Review: This $65 Massage Gun Ruined Me in the Best Possible Way

Review: This $65 Massage Gun Ruined Me in the Best Possible Way
At Gizmodo, we independently select and write about stuff we love and think you'll like too. We have affiliate and advertising partnerships, which means we may collect a share of sales or other compensation from the links on this page. BTW – prices are accurate and items in stock at the time of posting.

Handheld massage guns have really taken the world by storm in the last year and a bit – well timed really when you think about all the bodily issues we faced as a result of the lifestyle changes COVID-19 threw at us.

While the Theragun massager has been the known name in the area, its price ($399-$899) isn’t anything to sneeze at. So when I was sent the Naipo Massager to review, with an RRP of under $100, I was interested to see how it could benefit my constant back issues… but also mildly terrified at the same time.

Update 23/04 11.15AM: The Naipo massage gun is now sold out. If you’re after alternatives under $100, see the below:

Naipo Percussion Massager

Naipo Percussion Massager

What is it?

A cordless miracle

Price

$99.99

Like

Five interchangeable heads, five differing speeds, portable, affordable, long-lasting battery

Don't like

Can give you a bit of a shock if you're a first-timer, hard-to-reach areas can suffer

For context, I returned my ergonomic chair to the office a couple of months ago, meaning I was now working from home with a wooden chair and shoddy back rest. Pretty soon after that, I started to experience negative effects, including a painful back pull to the lower right side that could make it difficult to even turn sides in my sleep.

After two physio appointments, at $130 a pop, it became clear I needed to be a bit more strategic with working on my problem areas – and consistently. A few weeks in to my experience, below’s what you should know about the Naipo massager.

Interchangeable heads

The Naipo massager has five different heads for different focus areas of the body. These include:

  • Big ball: For large muscles areas such as legs, calves, arms and hips.
  • U-shape: Neck, spine, achilles.
  • Bullet: Meridians, palms, plantars, joints, trigger points.
  • Flat: All muscle groups. Good for relaxation and body shaping.
  • Cushion: All muscle groups. Good for relaxation and body shaping.

They’re all super easy to put on and pull off manually, and also simple to keep track of thanks to the carrying case with specific compartments for specific heads. From someone who used to get medium-to-hard back massages fortnightly, my favourite head is the flat one, and the big ball absolutely hammered me. To be fair, it was the first one I tried and I was likely in an element of shock, but I also low-key loved it. If you have a ‘pleasure of the pain’ mentality, you’ll be into it.

Speed and intensity levels

The five differing intensity levels, ranging from 2000RMP to 3200RMP, provide deep percussion massages which can aid muscle pain, provide deep muscle relaxation and also help with athletic muscle recovery.

As someone who’s allergic to the gym I can’t speak to the latter, but my roommate does Barry’s Bootcamp daily and is always asking to borrow the handheld massager.

Battery life, charging and noise

I’ve had the Naipo massager for three weeks now and haven’t recharged it once – it’s designed with 2500mAh built-in battery and is said to work for 5-7 hours fully charged. Makes it easy to chuck it in your bag for a weekend away or whatnot, without stressing about having all the bits and bobs on you.

Just make sure you’ve got your favourite interchangeable heads on, or in tow.

When it comes to noise, it’s nothing crazy but it’s not silent. It uses a 55mm high-torque brushless motor which emits sound at less than 4s decibels while working away at your bits. Put it this way, it’s louder than a Womanizer so no one’s going to confuse the two acts.

Things to keep in mind

Handheld massage guns are great, but if your problem area is a hard-to-reach area, you may struggle to treat it in a way that’s beneficial to you. Instead, I’d recommend taking turns with whoever you live with so you can treat areas like your back in a way that makes you feel more relaxed.

Like getting a crappy massage at a parlour or otherwise, improper use could cause harm. Do your research before annihilating yourself.

Naipo massager price

The Naipo massager has an RRP of $99.99. It’s much, much cheaper than the Theragun, which ranges from $399-$899. I don’t have nor have I tried a Theragun, but you can read the Theragun Elite review here.

The Naipo massager was $15 off over at Amazon, with an additional $20-off coupon (just tick the box under the price and it’ll be deducted at checkout) making it just$64.99 – saving yourself a solid $35. Unfortunately it’s currently out of stock, but if you’re looking for one under $100, there’s the below options all 4-star and above:

Good luck getting your hands on one.


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At Gizmodo, we independently select and write about stuff we love and think you'll like too. We have affiliate and advertising partnerships, which means we may collect a share of sales or other compensation from the links on this page. BTW – prices are accurate and items in stock at the time of posting.