A recovery system is the most expensive piece of the QUINEAR range, and the one people research longest. Our five systems run from $169.99 to $699.99, and the price follows four numbers: how many air chambers each boot has, how much pressure the pump can reach, whether the boots need a socket, and which sizes they come in. This guide takes those numbers one at a time, with every QUINEAR system side by side, so you can match a pair of boots to the way you will actually use them.
A tennis player sits on a court bench beside the QUINEAR QN-071A carry bag.
If you are still deciding between full-leg boots and a smaller wrap for the foot and calf, start with our guide to choosing a leg wrap. If the boots are already in your hallway, the first-week guide covers settings, timing and care.
What a recovery system does during a session
Every QUINEAR system works the same way. Each boot is a long fabric sleeve divided into separate air chambers. A pump, either in a controller on a cable or built into the boot, fills those chambers with air through a hose, one after another, starting at the foot. When the top chamber has filled, the air is let out and the cycle starts again. You sit or lie down, zip in, choose a mode and a level, and the pump does the rest until the timer runs out.
A man rests on a dark gym floor in QUINEAR QN-132A cordless Bluetooth recovery sleeves.
The regulations that cover this kind of device give it a plain name. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration files air compression massagers under a single category and describes it this way:
A powered inflatable tube massager is a powered device intended for medical purposes, such as to relieve minor muscle aches and pains and to increase circulation. It simulates kneading and stroking of tissues with the hands by use of an inflatable pressure cuff.
That definition explains the design better than any brochure. The chambers are the "inflatable pressure cuff", and the order in which they fill is what the definition calls kneading and stroking. What changes between our boots is how many cuffs there are, how hard they squeeze, and how long the pump can run without a wall socket.
The QN-090A on a gym floor: four chambers per boot, the battery pump beside it and no cable to a socket.
The three modes
All of our recovery systems offer the same three modes, named on the controller as Sequence, Circulation, Combination. They change the order and the rhythm in which the chambers fill and let go, and the manual in the box shows the pattern of each. None of them is better in general. Try all three in your first week and keep the one you like, and on the QN-113A the pump remembers your last settings for you.
Our five recovery systems at a glance
Before the details, here is the whole line on one screen. Each column is one system. The rows hold the numbers that separate them: chambers, pressure, the number of steps between the lowest and the highest level, the timer, the power source and the sizes.
A man stretches on a gym mat in QUINEAR QN-113A cordless compression boots.
Three of the systems cover the whole leg up to the top of the thigh: the QN-071A, the QN-090A and the cordless pair, the QN-113A and the QN-132A. The QN-070A is the exception. It stops at the knee and covers the foot and the calf, so it costs less and comes in one size.
Every one of our full-leg boots fills at least four chambers per leg, from the foot to the top of the thigh. The Professional Cordless Recovery Boots QN-090A and Air Compression Recovery System QN-071A use four, and the Cordless Leg Recovery System QN-132A and Cordless Compression Boots QN-113A split the leg into five.
With four, each chamber has its own part of the leg: the foot, the lower calf, the upper calf and the thigh.
A couple on a sofa with a laptop, one of them in QUINEAR QN-073A 3-in-1 sleeves.
More chambers mean shorter sections. A five-chamber boot can fill the ankle and the knee area as separate steps, so the wave of pressure moves in smaller increments. Whether you feel that difference depends on your legs and on how high you set the pressure. What a fifth chamber does not do is add coverage: all four full-leg systems reach the top of the thigh.
Chamber 5
Chamber 4
Chamber 3
Chamber 2
Chamber 1
5 air chambers, filled one after another from the foot up
Switching chambers on and off
The QN-113A is the one system where each of the 5 chambers can be switched on or off from the touchscreen. That lets a session work only the calves after a run, or skip a chamber over a spot you would rather leave alone. The QN-090A offers a simpler version of the same idea: you can run the full leg or pick a single zone. The other systems always run every chamber.
