iSTIM TENS EMS 4 Channel Rechargeable Combo Machine

Das TENS-Gerät ist einfach und effektiv. Nach meiner Knie-OP half es, Schmerzen zu lindern und Muskeln zu aktivieren.
1. 4 Batterien rein.
2. Kabel und Pads anschließen, Pads platzieren.
3. Strom an.
Frag vorher deinen Arzt. Programm P3 hilft mir sehr.
Das Gerät hat 16 Pads, die 10-15 Mal verwendet werden können. Batterien halten etwa zwei Wochen.

Usando i pulsanti CH 1-CH4 sopra per regolare l’intensità e i pulsanti freccia sotto per regolare il programma, il funzionamento è molto semplice. Il manuale è disponibile in varie lingue, tra cui EN, DE, FR, ES, IT. C’è una clip sul corpo che può essere fissata intorno alla vita. È grande circa quanto un telefono da 6 pollici ma piuttosto spesso, quindi potrebbe non stare in tasche più piccole.
Il lato negativo è che non può essere ricaricato; utilizza 4 batterie AA. La scatola contiene 4 batterie incluse, ma quando si esauriscono, sarà necessario acquistarne altre. Tuttavia, poiché viene fornito con molti adesivi, lo valuto comunque cinque stelle.

This device is extremely effective and worth every penny. Has many modes and settings, rechargeable battery, comes with a great guide on how and where to apply the electrodes. Great for anyone with chronic pain, athletes, or simply anyone that feels tense and has lack of mobility. Try it out but make sure you read the directions and manual as it has very important information.

GET THIS!!!
I’ve used tens machines before but this is the best one ever. I got this after spinal fusion surgery, to replace my old one that broke. It’s perfect! I have no cons, only pros.
IT IS VERY EASY TO USE! Just put the pads on according to the included chart, plug the cord in, and turn it on. Check with your Dr to make sure the settings you use are ok. I use it for pain relief and to help stop muscle spasms. I keep it on tens mode, program 1 all day. It really helps to reduce spasms frequency and intensity.

My mom and I both have muscular dystrophy and injuries to our backs from car accidents. I just had surgery to fuse my lumbar spine. She can’t do surgery due to other health issues, so I let her use this a few hours and she felt MUCH better.

This comes with a bunch of pads, but you can use them over& over so these will last a really long time.

The battery lasts forever. I use it a few hours daily, and it still keeps going for a good 2 weeks. When you do need a recharge, it goes fast. The case it comes with is ready to toss in my work bag. Cables are long, and is you do want something different they are easy to get at medical supply places or online.

TIPS: Make sure you have no creams or lotions on the pads or skin placement site. Keep at least 1 inch between pads. DO NOT LET THEM TOUCH! That hurts, and it can short out the machine.
When you remove the pads, don’t just pull the cable. Hold the pad and the cable firmly and peel it off. The adhesive is strong so it can be tough if you don’t have enough hand strength to cut a steak. Don’t let the sticky pads touch each other. Follow the pad chart… You have to put the red and black parts in the right spots, not too close & not to far apart. Put the pads on, and THEN plug them in& turn on the machine. It hurts like hell to try to move them with the machine on. During use make sure the whole pad lies flat on your skin. When they lift part way they sting pretty bad. Most important of all, start out slowly and show it to your Dr and/or physical therapist. Both can show you how to set this up safely.

The EMS part works differently, and you can actually pull a muscle if you do it for too strong or for longer than it tells you to. So be careful. You won’t get all ‘bulked and buff’ by using it lying on the sofa all day. But it will strengthen you enough so doing walking or PT exercises don’t hurt like crazy. You have to get up and move to get better.

Good luck and if you get this I’m sure you’ll be very happy!

I have herniated discs, stenosis, sciatica, etc, so TENS units have turned out to be a godsend, despite being a hassle getting wired up every day and dealing with itchy skin and rashes.

My old TENS 3000 unit is perfect, but I needed something with 4 ports. The 3000 is great because it’s tiny, completely analog, has a single 12v removable battery, and delivers a decent amount of power. I tried wire doublers to use 8 pads on 2-channels, but they didn’t work.

Ideally I wanted a 4-channel analog with at least 80 maH per channel, and removable batteries. Couldn’t find anything that fit the bill, but ChatGPT said the closest thing to my requirements was the EV-805.

Size reference
My biggest concern over the purchase was size. I couldn’t get a sense of reference from pictures. So in my pics here, I arranged the EV-805 alongside the TENS 3000, a scotch tape dispenser and computer mouse. Clearly, the 805 is significantly larger than the 3000, but it’s still very portable. This is because the height and width are pretty spot on with my iPhone 13 Pro (the regular sized one, not the Max). The depth is almost exactly two iPhones stacked together. I think it’s probably too thick for pockets, but it comes with a belt clip.

