REVIEW – The Sportneer percussive massage gun comes with five interchangeable massage heads and six intensity levels, which makes it super flexible for those who are sensitive or those who prefer a deeper, more vigorous massage.
What is it?
The percussive massage gun helps you relax, relieve soreness, and reduce stress all by yourself. For massage aficionados who just aren’t comfortable or don’t feel it’s worth the risk during the pandemic to indulge in in-person messages, this is a great alternative.
What’s in the box?
- Massage gun
- 6 massage heads
- Charging cable
- Carrying case
- Instruction manual
Hardware specs
- Power: 15-160W
- Frequency: 20Hz/26Hz/36Hz/46Hz/53Hz
- Battery capacity: 3400mAh (LG battery cells)
- Battery life: 1.5-5.5h
- Torque pressure: 0-7.5kg/cm
- Amplitude: 11mm
- Intelligent mode: 10min timer
- Operating temperature: 41-104℉
- Shipping Weight: 3.5 pounds
- ASIN: B084Z3MVJK
- Warranty: 12 months
Design and features
Setup
Our massage gun arrived fully charged and lasted several days on that single charge. The battery indicator light goes from three lights (70-100 percent charged) down to two (30-70 percent charged) down to one light (0-30 percent) to give you lots of warning that it’s in need of a charge.
It’s quite easy to put the massage heads onto the gun, just push it down and twist. And do the reverse to take them off. It’s very intuitive.
You hold down the power button to turn it on. From there you press it once to turn it to level one, and keep pressing for more intensity up to level 6.
- Level 1: 1300 rpm to awaken muscles
- Level 2: 1700 rpm for facia relaxation
- Level 3: 2000 rpm to decompose lactic acid
- Level 4: 2400 rpm for deep massage
- Level 5: 2800 rpm for professional mode
- Level 6: 3200 rpm for professional mode
The two metal massage heads (one flat, one ball) are intended to use with oil. The others (ball, bullet, fork and flat head) are just grab-and-go. The shape you chose depends on which body part you’re working on.
Performance
I’ll be honest, I’m not a big fan of traditional massages. One, I don’t like people touching me, especially strangers. And two, I don’t like the feeling of deep tissue massage. I guess I’m sensitive, so I find it uncomfortable and borderline painful. Nonetheless, I still get sore. I spend too much time hunched in front of a computer, plus I have an old back and neck injury from a car accident that flares up occasionally.
For me, the ball head at level 1 is great. And I’m slowly working my way up from level 1 to 2 for more intensity, but that’s my own personal preference. This massage gun certainly relaxes my tension and breaks up the knots in my lower back and shoulders. In fact, I’ve found myself using Biofreeze less often when my body hurts and reaching for this instead. The only place I can’t reach without help is the very middle of my back.
I was also surprised to find that I like the metal massage heads, used with oil. They feel smoother on my skin, and while too hard on my back or shoulders, it works well on my calf muscles. The only part I don’t like is the messiness of using the oil and the fingerprints I tend to get on the massage gun’s buttons.
My husband, on the other hand, loves to get professional massages but hasn’t gotten one since before the pandemic. He says this is a godsend! And he notes that cost-wise, it’s a great deal, especially when compared side by side with getting just one or two in-person massages. He likes the bullet-shaped head for getting deeper into his calf muscles, and he’s comfortable with the higher settings.
My son recently started a new sport, which has come with a lot of soreness. He’s been asking for one of these, and it hasn’t disappointed. In fact, when I can’t find our massage gun in its case, it’s surely in his room. Like me, he prefers the standard ball head best and keeps it on the lower settings, 1 or 2. More than that and he finds it to be too much.
The manual says to use it in increments of up to 20 minutes, and it has a 10-minute auto shut-off to help you manage that. Ours turns off at 9 minutes and 40 seconds, but it’s very rare that we would want to use it for that long continuously. We found it more comfortable to use in short bursts with pauses in between.
We noticed that when using it over clothing, it bunches a lot. So it’s best to use on bare skin, however, tight-fighting workout clothes would work OK, too.
What surprised me, in a good way, was how quiet it is. At only 33 to 55 decibels, we often use this while watching a movie and don’t even need to turn up the volume.
What I like
- The multiple options for settings and massage heads
- The quietness
What I’d change
- Add a setting between 1 and 2 for sensitive folks like me
Final thoughts
This is a great piece of equipment, especially for the cost. It’s quiet, flexible, and works well.
Price: $119.99
Where to buy: Amazon
Source: The sample of this product was provided by Sportneer.
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Brooke, nice review! Can this device be used/turned on while it’s plugged in? I’d love to get one, but I worry that 5 or 10 years down the road the internal battery will be shot. I’d like the ability to use it while plugged in as a backup.
Yes, Aaron, you can use it while it’s plugged in. However, the cord isn’t terribly long, so it may be a bit awkward.
How long have you been using this? Any concerns about the tips breaking / falling off?
From Sportneer’s website, it doesn’t seem there’s any warranty beyond 30-day money back so I’m a bit wary.
We’ve been using it daily since it arrived on July 26, and it’s showing no signs of slowing down. Plus, we have three in our household who use it, so I’d imagine it’s getting more use than it might in other homes.