Hyperice
Wearable

Hyperice Venom Back review

It’s got your back

₹ 19,000

Hyperice’s list of products available in India is steadily growing. Every part of your body can be taken care of with its long list of percussion, heat, contrast and cold/air compression devices. Adding to that long list is another practical device that not only flirts with pro-athletes, but also can be taken to bed by anyone who is struggling with a mid-life crisis. In short, the Hyperice Venom Back is for your back. It applies heat and vibration in varying degrees to relax the muscles that keep your noggin upright.

 

Design

Heat belts are not new but it’s commendable how thoughtfully the Venom Back is designed. There are no cables dangling from the sides nor will you find a power cord to run the thing. The Hyperice Venom Back cuts the cord and more importantly, it is monkey-easy to wear. Almost 70% of the belt is made from neoprene (synthetic rubber) which is stretchy and wraps around most waist sizes. If you’re rocking a dad bod, the Venom Back has got your back, but you might want to go easy on the beers if it doesn’t.

According to Hyperice, the Venom Back can run for about three hours on a full charge. We don’t doubt those claims, but it would’ve been nicer to have a fast charge here since a single-use can be anywhere between 10 to 20 mins.

The round and chunky block on the belt is where the charging port sits, along with all the controls for the Venom Back. There’s a touch-sensitive panel which lets you start, stop and control the three levels of heat and the three types of vibration.

Performance

The Hyperice Venom Back is quite unlike your ₹1K supermarket heat belts. It’s intelligent enough to not toast your back. The Venom Back has a set duration for which it runs (around 10-15 mins) after which it shuts down automatically. It also takes a break from roasting your back by turning off the heat. So even if you want a steady supply of warm and tantalising vibrations on your back, too much of it is also not good. At least in steady supply. In a single session with the belt, the Venom Back will pause the heat bit every now and then and only supply vibration for about a minute or so before kicking in the toasty feeling again. This lets the thing run optimally and also not tandoor your delicate skin.

The three levels of heat are 1 (55℃), 2 (63℃) and 3 (72℃). Meanwhile, the three types of vibrations are Wave, Pulse and Constant. You can choose to have only vibration and none of the heat or all of the heat and none of the vibration. It’s all simple and intuitive from the touch-sensitive panel. The panel also auto-locks the touch so you can wear the belt and go about your day without worrying about accidentally touching it. There’s a tiny button on the side to enable/disable the touch panel and also a power button on the bottom of the round block.

A single session is good for relaxing your lower back muscles. Especially if you’re training in the gym or you’re hitting an age where your bones crack faster than beer cans. Office crowd and gamers like us will also appreciate the portability of the Venom Back. Although the steep price gives us heartaches as much as we have backaches. But hey, at least there’s a device to solve one problem, right?

Verdict

You’re definitely paying the Hyperice tax here for the Venom Back but in exchange for your hard-earned money, the Venom Back is practical, portable and premium. The materials used are soft and premium. The whole thing is as easy as wearing a back support belt and going about your day all the while getting a decent heat and vibration therapy. 

It won’t do miracles for your back instantaneously, but for the times when the deadlift does a number on your back or maybe the office chair really squeezed the house rent out of you, that’s where the Venom Back will bless you with a relaxing session.

Stuff Says

For office life or gym, the Venom Back could easily be a household staple
Good stuff
Bad stuff
  1. Premium fabric and material

  1. Slightly stretchy to fit all body shapes

  1. Portable and easy to use

  1. Manages thermals without roasting your back

  1. Very pricey

  1. Old folks might need help with the touch interface

Specifications
Weight: 0.9kgs
Size: 44 x 10 in
Vibration: 3 levels of vibration
Battery Life: Up to 3 hours on a full charge
Nanotechnology Heat: Level 1, 130F (55C) / Level 2, 145F
Digital Touch Screen: Allows you to customize the temperature, vibration pattern, and time
TSA Approved: Approved by TSA for carry-on