Thermophore MaxHEAT Arthritis Moist Heat Pad, XL 14" x 27", 3 Heat Settings

The pad is gently warm in one minute, and reaches maximum heat within 3 to 5 minutes. With the pad laying on top the body it gets very warm, the pause and/or off button turns off heat at any point. The instructions say to not lay on the pad. When I tried laying my leg on top the pad, the captured heat was intensely uncomfortable. Curious how hot? > 1. I laid a candy thermometer between pad & body = 123 degrees. > 2. Pad wrapped around thermometer = 140 degrees. (Customer service says it can get up to 160 degrees if trapping heat by laying on it) > 3. Pad wrapped around thermometer, with blanket on top = 162 degrees. The pads moist heat penetrates tissue and joints which is very effective in giving remarkable relief. I purchased this to help with a knee injury and experienced improved mobility and less aches and pain starting from the first time of use. (Two 20 minute sessions) I felt the treatments alleviated soreness and jump started a healing process, because the area was still dramatically more limber the next day. OVERVIEW OF PRODUCT ~ > 1. The 100% cotton cover is specifically designed to absorb moisture from the atmosphere between uses and release the moisture during heat activation. The moisture is obviously present because skin or clothing becomes slightly damp. > 2. Auto Switch ~ Small red light stays continually on to show it's plugged in properly ~ Aids finding switch in the dark. Switch has a bar of four blinking lights ~ one bar per 5 minutes. A light becomes solid with each 5 minutes used. Automatically turns off in 20 minutes. (Much nicer to use then Thermophore's 'Classic switch' (in their red boxes) which must be continually held down to heat) There's no control of heat settings, such as high - med - low. And no way to have it stay on continually. I phoned customer service to ask them why the product is designed this way, they said ~ safety reasons. Because it gets very warm/hot to provide good therapy, as hot as 160 degrees if covered or laid on top of, it can be harmful to a person ~ burns. And dangerous ~ electric shock and/or fire. > 3. Large pad (14" x 27") is weighted construction so it drapes better over the body. Pad with cover weights 2.12 lb. > 4. Latex free ~ On the box it says "contains no chemicals". Instructions booklet under warnings says "This product contains chemicals which are known to the state of California to cause cancer, birth defects or other reproductive harm". > 5. Made in U.S.A. Two year warranty from date of purchase, but if don't have receipt, 3 year warranty from date of manufacturing. Costumer service says they don't use reconditioned products, all replacements are new. A sticker on the end of the box contains the 3 digit model #, the middle 4 numbers are the manufacturing date. The first two # stand for which of 52 weeks of the year ~ the last two stand for the year. So 5113 = Dec 2013. This is an outstanding product in both high end quality and effectiveness. Suggested ~ effective uses for this moist heat, heating pad ~ arthritis pain ~ back pain ~ fibromyalgia ~ TMJ ~ muscle spasms ~ chronic pain ~ and speeding the recovery of injury's. I found this #155 at out local medical supply store for $102.95 plus tax. I was delighted to purchase it on Amazon for less ($63.88 & free S&H)

My pain doctor recommended this to me years ago. More than recommended, actually; he insisted I get one and told me it was the only brand to consider. (He turned me on to their wearable heat pads, too.) Its ability to produce moist heat without adding anything damp is unrivaled. The older version required that the trigger be held down, but that's not the case with these newer ones, which time out on their own (a welcome improvement). If you want hot, this will do it! I rarely use the hottest setting as medium is plenty. I love the XL size, which is bigger than that of most other brands; it reaches from the top of my neck to about my waist. The only improvement I would like is for it to be longer still; another 4" would allow it to cover my whole back, and a foot would cover my butt, too (and I'm not very tall, so this would certainly be helpful to anyone taller). The pad is pliable so it can be rolled up, making it easy to store or take when traveling. A couple of bonuses are that the company is family run, and the Thermophore line is produced in the US. At first you may find the price offputting (I did), but I can tell you that with this product you get what you pay for, and it's worth every penny. The products carry a two-year warranty, but I've found they far outlive that. (If for some reason there is an issue, the company is very accommodating.) I've been using the Thermophore line for 25 years and highly recommend the products. You won't regret purchasing one.