The Leg Recovery System QN-070A has two zones, foot and calf, fed by a three-channel hose. It is a different tool: shorter boots that you zip over the lower leg in a few seconds, with the controller showing which zone is filling.
A man reclines on a sofa in QUINEAR QN-072A heated wraps with blue trim.
What do the mmHg numbers on a recovery boot mean?
mmHg is a unit of pressure, millimeters of mercury, the same unit a blood pressure cuff uses. On our boots it tells you how firmly the chambers squeeze at a given level: from 40 mmHg at the gentlest setting to 150 mmHg at the firmest across the five systems.
Pressure range of each QUINEAR system, on a scale from 0 to 200 mmHg.
The numbers matter in two ways. The bottom of the range tells you how gentle the first session can be. The Professional Cordless Recovery Boots QN-090A starts lowest, at 40 mmHg, which suits people who find compression intense at first. The top of the range tells you how much room you have to grow. The Air Compression Recovery System QN-071A tops out at 120 mmHg, while the cordless systems and the Professional Cordless Recovery Boots QN-090A reach 150.
A man reclines on a sofa in QUINEAR QN-072A heated wraps with green trim.
The number of levels decides how fine the steps are. Eight levels across 50 to 120 mmHg on the QN-071A means jumps of about 10 mmHg. Eleven levels across 50 to 150 on the QN-113A and QN-132A also means jumps of about 10. The QN-070A works differently: three bands, low, mid and high, each with three steps, from 60 up to 140 mmHg.
Whatever the boot can reach, the first sessions belong at the lowest level or one above it. Raise the level by one step at a time, once a session at the current level feels comfortable. The first-week guide has a day-by-day plan.
Pressure sensors
Three of our systems have built-in pressure sensors that adjust the fill to the size of your leg, so a slim calf and a muscular one feel the same level as the same squeeze. The QN-113A also shows live pressure on its screen. Sensors do not change the range. They keep a given level consistent from one leg to the next and from one session to the next.
A QN-132A pump up close: the screen and the buttons sit on the sleeve itself.
Battery or wall socket
Choose cordless if you want to stand up mid-session or use the boots away from a socket, and corded if the boots will live next to one couch. Three of our five systems run on a battery: Cordless Leg Recovery System QN-132A, Cordless Compression Boots QN-113A and Professional Cordless Recovery Boots QN-090A. The other two, Air Compression Recovery System QN-071A and Leg Recovery System QN-070A, plug into the wall through an adapter.
The cordless systems differ in how they get rid of the cable. The QN-132A puts a pump and a battery inside each sleeve. The two sleeves find each other over Bluetooth when you switch them on and inflate at the same moment, and there are no air hoses at all. The QN-113A and the QN-090A keep a separate battery pump connected to the boots by hoses, so the pump sits beside you on the floor or the couch.
Left: the QN-132A sleeves carry their own pumps. Right: the QN-113A touchscreen pump, which the hoses connect to.
Corded systems have their own logic. The Air Compression Recovery System QN-071A costs $299.99 against $399.99 for the cheapest cordless system, it never needs charging, and its controller always shows the same full power. If the boots will stay in one room, the cable costs you very little.
The corded QN-070A on a gym mat, with its controller at the end of the hose.
Taking the boots somewhere
Every system ships with a bag. The cordless pairs are the ones built for travel: the QN-132A has no loose hoses to pack, and the QN-090A and QN-113A put the pump and the boots into a single travel bag. A corded system travels too, but you need a socket at the hotel or the gym, and the controller and adapter add to the bag.
Picking a size by inseam and upper thigh
Four of our systems come in sized versions, and the charts use two measurements: your inseam, from the heel to the top of the inner thigh, and the circumference of the upper thigh at its widest point. Height is listed as a cross-check. If your numbers fall between two sizes, the inseam decides, because a boot that is too short stops below the top of the thigh.
A couple hands over the boxed QUINEAR QN-089A heated leg massager, with the bag, controller, adapter, manual and sleeves laid out below.
