Polar Active Ice 3.0 Cold Therapy Ice Machine System with Programmable Timer, Knee and Joint Compression Pad, Lightweight 9 Quart Cooler, Quiet Pump, Strong Cryotherapy Pain Relief Treatment

The idea works and the machine does what it says on the tin. It is cumbersome but there are very little alternatives in the market . The timer was faulty but the machine works without the timer if needed. However … the seller wasn’t great . The machine arrived with an international plug which doesn’t fit in the UK. Not a huge problem but annoying. I’m not sure I’d have chosen it knowing that. I mentioned this to the seller, they took a long time to respond and offered a small refund for me to buy an adapter . Again not a huge problem but a hassle. The refund didn’t arrive and then the timer stopped working . I emailed the seller and very politely they said … too bad .. not our issue … see you later. And that was that . Still no refund …and a faulty timer . Not the end of the world … but not great service.

Updated 4/20/2020: I wanted to add to my original review. I've used a similar unit in the past. However, the deciding factor in purchasing this particular unit was the auto on/off cycle timer, which no other company offer's. You can set it for how long you want it run and how long you want it to shut off before it runs again. Recently I have been dealing with a lot of knee pain and stiffness while trying to sleep, it's been 3-1/2 months since my surgery. To the point I am back having to use crutch's when I first get out of bed, until I do an ice therapy session. So I decided to experiment and use the machine throughout the whole night while in bed. First couple of nights I tried different cycle times, 20 mins on/20 off. Then 30/20. Finally settled on 40 mins on/10 mins off. Now when I get up in the mornings I feel so much better. I'm not in nearly as much pain nor do I have as much stiffness! Also, I no long need the crutch's when I first wake up. Having the on/off cycle timer is such an added benefit! Due to being a multi sport athlete and years of injury and competition I just had my fourth knee surgery, I borrowed a similar unit on my last surgery that wasn't available to me this time. I thought I would just use ice this time. After two days of intense pain and swelling almost the same, I ordered this unit. I love it! The bladders have the wrap attached to it which makes it very convenient and easy to put on & off. This unit also has auto on/off timer that I love. You can set it to run from 10 minutes to 16-1/2 hours. You can also set it for how long you want it off before it kicks back on again. Which is nice because you can have it on a lot longer than ice and you can sleep with it on. Within 24 hours my swelling was reduced by more than half of what it was and so was the pain. Ice, if left on to long can be counter productive and can be messy. I did have a small issue when I first received it, not a real big deal. However, I called the manufacture, Polar Products and they were really nice and took care of it immediately. While talking to them, found out they were actually local to me (Stow, Ohio) and they invited me out. They are a small family owned company with great people and a great product and worth the extra money I paid. Don't be afraid to spend the extra money for this product, Don't be penny wise and dollar foolish. While I was at their facility I was asked if I would be interested in testing reusable Ice packs they are developing to reduce having to keep continuing emptying water and adding ice. I feel they are working very well, maintaining good temperature for 6-8 hours. Take them out, wipe them off and put them back in freezer and grab another set. This unit is something I would suggest having and wearing the moment you get home from surgery. This will help cut days even weeks off of dealing with pain and swelling. Also; I wear mine 30 minutes on/10 minutes off/30 minutes on, then i get up and walk as much as I can with or without crutches, then repeat. After four knee surgery's I have learned how important it is to get it moving as soon and as much as possible. However, getting the swelling down as soon as possible is a huge factor and this unit helps do that. As I am now in therapy, they will typically ice you at the end. I elect not to have them do this and I come home and put my knee bladder on. My opinion it much more effective and more comfortable. I don't understand why therapy does not use them. I know this was long but I hope my experience will help someone or many with a faster recovery, being on crutches and laid up is no fun!

Coming without knee pad 😱😱

My husband is currently recovering from his second knee replacement. We used this Polar Active Ice machine for his first and loved it so much we reordered it for the second. It is, by far, the best of the best. We loved our first Polar Ice but lent it to a few friends and didn’t realize we had lost track of the cords. Fortunately, or so we thought, he had been given an ice therapy machine for this knee replacement through his insurance. If we had never used the Polar Active Ice, we might have been happy but having done so the “gift” was not even close to the quality and effectiveness that the Polar Ice is. That’s the thing that made the decision to reorder easy for us. Without good icing his swelling is out of control and his leg is very painful. With proper icing, the swelling stays down, the pain is easier to control and most importantly, he can do his rehab effectively. So why this particular product when there are so many others to choose from? It’s easy to use. The Velcro straps are attached to the pad itself which means no fumbling in the night after bathroom trips. Its portable and I can move it around the house to help keep him comfortable. His whole body is recovering because he was limping for so long. He also moves from chair to chair, bedroom to sunroom just trying to find the best spot in the moment and the ice machine can move with him. He’s a big guy, at roughly 6’4” the straps and pad still cover enough surface area on his leg to keep the swelling down. Most importantly though is that this is the most effective way to keep the swelling under control. We fill it with water and cold packs, set the timer and it ices his knee on command throughout the day and night. I’m convinced that this constant flow of cold therapy made all of the difference in the recovery process from the first knee replacement. His physical therapist were impressed, his surgeon was impressed and his primary care doctor was very pleased to see how quickly he recovered. Most importantly, as his caregiver I’m impressed. It will make this whole process better and has made my life so much easier. I know he’s receiving the very best therapy he can receive and in the least amount of pain possible. That gives me some peace of mind as he gets back on his feet. I HIGHLY recommend this product. It’s worth the extra money to have. Just don’t lend it to your friends;)

I ordered this for an upcoming TKR revision surgery and have not used it yet. This is my second purchase of this ice machine, however, so I feel I can write this review. I bought and used the same product with my first TKR two years ago. I bought it again because of the very positive experience I had with the first one. I love that it has a way to set it for the time you want the machine to be on and off. The pad that goes around the knee area provided perfect coverage to be effective. It is easily kept cold by using frozen bottles of water which, for me, tended to last about a day and a half before needing to be replaced with new frozen bottles of water. I just kept one set of 6 bottles of water in the freezer and one set of 6 in the machine and rotated as needed. The machine was very helpful for managing pain and swelling. The cooler part of the machine is light weight and easy to carry if needed. The hose is somewhat difficult to keep out of the way but you learn how to manage that. This surgery is very difficult and without this machine I feel certain I would have been much more miserable than I was during the lengthy recovery. I am told a revision surgery is even worse than an initial TKR and with a much more difficult recovery so I imagine this machine will be getting a lot of use soon. The machine came quickly and well packaged. I would recommend this product.

Awesome product, it was of great help to us after the knee surgery. The on/off option worked well for us. It’s pricey but im so glad we got it. It was super easy to setup the machine, just follow the video guide.