[largeruk]

Anyone with experience or knowledge of Theraguns able to advise on which model(s) offer the best 'bang for buck'?

[tomtom]

I’ve ordered a £60 one from Amazon (that got decent reviews on a couple of sites that compared a few of the good abs budget ones). I’ll report back. £200 on one wasn’t really justifiable - if this one gets loads of use we might upgrade later...

[tomtom]

It’s a Fylina one. Just arrived. Seems pretty solid and quiet.
It’s also got a semi circular attachment (for arms or legs apparently) that’s doing the business on my forearms at the moment.

Never used a different one though so can’t compare etc..

[dunnyg]

how loud is it on a scale of could watch tv to jackhammer?

[webbo]

I have asked Santa for one of these. However my worry is given my lack of mobility due to muscle stiffness. I will only be able use it on the front of my body.

[tomtom]

how loud is it on a scale of could watch tv to jackhammer?

Watch TV certainly. Not loud.

It’s hard to focus if you try and massage your head though 😂

[gme]

We have a sportneer one that my lad uses nearly every day. No issues with it at all after 3 months.
He’s used the theragun ones at rugby and says there is no difference, or not enough of one to justify the price.
I think the price is more to do with commercial / personal use.

[cheque]

Anyone with experience or knowledge of Theraguns able to advise on which model(s) offer the best 'bang for buck'?

The Elite is the quietest despite being the second-most powerful. That’s what swung me. I think the Prime is probably the best value though as, unlike the cheapest one it has the same handle as ours and the interchangeable heads- I wouldn’t miss the LCD screen (!) but I would miss them. I reckon the pressure they exert is largely related to how long you have to use it on one area to get the desired effect rather than whether it’s capable of creating that effect at all.

Like everyone else on this thread apart from gme’s kid I’ve only used one type so don’t really know what the differences are though. I got an expensive one due to my experience of years of throwing good money after bad replacing burnt-out unrepairable cheap hair clippers, all of which cut my hair as well as the Wahl one I eventually got but are in landfill somewhere now.

[moose]

To me, the Prime looks like the value pick. The Pro is out on its own - the biggest and most powerful model, has an adjustable head, and priced accordingly.

Compared to the Prime, the Elite comes with an extra head, a nicer carry case, a blingier LED screen, and better app integration.  But they have the same casing, same motor, the travel / depth of penetration is same, and both have a non-adjustable head.  The main mechanical difference is that the Elite is set to take a higher max force before stalling than the Prime (40 versus 30 lbs). 

https://www.recoveryforathletes.com/pages/theragun-pro-vs-elite-vs-prime-vs-mini

I've just ordered the Elite as I felt like treating myself (and am feeling flush and in need of "retail therapy") but if I was being more sensible / value aware I would have gone for the Prime.  I've already got a cheap "Reviber" vibration massager, which helps somewhat, but WFH forn 8 months at a kitchen table without a proper adjustable chair (and perhaps too much training during lunch breaks) has left me feeling sorely in need of a near abusive massage from a big-thumbed physio - and I hope a Theragun will scratch that masochistic itch.

[petejh]

What's a 30mins of sports massage.. around £30? So you could look at it that the theragun, depending on model, is aimed at folk willing to fork for between 7 and 13 sessions of sports massage over one to three years*. Last year I probably had 6 or 7 massages. This year none, obvs..


* a theragun should last longer than that.. at least 5 years and hopefully longer.

[Reprobate_Rob]

Just make sure the cleaner doesn't put it in the dishwasher by mistake

[Teaboy]

What's a 30mins of sports massage.. around £30? So you could look at it that the theragun, depending on model, is aimed at folk willing to fork for between 7 and 13 sessions of sports massage over one to three years*. Last year I probably had 6 or 7 massages. This year none, obvs..

I do wonder if the sports massages I have are a bit too vigorous as there is absolutely no way would I be able to inflict as much pain in myself as the masseuse. If I wanted equivalence this would not provide it.

[Anti]

What's a 30mins of sports massage.. around £30? So you could look at it that the theragun, depending on model, is aimed at folk willing to fork for between 7 and 13 sessions of sports massage over one to three years*. Last year I probably had 6 or 7 massages. This year none, obvs..


* a theragun should last longer than that.. at least 5 years and hopefully longer.

I really like my massage gun as stated previous, but it'd be daft to compare percussion self massage instruments to proper sports massage. They're at opposite ends of the spectrum.

[duncan]

Yet cycling with its well researched marginal gains still insists on massage post race/ training.

Elite sportspeople will try any old nonsense and pay a fortune for it if they think there is the slightest chance it will make a 0.01% difference. A snake-oil pusher’s dream customer. In any case, I thought it was established that marginal gains was code for testosterone patches? 

There's something in the way scientists look at stuff like massage and physio etc. that suggests feeling good and pain free isn't an important and worthy goal. 