Size charts of the full-leg systems
System and size
Upper thigh
Inseam
Height
Cordless Leg Recovery System QN-132A, Small
up to 26.5 in
30 in
5'1" to 5'8"
Cordless Leg Recovery System QN-132A, Medium
up to 28.5 in
34 in
5'9" to 6'3"
Cordless Leg Recovery System QN-132A, Large
up to 31.5 in
36 in
6'4" to 6'8"
Cordless Compression Boots QN-113A, Small
up to 28.3 in
up to 28 in
5'1" to 5'7"
Cordless Compression Boots QN-113A, Medium
up to 29.5 in
up to 32.5 in
5'8" to 6'2"
Cordless Compression Boots QN-113A, Large
up to 32.2 in
up to 36 in
6'3" to 6'7"
Professional Cordless Recovery Boots QN-090A, Small
up to 26.5 in
up to 30 in
5'1" to 5'8"
Professional Cordless Recovery Boots QN-090A, Medium
up to 28.5 in
up to 34 in
5'9" to 6'3"
Professional Cordless Recovery Boots QN-090A, Large
up to 31.5 in
up to 36 in
6'4" to 6'8"
Air Compression Recovery System QN-071A, Small
up to 27.5 in
26 to 31 in
5'1" to 5'9"
Air Compression Recovery System QN-071A, Medium
up to 29 in
29 to 34 in
5'10" to 6'2"
Air Compression Recovery System QN-071A, Large
up to 32.5 in
34 to 36 in
6'3" to 6'6"
Read the chart of the system you are buying, not a general one. The four charts are close but not the same: a Medium in the QN-071A takes an upper thigh up to 29 inches, while a Medium in the QN-113A takes 29.5. The QN-090A is only sold in Medium. If your inseam is above 34 inches, look at the Large of the QN-071A, the QN-113A or the QN-132A.
QUINEAR Air Compression Recovery System QN-071A: size chart
Size
Upper thigh, in
Inseam, in
Height
Small
up to 27.5
26 to 31
5'1" to 5'9"
Medium
up to 29
29 to 34
5'10" to 6'2"
Large
up to 32.5
34 to 36
6'3" to 6'6"
Measure the inseam from your heel to the top of the inner thigh, and the upper thigh around its widest part. Every size chart
Stand with your back against a wall, shoes off.
Hold a soft tape at your heel and run it up the inside of the leg to the top of the inner thigh. That number is your inseam.
Wrap the tape around the widest part of the thigh, just below the hip, without pulling it tight.
Compare both numbers with the chart of the system you want, and let the inseam break a tie.
The Leg Recovery System QN-070A is the one-size exception. It opens to 22 inches around at the top and stands 18.5 inches tall, which fits most calves without a chart. Our size guide lists every chart and every fit in one place.
Timers, modes and controls
Every system ends its own session. What differs is how much choice the timer gives you, and how you set it.
QUINEAR BP101 sleeves on both legs on a white sofa, a laptop in the lap.
The corded QN-071A gives you three fixed lengths, 20, 25 or 30 minutes, which covers most evening sessions. The cordless systems open the range to an hour. The QN-090A sets time in 5-minute steps, the QN-113A has 10 presets, and the QN-132A has 8 settings between 15 and 60 minutes.
Longer is not the aim. The safety information for the QN-113A suggests 15 to 20 minutes a day, and the corded systems stop at 30 minutes. The long settings are there for days when you lie down for a while after a race, not for every evening.
A woman with a laptop sits on the floor in QUINEAR BP101 foot and calf sleeves.
Screens and buttons
The QN-071A uses a digital controller on a cable, with physical buttons. The QN-090A puts a touch screen on the battery pump. The QN-113A has a 3.5 inch touchscreen showing live pressure, and the QN-132A a touchscreen panel. The QN-070A comes with a handheld LED controller that shows the zone and the pressure. If you prefer buttons you can find without looking, the QN-071A suits you best.
