I’ve tested 7 different guns including the Prime, Mini 2.0, Xiaomi, Xiaomi mini, Aukey Naipo, and two cheap knockoffs. I’ve also watched about 50 reviews. The Mini (12mm amplitude) is perfect for anyone who doesn’t need large muscle groups deep massages. Too hard on the small muscles like the neck area, tends to bounce. Very portable, very quiet. You can use this while watching tv with the family. Feels almost as heavy as the prime. Will fit in a large laptop bag. The Prime (16mm amplitude) is supreme for quads, glutes, calves, and on arms and shoulders and back is as effective as the mini. It will also hurt you in smaller muscles/bony areas. You can watch tv but it will be noticeable and will disturb others. Irrelevant though - you use it for 2 min and probably before exercise. Somewhat portable. Will not fit into a laptop bag but will into a gym bag. Mid range (‘Aukey’ massage gun) has +-10mm amplitude but can hit 3000rpm so it’s perfect for the smaller muscles like neck and bony areas, and even your forehead and face. Very light and portable. High quality feel. The Xiaomis felt very sleek and high quality. I’m sure the battery will last years and goes for hours. But ultimately the big one was noisy and much less powerful than the Aukey but priced the same (about 40% the price of the Prime). The mini is, strangely, priced the same as the larger Xiaomi but is truly feeble. Feels nice to hold but it isn’t going to do much. The knockoffs were comparable to the mini Xiaomi but poor quality. They have tiny amplitudes so just skin deep vibrations. Stay away, trust me you’ll just put them in a drawer and forget they exist. Could be a nice present for grandma though. I kept the Prime and the midrange, I lift weights + run and the Prime is the business… midrange is used for lymph nodes and tension relief and smaller muscles. And when travelling. Great for neck, arms. For reference I’m 177cm, male, 80kg, 12% bodyfat, 37 years old. If the mini had a 14mm or higher amplitude it would be THE ONE. Really like it but not quite effective where I need it. So if you are thin, get the mini. You’ll love it. If you are muscular or need deep work on glutes/quads, get the Prime. If you need tension relief, get a high rpm and shallower amplitude but not below 8mm in my estimation. Aukey has the best battery life, both Theraguns only last about 45min on a charge but it has no real impact on the experience. Couldn’t stall the mini / prime / Aukey without hurting myself. So that’s irrelevant. Hope that helps.
I have this. Its pretty good. If you have the duo attachment for that with a second dampener ball attachment the duo attachment, it becomes a beast in massaging out and breaking up muscle knots. I still go to this even though, I did get the Theragun Pro recently. I use that post workout when I need that 60 lbs of force power that has to massage my legs after intense workouts to break up soreness and help with recovery. I even have TENS units that I use as well, combined with the Theragun. As an older athlete, in my 30s now, the recovery from training sessions to training sessions honestly, isn’t the same as it was in my 20s and these equipment helps out a lot with increasing the rate of recovery to come back stronger than the last session. As an online fitness instructor who runs intense workouts for people to do on RU-vid, it’s also my responsibility to teach people how to recover properly and prevent injuries as well.
If you compare the Elite with the Prime on the lowest setting, which one is louder/quieter? Their website claims the Prime is louder, but given its a weaker device I'm surprised by that. Can you test and tell me if there is any difference?
These reviews are so good, thank you! I would love to see your opinion/review on specific body parts... Self-massage for ITB/Glute Med and which gun you think is the best for that area. Thanks!
It depends on your tolerance for how aggressive the massage is. If you prefer deeper and more powerful choose the prime. That is my personal preference but I will say some feel it is too strong.
Hi, Thanks for the very informative reviews. I am suffering from repetitive stress injury in my hands. I am looking for a massage gun for this purpose. Which one would you recommend? Thanks 😊 🙏🏼
What are your thoughts on this model versus the Lifepro Sonic that you also reviewed a while back ago. I understand that they are at two different price points, but still wanted your opinions between the two. Thanks!
If you had your choice between the Prime and the Mini for travel, which would be your overall preference? I am looking to purchase a Theragun for travel, since I don't want to lug around my G3Pro and risk having a $600 gun stolen. Thank you sir! Great reviews!
Timothy Hawkins a lot depends on your preference for pressure as you can’t get a ton with them mini but I’ll be taking my mini on work trips. Easy to use on the plane etc to keep blood flowing but certainly is not a replacement for an actual massage gun - close though!
