****** - Verified Buyer
4.5
These are great for water therapy for severely arthritic knees. Four stars because they are a Little bulky for the walking part where they will catch each other, but being bow legged may be add to that problem.Interesting putting them on for the first time - feet raised up to the top of the water immediately ? but glad I got the “heavier” ones because it provides a great, challenging workoutI wore holes in 2 sets of Hydro-fit cuffs in 2 years before switching to these Water Gear cuffs, which I like better for multiple reasons:1. The "neoprene" shells are stitched tightly around the closed cell foam sections so the foam doesn't shift around and they rub less against both the skin and the foam. The "neoprene" itself is less abrasive than the ballistic nylon of Hydro-fit cuffs. 2. These cuffs use a combination of both a buckle & velcro closure system that works simply; buckle the strap, pull it snug and re-velcro it; You don't have to mess with the velcro again unless you want to readjust the fit (thus the velcro doesn't wear out fast like on hydro-cuffs). 3. The (red) large cuffs are slightly bulkier than the large hydro-fit cuffs,-giving both more buoyancy and more resistance for a stronger overall workout in deep-water. The (blue) medium cuffs provide less buoyancy, which then involves a somewhat different type of effortThese are very good aqua cuffs. I especially liked the easy Velcro fastening, and the strap that goes under your foot arch (to prevent it from sliding up your leg). Unfortunately, the large red (heavy) was way to big for me, and I didn’t see a small size offered.I've been using aqua cuffs for about 18 years. I started with non-neoprene and they did not last very long, chlorine destroys just like with suits. I then bought the blue neoprene. Neoprene lasts a lot longer. The last about 5 years I've been using the red, offers way more resistance, use about 3 to 6 times a week, The 1st thing to go on them is the velcro. I then used a hot glue gun to prolong use and didn't want to replace velcro with my sewing machine so just replaced them, I think this was my 3rd pair. I rinse them in the shower and let air dry in the back of my car. I would recommend for anyone wanting a great water workout.Really like these!!! I have both the blue and the red cuffs. First off, I'm working to slowly build leg muscles in the water the red is definitely not for beginning and for that fact I even have to take it easy with the blue. I have some lighter water cuffs that I think I'll stay with for maybe 2 weeks before moving to these blue cuffs. Excellent addition for a water work out. The straps are adjustable underneath the foot and across my ankle. I know one person commented that the cut into her ankle but I think some strap manipulation will address this problem.I highly recommend these to anyone working on muscle building in water. The resistance is there without the HEAVY pulling or drag of solid or sand (whatever the material) ankle weights.These are described as having "heavy resistance." I strongly disagree. While they were very well made, they were only slightly better than no resistance. I will be returning.softer fabric than the Hydrofoil brand which always irritated my skin. I think fabric will wear out in water faster than the canvas type fabric of hydrofit, but the upside is I don't have to wear socks like I did with hydrofit to prevent chafing. I wish they made these in slightly LESS resistance however because I would like a second pair I can do a class with and keep up with fast pacing of a teacher without cuffs on. I like the idea of straps with buckles and with velcro. My experience is purely velcro will wear out very fast so you need both... buckle to keep velcro from pulling off over and over, and velcro for extra security.These cuffs are easy to take on and off. They stay in place and add an element of difficulty and fun to my deep water exercise.I had been advised to buy the medium buoyancy cuffs (blue) because the high buoyancy (red) would be overwhelming for a beginner. This would probably be true if I were not 6 feet tall, and did not weigh 240 pounds. I have also spent years exercising in the deep end of the pool without cuffs. As it is, even though I am new to ankle floats, I find these to be a little tame. Other large people or people with experience in the deep end may want to keep this in mind when ordering.
