Polar 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.

Fantastic product. Made huge difference in my recovery after foot surgery. The customer service is exceptional. I called because the original attachment I ordered didn’t quite cover my foot over bandages. The representative I spoke to helped me pick out a better one and sent to me FedEx the next day at no additional cost to me! Amazing.

My sister recently had hip/replacement surgery. Her husband had major rotator cuff surgery. BOTH have used this particular ice machine - both using the larger flat pad and the shoulder pad for their particular purposes. THIS ICE MACHINE IS A LIFE SAVER! The "pads" are easily swapped out, with the machine as the initial component. (The clips are hard to get clipped and undone, but WORK!) I also bought the basic unit and have TWO pads that I am using. One of the larger, flat pads, and the foot pad. What I like most about this unit is the EASE OF USE!! It has a timer that is a simple plug and set and forget. IT WORKS AWESOME. You don't have to manually go to settings EACH time to re-set what you desire the machine to do. IT WORKS!! My sister and I have both used the lowest temperature setting for the ice; her hubby used the highest setting. Make sure you freeze your 16/oz water bottles AFTER you take off the labels and let a little bit of water out of each bottle. Use 12 bottles; then interchange 6 at a time in the cooler. I do one set morning, one set evening. Very thankful to those who "invented" this awesome product. Thank you!

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).