@@BestMassageTech Thank you for the quick reply, sir! The only reason I questioned it was due to the smaller size of the Prime versus the other guns in the lineup or even compared to my G3Pro. With that said, I was thinking maybe the Prime would have a fighting chance to be a travel option. However, from what you are saying regarding the Mini, perhaps the $100 difference should go back into my pocket! Thanks again!
Timothy Hawkins I’m not saying the prime couldn’t function well as a great traveling tool. For me it just doesn’t make sense to spend the money if that’s the only situation your using it. If you have the G3Pro, you’d likely never use the prime at home so might as well get something that’s cheaper and different.
Great channel ! Can you please help me choose by - Which one would you recommend between the Prime and the Pro ? Budget isn’t so much of a problem since I can get the Pro for about 440 and the Prime for as low as 210. I’m a regular gym guy who does a bit of sports and who likes to travel. Given that I do some good sports and that ideally I would bring my massage gun with me on long trips (mostly on planes), which one would you recommend ? Is 30lbs stall enough ? I can’t represent myself what this figure does represent in actual use.. Isn’t the pro too big for self-massage and for carrying around ? Do you think the noise level of the pro would make it impossible to use in planes or at home for say 15-20 min period without buggin the others or making me deaf ? Thanks a lot !
A lot to unpack there. Strictly speaking between the two I’d pick the Pro. The pro is by far the best with the most features and capabilities. That being said, I think the best value is the Elite. From a noise perspective, I actually prefer to use the Theragun mini when I’m flying. I actually use my Hypervolt Plus sometimes too but usually when I’m on a plane I’m just looking to help promote blood flow so I don’t need a full size device. I haven’t tried my pro or elite on the plane but you haven’t to remember the white noise of a plane drowns out a lot of noise to begin with.
@@BestMassageTech Thanks for your swift feedback ! I’m not sure I fully agree with your choice on the Elite. Let me explain. I think that for only 10lbs more of stall force and a a screen that indicates some (although useful) information it’s not worth the price gap between the Prime and the Elite. Especially when it seems that most of time you will not be able to read the oled screen of the gun due to the “self” massage thus making impossible to read it. Instead loads of users have outlined that the mobile app is more useful and in day to day usage the app will be used anyway for either (or all at the same time) reading the force applied, speed, follow the app programme. However I’m still undecided about the Pro or Prime. For a usage at home, will I not break my ears or my family’s? Can you help me represent how much difference is there between 30lbs and 60 ? In practise will I go up to 30lbs ? On the other hand, will need 60lbs force ? Thanks again !
Hey man, I’m going to buy a theragun really soon, but I’m really new in that kind of technology and I would like to know witch one is the best. I’m doing workout every day and it would be for like the entire body but especially for Pecs and Shoulder, but I would like something polyvalent that would work for the entire body. Thanks for ou help bro. Amazing reviews 👍🏼💪🏼
Best Massage Tech You sure ? Cause it’s a lot of money, but I’m also a Bricklayer and the combination of workout and this job, so yeah you’ve reason I think, thanks for answering quickly bro, love u ✌🏼
I cannot afford the pro. I am trying to choose between Elite, prime or G3 version liv. Does the Elite really worth the extra $100 USD? I am wondering if the App will control the speed (with programs) of prime for different area
The Prime is a better option than both the G3 or the Liv (which will both be hard to find now anyway). For my personal preferences, I feel the Elite is worth the extra $100 over the Prime. I value the extra stall force so that is my reasoning. You also get a few other small benefits (one more attachment, OLED Screen, saved routines). According to what they've advertised, it should be capable of controlling speed once they've gotten the app and firmware all synced up. The Prime does not have the capability to save routines to the device, the Elite does.
Can I ask a question about charging? I just got a theregun prime yesterday. I know you say charging time is 80 minutes. I have the Thera gun prime and I’m wondering if when the third charging light is no longer flashing and solid is it fully charged even if it only took 15 minutes to get to that point? Or does the battery still have charging left to be done even when that third light is solid? As soon as that third light was solid I unplugged it and it went out about 10 minutes after use, this was my first charge out of the box and it only took 15 minutes for that light to be solid. Should I leave it plugged in for 80 minutes no matter what? Also, how often should I charge? Should i wait till I’m down to one light to charge? Thanks a lot.
@@BestMassageTech Great!! Thanks so much for the reply. I’m going to guess it just wasn’t fully charged since I unplugged it as soon as the light was solid, straight out of the box. Super appreciate it. I’ll use it until I’m down to 1 light and then do an 80 minute charge and see how it goes. Really happy with it after only one day. Really glad I saw your review video! Thanks.
