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Massage guns, like all other ground-breaking inventions, were born out of necessity. Following a motorcycle accident, chiropractor Jason Wersland created the world’s first massage gun. In short, reciprocating saw, plus rubber head, equals immediate muscular pain relief. Since then, many amazing offerings have emerged on the market. There’s a portable massage device for every person, and I’m here to help you find the best massage guns for your needs.
- Best Overall: Bob and Brad C2
- Best Budget: Taotronics Percussion
- Best Covert: Recoverfun Mini
- Best Percussion: Theragun PRO
- Best Compact: Ekrin Bantam
- Best Hand-Held: Theragun Prime
- Best Electric: Therabody Wave Roller
Best Overall
Bob and Brad C2
Pros
- Inexpensive
- Quiet for a massage gun
- 30-day return window
- 12-month warranty
Cons
- Not the most technologically-advanced
- Not the best ergonomics
Product Specs
- Weight: 1 pound 8 ounces
- Decibels: 60
- Frequency: 3,200 rpm
- Speed: 5 settings
- Battery life: 3-4 hours
Why It Made The Cut
- The Bob and Brad C2 massage gun offers great performance for a great price. Bob and Brad brought out its A-game to offer an unlikely winner in a market dominated by titans.
Best Budget
Taotronics Percussion
Pros
- Affordable
- Variable speed settings offer immense adjustability
- 10-hour battery life
Cons
- One color
- Not the best ergonomics
Product Specs
- Weight: 1 pound 11 ounces
- Decibels: 35
- Frequency: 3,200 rpm
- Speed: 20 settings
- Battery life: 10 hours
Why It Made The Cut
- For 40 greenbacks, you get the Taotronics Percussion massage gun, which offers 20 speed settings and six different massage heads in a package that weighs less than two pounds.
Best Covert
Recoverfun Mini
Pros
- Very quiet
- Small and portable
- Affordable
Cons
- Not necessarily the best performance
Product Specs
- Weight: 1 pound 1 ounce
- Decibels: 30 to 42
- Frequency: 1,800 to 3,200 rpm
- Speed: 4 settings
- Battery life: 5 hours
Why It Made The Cut
- It’s not always tenable to jackhammer out your muscles at full blast. The Recoverfun Mini offers a quiet massage gun that only reaches an advertised 30 to 42 decibels.
Best Percussion
Theragun PRO
Pros
- Complete speed adjustability
- Articulating massage arm
- Stunt on these plebes
Cons
- Loud
- Heavy
Product Specs
- Weight: 2.6 pounds
- Decibels: 71
- Frequency: 2,400 rpm
- Speed: Fully customizable range from 1,750 to 2,400
- Battery life: 5 hours
Why It Made The Cut
- Theragun’s Pro model is the king of the proverbial massage gun hill. Draped up and dripped out, it is the pinnacle of performance with a price tag to match.
Best Compact
Ekrin Bantam
Pros
- Comes with more accouterments than other mini massage guns
- Lightweight and compact
- Higher stall force than other mini massage guns
Cons
- Short range of motion
Product Specs
- Weight: 1 pound 1 ounce
- Decibels: 50
- Frequency: 3,200 rpm
- Speed: 3 settings
- Battery life: 6 hours
Why It Made The Cut
- If you tend to live out of a suitcase, space can be a limiting factor. The Ekrin Bantam is a compact massage gun that packs a lot of kick.
Best Hand-Held
Theragun Prime
Pros
- Great product design
- Smartphone connectivity
- Five intensity settings
Cons
- Heavy
- Loud
- No wireless charging options
Product Specs
- Weight: 2.2 pounds
- Decibels: 65
- Frequency: 1,750 to 2,400 rpm
- Speed: 5 settings
- Battery life: 2 hours
Why It Made The Cut
- Great product design is one that marries utility and aesthetics, and Theragun’s triangle design is the epitome of this. It not only looks great, but it feels great, too.
Best Electric
Therabody Wave Roller
Pros
- Lighter and more compact than its competitors
- Smartphone connectivity
- Five intensity settings
Cons
- Wave tread could be more aggressive
- EVA foam not super dense
Product Specs
- Weight: 3.3 pounds
- Dimensions: 12 x 6 inches
- Materials: High-density foam
- Speed: 5 settings
- Battery life: 3 hours
Why It Made The Cut
- Combining the (relatively) new and old to create a product greater than the sum of its parts, the Therabody Wave Roller is without a doubt the most unique massage gun on this list.
Things to consider before buying a massage gun
When you’re considering buying a massage gun, there are a few features you should pay attention to. These include the battery life, stall force, speed settings, and massage heads.
Battery life
Good battery life for a massage gun is about two or three hours. And, more often than not, they’ll use a rechargeable battery.
Stall force
For a massage gun, the stall force is the amount of pressure you can apply to the head before it stalls out. In other words, it’s how hard you can push it against someone before it stalls.
Speed setting
Most massage guns have three to five speed settings, which have a speed range of about 2,000 to 3,200 RPMs.
Massage heads
The number of massage heads probably won’t be a dealbreaker, but it’s helpful to know why they exist. According to PT Progress, the five common massage heads are for:
- The bullet head is for large, tight muscles and is great for deep tissue massages and target specific areas.
- The fork head is best for massaging large, tight muscles. It’s great for deep tissue massages and recovery.
- The ball head is for targeting sensitive muscle groups, but you can use it on all areas.
- The flat round head is best for massaging medium to large muscles, and helping sore muscles recover.
- The soft padded head is for massaging sensitive and bony areas.
FAQs about massage guns
Q: How much does a massage gun cost?
A: I wouldn’t seriously consider a massage gun that costs less than $80 without some serious letters of recommendation (see Taotronics). Within the low hundreds range, I’d be pretty confident in any of the selections by big-name brands. I really wouldn’t consider anything more expensive unless I knew for sure that I would use all the features that come with it.
Q: How do you use a massage gun?
A: All this talk is about which massage gun is best, but if we really get back to basics, massage guns are essentially miniature jackhammers that tenderize your muscles. According to Massage Gun Advice, a massage gun prevents delayed onset muscle soreness and helps blood flow, thereby helping with recovery. You should use it on sore muscles or even on muscle groups that just ache from time to time.
Final thoughts
The truth is, you don’t really need a massage gun for everything, but rather, you just need “something.” The trick is finding the best “something” for your applications — one that checks all the boxes you need without going overboard. There’s a reason my overall best pick isn’t the most expensive. Although I would like the Theragun Pro, it’s just not the best option for me because I don’t really need everything it offers. The Bob and Brad C2 gets the job done at a fair price.
Methodology
The massage gun market is well-saturated. Most people have only heard of Theragun and HyperIce. I know, at one point, those were the only two brands I was aware of. After deep-diving into countless forums, articles, blogs, and YouTube videos, I learned of many new options. I would even venture as far as to say “better.”
This list was compiled after comparing specifications, user experiences, reviews on longevity, and performance. Anything I wouldn’t buy for myself or recommend to a friend was immediately disqualified. This included any cheap rip-offs or generic, cheap rip-offs.
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