REVIEW – Way back in 2019, I reviewed the Theragun G3Pro percussive massager. Since then, it has become a regular part of my ache and pain relief process. I still use it regularly and am glad I have it. Since we are retired, we travel a lot. The Theragun never comes with because it is big, heavy, and simply takes up too much valuable suitcase space and weight allotment. When the opportunity arose to review this new Cute X mini massage gun from HeyChy, I jumped at the chance. It would be great to have a massager with us when we travel. Let’s see if this little tool will get a spot in my regular travel gear.
What is it?
The HEYCHY Cute X Mini Massage Gun is a small, hand-held percussive massage gun. It uses repeated percussive “hits” to waken or relax muscles and help reduce or relieve pain both before and after exercise.
What’s in the box?
- HEYCHY Cute X Mini Massage Gun – available in three colors, gray, red, and green (tested)
- U-shaped massage head
- Standard spherical massage head
- Small round head
- Small flat head
- USB-A to USB-C charging cable
- Wrist strap
- Replacement O-rings (2)
- Carrying/storage case with wrist strap
- User manual
Hardware specs
- Dimensions: 5.75″ x 3.375″ x 1.875″
- Weight: 14.6 ounces, 15.0 – 15.2 ounces with a massage head installed
- Travel case dimensions: 6.75″ x 7.125″ x 2.875″
- Total weight with case and accessories: 24.4 ounces
- Head amplitude: 7mm
- Speeds: 5
- Hits per minute: 1800 / 2100 / 2400 / 2700 / 3000
- Rated power: 25W
- Battery: 2600 mAh lithium-ion
- Charging: USB-C
- Runtime: 10-minute auto-shutoff; approximately 8-10 hours on a full charge
- Controls: single-button power and speed selection
- Indicators
- Speed: 5-LED speed indicator
- Charge/power: single LED
- Red: <30% when running
- Flashing red: <20% when running – charge required
- Green: charging
- Blue: power is on
- Off: fully charged and power is off
Design and features
The HEYCHY Cute X Mini Massage Gun is designed to fit in the palm of your hand. The massage head sticks out one side, providing a T-shaped grip that is easy to hold.
The massage head mount is trimmed in a little bling – rose gold look metal trip on this green unit.
The fitting is a push/pull fitting that is held in place with a pair of O-rings on each massage head. Two spare O-rings are included as well. It does take quite a bit of force to insert or remove each massage head. I expect that some users may find that force to be excessive and be turned off by it. For me, it just takes an additional grunt or two.
There are four included massage heads. From top left to lower right, standard ball head, u-shaped head, small ball head, flat head.
Everything is smooth plastic except the large ball head. It is covered in a rough foam-like material. The standard ball head can only be effectively used against bare skin as it snags and gets caught up in clothing.
Here’s a look at the end of the HEYCHY Cute X Mini Massage Gun. You can see the power button in the center and the five speed indicator LEDs. To the right, you can see the USB-C charging port and power status LED above it. The other slot is the attachment point for the included wrist strap.
The power LED lights green when charging.
When the power is on, the power LED lights blue.
Here’s another look at the power end of the HEYCHY Cute X Mini Massage Gun.
One LED lights up for each power level. Here it is running at speed #5.
Everything fits nice and snug in this fitted carrying case. The wrist strap is sewn in near the zipper.
Setup
Beyond charging the HEYCHY Cute X Mini Massage Gun and inserting the desired head, this comes fully assembled and ready to go.
Performance
First, let’s take a look at a slow-motion video of each head in action. It is interesting to see the differences in how the travel of the impact force from each head varies as it travels through my leg.
While the video has no sound, the video is only slightly quieter than the HEYCHY Cute X Mini Massage Gun. I was surprised at how quiet it was. I wouldn’t be worried about waking my wife if I were using this in the same room where she was sleeping. That’s a good thing for a travel massager since I’ll probably be using it in a cramped hotel room or cruise cabin.
To operate the Cute X, hold the power button for two seconds to turn the unit on to speed #1. Holding it for two seconds also turns it off, regardless of what speed it is on at the time. Once it is running, a short press will cycle to speed #2. Each subsequent short press continues to ramp up the speed up to speed #5. Another press turns the unit off. Another press starts the cycle over again – speed 1/2/3/4/5/off. After a few seconds with the power off, the blue power LED turns off, indicating that another two-second press will be required to turn the massager back on.
I think that it is great that HeyChy includes four different massage heads. I wish they included a description of why you would want to use each one. I can make some guesses, but that’s all they would be – guesses. Poking around the internet, I found some descriptions:
- Round head – it has a little “give” due to its softer construction – good for large muscle groups like glutes, quads, hamstrings, and calves
- Flat head – also good for large muscle groups, it covers more area and penetrates deeper for better recovery
- Fork head – designed to wiggle into smaller, slimmer muscle regions, the fork head is great for forearms, up/down the spine, on the feet, and either side of the Achilles tendon, etcetera
- Bullet head – designed to deliver deep, pinpoint pressure for deeper release, the bullet head provides the deepest penetration for deep, tight muscles
That would be great information to include in the user manual.
I sat and beat up my thighs while watching TV. The percussive massage with the flat head felt great until the unit shut off after ten minutes. I’m not sure why they have an automatic shutoff after ten minutes guess that if you’re going over your whole body, you’d be changing heads frequently and that means turning the unit off, so the ten-minute timer wouldn’t come into play. But, if you were giving a longer massage, perhaps on someone’s back, having to turn the unit back on every ten minutes is an inconvenience.
I mentioned above that it takes some force to insert or remove the massage heads from the gun. My wife was watching me change the massage head and said, “Wow – there’s no way someone with arthritis in their hands could do that!” She was absolutely right. The amount of force needed to insert and remove the heads is excessive in my opinion. While I can certainly do it, I think it would be a deal-breaker for a lot of folks. If this is targeted toward athletes, then it probably isn’t a big deal, but if someone with hand, arm, or shoulder mobility/strength issues is looking for a travel massager, I wouldn’t recommend this one.
Those items aside, I like the HEYCHY Cute X Mini Massage Gun.
What I like
- Lightweight and well-packaged for travel
- Extremely quiet
- Nice speed and massage head selection
- Decent impact power
What I’d change
- The massage heads take excessive force to insert and remove
- A description of the intended use for each massage head would be appreciated
- I’m not a fan of the ten-minute automatic shutoff
Final thoughts
I’m impressed with this little wonder. The HEYCHY Cute X Mini Massage Gun packs quite a punch, belying its diminutive size. It is comfortable to hold, had good battery life, travels well, and gives a good, deep massage. I still like the bigger gun for a serious pounding, but for a quick muscle wakeup or cool down on the road, this massager is hard to beat. (see what I did there?) 🙂
Price: $64.99 – as of this writing, it was marked down to $49.99
Where to buy: Amazon
Source: The sample of this product was provided by HeyChy.