@@BestMassageTech So, it’s been a week. I’ve kept track of the battery time. I’ve used it on low only, with the exception of two sessions in the app which totaled 15 mins and those seem to run the gun on high. Im at 50 minutes and it’s been on the last charge light for about 6 minutes, so I don’t think I’ll get much more time. I’ve read other people say they are only getting 50 minutes too. Im not sure if this is a battery issue or to be expected. Maybe this will help some others watching this review. Not sure if I should exchange it for another one while I still have time. I hate to do it if this 50 minutes is accurate. Thanks.
Great video, thanks for the detailed review! I have really bad leg pain (tight muscles in my right leg, scar tissue from a previous injury) - would you recommend this massage gun to help me treat this issue?
@@21fnasser have you emailed me to understand why I say this? If not, please do not make assumptions. There is no newer version so I’m unsure what you are referring to. They have higher end models (Elite and Pro) but these are all part of their 4th generation line, which is their most recent release.
I'm looking to get my first massage gun, and Theragun is offering 20% off for healthcare workers so I'm thinking about getting one. I don't know what to choose between the mini, prime, or spending the extra money and getting the Elite. I am not ready to spend the money and get the pro, and am leaning towards the elite, but I am unsure if the extra money for the Elite is the correct route to go. Or do I instead save some money and get the mini? Any help is greatly appreciated. Thank you
What parts of your body do you anticipate you will use this the most? When you get a massage, do you prefer something aggressive in deep or do you prefer something gentler and more manipulative?
@@BestMassageTech this will be used primarily for the back-- mid and lower, the thighs, and the neck. As for the type of massage, I like the aggressive and deep massage, and my wife likes both.
Hey I am in the same situation. I really don’t think I would be interested in the mini or the pro model. Between the elite and the prime is there enough of a difference to justify the extra $100? I will mainly be using on my calves, thighs, and glutes. I’m not concerned about the lack of or inclusion of the screen so basically I think it comes to the stall force, what are your thoughts? Thank you for the info and good review!
@@tflagel based on what you've told me, I would think you'd want the Elite and personally, I'd take advantage of that discount as much as possible by going up to the Elite. Since you will be using this with two different people, but both like aggressive, it's better to go with the device with the stronger stall force. There's a chance the Prime could be enough for you (everyone's level of aggressive is different), but with the discount, it seems silly to not just get the stronger one.
@@weeksauce23 I've been asked a similar question on my Elite review. In that scenario, the individual did not have access to the discount and I recommended the Elite. For your extra $100 you get the following: a case, an additional attachment (the wedge), 10 lbs of additional stall force, the OLED screen with Force Meter, and the ability to store 3 programmed routines into your advice. For me personally, based on my own preferences only, I think the stall force alone is with the $100 difference. I can't emphasize my personal massage preference in this decision enough though because as I mentioned in my response to Travis, everyone's definition of "aggressive" and "deep" is different. You're planning to use yours on larger muscle groups so I'd say Elite (especially if you have the Healthcare discount).
I've been looking at a ton of different massage guns lately because my boyfriend's back, especially the shoulder blade area, has been bothering him a lot and I want to gift him a massage gun. He really doesn't need a massage gun for any other area other than his back and neck so I don't think I need the Theragun Pro... Would you recommend this model compared to the other Theraguns or should I invest in the Elite for his needs? Thank you for your video!
I think the Prime would be good, but the only reason I would say the Elite is because it includes the wedge attachment, which is designed for use on the shoulder blades, which in this instance I think would be beneficial for him. May seem like a lot to pay just to get the additional attachment, but it's a worthwhile investment if it resolves the issue.
Susan Day that would be a great loophole if that was the only difference between the Prime and Elite. For $100 you get the additional attachment, a case, the OLED screen and where the real value is - a higher stall force. If you only care about not having that attachment then yes what you’ve pointed out is a good work around but I think the reason most people pay the additional price is for the stall force and the case. In her specific scenario I only focused on the attachment, I should have elaborated more on my response.
Hi, I was about to buy the Prime until seeing your review. Now considering the mini, but wanted to ask first your opinion on the best gun for targeting intense leg cramps (under $400) . Thank you!
Lizzzard333 also a good option that I would rate similarly to the Elite but my personal preference would be the elite between the two. Certainly something to be considered in the price difference though if that’s your main focus. I simply prefer the Theragun brand.