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Mini massage guns are especially useful for people who have weaker hands, or who have chronic arthritis pain, and can't hold heavier devices comfortably for an extended period. We like that the Theragun Mini has a sleek, ergonomic grip that helps reduce the strain on your hands. Therabody claims that this second-generation Mini is 20% smaller and 30% lighter than its predecessor, making it even more portable and perfect for travel. They may often look like power tools, but the benefits of massage guns include decreased muscle tension, relaxed muscles, and promoted blood flow,” says Dr Daniel Giordano, CMO of Bespoke Treatments. “We use one on a daily basis, and it can be used before, during or after a workout.” How to Use a Massage Gun for Best Results Sportneer’s mini massage gun is another one of the top-rated models our editors have tested, and they were impressed by how easy it is to operate and how powerful the motor is despite its small size. It’s about on par with the addsfit gun in terms of motor power, and comes with a large ball massage gun head which definitely makes up for its small size, since it has more surface area and gives you more coverage while massaging. Comfort: While using the massage guns, we note how comfortable and ergonomic the device is to hold and how heavy it is. We evaluate the percussive force and whether it feels comfortable on our muscles. We also note whether the handle design or any settings of the device make it more customizable for a more comfortable user experience.
However, don’t be fooled by its small size; its lowest setting is still quite powerful. It features five speed settings and four head attachments, from flat to cylinder, and RENPHO promises a torque that’s 1.5 times higher than competitors—which means a lower likelihood of stalling. When testing, we liked the high quality of the device and its carrying case and that it includes a body map with suggestions for which attachments to use. The Novo Mini Massage Gun is a handy piece of kit. Featuring four attachment heads and six vibration frequencies, ranging from 1,400 to 2,800 RPM, it proves itself to be a versatile product for a great price. Out of the box, the Novo Mini looks and feels sturdy, fitting tidily in the protective travel case supplied. verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ It features a battery life of two to three hours, and we like that you can buy an extra battery to double its battery life. Plus, we found it easy to use and set up. The massage gun comes with a carrying case, four massage heads, and a removable battery.Noise: Not listed | Stall Force: 60 lbs | Weight: 2.9 lbs | Customizability: 6 head attachments, 4 arm positions, 5 preset speeds (also customizable) | Battery Life: 5 hours | Our Overall Rating: 4.4/5 Mini massage guns aren’t the most powerful options on the market, but they definitely get the job done if you're looking for basic relief. This gun is both affordable and effective, generating up to 3,200 percussions per minute across four different speed settings to provide significant therapeutic relief. It only weighs 1.1 pounds, and we found that the ergonomic design makes it both easy and comfortable to hold. When it comes to mid-workout treatments, a similar approach is taken. “During a workout, there are times when someone may feel tight and want to stretch between exercises, which may actually decrease their performance by negatively affecting their force output,” warns Giordano. “Instead try flushing the area for 15-30 seconds to increase blood flow and decrease muscle tension. This should excite the muscle, loosening it again for the rest of your workout." If you’re a larger, beefier person with layers of tissue that need to be worked on, a regular massage gun is probably a better idea for you. However, if you’re a moderately active person who gets sore, someone whose spine is feeling the WFH effects, or you’re curious about the massage gun movement — we recommend you start off by going mini.
Features We Love: Bluetooth-enabled syncing with Therabody app, three included massage gun heads, smaller and lighter size When seeking out the top massage gun lines, we found that many companies now offer a miniature version of their full-scale guns, so we started out by testing smaller versions from Theragun and Hyperice. These mini massagers are designed to be easier to travel with and store, but they have value beyond portability.
Target stress and tension
The Hyperice Hypervolt 2 is a powerful massage gun that effectively loosens tight muscles, but its percussion is quite intense, even on the lowest setting. Ultimately, we found it too intense and uncomfortable to include in our list of top recommendations.
