We've had one for a few years now (did not pay full price but no obligation to the company). I can't say I've ever had a noticeable difference in freshness/recovery time after using them. That said, it does feel good when I am using them. To me they're a fun gimmick I use on race weeks, but not as a regular recovery tool.

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Benjamin Deal - Professional - Instagram - TriRig - Lodi Cyclery
Deals on Wheels - Results, schedule, videos, sponsors

I bought a pair that I use after long runs and notice the difference that afternoon and mostly the next day. I'm 57 and I usually go through 2 or 3 cycles (auto shuts off after 15 minutes). My daughter is a D1 cross country and track athlete and they were using Normatec boots but had to share and so I got her a pair as well and she loves them and takes them when she travels to races. I also got the shorts which are supposed to target the lower back and hips and don't really use them much but the boots are well worth the money for as much as my wife and I both use them. I have them in our theater room and its nice to recline and watch Sunday football while wearing them. Use the discount code that Thomas Gerlach has posted on his blog.

I have used a variety of systems out there and have worked with all the brands in some capacity at various points. I compared both Air Relax against Normatec, and Speed Hound here. When I first took a look at Air Relax it was ~about $350 and Normatec was about $1800. That gap has narrowed significantly. Amazon just had Normatec on sale for Prime day at $899. I suspect we will probably see that again on Black Friday. I was kind of surprised when Normatec moved the price from $1295 => $999 earlier this year as I really thought it would be temporary but the price has stuck. Air Relax and Speed Hound will likely have some sort of Black Friday promotion as well.

The Pros of Cheaper System
- More affordable
- Different modes of compression
- In the case of Speed Hound, very slick UI
- In the case of Speed Hound, there shorts are better than Normatec. Air Relax shorts feedback is they are generally too big and not enough compression. I do prefer the style more than Normatec
- Higher pressure if that is your thing
- Speed Hound owner is a triathlete and ST lurker
- Both Air Relax and Speed Hound are small-biz owners

Cons
- Larger, heavier
- May not have same name brand recognition
- No Bluetooth. Normatec Bluetooth may be a feature some use although I don't use it personally.
- Some people get annoyed by 15-minute session limit on Air Relax. All you have to do is just hit the start button again, really really easy, but just something I hear from time to time.

As for the use. Yes, compression boots are great and are a no-brainer IMHO. Very relaxing. I personally found when I was training hard that I could personally recover better while using them. Even from a young-age, like first cross-country meet in high-school I was more stiff and sore than my peers. It maybe my run style that caused that. Regardless I definitely find that I am less sore after using them and can do more consecutive days. Scientifically they are proven to increase range of motion. I am sure with properly designed studies they could be proven to do more things. There is a reason why compression boots are so ubiquitous amongst all professional athletes, not just triathletes.

One of my own favorite uses of compression boots that is rarely talked about is the benefit to using them pre-workout in big blocks of training. Really gets everything warm, primed and ready for action.

As far as which one I recommend. I generally steer affordability seekers to Speed Hound. Great customer service, 45-day love them guarantee. About $100 more than Air Relax.

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Save: $50 on Speed Hound Recovery Boots | $20 on Air Relax| $100 on Normatec| 15% on Most Absorbable Magnesium

Blogs: Best CHEAP Zwift / Bike Trainer Desk | Theragun G3 vs $140 Bivi Percussive Massager | Normatec Pulse 2.0 vs Normatec Pulse | Speed Hound vs Normatec | Air Relax vs Normatec | Q1 2018 Blood Test Results | | Why HED JET+ Is The BEST value wheelset

Thanks for that mention and thanks for the continued feedback. Air Relax has gotten away from discount codes for the time being in favor of just one price. They also stopped charging different prices based on boot sizes. If people do still want to support any purchase for Air Relax and give me some credit, awesome, but you actually have to click thru to my site via this review and then click on any Air Relax link from there.

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Save: $50 on Speed Hound Recovery Boots | $20 on Air Relax| $100 on Normatec| 15% on Most Absorbable Magnesium

Blogs: Best CHEAP Zwift / Bike Trainer Desk | Theragun G3 vs $140 Bivi Percussive Massager | Normatec Pulse 2.0 vs Normatec Pulse | Speed Hound vs Normatec | Air Relax vs Normatec | Q1 2018 Blood Test Results | | Why HED JET+ Is The BEST value wheelset

I bought a pair 3yrs ago. I have used them almost every day since I bought. Whatever they do they make my legs feel better and more recovered. Totally not a waste of money. I have bought a ton of recovery equipment over the last 18yrs and this is by far the only one that use ALL THE TIME. I use for about 30 minutes and do 3-4 cycles while I watching TV. I About 5 of my other friends have also purchased. All very happy. I am 50yrs old and I pretty much workout at least 1.5hrs every day. Boots work best after long runs.

I got mine in 2017, thinking they'd be a gimmick but I had some disposable income and decided to give them a whirl. I really, really like them and have found that they help my recovery a bunch. They're not a magic bullet - you still need good nutrition and more focused massage, but they're a solid addition to your recovery practice.

Had my Air Relax for 4 years now. Use them pretty much every day. Don’t know if they help, but feel good.

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Let food be thy medicine...

I own a Normatec, which I really like, but tried Air Relax at the 70.3 AZ expo post race and was surprised by how similar they are. Despite the lower price point and marketing budget, they seemed basically the same.

I guess I'm one of the few that noticed zero benefit, and kind of a pain in the ass to use. I had the normatecs and ended up selling them.

What I -have- found helps me is using a compex unit on my quads after longer/hard bike rides (in recovery mode), I end up feeling less sore the next day. I have one of the wired units, and it can be a bit of a mess to use as well. If you have the budget and maybe can find a discount, I'd try to get the wireless version.

I had to do a little digging as I remember getting Facebook crowdfunding adds pop up some time ago for this calf compression device: https://spryngme.com

No idea how it compares but cheeper.

I've had mine for about 4 years as well. I may have used them less than 10 times since then. They feel great when their on and compressing but I just don't think they helped me much with recovery. I will say that they work really well pushing blood around for my wife who is bedridden with MS so they ended up being a great purchase. I probably should try to use them more now that I'm upping my running mileage.

Thomas, I had never considered doing this before and decided to try it before my bike workout yesterday. My quads had been a bit wrecked due to accidentally riding with my seatpost a few cm lower than it should have been so I figured why not. Not sure if it made a big difference but my warmup wattage was instantly about 30w higher than I typically start my workouts at. Now I suppose I could have just added an extra 15 minutes of warmup instead of 30 minutes of boots before but I thought it was an interesting note. Workout went well so it's something I'll keep experimenting with.

Thanks!

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Benjamin Deal - Professional - Instagram - TriRig - Lodi Cyclery
Deals on Wheels - Results, schedule, videos, sponsors

I can't speak to performance as it is something I never even tried to measure. But I definitely like using them before I run. I usually put them on in the morning and sit in them while eating oatmeal for breakfast and my coffee. Yada, Yada, next thing you know I was a lb lighter which I am sure is quantifiable on the run ;)

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Save: $50 on Speed Hound Recovery Boots | $20 on Air Relax| $100 on Normatec| 15% on Most Absorbable Magnesium

Blogs: Best CHEAP Zwift / Bike Trainer Desk | Theragun G3 vs $140 Bivi Percussive Massager | Normatec Pulse 2.0 vs Normatec Pulse | Speed Hound vs Normatec | Air Relax vs Normatec | Q1 2018 Blood Test Results | | Why HED JET+ Is The BEST value wheelset