Best Massage Gun / Percussion Massager Reviews

In contrast to the sleek lines of the Renpho and the Sylphim, this Darkiron product looks like it belongs on a factory floor rather than in a yoga gym or chiropractor’s office.

Despite its intimidating appearance, however, it’s both much quieter and easier to use than the Vybe, and it’s actually a pretty good massage gun all around.

One of its notable features is that it offers no fewer than 30-speed settings, allowing you to get exactly the massage you want: as firm as possible without causing pain.

In other words, you can get effective results on large, heavy muscle groups such as the glutes and calves, then dial it down to treat areas close to joints or those without much padding. The power and battery level are displayed on a nice LED display you can read easily even in a dimly lit room, while the six-hour battery life is also worth a mention.

The massage arm of this machine punches out a full 16 millimeters (0.63 inches), making it excellent at pushing lactic acid out of sore muscles and ironing out cramps. With up to 66 pounds of pressure applied at 1,800 to 3,000 strokes per minute, it combines sheer power with a battery life that’s nearly as impressive as that of the Sylphim.

Just like the two other more forceful options, this LifePro device has a wrap-around grip instead of a simple handle. This comes in handy when trying to reach (and apply a decent amount of pressure to) areas like the lower back.

The massage arm also rotates – to straight, 45°, and right angle positions. This is a feature more massage guns should really have, although it does make the design more complicated, resulting in a higher price and more noise at the same power level.

Looking like a hairdryer and available in either white or black, this massage gun is pretty stylish and won’t look out of place in most situations (including at TSA checkpoints).

With 16 mm of travel for the massage arm, it’s also capable of delivering a true deep tissue massage right to even the cores of larger muscle groups.

It’s not quite as powerful as the or , although most casual users won’t be disappointed.

Here’s the best part, though: despite its impressive battery life, great assortment of massage heads, and relatively low noise level, it costs surprisingly little.

In some ways the opposite of the Vybe and Theragun, the Opove M3 Pro is less powerful but far more versatile. If you’re intrigued by the health benefits percussion massage devices offer but don’t really know where to begin, this is a good starting point.

It will not satisfy weightlifters and others with large, dense muscles. Still, the 12 mm stroke length and three intensity settings ranging from 1,800 to 3,200 strokes per minute make this suitable for both gentle massage and shaking out sore muscles after a workout.

The Opove is somewhat more expensive than average, but that doesn’t make it bad value for money: its build quality is exceptionally high. You can expect it to keep ticking even if it gets jostled around in your gym bag now and then.

This product from Renpho may appeal to people who are familiar with traditional massagers but think that a “gun” is something you shouldn’t be pointing at your own body.

Shaped like a wand instead of a pistol, this gadget isn’t all that effective as a deep tissue massager, but very versatile otherwise. In particular, the 15” (38 cm) long handle allows you to reach every part of your back, either over the shoulder or from the side.

Unlike most of the other massagers we’ve chosen to review, it’s best used to massage whole areas fairly gently and near the surface, instead of working a knot out of a single muscle or stimulating a particular trigger point.

To this purpose, it comes with two different three-headed, soft attachments for general massage, as well as a curved accessory that works well on calves and biceps. Two ball type massage heads made of hard plastic allow you to perform more targeted treatments and get to work deeper under the skin.

Though this massage gun looks a lot less industrial than the Darkiron, it’s the real deal: uncompromising performance with little thought given to anything else.

Loud and capable, this deep-tissue massager is all about getting the job done. For sheer power, it’s tied with the Theragun G3 Pro, providing up to 60 lbs of pressure at 2,400 cycles per minute, with a long 16 mm stroke length for better, deeper penetration.

This comes at a cost, unfortunately: the powerful motor quickly drains the battery and, at its highest setting, it’s about as loud as a city sidewalk during rush hour. The Theragun also makes a lot of noise, but wins by a nose in that regard. While its battery life is also slightly worse, this Vybe has one major advantage: it’s much, much cheaper than the very similar Theragun.

As a pioneer in the field of massage guns, Theragun is known to innovate where other manufacturers copy. It also has the resources to do in-depth research on what really works. Unfortunately, despite these advantages, it seems to have been overtaken by its competitors in the case of this particular model.

With only two intensity settings of 1,750 and 2,400 pulses per minute, a noise level comparable to a small vacuum cleaner, and a relatively short battery life (though, at least,o a spare battery is included), it’s difficult to justify the G3 Pro’s high price.

On the positive side, the triangular grip makes it easy to get it to whichever body part hurts. The 16 mm range of movement and tons of power makes your massage feel less like an ineffective buzzing and more like a (pleasant) thumping, too.

With the Teragun G3 Pro, you’re effectively paying extra for a trusted brand and the peace of mind that comes with it. This KoolerThings massage gun is, in a sense, its exact opposite.

Though noticeably less powerful than many other massage guns, the selection of 20-speed settings, ranging from 1,100 to 3,000 strokes per minute, should satisfy most people.

The selection of 5 massage heads is also worth a mention. The average person who’s just starting out and plans to use a massage gun on themselves will find these attachments much easier to get used to while obtaining good results.

In terms of operation, it’s very similar to the Darkiron, with a soft, reasonably ergonomic grip and LCD display.

First of all, the HydraGun comes with a compact carry hardcase and 6 attachable heads. I know this isn’t very unique, but we have to start somewhere.

What’s more unique is the following:

The high-torque brushless motor is more reliable and longer lasting than no-brush motors, and the reduced noise make it one of the quietest massage guns we’ve tested. The magnet based motor also has a safe stall mechanism.

The safety protection chip let’s you know how much pressure you’re putting on the motor and if it’s going to stall, so you’ll never have to worry if you’re overdoing it (stalling for too long generally won’t cause damage to brushless motors, but it’s not recommended). It also turns the device off after 10 minutes – the recommended use time. If you want more than 10 minutes of massage you can simply turn it back on, although you have to wait a few seconds before that works.

The nanoscale silicone wrapped handle provides better grip without being sticky. We happily believe HydraGun’s claim that it passed the left-handed oil test as it was indeed slip-proof after sweaty sessions.

What’s most impressive, though is that they’ve managed to use a rechargeable battery with 2600mAh capacity, which is good for 6 hours on the lowest speed or 3 hours on the highest speed. With a recommended massage duration of 10 minutes, that comes down to 25-30 uses. That’s better than all the other massage guns we’ve used.