Energy Drink Added 2008-06-16 22:14:15

AMP Energy Overdrive Review

Price: $1.99
Available at: Lowe's Foods
Nutrition Information:
Size: 16.0oz. · Serving Size: 8oz. Calories: 110 · Carbs: 29g · Sodium: 70mg

Ratings:
Combined Reviewer Rating:

7.5 out of 10 7.11 out of 10 from 114 reviewers
*Note: If the user review is grossly different than the editor rating for this energy product, this is probably because of unethical voting practices on the part of the manufacturer or a competitor.

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Can Text:

The can is like the new AMP can, only red and black instead of green and black. The lid of the can has the words, "Ginseng, Taurine, B Vitamins, Guarana". The complete name appears to be, "AMP Energy Overdrive Turbo Boost Yerba Mate Intense Hot of Cherry Energy Supplement", which is easily more verbose than Steven Seagal's Lightning Bolt Asian Experience Energy Drink. AMP provides a motivational paragraph, which we've all grown to expect and love on the back of energy drink cans, it reads as follows, "Get that extra bump up when you need to shift into a new gear. It's loaded with the power of AMP Energy, an intense hit of cherry and specially formulated turbo boost of yerba mate to get you going. Stay focused and ready for whatever life throws at you." "Amp Energy Overdrive TM, more power to you."

Active Ingredients *Per can, not per serving:
What's in AMP Overdrive? I'm glad you asked, because whoever designed this can did a great job of making that information easily available (unlike many of the other cans, I mean, who makes an energy drink and doesn't list the mg of caffeine?) The following are mg and % of daily allowance (where applicable) per serving: Riboflavin 1.7mg/100%, Niacin 20mg/100%, Pantothenic Acid 10mg/100%, Phosphorus 20mg/2%, Taurine 148mg (this is fairly low compared to other energy drinks, but I don't seem to miss it that much), Guarana Extract 124mg, Caffeine 80mg (guarana/caffeine is a better combination than caffeine/taurine IMHO), Maltodextrin 74mg, Panax Ginseng Extract 17mg, Yerba Mate Extract 8mg (which contains caffeine, but is reported to be gentler on the stomach than other forms of caffeine. To me, the amount here is so negligible, I wouldn't expect it to make a great deal of difference).

Angie's Review: Reviews posted after May 2007 are written by a guest reviewer referred to from this point forward as "The Stig".
I don't have any grandiose story of peril and imminent danger surrounding AMP Overdrive (like some people). I pretty much had the drink hand delivered to me, and consumed it without incident, except having to listen to someone ramble on about their "interesting" story about the first time they drank AMP Overdrive. Well, here's the story of the first time I drank AMP Overdrive. I opened the can, drank it, it was scrumptious. That's it. Sure, it was thick and syrupy like hot fudge sauce, and had more sugar than a king size Snickers bar (AMP Overdrive has 58g, Snicker King Size has 57g). Last I checked, I'm not a model, eating 3 Wheat Thins a day, and I don't think 58g of carbs (20% of your recommended daily allowance) is going to kill you, particularly if you're not drinking 2 for each meal of the day.

I like the energy mix. It makes me feel strange when I drink it on an empty stomach, but that's probably because my stomach is waiting for that King Size Snickers bar I've been carrying on about.

The price is right on this drink. I wouldn't pay more than $2 for it though. If you can get them at a reasonable price in the 4 pack (maybe $7 or so), I'd probably jump on it. If you like the heavy guarana and caffeine mix, I'd recommend this over almost every other energy drink on the market, as almost all of them contain 1g of taurine per serving, and many contain no guarana.

Angie Energy Rating:

7
Angie Taste Rating:

8
Angie Value Rating:

6

Jason's Review:
This drink reminds me of a painfully long story about the first time I had AMP Energy Overdrive. I drove down to the thriving metropolis of Eatonton Ga. To purchase a used 18.5ft. Skeeter bass fishing boat from Oconee Marine. On the way, I stopped to gas up (back when gas prices were a $2.49/gallon steal), went inside, and low and behold, there was an unsampled flavor of AMP. I immediately purchased a couple, one for me, and one for the little lady, who was at home farming epic gear in Molten Core. I knocked back an iced cold, refreshing cherrytastic AMP Overdrive while driving through the concrete stretch of roadkill graveyard that is lower South Carolina. I arrived on schedule at Oconee Marine to make my purchase, but the friendly guys at Oconee were replacing some seals, etc on the Yamaha outboard for me. They'd sent an employee of questionable work ethic to retrieve the parts, since the parts were located almost an hour away, it logically took him 6 hours to return with the parts...and his friend...and his girlfriend. So, they set about getting the boat ready, and the rest of our transaction went smoothly. Near dark, I hit the road for home with my new boat, of which I couldn't have been more proud. Just as I entered the most "Deliverance"-like portion of South Carolina, at approximately 11pm, I looked in the rear view mirror just in time to see my driver's side trailer tire explode inward. Rubber and steel belts whipped around the axle, which locked it up completely. Sparks flew as I dragged the trailer over to the side of the road. I called the emergency phone number, which was conveniently within walking distance of my stopping place. After a highway patrol fellow called me a wrecker (who was unable to remove the steel belts from the axle, and was unable to pull the boat onto the flatbed), it was now 2AM, and I was back to being alone on the side of the road. Since it was getting cold, I'd not brought a coat, hadn't eaten since my hippie pizza rations at the Mellow Mushroom circa 2PM, the situation was looking grim. Angie's AMP Overdrive was looking pretty good. I had to resist temptation, how could we review AMP Overdrive if Angie was unable to experience it and its "intense hit of cherry"? I pondered that question as I downed the other AMP Overdrive in about 45 seconds. I never came up with an answer to that question, which is probably why it took an additional year-and-a-half for an AMP Overdrive review to ever arrive on this site. For those concerned, the following morning, I got a mobile roadside service truck to cut the tire and steel belts off, and escort me to a Goodyear tire center. I got a couple of new tires, and completed my journey back home only about 16 hours off my target ETA.

