You may or may not know this, but I am kind of skeptical. Usually I don’t “buy into” things very easily. My approach is really more no-nonsense than anything – usually takes a bit of convincing before I’ll try a product and even then I have the feeling it won’t work.
It took me quite a while to start thinking seriously about compression. I know that when you read people’s testimonials they say they are giving their own opinion – but I’ve hardly seen anyone say a product is crap when they’ve received free goods or services to try. Am I saying people are lying? No, but I am saying *maybe* it’s not all true…
Anyway, *I* did not receive any free samples. I actually ordered the Tommie Copper knee sleeves to give compression a chance myself. My physio told me not to bother with any extra help, and I really wondered about this as I see people wearing braces and compression gear all the time. If those people are doing it, who advised them and more importantly why? There must be a good reason.
I wrote earlier that I was already impressed by the service I received. My package arrived fairly quickly from the US and luckily even on the day that I had a day off from work (last week Tuesday). I immediately tried it on because if it wasn’t the right size, I needed to arrange to send it back immediately. I wore it on my left (bad) knee for several hours. Already I noticed that when sitting for periods of time my knee didn’t hurt when I started to move again. The next day I wore it in the train on my commute. Usually after 1 hour and 15 minutes of sitting still my knee hurts pretty bad. In fact, I usually start to get up out of my seat and work the kinks out about 5 minutes before I arrive at my station. I have a lot of pain for about 10 – 30 minutes after that; walking through the train, going up and down stairs at the station, getting into the bus, getting out of the bus (a real doozy). Already though the first day on the train with the knee sleeve – NOTHING. No pain. No kinks. Even the stairs and getting on and off of the bus was fine. Amazing!
Since then I’ve been wearing at least the left sleeve. I hardly notice it as I’m wearing it. Saturday I was out all day with my family and I wore both. My legs and knees were much less tired than normal. The real test though was to come…
Sunday I went for a run and I knew I was going to go minimum 10KM. I slipped on the left sleeve, got dressed and eventually hit the pavement. I have to say it went really well! I hardly noticed my knee at all!! My only regret was not wearing both sleeves. There was a very clear distinction between left and right knees; my left TC knee was fine, my right non-TC knee definitely had some mild irritation/tiredness.
So there it is :) Would I recommend Tommie Copper compression gear? Yes, I would. Even without receiving any free stuff from them to try :)
Unfortunately I didn’t win the contest over at Running With Spatulas, but I would still consider buying from them again regardless.
Have you considered compression gear but just aren’t sure it works? What sort of compression gear would you try? Do you know what makes Tommie Copper special?
YAY!!! I am so excited you love them :D I love them too and just actually ordered the gloves for my mom for Christmas. They have a deal right now no shipping or handling if you purchase 2 or more items….
http://www.tommiecopper.tv
wow thanks for that link Ali! I hope others can take advantage of the sale right now!
Here’s my honest unbiased review of the Tommy Copper knee sleeve that will provide FACTS you need to know before buying:
(THIS IS WRITTEN BY SOMEONE WHO IS NOT IN ANY WAY AFFILIATED WITH THE COMPANY)
I bought the knee compression sleeve about 2-3 weeks ago to protect my knee from old injuries while exercising. It provides uniform compression and is very light weight similar to a stocking but slightly thicker. I have other leg supports that work just as well from companies like Ace, McDavid and Futuro. However they are bulkier and less comfortable.
Since I got the sleeve I’ve increased my cardio workout (bike & treadmill) by about 10% with virtually no sustained or serious pain. It does provide help with pain similar to most other knee support devices.
My major complaint is the price. By the time they add postage, handling, tax and who knows what else you are paying close to $33 for one sleeve. OUCH!!! What a rip off considering that the material seems cheap and very thin! Furthermore I have researched the use of copper and found it to be ineffective for arthritis, pain or inflammation. Not one independent study has conclusive evidence of the effectiveness (if any) of copper. Therefore I give the knee sleeve a 3.5 star rating out of 5.
It is way over priced (due to greed I presume) and copper (which actually has no effect) is being used to sell the product. In this respect the public is being scammed. In conclusion, Tommy Copper products may be helpful but so are many other products – at less than half the cost.
if you feel so strongly on this opinion of yours why be anonymous?
you are entitled to your opinion of course. Personally I don’t see the big deal about the price. For any sort of running or sports clothes in general the prices are a bit high anyway. So you choose what you spend your money on and if you think something is too expensive, don’t buy it. It’s simple. Why didn’t you return the sleeves if you were unhappy? They do offer your money back if returned within 30 days of purchase.
I always remain anonymous when posting because it is the sane thing to do on the internet. Furthermore it allows me to state my honest opinions without being attacked by unscrupulous people.