UPDATE: PLEASE READ -- After the old rep refused to be helpful, a new rep took her place. She was extremel helpfy and replaced every one of the broken pads. After those broke too -- she reported it to the company. She then told me that they found the cause of the problem -- but for proprietary reasons, could not tell me what it was. She said the problem and been fixed -- sent me replacements again & 1 1/2 years later they are all working. !!Good, old Thermaphore is back!! These are by far the best pads ever. Soent one ot my 92 year old (extremely physically active) mom and she absolutely loves it. The new rep has posted comments on a number of negative reviews with how ot get in touch with her. Just check them out. I leave the below original post so readers can see the history. ******************************************** I had a 14 x 14 Thermophore with the manual handle for 7 years. Though the heating pad element was still working, the switch broke. It was the most wonderful moist heating pad. I have recurring back problems and cannot do without a heating pad. So I purchased a new one in November 8th, 2010 from Amazon directly 14 x 14 with manual switch. It worked fantastically and then started to heat up less and less. The pad stopped heating altogether on April 29 2011 -- ***6 months later***! On April 29, 2011, I purchased a 2nd replacement unit from an Amazon market place seller, Trend Marketing, 14 x 14, this time with the autoswitch. The pad stopped heating November 29 2011 - ****6 months later****. November 29, 2011 I purchased a 3rd replacement unit from a different Amazon Market Place Seller, Set 4 Baby, 14 x 14 with manual switch -- stopped heating May 22, 2012 -- ****6 months later****. Because my latest back problem is a facet disorder, I felt a larger unit would work better -- so I purchased the one here, my **4th** replacement unit in 18 months on May 22, 2012 - 14 x17 from the same Amazon Market Place Seller, Set 4 Baby, with the autoswitch -- the heating element in this one died in ****7 weeks!**** After the first replacement unit broke, **I called Battle Creek** because the item was well within the warranty period. The customer service rep said I had to send in the item at my expense, they would examine it and if they deemed it broken due a defect on their part, they would replace it but not reimburse my shipping expense which would be about 25% of the purchase price. Plus it would take 4-6 weeks for this whole process to conclude. I then read similar complaints on Amazon -- and noted that, for those who incurred the expense to send the unit in -- the company seemed to find one or another excuse as to why the company was not at fault: even though the purchaser had the item for much less than the warranty year, the purchaser was sold an item that was over three years old, another purchaser "misused" it (without explanations as to how), etc. I couldn't be without the pad -- so I decided this particular pad was a fluke because my last one lasted 7 years. That's why I bought a 3rd unit. So on May 22, 2012 I purchased a 3rd unit from the Amazon Market Place Seller Set 4 Baby, this time the 14 x 27 with autoswitch. I then noticed that very recently, on a lot of the complaints, a Customer Service rep would post saying they were sorry for the customer's bad experience and to call. So I called -- the Customer Service rep said she was new and taking over the customer service division. I went through my history of purchases -- she said that was just too awful and sent me 2 14 x 14 pads for free as replacements. A few weeks later, when I contacted her to purchase a replacement cover for the 14 x 17 that my assistant had inadvertently shrunk in the wash, she also offered to send me that for free as well. ********Customer Service at Battle Creek has definitely improved************ But---- And then I couldn't believe it but this new 14 x 17 pad stopped heating this evening July 7 -- only 7 weeks! after purchase. I have spent over $200 on heating pads form this company in 18 months -- all of which broke very soon after purchase. My original one lasted 7 years. I haven't used any of them in any different manner. I've written the service rep about this with a complete detailed summary as I have here. I begged her to take this to the head of manufacturing so they could see the problem. Clearly this company has changed the quality of their goods. Hopefully, they will see the error of their ways and figure out how to return to the earlier means of manufacturing.

I have chronic pain due to severe arthritis, you name a joint, it has arthritis. I also have fibromyalgia. This is my first electric heating pad. I have used smaller microwavable ones but not one like this. This heating pad is a lifesaver, it really help me with both the arthritis pain and the fibro muscle pain I have, I sometimes can get relief by taking a hot bath too, but it is not practical and possible to be taking hot baths all the time, so this heating pad is an excellent alternative. I got the large size as it can cover more body, I use it on my hips, legs, knees, ankles, back, shoulder, all over. I like the remote control, I personally think the temperature of the pad can get too hot for me if the pad is next to my skin, and don't forget you have to use the removable and washable slip cover too, so I use the pad on top of my clothes and the heat still penetrates deep and it is fantastic. On the remote control there's an on and off button, when turned on there is a 'green light' indicator which starts off with four small rectangle bars of lights, there is a twenty minute cycle and during this time the lights slowly decrease from four bars of light, to three bars of light, to two bars of light and then to one and then the pad switches off automatically, during this twenty minute cycle the heating pad temperature decreases slowly. IF during this time you feel that you do not want to wait out the 20 minute cycle and want it hotter again, then just press 'start' and it will resume back to the 4 bars of light and of course if you feel you have had enough before the 20 minute cycle, you just press the button off. I use this pad daily, especially in the evening when I am watching tv. My husband has used it too on his hip and lower back. Cold weather is sneaking up on us again and this heating pad helps my muscles and joints. I love this heating pad and it's the best money spent on a medical/health aid to help with my condition.

