I purchased 3 different types of these to use primarily for the treatment of migraine headaches and for recurrent neck pain. The Chattanooga Colpac, the Patterson Medical Cold Pacs Neck Contour, 23 (58cm) long and Hot and Cold Comfort Packs (Cervical Neck 6x 20).Of the 3, the Chattanooga looks exactly like the cold pack I have seen used in physical therapy clinics. It is heavy, soft vinyl and filled a nice amount of gel to ensure it stays cold for a reasonable amount of time, remains moldable and is comfortable to use. It gets the coldest of the 3 and stays the coldest the longest (at least 45 minutes). It did get a small amount of frost on the outside but not enough to be a problem and can be easily wiped clean after use. The edges of the pack aren't as soft as the Tru-Care pack but when covered with a towel or cover as advised to do when using to protect the skin they are not uncomfortable. The Hot and Cold Pack by Tru-Care has a soft cover & a decent amount of gel which make it comfortable to use but it doesn't get very cold or stay that way for very long (less than 25 minutes). Its cover is also not as easy to clean as the others. The Patterson Medical Cold Pack is covered in plain vinyl like the Chattanooga but it is thinner as it doesn't have as much gel in it as the the other 2 and its edges are the most noticeably hard of the 3. It freezes quite ridged in shape making it necessary for you to wait until it warms enough to be shaped around the body. It also did frost a lot more than the other 2 packs but it can also be wiped clean easily. It seems as cold as the Chattanooga initially but it didn't remain as cold as long (plus the need to wait until you can shape it), though it did stay cold longer than the Tru-Care pack.All 3 will wrap fully around the neck of an average and can be used point up or point down to cover more of the back of the head or upper shoulder area. They all can also be used to wrap around knees, ankles, elbows, wrists, shoulders as well as used to lay flat against other areas of the body making them great to have around for all sorts of needs. While I say this, please note that there are not velcro or other straps on any of the cold packs to secure them in place when wrapped around a part of the body. Since the packs are not supposed to directly contact the skin you would need to do this with whatever covering you choose to use.Pricing-wise, they are similar: $16.50 for the Tru-Care, $18.99 for the Chattanooga and $21.68 for the Patterson.As for longevity, I have only just purchased them but the Chattanooga seems to be the most durable of the 3. The Patterson model has the potential to be a long use product but its thin composition and rigidness when frozen make it seem more likely to crack with repeated use.If you are looking for a cold pack of that matches the quality you would see in a medical offices, gets cold and stays cold for a therapeutic time, is easy to clean, comfortable to use and should last through multiple uses, I would choose the Chattanooga.
Rating:
[5 of 5 Stars!]