Genie XL (WHPH) Pack vs. the FlexiKold Gel Pack
I researched many cold packs to use after my knee surgery (ACL) in order to avoid paying $200 for the PolarCare Cold Therapy unit that my doctor had recommended.  I needed something large enough to cover my whole knee, so I bought this Genie XL (WHPH) Pack along with the FlexiKold Gel Cold Pack (10.5&#34; x 14.5&#34; size) so I could compare and switch between them when one got warm.<br /><br />First, I put both of them in the Freezer for several hours and did a head-to-head test with a thermometer to see which one stayed cold the longest.  This Genie XL Pack definitely stayed cold much longer than the FlexiKold Pack.  After 30min, the Genie was about 10deg colder than the FlexiKold, and the difference grew to ~20deg after about 2 hours.  The Genie definitely won this test and was able to stay very cold for several hours, while the FlexiKold was too warm to use after about an hour.<br /><br />The main downside to the Genie is that it came out of the freezer very stiff and difficult to wrap around the knee.  If you knead the gel material for a minute, then it softens up enough to wrap, but it doesn't really conform to the knee until it warms up after a several minutes, meaning you have to keep repositioning the straps and pulling it tighter to keep it on securely (no elastic to keep it tight).  Also, there is NO GEL along any of the long strips of velcro, so you lose a great deal of cooling area at those key locations (just above and just below the knee) where the swelling is the worst.  The one way to get around this is to take the upper and lower edges that contain gel and fold them underneath so they are tucked under the velcro sections that do not contain gel.  This allows for more uniform coverage, but also effectively reduces the size of the wrap.<br /><br />Unlike the Genie XL Pack, the FlexiKold Pack was very pliable straight out of the freezer and could easily conform to the knee with larger overall coverage.  It was also very easy to push extra gel into specific locations with the most swelling that needed more cooling.  The main issue with the FlexiKold Pack was that it has no straps, so it doesn't allow for much movement, and I also found that I needed to wrap it with something in order to keep it pressed against my leg.  With that and the fact that I had to change it more often because it didn't stay as cold, I ended up slightly preferring the Genie XL Pack over the FlexiKold Pack, until...<br /><br />After using it for about 3 weeks, the Genie XL Pack STARTED LEAKING GEL, so I had to return it (barely inside Amazon's 30-day return window).  Upon close inspection, I could see that the edges of it were poorly made and not sewn or reinforced in any way.  Now I am left with the FlexiKold, which is much more durable, with higher quality stitching around the edges for reinforcement.  It still lasts long enough for me at this stage (about an hour), and the fact that I have to wrap something around it (since it doesn't have straps) is actually no more annoying then the extra steps I had to do for the Genie XL (kneading, then folding in the edges, and constantly readjusting it as the gel warms).<br /><br />Even though it has some major design flaws, I still gave this Genie XL Pack 3 stars because it stays very cold for a long time, and also comes with straps for moving around that some of the better gel packs don't have.
Rating: 3 stars