7 Massage Guns Evaluated

CR evaluated percussive massagers based on handle ergonomics, ease of use, and the postural stress they put on the body.

A percussive massager—sometimes known as a massage gun—offers a way to mimic the pressure or force you might get from a deep tissue massage. And you can use one from your own home, without needing to enlist a massage therapist. These powered devices have a pulsating tip that you can use to dig into muscles, working out knots and relieving pain.

"Some people like to use massage guns as warm-up devices, some people like to use them for post-exercise soreness reduction," says Paul Ritchey, doctor of public health and a human factors and ergonomics specialist in CR's Consumer Experience and Usability Research program. In recent years, people have also begun using these increasingly popular devices to temporarily alleviate the soreness associated not only with exercise but also physical stress and stiffness from sitting in a chair all day.

Consumer Reports evaluated seven different percussive massagers, representing popular and lesser-known brands at a variety of price points: the Hyperice Hypervolt Go, Hyperice Hypervolt Plus, Reathlete DEEP4s, Renpho R3 Massage Gun, Therabody Theragun Mini (4th Gen), Therabody Theragun Prime, and Therabody Theragun Pro.

Note that though we refer to these devices as massage guns, not all of them come with the pistol grip or index finger trigger typically associated with the term.

In comparing these devices with one another, CR conducted an expert evaluation of the handle ergonomics on each device; evaluated the postural stress required to use the devices; graded the ability of devices to reach body areas that can be difficult to reach on your own, like the back; and looked at ease of use and noise while in use.

Notably, this evaluation was not meant to measure whether or not these devices are effective in a therapeutic sense. People use percussive massagers to help relieve pain, release tension, increase range of motion, and more. Research on their overall efficacy is limited, but experts have told CR that when used safely, they may help alleviate muscle pain.

To inform our expert evaluation, CR first conducted an online study of 34 massage gun users to understand which body parts users target with these devices, and to gather relevant impressions of certain devices. This study was used to generate a list of 10 body areas users might target with a massage device, so we could see—using a standard ergonomic assessment—how well devices could reach certain areas, and assess whether or not trying to use the devices would stress the body in an uncomfortable way.

"These are supposed to make you feel better, so we thought it would be interesting to see whether you were adding stress to your body while using them," Ritchey says.

Two study participants were photographed while using each device to try to reach the 10 target areas. Devices that scored better on our postural stress measurement made it easier to reach target areas without needing to bend or flex the wrist or arm in an uncomfortable way, with a neutral posture—which puts the least amount of stress on the body—receiving the best score.

We also examined the handle on each device, comparing it to an ergonomic checklist used to evaluate hand tools. This assesses how comfortable and easy it is to grip the device's handle during use. Device weight also factors into handle ergonomics—it can be harder to grip or manipulate a heavier device, especially for people with limited grip, arm, or shoulder strength and mobility.

Our ease of use measures are meant to assess various aspects of the user experience, including how easy it is to control the device, check battery life, change attachments, and to understand the instructions provided with each device. We also evaluated how loud these devices were in comparison with one another because according to Ritchey, users frequently note that these devices can be quite loud.

From an ergonomic perspective, we found grips shaped like a triangle were the easiest to hold in a variety of positions, making it easier to reach various body parts without undue stress. An adjustable arm also reduces postural stress. The more adjustable and longer devices were overall better at reaching the upper and middle back. Still, because it's hard to reach around and hold a device behind you, most people would have a hard time reaching these target areas without help.

"I wouldn't get a percussive massager if I was trying to mainly get my upper and middle back areas by myself," Ritchey says.

Lighter devices tend to score better on handle and posture ergonomic measures because they can be more comfortable and easier to hold during use.

When it comes to ease of use, all of the devices we evaluated scored relatively well, though some had better instructions or more straightforward designs. While the most expensive device we tested comes with an OLED display, which adds a certain "coolness factor," according to Ritchey, that doesn't really improve the usability of the device in any substantive way, he says.

In talking with some current massage gun users, Ritchey learned that some of these devices can generate more force than the average person may need or want. Some users said they just use them on the lowest setting, he says. But that range of power could mean that these are well suited to a wide range of users, from someone who casually works out to a more serious competitive athlete.

The attachments that come with each device tend to be pretty similar, Ritchey says, though it's still worth taking a look at each device to ensure that it has whatever attachment you might want to hit a specific body region. Once you have a device, try different attachments to see what works best for you and the body area you are massaging—like a "bullet" attachment for a trigger point like the trapezius shoulder-area muscle, or a "fork" attachment for a region like your calves or hamstrings. (Read more about how to use a massage gun safely in our previous story.)

These devices appear in rank order.

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