If you workout like you should, you can look forward to sore muscles.
After all, no pain, no gain.
Fortunately, there are little devices out there that can help you get to muscle recovery quicker than simply waiting for your muscles to feel better.
The Powerdot 2.0 Muscle Stimulator is one these devices on the market and this review will help you decide if it’s worth your hard-earned money.
Keep reading to find out more.
Muscle Stimulation 101: What You Need to Know
When I first heard about muscle stimulation devices, I was slightly confused. After all, the last thing you want to do after a hard workout is stimulate your muscles even more.
However, after further research I discovered that there is more than one type of muscle stimulation device.
The first one is the standard electric muscle stimulation (EMS) device.
This device does exactly what you don’t want – give you more of a workout by contracting your muscles rapidly.
Don’t get this if you want something for muscle recovery.
It’s the second type of device that you want to pick up for muscle recovery. It’s called a transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulator.
I know that’s a mouthful, so just call it TENS for short.
Technically, a TENS is an EMS device, but it has a different function than the standard EMS device.
The difference between an EMS device and a TENS is that the TENS stimulates your muscles’ nerves without contracting your muscles.
The TENS essentially encourages your nerves to cease pain signals so you don’t feel as sore and you don’t feel sore as long as you would without the device.
It does this by sending electrical impulses through your skin directly to your nerves.
These impulses works one of two ways – either by blocking the transmission of pain signals or by encouraging your body to release endorphins which then masks the pain signals.
There are a lot of EMS devices on the market. It’s important that you pay attention to the type of EMS device you buy.
Spoiler alert: the Powerdot 2.0 Muscle Stimulator is a TENS device. I’ll tell you more about it in the next section.
At the time of writing, there was a great deal available. Click here to see if it’s still running…
The Powerdot 2.0 Muscle Stimulator
The Powerdot 2.0 Muscle Stimulator is one of the best TENS devices on the market. It’s an incredible, high-quality device that works extremely well.
Every part of the device was well-designed and I appreciate the fact that it doesn’t feel like one of those flimsy machines that might break down at any moment.
You can feel safe using the Powerdot 2.0 Muscle Stimulator because it’s been FDA-cleared. It’s lightweight and easy to use.
Plus, it connects with your smart device so you can control it with ease. It’s has everything you need from a TENS device.
Pros:
- Has a long battery life.
- Works with Apple as well as Android.
- Comes in two color choices.
- Uses the most comfortable waveform (more about this below).
Cons:
- Expensive compared to other brands.
- People have reported bugs with the app.
- Instructions/guidance is a bit lacking.
Features and Benefits of the Powerdot 2.0 Muscle Stimulator
Lightweight and Convenient
The Powerdot 2.0 Muscle Stimulator may be a heavy duty TENS device, but it’s small, lightweight, and can easily fit in a bag or even your pocket.
It’s nice to have a device to help you recover in the palm of your hand.
The device measures 7.36 x 6.5 x 2.8 inches and weights 14.11 ounces.
Since it’s battery-powered, you can take it anywhere you go.
A full battery will last from 8 to 12 hours. This is around three times the length of charge of the average TENS device on the market today.
The fact that it comes in two colors is also convenient. Sure, that’s not a lot of options but it’s more than most TENS manufacturers offer.
Plus, if multiple people in your household have a Powerdot 2.0 Muscle Stimulator, the colors can help you keep up with which one belongs to whomever.
Superior Build
It’s sad to think about this, but a lot of EMS devices are shabby.
Many of them are poorly designed, can barely hold a charge, are made of cheap materials, and have a laughable amount of hertz (Hz).
The more Hz the device has, the better is will be able to send out impulses.
You don’t have to worry about quality with the Powerdot 2.0 Muscle Stimulator . It’s made with high-quality materials and works very well.
It’s durable and, more importantly, you can feel the durability.
One of the biggest things that bothers me when it comes to EMS devices is that the pads aren’t sticky enough or that they’re too sticky which means they pull hairs when you remove them.
The manufacturers of the Powerdot 2.0 Muscle Stimulator got this one right. Their pads are the perfect amount of sticky so it stays put while you’re using it.
It also doesn’t pull hairs or hurt your skin when you remove it.
The pads are reusable and lasts for a long time. When they need to be replaced, you can easily order new ones from the company with no worries.
Great Technology
The build is great, but it’s what’s inside the Powerdot 2.0 Muscle Stimulator that makes all the difference. The device uses Symmetrical biphasic waveforms to produce the electrical impulses.
This waveform is considered to be the most comfortable. Of course, if you don’t know anything about waveforms, this may not mean much to you.
A waveform is essentially the pattern in which the electrical impulse flows to your muscles. I don’t want to turn this into a science lesson, so I won’t cover waveforms in their entirety.