So, AMP Overdrive and I have crossed paths again. One for each reviewer (in fact, I had 3, in case self-control abandoned me again). Pretty tasty. The Stig reported that the very red drink did not turn my teeth red either. Not sure if that's because I drank it slowly over time, or if my teeth are just resistant to red 40. I know that my pancreas is not resistant to the 58g of sugar (btw, that's over 2oz. of sugar). That's more sugar than almost any other energy drink (except Jolt Blue, which has nearly 4oz. of sugar in the 24fl.oz. can). And for those who care, it is made with high fructose corn syrup. Otherwise, except for feeling like you just ate half a dozen donuts when you finish the can, this drink is good. It's thick, and not very thirst quenching, but then, so are lollipops, and you still take those from strangers. The flavor is most like the original red Chilly Willy, the frozen treat that came in the corner-of-the-mouth severing plastic sleeve.

I was pretty energized, but a lot of that energy was counteracted by the sugar overload. I like sugar as much as the next guy, but I usually don't want to go run around the block after eating cake and ice cream. This drink makes me feel like I ate caffeinated cake and ice cream.

This drink retails for somewhere around the industry standard $1.99 for 16oz. Prices may fluctuate up to $2.29, depending on if you are buying from a gas station or grocery store. Also, the quantity you buy. I'd say, particularly if you aren't diabetic, this drink is a good buy and worth trying.

Jason Energy Rating:

7
Jason Taste Rating:

8
Jason Value Rating:

Other Mountain Dew Products

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User Comments

Sara on 2008-06-17 13:53:24 said:
It's one of the better energy drink options out there, I think! I'm loving the Dale Jr. promotion right now too where you can have your name put on his car for the Talladega race by entering one of the code from the bottom of the can. It's the "Ride with Dale Jr" promotion.

shane on 2008-06-17 18:45:39 said:
amp overdrive is an all around decent energy drink. the taste is great, as long as its cold and carbonated. when its warm, its like medicine. The boost is pretty average, but still better than a cargo load of other energy drinks. it's definitely not as good as the Monster or Rockstar, but its a step up from the ordinary.

AndrewD on 2008-07-03 21:52:12 said:
i love this energy drink, my friend recommended it to me and said it tasted like sour gummy worms so i knew i had to try it and let me tell you it does taste like sour gummy worms i love it, the flavor is amazing and the energy boost is just enough to get my day started 10 out of 10

Andy on 2008-08-08 15:33:41 said:
In the words of the amazingly articulate James Hetfield, Napster baaaadddd!!!! AMP Overdrive Gooooooodddd!!!!

the stig's brother on 2008-08-14 16:50:13 said:
AMP Overdrives is one of the better drinks around.

Jose on 2008-10-14 18:09:22 said:
Amp Overdrive is a very strong good tasting drink.

Coty Schwabe on 2008-11-03 00:59:09 said:
I can't really leave an honest review, because Overdrive (especially Turbo Boost) is the first drink I ever got hooked on. I loved it from the beginning, and when I worked at Pepsi, I got it all the time which didn't make things any better. I still love it, because even though there are more powerful energy drinks out there, if I want a refreshing cherry flavored drink, it's almost always available, and tastes good all the time!

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Disclaimer: The above review is the opinion of the Screaming Energy Drink Reviews editors. Our goal is to help answer questions like, "What does AMP Energy Overdrive taste like?", "Does it really give you an energy boost?", "Where can I buy AMP Energy Overdrive?", and "How much does it cost?". We are not employed by the makers of this energy drink, and, therefore cannot answer questions about production, distribution, product returns, reimbursements, or quality control. All nuitrition information and ingredients were copied to the best of our ability from the product packaging, do not rely solely on our site for dietary information.