Air Relax Plus 3.0 Compression Boots Review – The At-Home Massage Recovery Boot For Fresh Legs
Air Relax Plus 3.0 Boots Review
Compression boots are one of handful of ways to rapidly recover after exercise and maintain fresh legs. Compression recovery boots like the Air Relax Plus 3.0 Boots work similar to a massage for recovery by pushing oxygen and nutrient rich blood around the body and removing the bi-products of exercise which make for a faster recovery from training.
Ever since I tried the Air Relax Classic boots, I’ve been sold on compression boots for hacking recovery time. Compression boots are a key recovery tool for athletes and should be a post exercise recovery tool for anyone doing a high volume, intensity, or load from running, riding, lifting and other sports that are heavy on the legs.
In this article, we share our Air Relax Plus 3.0 Boots Review and pull apart the performance of these middle range recovery boots from the Air Relax Range including a direct Air Relax vs Normatec vs Therabody vs Rapid Reboot comparison.
The Air Relax Plus Boots rate very highly among compression boot users as is evident in their reviews but there are a few things you need to know to see if these compression boots are worth it for you.
Air Relax Plus 3.0 Boots Review 2022
Bottom Line
Theses Air Relax Recovery boots are high on comfort - like, very high. I prefer to use the boots on Mode S and pressure level 4 which gives like a toothpaste squeezing massage up my legs. They are the most reasonably priced and well packaged compression recovery boots I have used. The Air Relax bag that comes with the compression boots is a huge plus of buying these compression boots as you can cram in all your other recovery gear into one bag.
What We Like
Strong inflation pressure
Well priced
Easy setup
Multiple size options
Strong zip and quality fabric
Easy to clean
Quality carry bag
What We Don’t Like
Inflation hose can be bumped out
Not wireless
Who Should Buy The Air Relax 3.0 Boots?
Air Relax Recovery Boots Carry Case
Before you go out and buy a set of compression boots, you should probably know how compression boots work.
“During exercise, as your body burns up energy, it simultaneously creates metabolic waste products that can build up and be responsible for things like DOMS and general muscle fatigue,” explains Chris Woolley, OCR Athlete and performance coach.
Although it is completely normal to experience muscular pain, fatigue and swelling post exercise, this is where we can aid a faster recovery by using compression systems, particularly on the legs. By boosting blood flow through pressure exerted by inflating boots that surround the legs, these waste products can be removed faster via lymphatic drainage and more fresh O2 rich blood is supplied to damaged areas for faster healing and repair.
Compression boots are ideal for broad range of reasons. As compression boots were first used in a medical setting to treat circulatory issues, compression technology is suited to those seeking treatment for issues like Lymphedema, swelling in the legs and Varicose Veins.
Compression recovery boots are also suitable for those who simply spend long periods of time on their feet during work hours like waiters and hospitality staff. Using compression boots before or after a long work day can significantly reduce pain and fatigue in the legs and help the legs to feel fresh and recovered for the next day, no different to the concept of using compression for exercise recovery.
Compression boots are most suited to athletes who participate in competitive sport or those who are heavily involved in regular training for a particular race, event or game. In general, the more physical output you engage in, the more recovery you will require as more metabolites and muscle damage will be created. The research surrounding using compression boots and massage for recovering from things like marathons, cycling and other sports can significantly reduce recovery time from DOMS and lowering overall muscular fatigue, especially when compared to using compression sleeves or no compression at all.
Buy the Air Relax Plus Boots online
Air Relax Plus Price
The only real negative to compression boots is that they can be kind of on the expensive side. The Air Relax Plus are the mid range option in the Air Relax compression boots range and compared to the price of some other boots like Normatec and Therabody, Air Relax Plus are affordable.
At $645 without the carry case, or $735 with the carrying case, the Air Relax Plus sits at about half the price of something like the Normatec 3 Leg Compression System.
In an Air Relax Classic vs Plus price comparison, the Plus model is about $70 more and the Air Relax Pro is about $350 more at $995 for the AR 4.0 leg Recovery System.
When comparing the Air Relax Price to the price of its far more expensive competitors like Normatec, Rapid Reboot and Therabody, it is important to note that the price difference is due to some added features in the more expensive boots like wireless technology, Bluetooth, app integration as well as smaller and lighter compression units. For a device that offers all of the benefits of compression boots though, I am of the opinion that $645 for the AR. 3.0 Compression boots is extremely good value-for-money.
If wireless capability is something that is a deal breaker for you, an optional power bank can be purchased which provides up to 3 hours of continuous use. The power bank comes at an additional $110 and is rechargeable to make Air Relax Plus a semi-portable compression system.
If you are wondering exactly what the differences between Air Relax Recovery Boots models looks like you can refer to the table below for a summary of differences.