In regard to the price, I was annoyed that the true price was not made available until checkout. To jump from $24 to $33 for one stocking is a bit too much in my opinion. Nevertheless I decided to order it and I’m not unhappy that I did. I also went to Walgreen’s and
bought a similar sleeve for my right knee for less than $13 total (including tax)!
Last but not least I’d like to point out that the $13 knee sleeve works just as well as the $33 dollar one. You’re right when you said that these leg supports tend to be expensive. That’s why I posted my honest opinion.
Well funnily enough I couldn’t find anything here at like like what Tommie Copper sells so I have no problem with the price. Lucky you have a Walgreen’s.
Renee you come off as an angry idiot. Why do you care that someone posts annonomously? You must work for the rip off company.
Compression does the job, not “copper.”
Oh Christine, thank you so much for your value added comment!
seriously? why do you care to reply to a comment I made to an anonymous poster almost a year ago?
Compression is not the only thing that stops the pain here, the copper does do wonders, I have had compression stockings before and they never worked like this.
Tommie Copper is highly unprofessional and evasive. So far I have called twice (and you can never reach anyone on the telephone) so their voice prompt encourages you to leave a message (so I left two messages) and no one has called me back. I also mailed back my knee sleeve to them to get a refund because the sleeve does not work at all. When the post office attempted to deliver it the first time they couldn’t because they were informed “no one authorized to sign was available”. I operate my own company as well and there is always a staff member available to sign for packages, so what kind of operation is this that no one is available to sign for packages, and no one returns any phone calls (I left two messages). Also, in an attempt to reach someone I utilized the online contact form twice to no avail. If my refund is not received soon I will have to escalate this legally to the proper channels. Tommie Coppers refund policy states within 30 days they have to have the product back for the customer to receive a refund, however what they don’t tell you is that chances are they won’t return your phone call or emails until after the 30 days is up, so chances are you won’t get a refund. I will never purchase anything from Tommie Copper again, and will encourage everyone I know to do the same. Highly unprofessional.
Dawn, I’ve never personally had problems with Tommie Copper so I’m sorry to hear that you have.
I did actually pass your comment on to TC and I hope that you will get resolution soon.
I’m publishing your comment because I want everyone to know that while I am NOT TC customer service, I personally have had very good experiences with them but no company out there is perfect.
I also want to let others know, who are commenting with questions, I do NOT work for Tommie Copper and I also live in the Netherlands, so I don’t know where you can buy their products besides through the website.
There will always be some exception to the rules, every one of us can not get the same result, and that does not mean the product’s efficacy should be cast in a bad light.
I have a bad case of osteoarthritis in my right knee, when I first got the knee sleeve from Tommy Copper I thought “how can this delicate looking thing help me” It was amazing! I can almost walk normally now and I have been in severe pain for years. I take no pain pills because I am allergic to them, take wheat and sugar out of your diet and you will be helped even more. I do not work for this company but I would love to buy stock with them, if anyone knows how let me know. Thank you Paula Howard
How do I know what is the right size for my knee. They only say S-M-L-XL but no measurements to compare.
there is a place on their website where it indicates how to measure. if you go to any product, right above ADD TO CART is the sizing guideline.
http://www.tommiecopper.com/product/knee-compression-sleeve
Is anyone using other TC products? THEY WORK!
GREAT customer service. They have exchanged the 2 products I returned within 2 weeks each. I talked to them on phone and had a positive call.
Is it better to have half or whole gloves? I am not sure which works better.
(Stroke 8 yrs. ago, some things don’t work to well. Back pain,Tendonitis in the left hand and neuropathy in the right hand and occasional cramping of the toes).
I have the women’s shirt, half gloves, shorts, elbow sleeve and 2 ankle sleeves(I am going to exchange them for a pair of socks – figure they my be easier to take off and put on). I received my short sleeve shirt Jul 2013 and my back stopped hurting so I started water exercising again for the first time in a year.(:-) THEY WORK!
I have to agree, Tommy Coppers made it possible for me to walk again with a lot less pain in my knees. At first they looked so ordinary and I couldn’t imagine how this thin material could help me so much. What a surprise!
I’m planning on ordering next week . I will test it 4 2 weeks and give my review.
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I do not know why people waste their time attacking each other over a product life is the way it is what works for one might not work for the other, bodies experiences different degrees of pain and that is when a product can never work the same for everybody, otherwise when u go to a doctor everybody would get the same medications or the same kind of treatment, but its not as easy as that. I have not bought TC products yet but I am going to give it a try, like everything in life you try for good if it doesn’t work u keep trying for something better that is suitable for you until u find what works better for u. do not generalize that is why there is a huge selection for each taste.
Civility folks –civility .