Is Epic Extender Pro better than the Total Man Extender?
This is the closest comparison on our site, so here is the honest version. Total Man build a properly engineered extender and their support is genuinely good. Epic Pro is ahead on four things: a tension number on the device instead of a band count, no $49 scale to buy, an app that logs every session, and one adjustable pair of rods instead of twenty loose ones. They are ahead on price, on travel range, and on a published two year warranty.
How does the Total Man extender measure tension?
It does not. Tension comes from how many rubber bands you fit, and their guide puts four bands at roughly 1 to 2 kg and ten at roughly 3 to 4 kg. If you want a real figure they sell Traction Scales for $49, a digital hanging scale reading 0 to 50 kg at 5 g precision in kg, lb or oz. It is a good scale. It is also an extra purchase, it needs two AAA batteries you supply, and you have to hook it up rather than glance at it.
What is their 100mm travel length argument?
It is a good one, and we will say so. Their case is that most extenders give around 25mm of travel, and when the device runs out of travel while you sit or bend, the force spikes instead of staying where you set it. Theirs keeps a 100mm buffer so the tension moves less than you do. If that engineering matters most to you, it is a genuine point in their favour and it is one of the reasons this comparison is close.
What is in the $139 Total Man kit?
A lot, and it is fair to say so: the frame, base ring, elastic tension system, 20 rods across three lengths, aluminium adapters and collars, an Allen key, 30 tension bands, three silicone sleeves, five vacuum chambers, valves, clips and end caps, micropore tape, spandex sleeves, an accordion pump, a silicone hose and a measuring ruler. The Epic Pro kit is simpler on purpose: the device, five cups, four sleeves, tape, the pump handle and the straps.
Can I return a Total Man extender?
Their general policy states that due to the nature of the product they do not accept returns, with replacements or refunds for defective items. They do run a 60 Day Satisfaction Money Back Guarantee, but it is conditional: you send the product back and email a written explanation with photographs of their product and the rival product, making the case that theirs is not superior. Their own page says the conditions exist so people cannot simply change their mind. Epic comes with a 180-day money back guarantee.
What about their triple money back guarantee?
That is a testimonial reward, not a return. If you buy one of their packages, follow the programme and then supply a written, audio or video testimonial with before and after images, they will pay you back 3, 4 or 5 times what you spent, subject to a quality check. You keep the products. It is a real offer and an unusual one, but it is a marketing scheme rather than a way to get your money back if the device is not for you.
Who has the better warranty?
They do, on paper. Total Man publish a two year replacement warranty on the extender frame and on their vacuum chambers. We replace a damaged or faulty unit free, and buyers describe exactly that happening in their reviews. Where we are ahead is the guarantee that covers you changing your mind, which is 180 days against their conditional 60.
Does anything on the Epic Pro wear out?
The silicone sleeves do. On a regular routine of an hour or more a day, expect to swap them about once a month, often longer, and replacements are cheap. Everything else, the cup, the rods, the base and the display, you keep. Total Man have their own running costs: rubber bands, valves, o-rings and TPE end caps, all of which they list as spares.
Why is the Epic Pro more expensive?
$139 for their kit against $379 for the Pro. The extra buys the digital tension display, the Bluetooth app and video course, and a device that is finished rather than assembled. If you want the Epic build without the screen, the Epic Extender Full Set is $259, the Best Extender V5.0 is $256 and the All Day Stretcher is $199, and they carry the same cups, the same course, the same support and the same 180-day guarantee.
How long should I wear an extender each day?
Start at 30 minutes a day on low tension for the first week, then build gradually towards 1 to 4 hours. Stop immediately if you feel numbness, pain or a colour change. Traction works through consistency over months, not through pulling harder, which is exactly why knowing your real tension number matters so much.