Review (1/5): Comparison with two other brands
Have no fear, I’m here with my Consumer Reports /
Wirecutter-style analysis.
Most importantly, these burst on my second use from the freezer. They don’t stay cold long enough. They don’t get into your eye socket unless you have an enormous eye socket. But if you apply even slight pressure while frozen, they burst. Otherwise, they just touch the highest part of your eyelids and that’s it, so they don’t get into the corners or anywhere between the highest part and the corners. The edges were not sharp. I bought for use after eyelid surgery and was concerned about that. While the edges aren’t soft, they didn’t cut or scratch me. I don’t recommend these unless the only thing you care about is how fun they look. If you do try them, put a damp paper towel between them and your eyes if you use an eye mask on top to hold them down.
Comparing them to ASIN B07RW4S11P, blue ones that have more of an eye shape. I actually liked how the CALA ones felt more than the blue ones, something a bit more plump and soft about the CALA ones. The blue ones had empty space for the inner gel to freeze and move around a bit, so they still haven’t burst despite pressure. I think it’s the plumpness of the CALA ones that makes them susceptible to bursting. The blue ones are also larger than the CALA ones so they reach all the way out to the corners of your eyes and up to your eyebrows. Because there is a bit of empty space, you can put an eye mask on top to hold these down, they won’t burst. I used the Bausch & Lomb Therapearl mask but you can also use an airline eye mask or the like. A silk one if you’re fancy. The problem with the blue ones is that they also don’t stay cold long enough.
I also compared these with the Retherm packs. Those come in a set of four with an eye mask. They get tucked inside the eye mask. I like the size but the eye mask material is too thick so I don’t feel the cold enough. I have yet to try them under the therapearl eye mask.
The Bausch & Lomb therapearl eye mask itself is the best experience of all of these but it also doesn’t stay cold long enough and it’s not large enough.
Conclusion: In this age of advanced technology, I can’t believe that the best choice is still a bag of peas. I recommend petite peas, divided into ziploc bags containing 1/2 to 3/4 cup of peas. You can adjust the amount based on the coverage you need. Place a damp paper towel between your eyes and the ziplocs, especially if you’ve had surgery. If you can, put a loose eye mask on top, otherwise the bags will constantly slide around.