The Enraf Nonius 811 is a portable radial shockwave machine often referred to as a soft shock device.
Great machine, light and very portable, lots of power, easy to use, highly recommended.
The Enraf Nonius 811 comes supplied in an aluminium case with overall dimensions of:
Length: 62.5cm (24.5inches)
Height: 39.5cm (15.5inches)
Depth: 21cm (8.25inches)
In total the machine weighs 11.9kgs (26.2lbs)
The case is made of aluminium and is very solidly constructed. It is a highly finished case and this does mean it is slippery when placed down. In the car it will slide around in the boot and even on the back seats. It is very easily scratched (just see the case in our videos) but does a very good job of protecting the contents. The case closes with 2 latches on the front and locks – it is supplied with 2 keys. The handle is not a small handle at 9cm (3.5inches) in circumference (a standard dumbell is a 9cm grip). The handle is large for smaller hands.
The case is larger than a carry on bag and about double the size of a medium backpack. The case offers great protection to the machine and should withstand most impacts (it certainly did well as the machine slid from side to side in the boot of my car).
Our full review video can be seen here:
Included with the Enraf Nonius 811 are:
- Aluminium case
- Shockwave machine
- Shockwave gun
- 4 heads: 1x 30mm, 2 x 15mm (convex), 1 x 6mm
- 1 power lead
- 10 Silicone covers
- 1 strike plate gauge
- 2 keys
- 1 bottle of oil
- 1 Footplate
- 1 Gun stand
Inside the case there is the shockwave control unit:
The unit measures:
Length: 35cm (13.7inches)
Height: 14cm (5.5inches)
Depth: 25cm (9.8inches)
Weight: 2.7kg (5.9lbs)
It is a solid unit made with good plastics including the frame and case. The front has a large touch screen which is responsive and two round selection wheels to alter the settings. On the rear there is the power switch, a power lead socket, a socket for the footswitch, a socket for the shockwave gun, and a small fan.
The power lead is a standard kettle lead with a positive feel. The power switch is small and can be hard to find but will likely be left on most of the time (especially if you use our trick for packing away the machine). The foot switch and shockwave gun use a positive lock lead each with clearly labelled ports. These leads are well built and push into place easily. Each lead is different so they can not be mixed up. The leads require the sleeve to be pulled back before they will release which means you will never accidentally detach either the footplate or the gun.
The unit can provide shockwave from 60mj to 185mj in 10mj increments (5mj from 180 to 185) and a shock rate from 1 up to 22hz. The shock rate and power output are linked so you can only have certain combinations.
| Power mj | Speed Hz | Noise db |
| 60 | 1-22 | 80 |
| 70 | 1-22 | 80 |
| 80 | 1-22 | 81 |
| 90 | 1-22 | 83 |
| 100 | 1-16 | 83 |
| 110 | 1-16 | 83 |
| 120 | 1-16 | 83 |
| 130 | 1-10 | 83 |
| 140 | 1-10 | 83 |
| 150 | 1-10 | 83 |
| 160 | 1-10 | 83 |
| 170 | 1-10 | 83 |
| 180 | 1-10 | 83 |
| 185 | 1-10 | 83 |
The shockwave gun (a radial head with a choice of convex ends which require silicone rubber covers)
The gun is aluminium:
Length: 23cm (9inches)
Width: 5cm (1.9inches)
Weight: 0.85kg (2lbs) (including cable)
The Enraf Nonius 811 gun is solid and it’s weight is reassuring (if you were planning on using this gun everyday for cellulite treatment it would be heavy) and it comes with great silicone rubber coatings to cover the shock plates (this softens the shock very well). The adaptors screw into the gun and have rubber seals to prevent fluid ingress. There is a fan in the end of the gun to cool the unit and this often runs after the treatment. The fan is loud and can often be intrusive if you are sat chatting to patients after their treatment. The fan can run on for many minutes. The gun develops heat (hence the silicone covers) so the gel might evaporate during the session. The reverberation is very low, gloves are not a necessity.
The Enraf Nonius 811 gun generates a standard amount of noise for a shockwave machine. We measured it ourselves at it’s lowest (60mj 10hz) at 80db and at it’s highest (90mj 22hz) 83 db. This is louder than normal talking volume and you will have to speak up to talk to your patients. The gun has a claimed duty cycle of 2,000,000 (two million) shocks but we have been told on lower intensities machines are getting 3,000,000 (three million) shocks. At 2 million that would be enough for 1,000 treatments or 167 patients at 6 treatments each. Check your local cost to replace a head as this will happen at some point. Of note the Enraf Nonius 811 gun is return to base only for a rebuild.
The footplate triggers the shockwave machine and is a solid metal unit with a 360 degree switch (you can press it from any side). Our footplate is temperamental to say the least. Often I press the plate and only get 10-20 shocks before it switches back off (as if I haven’t pressed it right). This may just be our machine as Enraf have a reputation for quality. As the first few shocks are usually the most painful this can be annoying for the patients.
A foot switch or a hand switch? That is the question. In a clinic with clean floors and a treatment couch a foot switch is great. It allows for angles that a hand switch would be imposible to reach at. Out ‘in the field’ I have had my patients press the switch with their hands to run the treatment as you may be treating them on the floor. You could also hold the switch and press it if you were a vet, for instance. On a portable machine after having used both I personally prefer a hand switch.
The Enraf Nonius 811 comes with four treatment strike plates:
- 2 x 15mm (convex)
- 1 x 6mm (convex acupuncture)
- 1 x 30mm (convex)
The three sizes are shown here:
These strike plates are excellent quality but do need replacing periodically. They should provide a minimum of 150,000 strikes (normally they do many more than that) and can be checked for their longevity using the provided tool in the kit. Simply apply the tool to the back of the plate and as long as there is a gap your good to go.
Because this is an electro magnetic device it generates heat and you will almost always be using the supplied silicone rubber covers for the strike plates. These covers are a great fit and slide on and off easily. 10 are provided with the machine making for easy cleaning.
The debate over the use of oil or gel continues (see our page on this site) but Enraf have decided to provide a bottle of oil (castor oil) with this machine. Of interest a standard ultrasound bottle also fits in the provided space.
There is a gun stand in the case which I have not used. It actually weighs nearly 2kg or 4.5lbs so if left out of the case really decreases the weight. The gun stands shock plate down into the stand (this allows the fan to cool the head).
Overall:
A fantastic machine, well laid out, quick to use and set up, starts almost instantly, light and portable with plenty of power and speed. Highly recommended.