Feeling better is great! Ironically one of the themes of my last twenty years of work has been the importance of listening to people rather than looking at their scans. Massage will of course make you feel better and if that’s you goal then go for it. I suppose I was assuming that some people thought it was a performance enhancer, where the evidence is much less clear.

Hard to concentrate on work when the DOMS is real. A bit of massage can surely help in that case.

Massage certainly helps the feeling of DOMS. The performance reduction associated (and it’s not a clear association) ... not so much. (I have an unusual relationship with DOMS: I love it because it indicates I’ve had a good session without making my joints or tendons unhappy in the process!)

[SA Chris]

I have a love for DOMS too, but when it stops me using stairs I can do without it.

[SamT]

Front page of the other channel...

https://www.ukclimbing.com/gear/climbing/training_aids/addsfit_portable_massage_gun-13178

(sorry - I was just updating my log book, honest).   

[kelvin]

Or do what I did and take a massage therapist out for coffee - three years of romance later and I'm rather more flexible in my shoulders than I've been since my mid twenties.
We recently borrowed one of the £200 guns and to be honest, we both felt that a £60 one would be just as good for occasional or light use.

[mark20]

Not used a massage gun so can't make a direct comparison but my missus recently bought this neck massager (£50)
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Mo-Cuishle-Shiatsu-Shoulder-Massager/dp/B07G142F9Z/ref=asc_df_B07G142F9Z/?tag=googshopuk-21&linkCode=df0&hvadid=427886377362&hvpos=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=12036410761320351171&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=c&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9045286&hvtargid=pla-570455391784&psc=1&tag=&ref=&adgrpid=100400901540&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvadid=427886377362&hvpos=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=12036410761320351171&hvqmt=&hvdev=c&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9045286&hvtargid=pla-570455391784
Each side is made up of two knobbly interlocked 'starfish' shaped things, and really dig in. You can crank hard on the straps to really drive it in, or even lie on it like the traditional roll on a tennis ball treatment (agony). Obviously quite bulky and mains powered. I suspect its more useful for stiff backs, shoulders, legs etc rather than arms and elbows which you can probably target better with a massage gun.

[Fultonius]

Just leave this here....

[tomtom]

Hilarious 😆 (well to me anyway) and glad I got a £60 clone of Amazon!

[kelvin]

Not used a massage gun so can't make a direct comparison but my missus recently bought this neck massager (£50)
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Mo-Cuishle-Shiatsu-Shoulder-Massager/dp/B07G142F9Z/ref=asc_df_B07G142F9Z/?tag=googshopuk-21&linkCode=df0&hvadid=427886377362&hvpos=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=12036410761320351171&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=c&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9045286&hvtargid=pla-570455391784&psc=1&tag=&ref=&adgrpid=100400901540&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvadid=427886377362&hvpos=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=12036410761320351171&hvqmt=&hvdev=c&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9045286&hvtargid=pla-570455391784
Each side is made up of two knobbly interlocked 'starfish' shaped things, and really dig in. You can crank hard on the straps to really drive it in, or even lie on it like the traditional roll on a tennis ball treatment (agony). Obviously quite bulky and mains powered. I suspect its more useful for stiff backs, shoulders, legs etc rather than arms and elbows which you can probably target better with a massage gun.

[lagerstarfish]

Seen these being used at the wall (pre lockdown) and on some SM posts...

Are they any good?

I misread the title as "massive guns"

 

[largeruk]

Hilarious 😆 (well to me anyway) and glad I got a £60 clone of Amazon!

Could I bother you for a link to the one you bought?

My budget is £50-£60 rather than a couple of hundred. 

[kelvin]

Not used a massage gun so can't make a direct comparison but my missus recently bought this neck massager (£50)
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Mo-Cuishle-Shiatsu-Shoulder-Massager/dp/B07G142F9Z/ref=asc_df_B07G142F9Z/?tag=googshopuk-21&linkCode=df0&hvadid=427886377362&hvpos=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=12036410761320351171&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=c&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9045286&hvtargid=pla-570455391784&psc=1&tag=&ref=&adgrpid=100400901540&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvadid=427886377362&hvpos=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=12036410761320351171&hvqmt=&hvdev=c&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9045286&hvtargid=pla-570455391784
Each side is made up of two knobbly interlocked 'starfish' shaped things, and really dig in. You can crank hard on the straps to really drive it in, or even lie on it like the traditional roll on a tennis ball treatment (agony). Obviously quite bulky and mains powered. I suspect its more useful for stiff backs, shoulders, legs etc rather than arms and elbows which you can probably target better with a massage gun.

That didn't work, did it?

We have one of these, it's been used for over 18 months now and really helps with the trapezius muscles. My job tends to make them solid and belaying doesn't help. My partner uses it for her legs also.
Works great at what it's meant for but my partner, who's a massage therapist, raves about the guns for the arms.

[kelvin]

My partner has just ordered this one, she thinks it'll be easier to use than a gun and I'll report back with her thoughts. £37.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/aw/d/B01N4B6VY4/ref=ox_sc_saved_image_2?smid=A3V701XPD7PSWM&psc=1