Optimum NutritionPlatinum Hydrowhey Protein Powder, 100% Hydrolyzed Whey Protein Isolate Powder, Flavor: Turbo Chocolate, 40 Servings, 3.61 Pounds (Packaging May Vary)

Normally I sit on the sideline and just read reviews but it bothers me when people give misinformed reviews possibly swaying people away from a perfectly good product. First of all this isn't your run of the mill protein powder. This product contains hydrolyzed whey protein which your body metabolizes much better than other forms of whey, especially whey concentrate (check the labels of most protein powders and see what the first protein listed is, it's probably concentrate). Concentrate is easy to produce and is one of the least efficient forms of whey. It's not that it doesn't work but an awful lot of it get converted into waste. Also, since hydrolyzed whey is metabolized better an added benefit is that it is easier on your stomach (protein shakes don't always agree with everyone).The reason hydrolyzed whey is more expensive is because the refining process is much more involved and the yield is much less at the end of the process. The biggest negative to hydrolyzed whey is the taste. Hydrolyzed proteins typically are very bitter. The ON Platinum Whey tastes phenomenal for a hydrolyzed whey product. If all you want is a great tasting milk shake and don't care about the quality of protein then look elsewhere.This brings me to my biggest gripe with a lot of reviewers. Please stop comparing apples and oranges. Yes it is more expensive than ON Gold Whey but for the reasons I mentioned above there are additional costs in manufacturing and as a result there are added benefits to the consumer. 1 gram of whey concentrate is not equal to 1 gram of hydrolyzed whey. So stop comparing it to the Whey gold gram for gram. It's not just marketing hype, they market it as platinum because it is a better product.I've been using this product for over a year and I've tried a plethora of other brands but this by far is the best tasting hydrolyzed whey formula in my experience. There might be more pure hydrolyzed whey out there but the bitterness is nauseating.This is a great product by a reputable company. It isn't magic and it's not perfect, nothing is. Hydrolyzed whey isn't for everyone either. I agree with other reviewers, do your research. Just make sure you are comparing apples to apples, the nutrition info doesn't tell the whole story. Read the ingredients.

When I was setting up an "Insanity" workout schedule back in the late summer (which I had to leave off once allergy season started), I researched and bought a number of different health-shake related products. The short version of this review is that I tried ON's Platinum Hydro Whey first, as a supplement to the P90X formula; eventually ran out of it; tried the other things I bought; and am now giving them away to go back to this!Being somewhat lactose intolerant, I worried that a pure milk product would be a problem, but decided to risk it due to the hydrolyzed state. Perhaps because of that I never once had a problem with this product. (And I see some other reviewers didn't either, although some have in fact had stomach cramps, so apparently it depends on the personal biochemistry. Buyer be warned. UPDATED TO ADD: as of early September 2012, the product now contains a slight amount of lactose. Not enough to bother me, but could be problematic for other people.)I bought the vanilla version (also in other products) specifically for the purpose of adding some protein and now-missing vanilla flavor back to the new version of the P90X Recovery Formula drink. As many people here will be aware, this was a very popular drink in its original incarnation, largely due to its strong mixture of vanilla and orange flavors. The new version tastes more like Tang, but lacks the sugar and vanilla flavor to hide the vitamin/mineral aftertaste.ON Platinum Hydro Whey added that vanilla flavor back to the P90 mix; and also beefed up the protein to carb ratio. (The P90 has a lot more carbs than proteins.) To this I added a bit of real Tang.As other people have reported, the Hydro Whey mixes very easily and thoroughly (even moreso than the P90 mix, by the way, which is no slouch in this department!) On the other hand, I probably wouldn't try to drink this as a straight milk supplement or alone with water, as I doubt the taste, although very good, would be strong enough for me. On yet another hand, the taste has no mineralish bite or aftertaste to it (because there aren't any added vitamins and minerals, duh!)Buyers should keep in mind the report of other reviewers, that ON is being rather misleading about the supposedly superior amount of protein compared to their normal Gold Standard whey products. Mathematically speaking, there is practically no difference. I can't testify to any other differences, although technically I suppose the hydrolyzed state should metabolize much faster (and maybe mixes better). On the other hand, some people don't actually want so quick a metabolization, and would rather have the material digest over time. I don't know enough to opine on the merits of either theory, but as someone who has trouble digesting milk products I appreciate any quicker digestion!Anyway, I'm buying it again and getting rid of the other things I test-bought, as they don't mix as well or taste as good (although the latter is subjective and they do have advantages this doesn't. But of course I'm mixing this with something that has those other advantages already, so...)