REVIEW – Getting old isn’t for the weak. Everything starts to hurt. Knees are especially susceptible and mine are no exception. When I was given the opportunity to test Snailax Cordless Graphene Vibration Knee Massagers with heat, I jumped at the chance, and even that jump hurt. Let’s see if this is the holy grail to resolve knee pain.
What is it?
The Snailax Cordless Graphene Vibration Knee Massagers are a pair of wraparound knee massagers that also have graphene heating elements built in.
What’s in the box?
- Snailax graphene knee massagers (2)
- Extension straps (2)
- USB-A to UBS-C charging cords (2)
- Warranty card
- User manual
Hardware specs
- Construction: Fuzzy outer shell with soft fabric liner and dual velcro closures
- Battery: 3,000mAh
- Massage intensity levels: 7
- Heat intensity levels: 5 – 113F to 149F
- Timer: 45 minutes
Design and features
Each Snailax Cordless Graphene Vibration Knee Massager is designed to sit on the knee and attach in place with two wraparound velcro straps, one above and one below the knee.
The inside is lined with a super-soft fabric, making it very comfortable to wear.
All functions are controlled with a dual-button/display control panel.
Nothing explains the different massage modes. Check out the first bullet point above – there is a 45-minute timer. Now, check out the warning label inside the unit.
The second bullet point says to not use it for more than 15 minutes. It’s kind of a mixed message.
Just above the control is the USB-C charging port. It is a little hidden and took some looking to find.
Setup
To get the units ready, I plugged them both in. The control lights flashed red until it was fully charged and they turned solid green.
Performance
The design is nice as you can actually get up and walk around with them in place. The extension straps let you use the massagers on your shoulders and elbows. That is a nice bonus.
Let’s start with the massage. It is OK. Not great, but pleasant. I fiddled with the different modes, but generally left them in the default M1 mode. It wasn’t vigorous, but it was nice and my knees felt a little better after use.
The heat was a different story. The first couple of uses were great. I got some nice heating out of them and they made my knees feel better. But then…both units started turning off shortly after I turned them on. I figured that it must be that the battery life simply wasn’t good, but that wasn’t it. After the units turned off, I could turn on the massagers and they would run until I turned them off or the timer expired. But as soon as I turned on the heat, within a few minutes, both units would shut off. I tried lowering the heat and got a little more time, but they still turned off. Weird, right?
What I finally came to assume is that there must be some sort of thermal event happening, since the higher the heat, the faster they shut down. I charged both units multiple times and it wasn’t a low battery. And I could repeat the shutdown over and over. It was disappointing because otherwise, I like these massagers. But without the heat, their usefulness is limited for me.
I contacted Snailax customer support. They were responsive and decided that the best plan would be to replace the units as there was likely something amiss. About a week later, I received the replacement units, and so far, they have been working as expected. The heating is nice without over-baking my knees. After a week of daily use, they continue to work as expected. My one complaint is that the battery doesn’t last very long. I can get a couple of 45-minute sessions of high heat out of a charge. When I consider that heating, in general, is pretty energy-inefficient, then I can forgive some of that as they do get reasonably warm on high. I’ll just recharge them after every other session.
What I like
- Comfortable
- Nice range of heat and massage settings
- The extension strap options are a nice touch
- The massage is pleasant
What I’d change
- The heat should work – it seems that the two failed units I initially received are an anomaly
- I wish the battery lasted longer between recharges
Final thoughts
I like the Snailax Cordless Graphene Vibration Knee Massagers. They’re comfortable, the massage is adequate, and when the heat works, they feel great. The replacement units continue to work so I believe I just happened to get two defective units. Customer service was very responsive, and any company can have a product fail. They responded well so I am happy with these units. They’re getting used a lot. I wish I didn’t have to recharge them after every other use, but that is a small price to pay for pain relief.
Price: $59.99
Where to buy: Amazon
Source: The sample of this product was provided by Snailax.
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But did they make a meaningful difference in reducing the pain/stiffness in your knees?
They offer some relief, especially following cold treatment.