I did a body assessment one week ago, it says my body fat rate was about 20%, not something I am proud of, and I guess I need to workout more. Anyway, when it comes to increasing workout intensity or frequency, it also comes with a higher risk of damaging your body, so we need to do warm-up and post-workout recovery. That’s why I have a massage gun and a baseball, to release pain or soreness post-workout.

In this review, we are going to talk about the UBLIVES air compression boots. This kind of product is not new, you might have seen pro athletes using them, I still had doubts about how well they work, but after using them a couple of times, I think they are awesome! After reading this review, if you like them, you can head to their website for your purchase, there is a certain discount and free Hyperbag for Gizmochina fans.

How It Works

To be honest, this is the first time that I have used them. So how does it work anyway? I am no sports scientist or anything, correct me if I am wrong. You know blood tends to stick longer in the areas, where they have been used a lot during workouts, to help cure wear and tear, or take the free radicals and lactate away with the blood flow. That’s why the body swells, and tends to get a bit warmer. If you don’t understand it, you can try to put your ring on your finger after a workout, it may become a bit harder to, and that’s the sign of this.

Now we use a massage gun, a roller, or a ball to put pressure on the muscles, to make the process faster, therefore you can recover faster. This theory applies to the compression boots here, air is used to create pressure, then push the bad stuff to go with the blood flow faster. Theoretically it can work, right? Not let’s check out the packaging stuff first, then I will tell you why they really work. 

Unboxing

As you can see, they come in this regular shoe box size packaging, and I like the little boot art on it. Open the box, there is another nice white box, so I guess it could be a good gift for your family and friends, especially for your parents. Now back to the products, the boots and two air pump units are there. When I take the air pump unit out, I know this one is actually wireless, which means you can use these boots wherever you want, very convenient. As a FDA-approved class II medical device, I think it is still important to read the manual before using them, so we all should do it.

Design and Material

The boots are made of this reinforced material on the outside, and the stitches are doubled at some corners, so I think it is very durable. I can’t see the airbags inside, but based on my experience, there was no leak at all, so they are also well-made. I can feel some pipes running through the boots, and connect each section to the unit separately. There are also hooks on the upper side, so you can hang them on the wall.

The air pump unit is a solid piece, the screen and the buttons are simple and very functional. At the back, those holes are supposed to get the air into the boots. The mechanism that locks the unit on is very clever, a simple click or press at both sides will put them on and off. And the unit charges itself through a USB-C port. Overall, the design is neat and flawless.

The whole set weighs about 7.3 lbs or 3.3 kg, they are definitely lighter than I imagined, and certainly won’t add too much weight to your backpack. If you do workout a lot, there won’t be any problem taking them with you, I would also suggest you get this dedicated bag for them, to make carrying them easier.

Test

Now I haven’t tortured my legs for a long time, and since we are testing these boots, I thought it would be a perfect time to see if they can save my legs post-workout, so I hit the gym in the morning again.

As you can see, it’s pretty easy to put them on, either you slide your legs in, or unzip them to make it easier. Now there are five sections in total, which cover your thigh, knee, upper calf, lower calf, and foot.

There isn’t any left and right difference about the air pump units, as long as you can see the buttons and screen. The buttons are very clearly designed, including the pressure up and down, timer, power on and off, and mode change. The screen is bright and simple, so everybody including the elderly can read them correctly.

Now the length of the boots is actually perfect for me, I am 5’7, and the boots cover my entire legs and maybe even a bit more room to spare. So for the sports recovery purpose, according to the user manual, it’s recommended to use the Circulation Mode, which will inflate two sections at the same time, then rotate in between, I think it makes a lot of sense. And the pressure I chose was the 4th mode, pressure level 135mmgH. I tried the 5th mode, which provides 165mmgH pressure, it creates a bit of a pinching feel to my legs, which I am not sure if it is right, so 4th level is good for me.

During the whole process, I feel the massage force the most in the knee and thigh area, and it feels really good. Compared to the recovery tools I mentioned earlier, these boots are more consistent in massaging force, and they cover more areas at the same time. Also just to quickly mention that, there isn’t an App for this product, which is fine with me, as I don’t need to deal with those if something serves a purpose like this, and you can do them all by pressing the buttons.

After a 20mins of use, I felt really relieved, the soreness and burning were pretty much gone. Although I know that those will not disappear so soon, so I used them another two times.

So how do I feel after 3 times of use in two days? The results are surprisingly good. Usually the pain kicks in the next day after the workout, but it was really not that intolerable this time, I can pretty much walk properly, and I can even walk up and down the stairs much easier than before. 

The battery life in the air pump units are also very long, based on my experience, I think they can support at least a week of use, and you can charge them with any USB-C cable you have. 

Here I also have some advice for some of you who want to get these. First, I would recommend using them while you are lying on the couch or bed, as once the devices are inflated, you won’t be able to move, especially if you use them while sitting on a chair, your hip will feel numb after use. Second, keep the air pump units facing outwards, so the buttons won’t bump into each other to cause the device to stop or any other changes. 

Besides the circulation mode, I also tried the Sequence Mode and Whole Mode, they are more for daily relaxation, but they can also be good after you go on hiking, or just a quick 20mins massage after work. In those two modes, the air pressure is also very strong and it works fast. It is just like stretching, which increase blood flow and release soreness, but they covers more areas at the same time. Also it is very quiet, you can’t really hear anything when it’s working. Even for elderly people, who often feel tired, or even have varicosity issues, it will help with the blood flow a lot, so it is a good gift for them.  

Verdict

So after using these compression boots for a week, I would say these are genuinely great products. They helped me with the pain and soreness after workouts, and also it released the stiffness from sitting for a long day at work. You don’t need to really schedule for it, a quick 20mins of use during tea break will fuel your day a lot. So it is definitely a worthy health investment. To be honest, after some research, these UBLIVES boots are a lot cheaper than other brands, while the build quality and functionalities are even better than most. If you want to purchase these, there is a link here, they are also offering some discounts and carrying bags for Gizmochina fans, so don’t miss out!