INTRODUCTION

    I may not be one to spend most of my day at the gym or working out but i do like using the treadmill and even the adidas weights machine i have at home whenever i find the time. Surprisingly enough however most of my back and leg injuries occur from having to carry large devices/products to the 1st floor of the lab via the stairs (no elevator) and so because of that I’m always looking for ways to counter pain. Late last year i had the chance to test the Venom Go Heat & Vibration Wearable by Hyperice which did a very good job soothing muscle pain but since it did so at a rather limited area today, I'll be trying something much larger, the Venom 2 Leg Advanced Heat & Vibration Wrap.

   Hyperice is a technology-driven company with a giant mission, to help everyone on Earth move and live better. For more than a decade, Hyperice has led a global movement at the confluence of recovery and wellness, specializing in percussion (Hypervolt line), dynamic air compression (Normatec line), vibration (Vyper and Hypersphere lines), thermal technology (Venom line), and contrast therapy (Hyperice X). Now, as a holistic high-performance wellness brand, Hyperice is designed for all - from the most elite athletes, leagues and teams to consumers everywhere looking to unlock the best version of themselves to help them do what they love, more. Recognized as one of Fast Company’s Most Innovative Companies, Hyperice has applied its technology and know-how to industries including fitness, hospitality, healthcare, massage, physical therapy, sports performance and workplace wellness on a global scale. For more information, visit hyperice.com.

    Just like with the Venom Go, the Venom 2 Leg is neoprene wrap (2 straps for increased compatibility and support) massager which combines distinct therapeutic vibration patterns (3 available types - steady/intermittent/pattern/off) together with heat (3 temperature levels, 45/50/55 degrees Celsius - 113/122/131 degrees Fahrenheit) to effectively soothe muscle pain. Thanks to Hyperice's HyperHeat technology the Venom 2 Leg delivers consistent, even heating up to 6 times faster than standard pads thus providing almost instant relief. Since the Venom 2 Leg is a rather large surface device (especially compared to the Venom Go) Hyperice this time over has used an 5000mAh built-in rechargeable lithium-ion battery (18V/1A) which can provide power for up to 3 hours and just like with their other models it's also TSA approved for carry-on. Needless to say, the Venom 2 Leg can be controlled both by its exterior buttons and the Hyperice bluetooth app.

SPECIFICATIONS AND FEATURES

PACKAGING AND CONTENTS

The company logo is placed at the front of the box along with a large picture of a person wearing the Venom 2 Leg.

At the rear Hyperice has printed the main product features in 8 languages.

Packaging is good considering that most of the product is made out of neoprene and silicon.

Along with the Venom 2 Leg and its power adapter inside the box you'll also find 4 power tips, warranty information paper, quick start guides and the operating instructions.

THE VENOM 2 LEG

The Venom 2 Leg is primarily made out of neoprene and silicon, features 2 straps for optimal fit/support and as you can see Hyperice has printed their name at the rear.

In terms of size the Venom 2 Leg measures 96.5cm in length, 35.5cm in width/height and 5cm in thickness (max).

As expected at the center of the interior Hyperice has placed a thin layer of silicon which can withstand high temperatures and is very easy to clean.

The rest of the wrap is basically made out of neoprene.

At the front we see a similar device as that of the Venom Go.

The on/off LED is placed at the front of the device.

At the base we find the lithium-ion battery specifications and the power port whereas at the top we find the on/off button and the vibration and heat buttons and their 3-level LEDs.

HYPERICE APP

The Venom 2 Leg is a bluetooth device so once you install the Hyperice app it will look for it (worth pointing out is that the app covers the entire Venom 2 line with a single selection).

My sample arrived with a firmware update available so chances are so will yours.

The main tab allows you to adjust the vibration and heat levels, check the battery life and increase/decrease the routine time.

CONCLUSION

    Even though muscle back pain is almost a daily thing for me it’s not the same for my legs and so it actually took me quite a while to sufficiently test the Venom 2 Leg. To be exact I’ve tested the Venom 2 Leg on 3 separate occasions since late last year and well, it worked as advertised by making my leg almost pain-free inside the span of a just a few minutes each time I used it. Yes, it may require sometime for you to find the right settings (heat levels especially) but once you do the Venom 2 Leg should do the trick. One key thing to remember is that the Venom 2 Leg is meant to treat muscle soreness or stiffness and not inflammation or swelling (the Hyperice Knee is the one recommended in such cases). Sole issue some may have is the sheer size of the Venom 2 Leg which might be too much for shorter and thinner people than myself (girls especially) thus making it not so comfortable but thanks to the 2 straps support should still be optimal. In regards to battery life it all comes down to what levels you’ll end up using, for my configuration however (2^nd level for both) I never recorded over 2 and ½ hours. Finally, the Hyperice app may not stand out in any way but it gets the job done so no problems here.

    With a current retail price of USD249 inside the USA (Amazon.com) and for 249Euros inside the EU (Hyperice.com) the Venom 2 Leg Advanced Heat & Vibration Wrap by Hyperice is priced well. Only question you should be asking yourself is what you need one such device for and if soothing leg muscle pain is it then the Venom 2 Leg has you covered and for that it gets the Golden Award.

PROS

- Build Quality
- Cordless
- 3 Vibration Patterns
- 3 Heating Levels
- Battery Life (Up To 3 Hours)
- 2 Straps (Support/Fit)
- Hyperice App

CONS

- Size (For Some)