All you need to know is that symmetrical biphasic waveforms is reported to have the least chance of causing a bad skin reaction than the other forms.
It’s also the best wavelength for small muscle groups.
One of the features that makes the Powerdot 2.0 Muscle Stimulator so great is the fact that it works along with an app.
It can connect with your smart device via Bluetooth, allowing you to control it wirelessly. This is a big reason that the Powerdot 2.0 Muscle Stimulator is so compact – you don’t need a large, handheld controller.
Click here to learn more about the Powerdot 2.0 Muscle Stimulator from the Official Website.
What Others are Saying About the Powerdot 2.0 Muscle Stimulator
Review #1 – Jerry R.
Powerdot 2.0
Total game changer. Setup is effortlessly, you just follow the app and your g2g. I’ve been been using the recover function for a while now and I totally recommend it. Specially for those on the go days that you won’t have time to actively recover. The machine is very portable too, you can dump it in you gym bag and take it with you. The battery also lasts forever. If you wanna take your training seriously that I would totally recommend.
Review #2 – Kristi W.
Love This!
The pads can be a little bit finicky to connect, but overall I love how easy this is to use. I contemplated purchasing this for nearly a month following a car accident and wish I would’ve bought it sooner. I primarily use it for athletic recovery, but I get so much more use out of this than I had anticipated. Highly recommend it. I wish the replacement pads were easier to buy.
Review #3 – Alex
Excellent Product!!!
Perfect for sore muscles and recovery. I would recommend the powerdot to anyone that lives an active lifestyle. It has helped my recovery immensely since I purchased it! Well worth the price for quality and use.
Powerdot 2.0 Muscle Stimulator Alternatives
There is no doubt that the Powerdot 2.0 Muscle Stimulator is one of the best on the market, but it’s a good idea to have other options to at least compare it to.
Below are three great alternatives to the Powerdot 2.0 Muscle Stimulator. Luckily they’re also a lot less expensive.
TENS 7000
The TENS 7000 a great budget option that can provide you with good pain relief. It’s not as powerful as the Powerdot 2.0, but it’s good for the occasional soreness from a hard workout.
It has four pads instead of the one or two that the Powerdot 2.0 has.
The whole system fits into a hard carry case so you can easily keep up with all the parts.
Although it’s nice to have the carry case, this one is a lot bigger than the Powerdot carry case. You won’t be able to put this one in your pocket.
This device runs on a 9-volt battery rather than being rechargeable through a USB connection. That’s to be expected on a budget device. It’s a fair trade for the price.
TENS 7000 | Powerdot 2.0 |
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AUVON Dual Channel TENS Unit Muscle Stimulator
The AUVON Dual Channel TENS Unit Muscle Stimulator is the most versatile device on the list because it comes with eight pads. Four of them are small, 2″ x 2″ squares.
The other four are 2″ x 4″ rectangles in case you need to target larger muscle groups.
The best feature about this device is that it is a dual-channel device.
That means you can set the first channel to a setting for one part of your body while the second channel can be set to something else for another part of your body.
It’s like having two devices in one.
The LCD display is impressive. It’s large, backlit, and has illustrations demonstrating the type of pulse each setting gives. The controller is easy to use and has a rechargeable battery.
Auvon TENS | Powerdot 2.0 |
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iReliev TENS + EMS System
If you want the most bang for your buck, the iReliev TENS + EMS Combination Unit is perfect for you. You can choose between recovery or exercise (contractions).
This eliminates the need for two devices.
The system is versatile in it’s settings. It has 14 modes and 25 intensity levels so you can customize either function to your perfect settings.
One hiccup is that it only goes up to 80mA so it’s not going to work for the most extreme needs. However, for basic, everyday use it’s a good choice.
There are a few minor areas where it’s lacking. It doesn’t come with a good, protective case.
It only has a small, drawstring carry bag. It runs from three AAA batteries so it’s not rechargeable.
These are only small hiccups; most people wouldn’t consider these hiccups as dealbreakers.
iRelieve TENS | Powerdot 2.0 |
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Final Thoughts on the Powerdot 2.0 Muscle Stimulator
There are plenty of TENS devices on the market, but if you’re going to get one, you should buy a high-quality device the first time around so you don’t have to keep buying it.
The Powerdot 2.0 Muscle Stimulator may be a bit pricey, but it beats out the competition in the quality department by a long shot.
Plus, with the benefits of Bluetooth connectivity, it’s modern and convenient.
The alternatives are decent choices if you really can’t dish out $200 on a TENS device.
I’ll admit that you will get a lower level of performance from these devices, but the important thing is that they work.
In any case, if you need more information about the Powerdot 2.0 Muscle Stimulator, or you’re ready to buy one, click here for more information.