The QN-090A on a gym floor, controller fixed to the boot.
What comes in the box
Every system ships complete: boots, a pump or controller, a way to power it and a bag. The exact list depends on the model.
2 massage sleeves, Portable controller, Air hose, Power supply, Carry bag and User manual
The QN-071A series also has a spare part of its own. If the quick-connect air hose ever gets lost or damaged, a replacement hose that fits all three sizes of the QN-071A is sold separately in our brand store.
Which QUINEAR system fits which week
Numbers make the choice easier, but your week decides it. A race at the end of a training block asks for something else than an evening on the couch or a shift on your feet.
A training block with a race at the end
You train most days and travel to the race. The QN-132A is the one we would pack: 5 chambers, 11 levels up to 150 mmHg, no hoses, and a battery that covers over a week of 15–30 minute daily sessions per charge. It is also the most expensive, at $699.99.
A man relaxes in an armchair in QUINEAR QN-021A foot and calf wraps.Start Your Session on AmazonQUINEAR Cordless Leg Recovery System QN-132A in Medium: $699.99. Our retail partner takes the order.
Sore calves, fresh thighs
After a long run your calves need the work and your thighs do not. The QN-113A lets you switch off the chambers you do not want, and its touchscreen shows the pressure live.
A low start
If you are new to compression or prefer a gentle squeeze, the QN-090A starts at 40 mmHg, the lowest first step in the line, and steps up in 12 levels.
Every evening on the same couch
The QN-071A has more buyer ratings than any other QUINEAR system: corded, four chambers, three sizes, $299.99.
Start Your Session on AmazonQUINEAR Air Compression Recovery System QN-071A in Medium: $299.99. Our retail partner takes the order.
Feet and calves after a shift
If you stand all day and your thighs are fine, the QN-070A covers the foot and calf for $169.99, zips on in seconds and reaches 140 mmHg.
Lay the five systems out by price and each step adds one clear thing. Knowing what each step buys makes it easier to stop at the right one.
From the QN-070A to the QN-071A: the thighs and a size
The QN-070A at $169.99 covers the foot and the calf. Moving to the QN-071A at $299.99 adds the upper calf and the thigh, four chambers in place of two zones, and a choice of Small, Medium or Large. You give up the zippers of the shorter boot and the top of its pressure range, 140 mmHg against 120.
A woman in a white armchair wearing QUINEAR QN-021A wraps with the heat on.
From the QN-071A to the QN-090A: the battery and a lower floor
The QN-090A at $399.99 keeps four chambers and adds a 2500 mAh battery pump, so the socket is no longer part of the session. It also widens the pressure range at both ends, from 40 to 150 mmHg in 12 levels, and the timer runs up to an hour in 5-minute steps. The catch is the size: it comes in Medium only.
Start Your Session on AmazonQUINEAR Professional Cordless Recovery Boots QN-090A in Medium: $399.99. Our retail partner takes the order.
From the QN-090A to the QN-113A: a fifth chamber and zone control
The QN-113A at $499.99 adds a fifth chamber, lets you switch each chamber on or off, and replaces the small screen with a 3.5 inch touchscreen that shows live pressure. It also comes in Large, for an inseam up to 36 inches.
From the QN-113A to the QN-132A: no hoses and a Small
The QN-132A at $699.99 moves the pumps into the sleeves, pairs them over Bluetooth and drops the hoses. It is the only cordless system sold in Small, and its battery covers over a week of 15–30 minute daily sessions per charge. If you already know you will use the boots at home on one couch, the hoses and the cable of the cheaper systems cost you little, and this step is the easiest one to skip.
A man on a sofa gives a thumbs up in QUINEAR cordless calf wraps.
Pumps inside the sleeves, Bluetooth, no hoses, a Small
Buying for someone else, and charging
Recovery boots are a common gift, and the size is the part that goes wrong. If you cannot measure the person, height is your fallback: every chart lists a height range for each size. Someone between 5 feet 10 inches and 6 feet 2 inches falls in the Medium of all four of our charts, and someone taller in the Large. If the person is tall and you are unsure, the Large of the QN-071A covers an inseam of 34 to 36 inches.
