Life in today’s America is stressful and taxing on the body. This affects one’s mental and physical well being. Americans are working longer hours from their desk whether they are at home or at the office. Stress combined with poor posture can exacerbate muscle aches and tension. In addition, many Americans are dealing with pre-existing injuries and ailments throughout their bodies.
To address physical discomfort many individuals gravitate towards different forms of exercise whether it be running, walking, weight-training, swimming, yoga and massage to alleviate stress on the body. To address pain and discomfort in the most immediate and direct fashion, millions of Americans turn to massage. However, getting a massage from a highly-qualified licensed Massage Therapist on a regular basis can become very costly over time.
Enter the massage gun to fill the void and reduce financial burden as both a short-term and potential longer term solution to regular massage appointments. When you add up the cost of going for a massage once or twice a month and in many cases more, a quality muscle massage gun will more than pay for itself. Let’s take a look at two of the most highly regarded massage guns that are comparable in performance and price.
Our Top Choice:
Theragun Prime by Therabody
Parent company Therabody makes several different models of massage guns ranging in size, accessories and price. For this review we are focusing on the most popular model in the line up the Theragun Prime.
Build Quality and Ergonomics:
The Therabody Theragun Prime has a very premium feel to it. Although the Theragun Prime is not cheap, you don’t feel as though you were short-changed when you purchase it. It has a very versatile and ergonomic handle that allows you to get to hard to reach areas on you back and sides. When compared with other comparable massage guns, the Theragun is a tad bit heavier, but this tiny bit of extra heft adds to the quality feeling.
Performance and Battery Life:
Therabody advertises the Theragun Prime as a `Percussive Based Therapy’ and reaches 60% deeper into muscle at 40 – times per second. The Theragun goes all the way up to 2400 percussions per minute. When it comes to deep tissue massage, amplitude is everything and the Theragun Prime distances itself from competitors with a 16mm amplitude that reaches 60% deeper into muscle tissue.
When it comes to battery life, Therabody says the Theragun Prime muscle massage gun has 120 minutes of battery life with an approximate 80 minute charge time.
Theragun Prime also has a QX65 motor with Quiet Force Technology, and while it is quite, it is not necessarily the quietest massage gun at it’ current price point. Therabody also makes the Theregaun `Elite’ which has been purported to be even more quiet.
Adaptibility:
Therabody has decided to provide with the Theragun Prime with 4 easy to clean attachments. There is a damper attachment which is best for overall muscle use, a Ball attachment for large and small muscle groups, a thumb attachment for very specific points on the body and lower back, and final a cone attachment to pinpoint areas on the hands and feet.
The user is also able to adjust the speed range with an easy to read LED bar to view speed setting.
Theragun Prime also comes with a Bluetooth app that helps you develop a personalized routine. The unit also comes with a 12-volt power adapter and handy carrying pouch.
Pros:
- Premium feel
- Very versatile handle grip.
- Very good amplitude travel for deep penetration.
- App that can be used with Theragun is little more robust in terms of usability
Cons:
- Not cheap.
- Slightly louder than the HYPERVOLT 2
Our Runner Up:
HYPERVOLT 2 by Hyperice
Parent company Hyperice produces the HYPERVOLT 2 and really emphasizes its established relationships with well known sports celebrities and highly respected corporations such as the NFL, NBA and UFC just to name a few.
Hyperice produces various levels of the HYPERVOLT but in this review, our focus will be on the HYPERVOLT 2 since it is comparable in price to the Theragun Prime.
Build Quality and Ergonomics:
There are probably upwards of 40 to 50 muscle massage guns that have mimicked the HYPERVOLTS design. Many of these knock off brands can be found all over the web. Just go on AMAZON and you will immediately notice the numbers of HYPERVOLT knock offs when you type in massage gun.
We are reviewing the HYPERVOLT 2 along with the Theregun Prime because they have the most respect amongst massage therapists, and Chiropractors. Having both, we found ourselves using the HYPERVOLT 2 more even though we felt the Theragun Prime gave a more penetrating massage.
The HYPERVOLT 2 is a little lighter than the Theragun Prime but does not have quite the same premium feel, due in part to its lighter weight. With this being said, the handle grip on the HYPERVOLT 2 is not quite as versatile as the handle grip on the Theragun Prime.
Performance and Battery Life:
The folks at Hyperice claim that the HYPERVOLT 2 muscle massage gun has 3 hours of battery life. A charging base can also be purchased separately so you don’t have to deal with a plugin charger and wire all the time.
There are three levels of speed to go along with a brushless high-torque 60 watt motor. You can get two additional speed levels and brushless 90 watt high-torque motor if you elect to purchase the more expensive HYPERVOLT 2 Pro.
The HYPERVOLT 2 also comes with patented pressure sensor that allows one to determine precisely how much pressure is being applied when in use.
Adaptibility:
Like its main competitor the HYPERVOLT 2 comes with an assortment of attachments. There are 5 in all ranging from fork, ball, cushion, flat and bullet.
There is also Bluetooth connectability to go along with the Hyperice app which allows for automated speed control.
It should also be noted that Hyperice says the HYPERBOLT 2 is TSA carry-on approved so there should not be issues at a U.S airport. What happens when you go through customs at an international airport is another matter however.
Pros:
- A little less expensive than the Theragun Prime.
- Slightly quieter than the Theragun Prime.
- Five attachments.
Cons:
- Not quite as premium feeling as Theragun Prime.
Summary:
Overall, these are the two best massage guns on the market. We would give the slight edge to the Theragun Prime for its more premium feel and its ability to penetrate 60% deeper into the muscle at 16mm of amplitude. However this number may mean more to massage therapists than it will for the average person.
With a max of 2400 percussions per minute the Theragun Prime seems as though it is not working as hard when turned all the way to its max speed setting.
