Which muscle stimulator is better? Globus or Compex?

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Compex or Globus — which is the better muscle stimulator?

The answer is not simple!

It's similar to the situation with mobile phones. There are iPhones, which often don't do more than, say, Samsung or LG devices, yet they're more expensive. Apple has managed to position them as prestige products, and despite being overpriced relative to their performance, they still sell a lot. Then there are a number of up-and-coming manufacturers trying to carve out a piece of the market with good price/performance products.

This is the situation in the professional muscle stimulator market as well. There's Compex, the Swiss-American prestige brand, some of whose models cost three times as much as Globus products that offer the same handling quality and often many more features. Smaller but rising manufacturers include Powerdot, MTR+, and iTech. These are worth paying attention to.

Which manufacturer or which device will be best for you depends on your goals. What do you want to use it for, where and how, what do you know about stimulation, what condition are your muscles in, how much free time do you have, etc.?

IT'S NOT ENOUGH to just grab the first muscle stimulator that "catches your eye" off the shelf! You choose running shoes and a bicycle after careful consideration. A stimulator can shape your training and results for years — it's worth deciding thoughtfully here as well.

I only consider manufacturers that produce 4 channels devices, because only these are suitable for sports purposes. So that you can treat your entire abdominal or back muscle group at once, or both thighs simultaneously. With a smaller, 2 channels device you would need 3–4 hours of daily treatment — at least if you want to see an effect.

Let's look at general information about the manufacturers mentioned.

iTech muscle stimulators

The Italian iTech Medical muscle stimulators represent the "entry level" in sports muscle stimulation. It's similar to cameras: if you want to try photography but don't know how deep you'll go, you usually don't buy the expensive top model first. As you learn the device and feel its limits, you upgrade.

iTech muscle stimulators are suitable for gaining experience with muscle stimulation, feeling it out, and trying it. They are also appropriate if you're not a very active athlete and want to improve the condition of your muscles, prevent injuries, or treat minor strains and aches. iTech has their devices manufactured in China, which is visible in the materials used. The housing, cables and overall workmanship lag far behind Globus.

iTech machines are multifunctional, meaning they provide the most important muscle stimulation and pain relief programs, plus treatment programs for the most common sports injuries and conditions. Each device is 4 channels, so you can treat both thigh muscles or even your entire back at once.

The number of pre-made programs is average. The menu system is clear and well organized, but only available in the major languages — there is no Hungarian menu.

The cheaper models contain only preset programs that you cannot modify. If you want to use the device in a more "advanced" way, you cannot create your own treatment programs. Only the top model offers this possibility.

There is a "lie" in the T-One devices. Among the programs there's one labeled "microcurrent", which is actually simple deception. The lowest adjustable current is 1000 microamperes, i.e. not microcurrent but 1 milliampere. The effective range for microcurrent is between 200–800 microamperes. You can see the usual logic of some manufacturers here: "I lie that it's included, the buyer won't know exactly what it should be." One thing is certain: T-One devices do not provide effective microcurrent treatments.

iTech devices are overall suitable for "trying out". If you have more serious sports goals, or plan to use the device as a masseur or therapist, choose a device with greater capabilities.

Compex muscle stimulator

Swiss-American Compex is an internationally known and popular manufacturer of sports muscle stimulators; their devices are made in Tunisia.

When you open the box the first surprise is the "Chinese-like" plastic finish given the price. The workmanship here also falls short of Globus devices.

The devices provide excellent quality muscle stimulation, and their programs focus on performance and muscle development. The base devices only provide a single TENS pain relief program. Even higher-end models offer only 1–2 muscle recovery programs. None include injury prevention, rehabilitation, or injury treatment support. They do not provide anything specific for the typical injuries athletes suffer (even though this is one of the main areas of electrotherapy).

The most expensive flagship models include a few features other manufacturers don't offer. For example, wireless application, which is very useful for stimulation combined with training. There is also the muscle-intelligence sensor, which automatically sets the optimal impulses.

The number of treatment programs is very low: even the most advanced model costing nearly 400,000 HUF offers only 40 programs (the cheaper Globus devices offer several hundred).

Compex does not have a Hungarian menu. You can set English, German, French, Spanish, or Italian.

Their prices are higher than competitors', despite offering fewer features. Buy a Compex if the highest prestige is important to you or if you want to perform stimulation simultaneously with strength-training exercises.

Globus muscle stimulator

Globus sports muscle stimulators (Cycling Pro, Moto Pro, Runner Pro, Soccer Pro, Triathlon Pro and The Champion) have the best price/performance ratio on the market.

The Italian Globus devices represent the highest level of sports muscle stimulation, following a "conservative" manufacturer line. Globus makes no compromises and always prioritizes maximum treatment effectiveness.

Their devices provide significantly more features than other manufacturers' products, giving them the best price/performance ratio. The housing, cables and overall workmanship are by far the highest quality among the manufacturers mentioned.

Globus devices provide a "complete whole": they don't focus solely on muscle development like Compex, nor do they only cover the basics like iTech. Going beyond those, they offer treatments for every possible aspect of a given sport. For example, they provide treatments for all possible acute injuries, overload pains, and post-operative rehabilitation — areas the other manufacturers "don't deal with."

Globus provides hundreds of pre-made programs and, if you add the regional variations for body areas, the possible applications approach a thousand! With such a huge program offering it's easy to "get lost" and harder to navigate among the many options.

For those who don't speak many languages it's a great help that Globus devices speak Hungarian (among other languages) — something the other manufacturers' devices do not offer.

In addition to TENS and EMS impulses, Globus devices provide true microcurrent (MENS) treatments. This is one of the most effective treatment methods for injuries and chronic inflammations. Neither Compex nor iTech provides this in their devices (although iTech "claims" it, what they offer is not microcurrent).

I recommend Globus muscle stimulators if you have serious sports goals or you frequently suffer minor to major injuries that hinder your performance. You can make the most of these devices if you dive a little into the intricacies of muscle stimulation, because Globus gives you a complete electrotherapy "heavy weapon." Although each device provides hundreds of predefined programs — so it's enough to choose a treatment program — Globus also gives full access to modify programs, allowing you to optimize treatments for your own muscles.

Of course, all Globus sports muscle stimulators are 4 channels, so you can treat both thigh muscles or even your entire back at once. With their 2+2 programs you can run 2 different programs simultaneously, for example treating knee pain on one side while working on your shoulder.

Globus devices provide the maximum options to optimize your sports performance. It's especially worth choosing Globus if you're willing to learn more about stimulation and want to get as much as possible out of the device and your muscles.

In my opinion Globus muscle stimulators offer the best price/performance ratio.

Read my next article about muscle stimulation: The theoretical basics of muscle stimulation