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

I've had both knees replaced and used an Ossur cooling machine both times. The first time, in 2018, the Ossur and knee pad proved to be a reliable machine and the pad was well made. Unfortunately, an accident caused a leak which made it unusable. In 2021, I purchased another one for the second knee surgery. What a difference! The hoses were difficult to manipulate, the cover was impossible to open without a tool and the knee pad lasted two days, Ossur's response? Too bad. Not our problem.Also, when I took it out of my closet where I had stored it, the machine didn't work (and this was after I had followed the instructions on how to prepare it for storage.) Prior to foot surgery this year, I searched Amazon again for a suitable replacement cooling machine and was dismayed to learn: most machines were made overseas, which makes resolving a customer service issue almost impossible; all of the cooling machines came with a universal pad, and I wanted a foot pad; and reviews I read indicated many of these machines were good for one usage cycle. Then I discovered the POLAR ACTIVE ICE COLD THERAPY SYSTEM. The Polar is made in the USA by a family owned company based in Ohio who has made hot and cold therapy products for over 35 years. The unit comes with one pad of your choice, and there were about ten pads to choose from, including a foot pad in two sizes. The machine itself, which also comes in two sizes, looks like an beer cooler you'd take to the beach, with a sturdy handle and a cover that actually opens. The pad is made from a durable material that looks sturdy enough to last through multiple surgeries..It's easy to operate, quiet and has a timer that doesn't restrict you to a maximum 30 minute run time. I'm so pleased that I found this machine. I've given it a test run, and after the surgery I'll update this review only if there is a problem. However, I don't expect one, but should something happen or if I have any question, the Polar company provides an 800 number and an email address.

I am a nurse and I put a great deal of research into the purchase of this cooling unit. I also looked closely at Ossur, but ultimately settled on Polar Active Ice.. I found the shape and size of the foot pad to be well designed and easily large enough to accommodate a woman’s size 9 foot. The extra coverage at the top allowed it to envelop the toes to help keep them cold, but not too cold. Along with the bunionectomy, I had two hammer toe repairs and a. mallet toe repaired, which is the one you see the pin sticking out of under the white tape. The pad is easily opened so that one could check the toes to make sure they are not getting too cold. The in and outflow tubes are on the side of the boot. This is an improvement over Polar Arctic Ice’s large boot foot pad, which has the tubes running directly behind the calf. In the older design, the weight of the leg resting directly over the tubes compressed them obstructing water flow. The older, large, boot-shaped foot pad, is difficult to put one’s foot into especially if you have a bulky dressing which is typical after foot surgery. One would be forced to angle their foot in a way that is difficult and painful. It also concerns me that with the closed boot design, it might also get too cold around the toes within the closed the boot. This design makes it more of a hassle to check the toes, which means it’s likely to happen less often. In the picture with the open cooler, I am showing a piece of clear, flexible plastic that had come as part of the packaging box from a product I had bought in the past. I used this plastic to deflect and thereby reduce the noise created by the water from the return tube splashing onto the bottles or directly onto an ice/water mix. The plastic fanned the water to the sides and eliminated the splashing noise. It was almost like a babbling brook sound, which some people may find peaceful. One might be able to achieve the same effect by cutting a Solo cup and half, lengthwise. Having a higher water level might help also. The pump is otherwise very quiet. I really like the timer feature on the unit because it allows me to set to run times and off times and not have to think about it again. This is especially handy at night. The timer was one of the big selling points of the active ice unit compared to the Ossur. The other limiting factor of the Ossur is it’s smaller reservoir. It only holds 3 frozen water bottles compared to Arctic Ice’s 6 bottle capacity. For foot surgery, the Arctic Ice’s foot pad provides more complete coverage, including the toe area, than Ossur’s. Additionally, the design of the Arctic Ice’s foot pad makes it easier to put on unassisted. In closing, Arctic Ice is made by a family owned business in Stow, Ohio. This makes it easier to buy replacement parts or order any additional pads or upgraded features that you wish to have. When you buy American made products, you help support American jobs and American businesses just like this one.

This was the second ice therapy machine. I've bought over the years for my husband's various surgeries. I did not actually get to use this. I had to return it because the surgeon did not want it used after this particular surgery. However, I had opened it and looked at it and compared to the one I had before this one looked much easier. I liked that the wrap would go completely around his foot and that you could use frozen bottles of water. You don't have to keep buying bag after bag of ice. If I need one of these machines in the future, which I pray I will not, this would be the brand I would go back to based on what I saw in the box.

VERY helpful after my surgery. Here are a few warnings, though. Buy ahead of time because they were having some issues with Amazon shipping the wrong attachments. You will need the sticker on the box if that happens. They sent me the hip attachment instead of the foot. I called the company directly and they were SUPER HELPFUL and they made it right. The timer on this machine is so helpful! It allows you to set how long you get cold and how long it’s off between cycles. This allows you to have it going all day or night without having to mess with it. That’s really helpful for recovery! My ice bottles stayed icy for over 24 hours in it. The foot attachment is comfortable, but it IS attached to the cooler, so it takes some getting used to. My mom has had hers for years and we’ve used that one for several people who have had surgeries on their shoulders. Very durable. I only bought this one because I wanted the foot attachment and the timer.

This is a high quality set up. The insulated line does not condensate and the compression pad (excellent quality) is mostly cold on the inside and not the outside, also reducing condensation. The programable timer is nice and convenient to have it on a hand held device so that you do not have to bend over the cooler to make adjustments. This is a much better set up than the Ossur system (we have gone through 3 Ossur Cold Rush systems).