Manufacturer changed the shape of the largest one! I've used these since the 1980's & like them. First one lasted 15 years. Since then,the electrical cord breaks (malfunctions) by year 2. Most importantly though, they changed the size of the large unit. I have at least 6 of the wool covers in great shape from the pads that broke. Battle Creek for some reason made this longer and slimmer so the old covers no longer work for a back up when washing the one that came with this new 14x27" I am very thin & , 5 ft tall, but this model doesn't cover your entire back unless you put it on horizontally which means your have 6" hanging off each side of body wasting heat. Don't understand their thinking unless they want you to buy back up wool covers!

I have a very old version of the Thermophore I picked up at a garage sale for $5. I love it. I am have serious issues with my back that causes pain down my whole right leg. Heat helps it a lot. So I needed another heating pad. I tried others, then found out the Thermophore was still being made. I quickly ponied up the $70, and boy it's worth every penny of that. Pad has some heft without being too heavy like the weighted heating pad I tried and returned. It gets hot- like feels like getting burnt hot if on high and against your skin. But that's good. You can put on top of blanket instead of fussing to get it under- which is ideal if moving causes back / leg pain. Love the updated controls. Unlike my old version, this one has 3 heat sets with time making it easier to use. Old one has a switch you need to hold to have the pad work. New one is bit narrower but is longer which is handy. The old one is from 1970s and still works fine I'll definitely buy another if I needed it but most likely I'll have to put these in my will. They are that well made.

I really hoped to like this product more. It's a nice large size, soft to the touch, and heats quickly. However I should have read the other reviews more carefully because there are several problems I'm having that have led me to purchase another heating pad after only having this one a couple weeks. 1. It is heavy and floppy. It makes it so the pad wants to bunch and fold over, so when I placed it behind me it was difficult to get it to lie flat behind my back. 2. It gets unbearably hot. This is one of those instances in which reading the reviews closer would have helped me make a better decision since this seems to be a common concern with other customers. The heating pad has three settings, but the medium and high might as well not even exist because anything above low is intolerable. I like to adjust my temperature but my option here is high, lava flow, and hellfire inferno. 3. This is another feature that if I'd researched more I could have made a more informed decision. The shut off on this is less than a half hour. This drives me crazy! I turn it on and before I can even enjoy it it starts coming off. Once I realize that it's no longer giving off heat I have to click it off and then back on again. I don't mind an auto shut off, but 20 minutes is ridiculous in my opinion. 4. Lastly is something I had hoped would dissipate but it is one of the biggest deciding factors in my purchasing a new heating pad. This would be the smell. Since taking it out of the packaging there has been a persistent chemical like smell which gets worse whenever it heats up. I thought that it might be just because it was new but after repeated use the smell has stayed just as potent. It's repeatedly given me a headache and made using the product completely unpleasant. I wished that this had worked for me, especially considering the cost, but I've now purchased a large Veken heating pad and am really happy with it.

I have bought about five of these for people because they work so well. SO much better than dry heat. You do not need to add water. It draws moisture from the air. The length is long and covers a good part of your body. It stays on for about 25 minutes, which is a safety feature. I can't say enough about this heating pad. It is weighted and so comforting. I highly recommend it. You won't be sorry!

I know you see the price and wonder if it's worth it. Well, it is. It's heavyweight and well built and heats like no other. No short circuits or broken wires or buttons. Heat is the best cure for any pain and I sleep with this at the foot of my bed for chilly feet all year round. I also have a bad shoulder and when it flares up, this really helps so much. The cover is easily washable and the size of this beats all the competitors. I originally purchased through my chiropractor. There's also a low setting and it will auto shut off.

Muy buena, calienta bastante bien, estoy satisfecho con el producto

This is our 2nd large battle creek thermophore heating pad. The old one still going strongafter 12+years. The new one has a slightly lighter material cover which supposedly does moist heat. Heats up quickly and gets hot hot. The auto turn off at about 20 minutes is an important feature especially when grandkids are here. Highly recommend. Expensive but something durable, hot and safe for many years service.

Cumple con lo que esperaba

Muy bueno y súper útil. A mis pacientes les encantó.