At a Glance: Quick Ratings
Intensity Levels
Therapy Programs
Ease of Use
Battery Life
- 20 intensity levels ranging from 0 to 80mA
- 6 pain modes, two of which generate heat locally
- Intuitive controls and screen but average reach
- Rechargeable battery with AC adapter
Where To Get It
A Deep Dive Into The Omron Heat Pain Pro PM311
The Omron Heat Pain Pro is a best-seller TENS machine if we ever saw one. At first glance, it looks sleek yet basic which is why we wanted to find out what makes it a hot item. We’ve focused our attention on some key metrics and features such as customization, ease of use, battery life, and overall build quality.
Our tests showed surprising results because again, it doesn’t look like much, but it surely delivers. Seeing as it is a mid-range TENS unit, at least price-wise, we thought it’d be best to share our detailed findings so that you can see for yourself.
Video Review
Pros
Cons
The PM311 can be used by many people. It can be used by rehabilitating patients and people that suffer from chronic pain and conditions such as arthritis. But at the same time, it can also be a useful tool for physical therapists and chiropractors.
Product Info
Heat can do wonders for pain relief. You may not realize it because we’re wired to reach for ice packs and frozen vegetables when something hurts (Some prefer heat over cold in this regard, such as practitioners of Chinese medicine). The Omron PM311 offers a unique combination of TENS treatment and localized heat generation that enhances and speeds up pain relief treatment.
What’s Included?
Omron includes a lot of accessories in the PM311 packaging – two long-life pads with high-quality gel, replaceable battery, AC adapter, instruction manual, and for extra safety, there’s also a storage case for the pads that protects them from damage while also giving you quick access to them.
Overview of Features
The PM311 is very easy to use. It has a rather large display that shows current intensity, battery life, timer, therapy program, and pulsating mode. Due to its ease of use, you won’t need a doctor or therapist to make adjustments and use it on you, as you can do that on your own by following the detailed guide from the manufacturer.
But so far, this doesn’t seem like a unique TENS machine. So, what sets it apart and what gives it enough value to make it more enticing than other models? – One obvious reason would be the quality of thepads.
Unlike the ones that come with most similarly priced units, the Omron pads are of higher quality, allowing you to use them up to 150 times. The gel can also be used up to 30 times before it needs replacing.
When you’re setting the timer, you’ll notice that you can only program sessions up to 30 minutes. We find this a bit restrictive though no one’s stopping you from doing two sessions back to back. It’s just a quality of life feature that’s absent on the PM311.
The six pain modes and 20 intensity levels give you plenty of customization options. And, though the wires are a bit short, you can still just hang the unit off your clothes in order to target hard-to-reach places such as your upper back.
One more thing that we really enjoyed seeing was the rechargeable lithium battery. Many devices in this price range come with disposable batteries which can be both inconvenient and costly over time. The PM311 also comes with its own charger.
Review Summary
Taking everything into account, it becomes clearer why the PM311 is a hot item. Part of it is because of the two massage programs that also generate heat over the target area. Most of all, it’s because of the high degree of customization and overall efficiency.
While the suggested retail price may be slightly higher than other models that are equally powerful, we appreciate the lightweight yet durable build design, replaceable battery, ease of use, and unique application of heat that makes the pain go away a lot faster than usual.
