Your Journey Into Buying A Massage Gun

If you’re looking into purchasing a massage gun, you have probably have tried all recovery tools out there, such as foam rollers, trigger point balls, myofascial release sticks, and sports massages. These options are all very credible and effective for recovery and performance enhancement. However, in recent years there has been a surge in massage guns on the market. With good reason, especially with the pandemic over the last 18 months, gym-goers, fitness enthusiasts, athletes, and your average joe haven’t been able to go for a regular massage, chiropractic adjustment, or physical therapy. As a result, massage guns have become part of our everyday lives. But, you may ask, what are massage guns, and why are there so many types?

What are massage guns?

They’re a handheld device that provides both percussion and vibration therapy; although both modalities are similar, they have some differences:

• Vibration Therapy — more commonly seen in health clubs with the vibrating ‘power plates’ people would stand on; this is whole-body vibration therapy (WBV). With technological advancements, you can now get all the same benefits of WBV on a handheld device. The benefits of vibration therapy are; increase muscle development, increased blood flow, increased muscle flexibility, increased joint mobility, improved lymphatic drainage, and decreased stress levels.
• Percussion Therapy aims to emulate a massage technique called ‘tapotement’, which involves a progressive and rhythmic movement of the hands to stimulate the nerve endings in a localised area to increase blood flow and lymphatic drainage and increase muscle flexibility and joint mobility.

There are similarities between the two, but the convoluted part of getting a massage gun comes from how many different types there are out there. So how can you pick the best one for you?

Choosing the right device

There are hundreds, probably even thousands, of different types of massage guns, but there are several things you look for to purchase the RIGHT device.

• Is it OEM? Original equipment manufacturers will often buy other devices from other factories to make their devices. This affects the device’s performance, how often the device fails/ breaks, the reliability of the device. But this is why you can purchase devices for $30, it’s cheap, but the device’s longevity isn’t good in our research & opinion. So to find out if the device ISN’T OEM you need to ask if the company owns their factory, which is hard to come by nowadays due to manufacturing being so cheap, companies often opt for OEM-based manufacturers.
• Do they own the factory? — Probably not something you would consider as you would assume a brand, especially a big global one, would own the factory, right? But, unfortunately, that’s not the case. A brand owning a factory to produce their product is beneficial as a consumer because it means they can control the manufacturing procedure, product quality, reduce failure rates through product development and testing, the device can be altered quickly, and trading standards can be implemented more effectively. Which ensures you get the best quality device.

• Warranty? — Not many of the devices out there come with a good warranty with the initial purchase; what you often find is that the OEM-based brands make the returns/ refund process difficult, and the more prominent brands offer a 1- 2 year warranty. To our knowledge, there is only one brand out there that offers two years of warranty with the initial purchase, and more often than not, they will go above and beyond even after that warranty period.
• Budget?- The amount of the devices is a crucial thing to consider, you could buy one off Amazon for $30, but our research shows that they typically do NOT last long with everyday use, meaning you get stuck in the cycle of buying a new $30 one every couple of months. So you do that six times, you have spent $180. It may be more convenient to buy one around the $150 — $250 price point, which comes with a 1–2 year warranty. At the other end of the scale, devices are costing $500+, which could have a 1-year warranty with the option to purchase an additional year for $99 per year.

Key Points to Take Away

• Invest in the long term — Don’t just buy a device to use until it breaks. This is an investment for your body, recovery, and your performance; you would want the best, right?
• Look at your budget — what can you spend? Either instantly or save up for, if you go for the mid to higher-level options, it’s a lot of money, and we get that, so weigh it up. Are you going to use it every day? Can you see yourself using this in years time? Do you travel a lot? If you have answered yes to all of those, then a more durable one will be best for you.
• Don’t be scared to ask questions — if you find yourself deciding between two brands, one that’s $500 and the other which is $200, do NOT be scared to ask some questions directly to the brand. Much like you do when you purchase a house, you want to know as much information as possible to make sure it’s right for you. You should approach your health in the same manner.

Ultimately our advice, listen to your body and invest in yourself.

The NEW Flow NANO will be live soon, and you can get it for $62 here.