“If you are at least mildly serious about training or fitness, I think these are a great investment. I went for the larger (Carbon) model and it has added to and/or improved on the range of self-massage tools I have already. Lacrosse balls, foam rollers, the stick, etc. - none of them are as low-effort and accessible as this is.
I was sceptical of massage guns in general, having seen online that lots of massage therapists and physios are doubtful of their effectiveness due to a lack of research. Whilst it has since occurred to me that massage therapists have a very obvious reason for opposing the use of a device which effectively makes their services partially redundant, I have been converted and am now a huge fan of this product.
I've had this about a month now, so have had time to get to grips with it. Now for the specifics of my experience:
Pros:
- Really easy to access most muscles in a way that you can't with other massage tools. E.g. my calves are now looser than they have been since forever - whereas a foam roller or lacross ball pushes the muscle to the side (since you have to put weight on it to get any MFR effect) the Musclegun lets it remain where it is. In fact, I think calves are probably the area of my body which have benefitteed most.
- Whereas getting on the foam roller or the lacross ball is unappealing - you get a sweat on sometimes, have to get in awkward positions, need floor space, etc. - this can have a similar effect with none of the difficulty. Really makes it more appealing to do the soft tissue work you inevitably will need to do if you train even casually. You can even do it whilst you watch TV or scroll through Insta, whatever it is your prefer.
- Good selection of attachments for different purposes. Personally I most heavily use the 'bullet' because it focusses the gun's power on a smaller area and therefore is more effective at working out tight spots.
- It's actually pretty powerful. I rarely need to go to the top setting (5) to get the stimulus I need. 4 is usually good and 3 will do the trick for sensitive spots.
- The ease of use has enabled me to work out tightness in muscles which I didn't even know was there, and, in turn, prompted me to learn more about anatomy and muscle function. E.g. I'd never massaged my TFL before but have since started to address it, which has helped me work through some nagging knee pain I've had.
- Don't be fooled by the 'made in China' label. The build quality is great. It feels really sturdy in the hand and has a nice weight to it without being too heavy. Despite the vigorous, repetitive motion of the motor it does not feel like it will shake itself apart.
- Great packaging, presentation and storage case.
- Warranty is a nice bonus and did help convince me to buy.
- Relatively good battery. Definitely lasts for quite a few sessions depending on how heavily you use it. Recharges in a few hours too. Haven't measured either of these but they haven't been so short/long that it's bothered me.
Cons:
- There's an auto-off function built in which you can't disable. So if you use it long enough (maybe 10-15 mins? I haven't timed it) it will just turn off for you.
- The app that they advertise is not really that useful. It does the job but seems to mostly just cover light massage (like you might do after a workout or run) to help with DOMS, rather than getting into knots to create lasting change in tight muscles, which is what I think most people want for.
- It's quite difficult to use this on your back. You could get someone else to do it for you but then they wouldn't know where the tight spots were.
- I had hoped to use this on my shoulders and neck (desk job issues) but anything above the chest is just uncomfortable because the force of the device just rattles your skull.
- The massage oil is effective but not to the extent that I'd pay £30 for a small bottle of it (when I purchased it was advertised as £30 off the gun plus free massage oil, worth £30). So this just feels a bit of a hollow sales tactic to me, but not that bad as I do feel the gun is good value at £200.
That's pretty much it. Overall I'm very impressed and would definitely recommend if you train in any sport/activity whatsoever and are at least mildly interested in improving your mobility and recovery, or helping with pain. Supplement this with your own research or intuition (i.e. just getting amongst it) into which muscles to use it on, and also keep stretching and doing other mobility work. All in all a great purchase!”
“Absolutely amazing. Such a sophisticated piece of equipment of great quality. I have used it every day since it arrived a week ago and I genuinely feel better for it. A 2 year warranty on top of that is also greatly appreciated. I have the MG Carbon Go, I love it!”
“During the lockdown I have been unable to go to my regular massage for my arthritis, so I thought I would try this out. Even though my wife is not a trained masseuse, the instructions provided has already given me more relief than I have had in ages. I would recommend this to anyone”
“Had heard other people say how great this product was at assisting with recovery after exercise. Having spent lots of money on sports rehab we decided to give this a go. Amazing results from day one of using the machine. Instant relief on tight muscle spots and overall improved flexibility after exercise. Easier to target pain than a foam roller and quicker, 100% recommended by us”
“Ordered my Muscle Gun Carbon at 2.45pm and it arrived the next day at 9.30am! Service was rapid, responses to any questions I've had via Live Chat or email have been instant or within a couple of (working) hours.
Product is simply fantastic and beautifully designed. The "Deep" app is brilliant too and does a great job at explaining the muscles/attachments and direction/speed to use your gun.
I've had this a week and it's already undoing a decade of pain from rugby, gym work and office related poor posture as well as Plantar Fasciitis. If you're in two minds, just go for it - you won't be disappointed. If you are (what's wrong with you?!) then there's a 90 day moneyback promise.
Game changing and life changing piece of kit. I'm going to buy a Carbon Go to take on holiday with me (when we're allowed to travel again.)
Thanks MG, you've made my days much more enjoyable.”
