Brower timing system vs Sprintbrick
Brower's TCi photogates are built for team testing, and the entry system costs more than six times what Sprintbrick does. For that money you get gates that time a whole roster and handle change-of-direction drills.
How Brower works
The Brower TCi is a photogate system. You set a gate on tripods at each mark, the athlete breaks the beam going through, and the Brower timer records the time between gates. Two gates make one split, as with any gate system, and every split after that needs another gate at another measured mark.
How Sprintbrick works
You wear a sensor on your lower back and set one receiver about 2 m behind the start. The receiver measures the distance to the sensor 100 times a second, and the iPhone app turns the trace into your start, splits at 10, 20, 30 and 40 yards and every 10 m to 100 m, plus top speed.
In our tests against OVR gates, Sprintbrick came within 50 ms on 30 out of 30 segments after the first 10 m. It agrees less well on times that include the start, which we're still working on. The full results are on the OVR page.
Side by side
| Brower TCi | Sprintbrick | |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Sprint system from $1,359; 2-gate system from $1,589; with smartphone interface $1,758 | $199 preorder |
| Extra split | Photogate set, $539 | Included |
| Setup | Tripods at each measured mark | One receiver behind the start |
| Athletes | Anyone who runs through | One wearer at a time |
| Drills | Sprints, shuttles, agility | Straight sprints, about 80 m |
| Speed curve | No | Yes, for every rep |
Brower prices from browertiming.com, checked October 29, 2026. Brower's shop page doesn't state an accuracy figure.
Which to choose
Buy Brower if you run testing for a whole roster or need change-of-direction drills. Gates time whoever runs through them, so a line of athletes can go one after another without passing a sensor around.
Buy Sprintbrick if you're one athlete or a coach working with a few, and you want splits and top speed without a cart full of tripods. For the price of one extra Brower photogate set you could buy two Sprintbricks and have $141 left over.