A boxed QN-132A on a gym floor: two sleeves, a charger and a duffel bag.
The one-size QN-070A avoids the question entirely, and so do our foot and calf wraps, which close with straps or zippers. Our guide to the wraps lists the largest calf each one closes around.
If you choose a cordless pair, a few charging habits keep it ready. The QN-132A sleeves should be charged fully before the first session. The safety notes for the QN-113A ask you to charge it on a flat, stable surface. The QN-090A pump recharges from its power adapter, and it is worth topping it up after a long session rather than waiting for it to run flat. None of the three needs to be plugged in while you use it.
A man on a sofa in QUINEAR cordless calf wraps without heat.
What buyers say after months of use
Reviews from our buyers repeat a few points. Gym regulars use the boots after leg day, frequent travelers like how they pack, and the cordless pairs win praise for being easy to set up anywhere. The complaints we have seen are about a unit that arrived broken and about pressure that weakened after a year of daily use.
Absolutely love this product. It's so much more portable and travel friendly that most other compression products out on the market. Quality compares and exceeds other products in this category with much higher price points. Purchasing my third set (need a variety of sizes). Easy to set up, use and store (thanks for the easy travel bag- which is included)!
I recently started going to the gym a few times a week so when I saw these recovery boots, I thought they would be good way to recover faster when I have a leg day. I usually push my legs pretty hard through a variety of machines and they are sore the next day. I think that proves the exercise is working however I didn't want to always be sore.The boots come in a nice bag with everything you need including a charger and cables and in my case came fully charged. They zip on easily and feel comfortable and cover my legs (I'm 6 feet). The main draw is for me that they are wireless, they can communicate and work together without any wires that need to be connected together or to power.The noise is tolerable and not silent but you can certainly watch TV or work on a computer at the same time without being disturbed. The pressure is not too much and it somehow knows what to do, so you just have to let it work, you can choose from a timer and 11 programs right from the box on the boots.The question is of course if it works and it certainly does for me, my legs feel so much better the next day after using the boots. I used it an hour or two after an exercise session and have noticed that I am not as sore and have less pain.They are made of some type of nylon and very strong so I'm sure they will last a long time, they are very durable which contributes to their higher cost. I do think the value is here if you want to take your exercise to the next level, it helps me be ready to push my limits and really work out my legs the next leg day.
Recovery boots squeeze. That is all they do, and it is worth being clear about what that leaves out.
The pink QUINEAR hand massager on one hand at a laptop by candlelight.
No heat. None of our five systems has a heating element. If warmth matters to you, look at the heated 3-in-1QN-073A set, which warms the foot, calf and thigh.
No massage of the back, arms or hands. The boots are built for legs. For the hand, there is a separate cordless hand massager.
No replacement for moving. The CDC's advice for adults is about activity, and a session in the boots is time sitting still.
No medical treatment. The boots are massage devices. If you have a health condition, ask a doctor before you start.
Adults need at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity physical activity a week, such as 30 minutes a day, 5 days a week.
Low is not zero. Our product safety notes list who should check with a doctor first. For the QN-113A, for example, they say not to use it with a blood clot, heart disease or during pregnancy, and to talk to a doctor before use. Read the notes on the page of the system you choose, and the manual in the box.
A QN-071A session in bed with a laptop: the boots on both legs, the controller close at hand.
A short list before you order
Measure your inseam and upper thigh, and check the chart of the system you want.
Decide whether the boots will stay by one socket or travel.
Look at the lowest pressure level if you want a gentle start, and the highest if you want room to grow.
Decide whether you need to switch chambers off (QN-113A) or run one zone (QN-090A).
Read the safety notes on the product page.
The QUINEAR heated knee wrap on a seated knee, the heat pad glowing.