Air Relax Plus Design and User Experience
Compression boots have definitely come a long way from when they were used mostly in a medical setting. One of the things that stands out about the Air Relax Plus compression boots is the small compression unit and the carry bag that can be added to the order when you buy the Air Relax Boots online.
Overall, the design of the Air Relax Plus boots I am happy with. The actual sleeve material and feel is strong and comfortable with a solid zipper that does not catch and fold like some cheaper compression boot designs.
The compression unit is extremely light and features very simple push button design that is a plug-and-play unit. The boots come pre-connected to the inflation hoses and are fed into a single port that gets plugged into the compression unit which means less cabling.
The carry bag is something I would highly recommend adding if you decide the Air Relax Plus is right for you. If you are someone who likes being organised and have things in sleek, well laid out fashion, you will get as excited as I did by the Air Relax Carry Case, coming from a military background. The carry case has apportioned sections for the compression unit, boot sleeves and includes other zipper sections to also carry other recovery gear like hydration, nutrition, resistance bands, small massage rollers, trigger balls or a small massage gun.
In terms of using the recovery boots, I found the Air Relax Recovery Boots very high on comfort - like, very high. I found that the AR Plus boots are best used on Mode S which is the sequential massage mode that squeezes the legs like squeeing a tube of toothpaste. Having the boots on pressure level 4, the highest pressure level, gave enough of a squeeze for my legs after moderately intense runs and training sessions, although I was dropping the pressure back to level 3 when the legs were extra painful from a flog session.
Air Relax Plus Performance
Compression boots have varying pressure level outputs, massage modes, session lengths, displays and tech integration. The Air Relax Plus is quite a simple compression system but is not lacking in any important performance metrics as far as I have experienced.
The Air Relax Plus compression pump is capable of 15 litres per minute of inflation and can generate pressure of up to 240mmHg which is just as high as other compression boot alternatives that are twice the price.
The digitally controlled operating cycle offers four different massage modes which include Progressive, Sequential, Full Massage and Targeted. When using the compression boots you can isolate a certain section of the leg to avoid compression over it which is handy if you have a injury site you need to avoid compressing like a cut or overly sensitive area.
The Air Relax Plus boots have a built in pressure sensor which gets feedback from the circumference of your leg to avoid over inflation which can be a negative of some compression boots. This feature makes the boots suitable for use by multiple sized users if you are buying the compression boots to be used by two different sized humans.
The Air Relax Plus boots can be put into either a 15 minute cycle or a 30 minute cycle with the press of a button.
Air Relax Plus Warranty
A product warranty is one of the most important things to understand especially when buying a relatively expensive product like compression boots. All of the Air Relax Boots including the Air Relax Plus Recovery Boots come with a standard one-year warranty.
Although the one year warranty is not fantastic and other brands offer 3-5 years warranty period for compression boots, Air Relax does give you the option to purchase an extended warranty through a third party provider called Extend, which can be purchased in an additional one, two or three years of cover. The cost of these plans is $59.99 for one year, $139 for two years and $169 for 3 years.
These additional warranty plans from Extend cover replacements, extended failure protection and power surge and electrical failures.
Air Relax Plus Sizing
The size of compression boots relative to your body size is an extremely important aspect of buying the right compression boots. Some compression boot brands only offer one size option which really excludes a large portion of people from being able to get the full benefits from compression boots.
The Air Relax Plus compression boots are available in three different sizing options which can be summarised below:
Size 2
Inseam - 26” – 30”
Height - 5’ 2” – 5’ 6”
Size 3
Inseam - 30” – 34”
Height - 5’ 7” – 6’ 0”
Size 4
Inseam - 34” – 38”
Height - 6’ 1” – Above
When sizing up for the correct compression boot size for you, simply measure the length from top of inside leg down to the heel. Compare this measurement to the closest inseam measurement above.
We would prefer to border on a compression boot that is too small than too large, as you can always scale back the pressure settings on the device, but if the sleeve is too large for your leg size it may be difficult to achieve enough compression around your leg to get the most benefits from the boots squeezing your limbs tight enough to have the desired effect.
Shop for Air Relax recovery boots sizes
Conclusion on Air Relax Plus Boots
The Air Relax Plus boots offer the best all round value-for money compression boot in my eyes. The fact that you have the option to buy the Air Relax Plus bare bones, or add in additional items to suit your requirements like carry case, rechargeable battery pack, extended warranty and multiple sizing options makes the Air Relax an easy buy.
If you are someone who is looking to use compression boots at home and just wanting to plug your system straight into the wall, there is no need to be spending over $1000 on compression systems, unless budget is not an issue for you.
The Air Relax Plus boots are suitable for home users who have increased recovery requirements for athletic performance or for recovering from heavy work loads on the legs. The Air Relax Plus 3.0 boots are probably not ideal for a gym or commercial recovery space as they are quite basic, however the Air Relax Pro model covers this requirement if that’s what you are looking for.
