Some factors you want to think about when buying the best massage guns include how heavy the device is. Although most devices weigh less than five pounds, the difference between a lighter massage gun and a heavier one can mean your arm gets tired faster, especially if you’re holding the device in a hard-to-reach location, like your neck, shoulders and back.
The best massage guns should have a battery life that lasts longer than an hour, usually up to two hours. You won’t be using vibration therapy for an hour on your body at a time, but not needing to charge the device every time will make life easier. When you’re thinking about buying a massage gun, see if backup batteries are included or are available. If you’re traveling, it might be worth it to have two charged batteries so you don’t have to deal with one leg that’s been worked on and the other leg hasn’t been massaged.
Massage gun customers should also look at the device’s amplitude. This is the distance the head will travel and how deep the gun hits the muscle. A massage gun with a higher amplitude can feel more intense even at a lower speed than a vibration-type massage gun. The massage guns that have higher amplitude should be able to target a specific area deep into the muscle to help reduce muscle pain and improve blood circulation.
The frequency or speed of a massage gun is usually measured in percussions per minute (PPM) or strokes per minute and tends to be available in the 1,200 to 3,200-PPM range. A higher frequency will deliver a more intense massage. If you want a massage gun that only delivers a surface-level massage instead of a deep, sports-style massage, you would use a lower-power setting on the device.
If you live in a flat share or in a house with small children, you might want to consider how noisy the massage gun is. Some of them are pretty noisy, which won’t be ideal if you’re using the massage gun in the evenings as part of your recovery routine.
When some consumers are looking at the best massage guns, having a variety of attachments or heads will be important to them. Most devices average about five attachment head options, usually, a cushioned head, rounded, fork, and flat options, as well as some cone-shaped (bullet) attachments that target a specific area.