Both units have an impeccable quality track records since they are manufactured by Breg and come with a 6 month warranty on the units themselves. Both units have the same water and ice capacity and the same water filters
Each unit has the ability to delivery cold therapy for about 6-8 hours based on its powerful yet quiet motors that circulate cooled water throughout the pads. With six different pad options (shoulder, hip, knee, ankle, back and universal) you are nicely set up for a great recovery experience.
The Wave and Cube will weigh 4.0 lbs when empty and 14.5 lbs when filled with water and ice.
The two main differences between the Breg Polar Care Wave and the Breg Polar Care Cube are: Compression with the Wave (Cube does not offer compression) and customization with the wave unit (Cube simply has an on-off switch). Those are the mechanical differences. The other differences is the price difference around $150 difference.
Here is a great article about the benefits of compression in your cold therapy treatment: Top Benefits of Cold Compression in 2022
The Breg Polar Care Cube unit is probably the most used hospital ice machine on the market.
The Cube has many less bells and whistles but that also allows it to have less things that can go wrong with it. The last thing you want is to have your cold therapy stopped during your post op recovery.
The Breg Polar Care Wave is the 3rd generation in cold therapy machines (the Wave and Game Ready are in the same class). Essentially, this means you can control two factors within your cold therapy regiment: how cold it gets and the amount of compression.
The Breg Polar Care cube is simply plugged into the wall and you receive the cold therapy temperature that the ice provides.
The instructions for use for the Breg Polar Care Wave has a unique suggestion: reusable ice bags. These are recommended so that the frequency of the trips to your freezer are lessened. Many ice makers in the US cannot keep up with folks who want to use cold therapy 6+ hours a day (not recommended by the way). So if you purchase several bags you can freeze four at a time in the freezer while you use the other four.
As you can see from the picture below, there is a major difference between the connectors that attach from the pad to the cold therapy ice machine.
If you are borrowing a unit from a friend or renting a Breg Wave or Cube, please be sure to closely examine the connectors.
Breg Polar Care Wave Replacement Pads vs Breg Polar Care Cube Replacement Pads
If you are looking for a best-in-class cold therapy treatment that is physical therapy level quality, then the Breg Polar Care Wave is your go to unit. If you are looking for a utilitarian "get the job done" model, then the Breg Polar Care Cube is probably a great option for you.
If you are looking for the absolute, pro sport quality, checkout the specs on the Game Ready Cold Therapy Machine.
Read on for more content related to cold therapy and injury prevention / recovery:
Best Cold Therapy Machines for Knee Pain Relief
Top Benefits of Cold Compression
