-Bite moves on to the final!

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Chew Madness Final Match: Dino-Bite® vs Sidekick™

It’s time for our final matchup - the Dino-Bite facing off against the Sidekick. It’s a tough battle, as both of these chews are ARK’s go-to options for avid chewing. They’re both wide, robust shapes that are super durable especially in the Toughest XXT level. They both have mild to smooth texture. They both have a similar thickness to help with durability as well. So, how do we pick a winner?

The key advantage here is size. With similar stats in other areas, the Sidekick has the edge by being larger than any other chew we make at ARK. With 5 extensions to chew on, and a wide, flat ‘body’, the chewer is able to spread out chewing amongst many different areas. This makes the chew as a whole wear down slower, since one area isn’t getting all of the pressure from chewing.

With this, we crown our winner of Chew Madness 2026 - congratulations to the Sidekick!

Honorable mentions

A quick shoutout to a few chews who didn’t play in the tournament this year, but are also great picks for avid chewers due to their robust shape!

• Seashell Chew Necklace
• Super Star Chew Necklace
• Bolt Bite/Dragon Bite/Bat Bite Chew Necklaces
• Flower Chew Necklace or Pencil Topper
• Chewable Business Card

Need any help matching up which chew is right for you? Our Customer Support team is always ready to help narrow down your winning chew.

ARK Customer Support

support@arkproducts.com

803-438-9779

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