Equate Reusable Multi-Purpose Gel Bead Pack 4.5" x 7.75" for Hot or Cold Therapy

This is one of those simple things that just works. Heats up quickly and stays warm long enough to actually help with aches, and it also gets nice and cold in the freezer when you need it. I like that it's flexible so it molds to wherever you put it instead of being stiff and uncomfortable. Great for sore muscles, headaches, or just relaxing. For the price, it's definitely worth having on hand.

These came in really handy. I ordered 2 for myself but I have an 8 week old Pittie (Pitbull) well she is jet black and get really hot in the late afternoon, and evening so I started cooling her off with these, and yes she will just lay there and enjoy it! Recommend? Absolutely!

I've found this to be a very handy addition to our home. It is great for targeting specific areas that need hot or cold therapy. The gel beads are flexible, so the pack conforms well to wherever you need it. It's a reliable, multi-purpose tool that is easy to keep in the freezer or heat up quickly whenever someone in the house needs a bit of comfort.

Compared to similar pads, this one uses the gel beads which is OK except they sealed in too much air with the gel so it will expand more than it should when heated. I'm tempted to poke a pin hole in it to bleed off the air pocket. I also don't think much of the thick plastic box which may protect the pack in storage but it is not recyclable, has no recycling code. A positive feature is the felt like cover on one side to prevent frostbite and a clammy feel. The price could have been lower if this came in a cardboard box or a simple bag.

I bought this for my 90 year old mother. She uses heating pads to warm her bed before entering bed to sleep for the night, like the bedwarmer episode in Bewitched. Be advised, This gel pack is very small. If you are using it for just small localized injured areas on your body it probably would work fine. We weren't using it for that. On the second day that my mother had this gel pack, she must have placed in the microwave to heat it and it exploded in the microwave. I don't know how long she put it in the microwave for but obviously it was for too long. The pack must have expanded to the breaking point and then ... What a mess. Yeah, so I can't blame the gel pack entirely but I would strongly suggest that the manufacturers place a large warning label to NOT OVERHEAT THE GEL PACK! Since then, I made my own homemade heating pad from 100% cotton facecloths (folded over and sewn closed to create 6" X 6" large pockets to hold uncooked rice), 100% cotton thread, and uncooked rice. I placed three of those sealed rice pockets together (18" x 6") in a 100% cotton towel (sewn together like a pillow case), to create a large homemade heating pad with a removable, washable cover. It works great! It should last a lifetime too! I don't think you can pop uncooked rice in a microwave, so I think we're safe. Only time will tell. You can only use 100% cotton products, even the thread to sew it all together, to create your own homemade heating pad like mine as anything with any form of plastic has the potential to melt in the microwave.

I've bought several of these. Most are still in tact, but have had 2 come loose at seam and the gel beads ended up everywhere. My very 1st one purchased, I heated for 30 sec. and another 30 sec (to use as heat source at work in the cold) and it blew up like a balloon on the plastic part. I stopped it just at 28 of the 30 sec and kept it from blowing up in microwave. surprisingly I still have that 1, but is completely distorted now and only use it as a cold pack only now. works great as cold pack, but need to be very careful heating for hot pack. I use mine as hot/cold pack for sore muscles and temporary hand warmers at work. Don't recommend using to keep food for work cold, as it only stays cold (after putting in freezer all night) about 30min to 1hr with already cold or frozen food. When hot, can get very hot on plastic side. Only warm on the soft material side.

I was disappointed that these do not stay cold long. I was disappointed in their size (thought they would be larger). I was grateful that they “mold” to the injured body part. It was great that there were two of them as they don't stay cold long. Just not worth it!

these totally suck. i left in my freezer for 5 hours before using and they only stayed cool for like 10 minites not to mention the plush side they put on it makes it impossible to feel ANY coolness. i had to put the plastic part on my skin just to feel anything. these are a huge waste

After freezing this thing for 2 days it still wasn't what I would consider cold, and reached room temp like 5 minutes after use. You would be better off filling a sink with cold tap water which is free, colder, and would stay cold longer than this waste of money

I expected an ice pack. This doesn't get frozen. It was in my freezer and then i threw it in the deep freezer and it never became the consistency of an “ice” pack. And it reached room temp in a matter of minutes despite it being in a deep freezer for a week before use. While it's soft and conforms to the area you need it at, it just really isn't enough. You would be better off with ice in a ziplock bag.