“I have two Theraguns and I use them every single day. They’re worth their weight in gold.” – Tim Ferriss
If you could carry a massage therapist around with you everywhere, we’re willing to bet that you would. And that’s the idea behind percussive massage tools – the ability to have your own personal massage therapist available anytime, anywhere.
Let’s get one thing straight – there’s nothing quite as good as a full-body deep-tissue massage from a trained massage therapist. Laying in a relaxing spa for an hour while a therapist with hands like iron works out every knot and kink in your back is one of the most enjoyable – and useful- experiences there is.
Massages not only feel great and relieve stress and tension, they can help your muscles to recover faster and help to reduce chronic pain in problem areas like the lower back and other joints.
But…massages are expensive. And they take a while.
Fortunately nowadays we can get very close to that same stress-relieving and recovery-aiding massage at home through the use of percussive tools. These guns and hand-held tools melt away knots and tension in minutes, and you can use them all over your body – neck, shoulders, legs, feet (don’t forget the arches, it feels amazing).
The only problem is that since percussive massage guns have gained popularity in the past few years, the market has been flooded with cheap knock-offs which can make it hard to pick what to use.
Lucky for you that’s kind of what we do here – we tried out over a dozen of the top brands on the market and narrowed down our top three choices. Keep reading to find our full breakdown of our favorite budget-friendly option, our top choice for travel, and what our team thinks is the best percussive massager overall.
HIGHLIGHTS:
BEST FOR TRAVEL
Theragun Mini
Easy to Pack
Great Battery Life
Very Strong For It’s Size
TOP PICK
BEST OVERALL
Theragun Elite
Amazing Massage Strength
Custom Speed Ranges
Extremely Quiet
BUDGET OPTION
TOLOCO EM26
10 Interchangeable Heads
Long Battery Life
Moderate Price
FULL BREAKDOWN: The Top 3 Best Hand-Held Percussive Massage Tools of 2022
Full Breakdown
#1. Theragun Elite (Gen4)
- Brushless motor with proprietary QuietForce technology and advanced sound insulation
- Powerful deep-muscle treatment
- Long battery life – up to 2 hours continuous use
- 5 interchangeable heads
- Customize speeds on an OLED screen – from 1750 to 2400 percussions-per-minute
- Smart app integration
Our decision for the best overall percussive massage tool goes unanimously to the Theragun Elite – the upgraded version of the OG handheld massager and top of the food chain in our minds.
Theragun was born out of a motorcycle accident – kind of. Creator Jason Wersland started working on the idea of the device soon after an accident left him badly banged up. But the idea of the tool is much more far-reaching.
Wersland wanted to give people an at-home option for relieving occasional annoyances: muscle soreness, tightness, aches and pains.
Like we mentioned earlier, he’ll tell you that there’s nothing as satisfying as a full-body massage from a gifted practitioner. But the Theragun comes close.
Getting down to the specs, we were torn here between the Elite and Pro models of the Theragun (there is a third ‘Prime’ model but we felt it was underpowered and it doesn’t allow for adjustable speeds).
Both the Pro and Elite are ergonomically designed and their weight balances well in your hand. Both have OLED screens that show exactly how much force and speed the tool is using and allow you to use built-in preset programs.
And both allow for adjustable speeds from the same 1750 to 2400 percussions per minute, with extremely long battery lives, and offer the same 16mm percussive stroke length.
The difference? The Pro model has a slightly stronger motor that equates to 60lbs of force to the Elite model’s 40lbs. And it’s louder. That’s it.
And for $100 more, our honest opinion after testing both is that for the vast majority of home users the Elite model is going to be more than enough. The 40lbs of force was plenty and at the max 2400 PPM speed it easily melted away any stress and muscle aches we had.
We can’t recommend the Theragun enough – it’s a daily use tool for our team here at Biohacker Blueprint and has been an absolute gamechanger for our stress relief and recovery.
#2. TheraGun Mini
- Ultra-portable design fits easily in your suitcase and is great for travel
- Amazing massage strength from a small package
- Great battery life – up to 2 hours continuous use
- Three adjustable speeds – 1750, 2100, and 2400 percussions per minute
Ever gotten off a plane our out of a car after a long ride and wished you could head straight for a massage? Us too.
Fortunately we’ve discovered the next best thing. We tried a few different travel-sized percussive massage tools but hand’s down the best was the TheraGun Mini. It offers way more power than the competitors in a smaller size, with a 150-minute battery that easily lasts for multiple sessions worth of use.
The Mini’s proprietary brushless motor allows for ultra-quiet treatments and it’s size means it’s small enough to pack in a carry on bag or even to slip in your pocket (as you can see in the image below)
While the Mini doesn’t have quite as much power as it’s big brother (the Elite) it still allows for adjustment between three different speeds – 1750, 2100, and 2400 percussions per minute. Each scientifically calibrated to deliver great therapeutic benefits for your muscles and joints.
#3. TOLOCO EM26
- 10 interchangeable massage heads
- 20 adjustable speeds
- Easy-to-use LCD display
- Super quiet with still impressive power
- Lightweight at only 2.1lbs
Last but not least on our list is another great percussive massage option that comes in at a more budget-friendly price point: the EM26 Massage Gun from TOLOCO.
While the TOLOCO model is slightly under-powered compared to the Theragun and offers a shallower 12mm stroke length compared to 16mm for the Theragun Elite, it’s still a great option that allows a full body massage at home.
The TOLOCO also comes with 10 interchangeable (shown below) and allows for 20 adjustable speeds. The LCD display allows for easy adjustment between those speed levels on the go, and the ergonomic 2.1lbs design means that you can easily angle the device into any problem area you need to massage.
The model also comes with a high-torque 24V brushless moto which, while slightly louder than the Theragun, is still plenty quiet in use.
All in, the TOLOCO percussion massager is a great budget alternative that still offers serious stress relief and massage capability.
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