Among the six interchangeable heads HoMedics includes with its Pro Physio massage gun are a ‘heat head’, which you can set to heat up to 47˚C in less than two minutes, and a ‘cold head’, which you can keep in the freezer. For many, these will make all the difference to training and everyday comfort. The device is also mercifully quiet, and glides smoothly over your skin or clothes, whichever head you use (barrel, ball and arrow are all included, as well as cellulite, hot and cold). Stall Force: Massage guns with a good stall force will give you a deep, satisfying massage. To evaluate the stall force of each massage gun while using it, we note whether we can press hard enough for the desired deep-tissue massage without stalling the motor. We also note if the stall force remains consistent or weakens as the battery is drained. Best for athletes and casual exercisers who like deep tissue massage to relieve soreness from high-intensity workouts. Noise: 40 dB | Stall Force: 30 lbs | Weight: 2.3 lbs | Customizability: 6 head attachments, 6 speeds | Battery Life: 6 hours | Our Overall Rating: 4.5/5 For comparison, its nearest competitor, the Theragun Mini, comes with just one head, and has only three speed settings compared to four for the Power Plate Mini+. PerformanceEffectiveness: Massage guns that score well for effectiveness help improve our exercise performance and/or relieve muscle soreness in some capacity. We use each massage gun before and after upper-body and lower-body workouts at least once a week for three to five minutes. We then note whether the massage guns help warm up our muscles before a workout and if we notice this warmup helps increase our range of motion during exercise. When using massage guns after a workout, we note whether they help prevent or alleviate muscle fatigue. It comes with four head attachments—as well as a smart app that is very helpful with initial setup, and even provides how-to video guides. We love that the brushless motor features the company's QuietForce technology that keeps the device quiet while in use, without losing power. The Prime has five built-in speeds, but you can also select any speed between 1,750–2,400 percussions per minute to customize your treatment in manual mode.
Massage guns can help relieve muscle tension. They provide percussive or vibration therapy, a type of massage that applies rapid pressure bursts to muscle tissue. Percussive therapy helps increase blood flow to a hyper-targeted area, which can then help reduce inflammation and muscle tension and break up knots that may have formed in the muscle tissue due to stress or following a particularly intense workout. Can massage guns be harmful? The Sportneer Elite D9 has an impressive battery life of up to six hours. After charging it once, we don't have to worry about recharging it for weeks, depending on how often we use it. This makes it reliable and convenient. The D9 is durable and, for safety, has a 10-minute auto-shutoff feature to prevent overheating. Best for experienced massage gun users who are used to deep percussive therapy and are looking to invest in a truly versatile device.
A compact but powerful massage gun for the gym, your desk, or anywhere else
We like that the head attachments glide smoothly over sore muscles. We also like that you can easily adjust the speed of the massage gun, which makes the device versatile for soothing mild-to-deep muscle aches. This Theragun option has five preset speeds, but you can also fully customize the speed range in the app to any speed between 1,750–2,400 percussions per minute. We also love the versatility of the five attachment heads that let you target all muscles—big and small. Noise: Not listed | Stall Force: Not applicable | Weight: 0.6 lbs | Customizability: 6 attachments | Battery Life: 2 hours | Our Overall Rating: 4.8/5 The muscle guns below, marked with our Women’s Health Lab Approved logo, have been put to the test in our lab. Our expert tester has trialled them over a three-week period, using them around their hectic exercise schedule — made up of weightlifting, running, HIIT, yoga and more — to see how well each one helped muscles to recover. As for cheaper massage guns, these tend to have harder attachment heads (which make for a slightly less comfortable experience), a shorter battery life, or are less durable. If there's a choice between a cheap muscle gun and a more expensive massage gun that's on sale, we'd always suggest going with the one that looks like it will last the longest and is the most specced out. If it comes with a warranty, even better. Do massage guns work? To narrow down the best massage guns, we tested 32 devices over 840 hours in the Verywell Testing Lab and continue to test each massage gun at home as part of our regular recovery routines. During the testing process, we evaluate each one for the following six key attributes:
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