Next concern was power. The iStim EV-805 is probably the most powerful consumer TENS available.

Pros
-It puts out 100amH per channel against the 3000’s 80amH. While 100% intensity might be overkill for most people, I usually want a bit more than 100% after running it all day—but nonetheless, 100amH is the most you can get without a prescription, and most of the prescription devices max out at 100 maH, with a few exceptions that go beyond 130 maH. For moderate pain, I think people would typically max out at 35-50%.
-Many different manual and interesting pre-programmed settings let you dial in the right therapy. 24 pre-set programs; 5 TENS modes, and 3 EMS modes.
-Most of the settings I need are intuitive and straight forward, so a manual isn’t really necessary (provided that you have a basic familiarity with TENS settings and aren’t intimidated by technology). If you never used a TENS before, you could just keep the intensity low while you play around to feel the different settings. Not rocket science.
-The iStim electrodes are high quality pigtail types. I personally use both the pigtail and snap connector types. You can buy snap electrodes and wires on Amazon. The snaps have certain advantages… one of which is a greater variety of electrode sizes and shapes.
-Low battery indicator that I can’t figure out how to read
-Still “fairly” lightweight and portable. I connect mine to a backpack strap while riding a motorcycle
Comes with two placement instructions cards that show optimal electrode configurations for TENS and EMS applications
-Really good battery life between charges. I run mine morning through night at 60-100% on all four channels, and haven’t needed a recharge yet.
-a swinging safety cover prevents buttons from being accidentally pushed
-Big, easy-to-read digital display

Cons
-My biggest “issue” is that after setting something, it continues to blink in settings mode and I can’t figure out how to exit from it. The device works nonetheless, but I can’t figure out how or why the engineers made it this way. I tried all the buttons and depressed them for different lengths. There is nothing in the manual about this.
-Sometimes the unit will become unresponsive to button inputs after a session completes. This is actually by design according to the manual, because the unit will pause between sessions. In that period, you cannot change settings. To override the pause, just power off, and power back up. Honestly not a big deal as it takes 2 seconds, but again, not sure why they programmed it like this.
-While you can adjust intensity independently for each channel, you cannot independently program the modes pulse rate, width, and timer. In other words, apart from intensity (power) the same mode or settings apply to all 4 channels.
-The charging light isn’t color-blind friendly. The red and green are indistinguishable for me.
-The instruction manual is “meh” when you want to learn how, for example, to exit the settings.
-A unit this expensive should come with a travel case, as did my TENS 3000. Travel cases are important because you’ll want to keep your kit like spare electrodes, wires, and plastic electrode holders available. I recommend a great, inexpensive case I found below.

Pro tip
1. The 805 comes with a belt clip installed. If you are wearing clothes that you can’t clip it to (like sweat pants, robes, PJs, underwear, etc), or don’t want extra weight on your belt line, buy a cheap binocular neck strap. I loop the ends around each side of the clip (there’s a hole in the center that makes it possible (see the picture). Then you can safely walk around without fear of dropping it. Especially useful if you have a desk job, since a little wire snag as you get up can send the unit crashing to the floor. Also good for driving. I got mine on Amazon titled “Miesherk STOCK Adjustable Shoulder Strap: Replacement iPad Strap Nylon Neck Belt for iPad, Crossbody Bag, Binoculars.” You get two for under 10 bucks. Sturdy and comfortable.
2. Peeling off electrodes is a delicate process where you can easily strip off the gel when pulling the pad away from your skin. You should never tug on the pigtail wire, so removal always requires contacting the gel with your fingers unless you get electrodes with a pull-tab. I apply a square of kinesiology tape to the back of all my electrodes, so that there’s about 1/2” hanging over all four sides. Then I fold the sticky side of the tape onto itself by exactly half the overhang amount, leaving you with 1/4” grab handles. Sometimes I make the handles longer as it gives you greater leverage. This is especially useful for applying and removing electrodes on hard-to-reach areas of the mid back, like between the shoulder blades. The tabs will increase longevity of your electrodes, and you never need to touch the gel.

It took me hours to hunt down the right travel/storage case that wasn’t too big, so hopefully this will help: Get the “ sisma Tech Travel Organizer Small Electronic Accessories Carrying Bag for Cables Phone Chargers Power Cords Earbuds Adapter, Special Edition.” Perfect fit for the EV-805, along with all the gear you’ll need. Small case, and sharp in the Starlight Editikn color scheme.

I highly recommend the EV-805. 5 stars.