sedated wrote:
This thread has had a lot of great info and anecdotes put out there, but here's a quick update regarding current market options, since many of the previous posts mention now incorrect information regarding Rx's and pricing, etc.
- Normatec (http://www.normatecrecovery.com/) Just went live with a new website like today, they have their MVP model available for $1650, no Rx needed. There is also a Pro model that needs a Rx.
These are still the two main options to choose from, and I can't decide for myself. (As for others, podium legs site has been down for weeks so I'm guessing that's done and sport pump I cannot take seriously.)
I would not be so quick to diss SportsPump. While I am partial to NormaTec, they are selling the BioCompression SC-2004 and BioCryo which are FDA approved devices sold in the United States. The Podium Legs... Any searches and references I found always go to Asia, so I am not sure if their status.
That being said, the Podium Legs are around $600 and what you are getting is pretty much what you get with the Recovery Pump... Both are very basic systems, both offer sequential compression by which the feet get more overall compression than the quads, and I would put the build quality along the same lines. The LymphaPress Petit Basic System (RecoveryPump) has been around for over a decade.
I think the BioCompression Boots are a little better build quality than the Recovery Pump ones.
If I were to rank them, the NormaTec Pro is the best one on the market. LymphaPress does have some other comparable model that likewise sell in a similar price range, so their price for what they offer is not exaggerated. Some of the LymphaPress offerings are much more expensive in fact.
The NormaTec MVP is the best of both worlds. The compression pump is quiet as hell. You really hear the air more than the pump, and again, I love the calibration, build quality, and like their form of phased sequential compression with the pulse.
I would probably look at SportsPump next. I don't really like the compression or lack of features, and think their model is too cut back, but price and build are better than Recovery Pump.
Podium Legs I would put at 4th. Not sure if they are still around or whether they will still be around because I don't think they went through the FDA process... but if you are going to buy cheap boots and cheap pump, you should pay a cheap price. Podium Legs are about half the Recovery Pump and all things considered, outside of price they are very similar.
I can't justify RecoveryPump. I almost went through a medical wholesaler, and you can find the Petit basic system cheaper. The technology is old, and when you really start looking at what is out there and available, there are other cheaper options. I don't like their compression, or the compression of PodiumLegs or SportsPump, and find it uneven
Everyone has their own decisions or values / Cost Benefit to weigh, just be warned, you slip into the NormaTecs a few times, it is almost impossible to slip into the other offerings without feeling cheap and dirty.
Just an opinion. But the was the exact visceral reaction I had. I had purchased another boot pre-Rev3 Knoxville, and after getting back into the NormaTecs, then next day plus when I would see ads or images of the other products, I just thought.. "Yeah... NO!" and called and cancelled and went NormaTec.
Been there. Done that. Tried the justifying the cheaper price, and grateful for the fact that my first purchase was back ordered. No regrets