Best Massage Gun: Theragun vs Ekrin vs Bob and Brad Mini Guns

Massage gun boxes are covered in numbers: percussions per minute, speeds, battery hours, stall force. Most of them say little about how a gun feels on a sore calf, and some are simply wrong. Three specs decide the experience: how far the head travels (amplitude), how hard you can press before the motor quits (stall force) and how loud it is. Size decides whether it ever leaves the house.

Below: what those numbers mean, how Theragun vs Hypervolt really splits, and the two mini guns worth buying for most people.

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Quick verdict

• Quietest, and the best everyday pick: the Bob and Brad Q2 Mini Massage Gun. It weighs about a pound, stalls at 23 lb (the range where most guns feel alike in use) and is quieter on its top speed than many guns are on their lowest. Its stroke is short, so it feels more like a strong buzz than a punch.
• Best for travel, with a long battery: the Ekrin Bantam Mini Massage Gun. At 1.1 lb it has a deeper stroke than the Q2, up to six hours of battery and a hard case for the attachments.
• Deepest hit: a full-size Theragun. Their 16 mm stroke is the deepest of the common guns, but they are heavy, loud and expensive, and the depth can be too much on very sore muscles.

The two mini picks side by side

Massage gun	Shop	Weight	Amplitude	Stall force	Noise	Battery	Speeds and extras
Bob and Brad Q2 Mini Massage Gun	Buy on Amazon	1.01 lb	7.42 mm (measured)	23 lb (measured)	33 dB low, 41 dB high, the quietest here	Check the listing; USB-C charging	5 speeds, 5 attachments incl. notched fork, case
Ekrin Bantam Mini Massage Gun	Buy on Amazon	1.1 lb	About 11 to 12 mm	Listed at 28, 32 and 35 lb across its 3 speeds	Check the listing	Up to 6 hours	3 speeds, 4 attachments, hard case

What actually matters

Amplitude: how deep each hit goes

Amplitude is how far the head travels back and forth. Too short and the gun feels like it is vibrating rather than striking. Longer strokes deliver a real thump. Most guns land around 10 mm, about the width of a pea. Theragun builds its full-size models around 16 mm, and an Elite measures 16.07 mm with calipers, the deepest of the common guns. Theragun calls that depth "percussive", and buyers who want the deepest massage often treat amplitude as the one spec worth checking.

There is another side. Once a gun is strong enough, a few millimeters of stroke matter less than many people expect. Some people love the punch of a long stroke and others find it unpleasant, and on days when muscles are very sore, a shallow, gentle gun can be the more comfortable tool.

Stall force: how hard you can push

Stall force is the pressure at which the motor bogs down and stops. A gun with too little simply quits the moment you lean into a muscle. Guns under about 20 lb start to feel weak: a no-name budget gun stalls at just 13 lb, and a small, heavily advertised mini quits at 17. Between 23 and 28 lb, the guns feel much the same in use. The Theragun Pro is rated at 60 lb, more pressure than most people can put into their own body.

Price does not track stall force: the Kraftgun leads at 38 lb, a metal-bodied Sportneer Elite D9 holds 30 lb, and the expensive Theragun Elite stalls around 26 lb, below the Medcursor Mini at 27.

Noise: the spec nobody lists

Noise varies more than any other spec, and the numbers understate it: every 10 dB is heard as roughly twice as loud. The Bob and Brad Q2 reads 33 dB on low and 41 dB on high when measured a few inches from the head. The Theragun Elite and Kraftgun start near 58 to 59 dB even on their lowest setting, which makes them several times louder than the Q2 to the ear. A quiet gun can run on the couch during a show without bothering anyone, so it tends to get used more often.

Why advertised specs mislead

Treat spec sheets with suspicion. One brand's gun measures 6 mm shorter than its advertised amplitude. The Hypervolt measures 9.7 mm against an advertised 10, and Hyperice doesn't list the Hypervolt 2's amplitude on its spec sheet, which is commonly put at 12 to 13 mm. When a measured number and a published one conflict, trust the measured one.

Measured results for other popular guns

These guns are not linked here, but their numbers show the spread. Noise is low speed, then high speed, measured close up.

Theragun vs Hypervolt

The Theragun Prime, the brand's entry full-size model, has the 16 mm stroke, about 30 lb of stall force, five built-in speeds and app control that sets any speed in between. Its triangle handle helps reach between the shoulder blades. The downsides are a two-hour battery that cannot be swapped, a weight just under 3 lb and noticeably more noise. The Hypervolt 2 has a shallower stroke, a three-hour battery, a grippy single handle and runs quieter, roughly 60 to 70 dB against the Prime's 70 to 80 on a phone meter.

So the choice is depth or quiet. Buyers who want the strongest hit lean Theragun; buyers who use a gun around other people lean Hypervolt. Note that Amazon now sells the Theragun Prime (6th Gen), a newer generation than the Prime described here, so check its listing for current battery, weight and noise figures rather than assuming these numbers carry over. The flagship Theragun Pro adds two swappable batteries and six attachments, but it is loud and more gun than most people need.

Full-size or mini?

Early minis were weak. The better ones now hold 23 lb or more of stall force, and the Bantam is listed higher than many full-size guns. What a full-size gun still buys is a longer stroke, a bigger handle for two-handed pressure and more speed choices. What it costs is weight: at two to three pounds, the difference shows up the way a heavier laptop does, once it is carried around and held up to a shoulder for ten minutes.

For most people a mini is the better first gun. It goes in a backpack or coat pocket, it is quieter, and it gets used.

Attachments, grips and battery

• Attachments: the usual set is a ball, a flat head, a bullet and a fork. A fork with a notch, as on the Bob and Brad guns, keeps the head from spinning when digging in. The Ekrin B37S has locking heads.
• Grips: special handle shapes matter less than they seem. What matters is being able to press with both hands; a touchscreen on the back of the body, like the Softerspot's, can get bumped mid-use.
• Battery: rarely a real limit. Most guns last several days of normal use, and USB-C charging makes topping up on the road easy. Battery only matters on long trips, which is where the Bantam's six hours stand out.

The picks in detail

Bob and Brad Q2 Mini Massage Gun

At 1.01 lb, the Q2 is the lightest gun in this guide and the quietest by a wide margin: 41 dB on its highest speed is close to the Medcursor Mini on its lowest. It ships in a quality case with five attachments, including the notched fork. Its 23 lb stall force sits in the same range as most full-size guns.

The trade-off is stroke. At 7.42 mm it is shallower than average, so it lands closer to a deep vibration than a punch. For daily use on the couch or in a gym bag, few guns are easier to live with. The listing describes a pocket-sized, one-button gun with USB-C charging.

Bob and Brad Q2 Mini Massage GunCheck today’s price on AmazonBuy on Amazon →

Ekrin Bantam Mini Massage Gun

The Bantam packs the most into the smallest size. It weighs 1.1 lb, has a stroke of about 11 to 12 mm (deeper than the Q2, shallower than Ekrin's full-size guns) and comes in a hard shell case with four attachments. Its stall force is listed as progressive, rising from 28 lb on the first of its three speeds to 35 lb on the third, which is more than many full-size guns. The battery runs up to six hours, enough for a trip with no charger.

Like any small motor, it gives up some depth against a full-size gun. No close-up noise figure is available for it, so buyers who want the quietest option should pick the Q2.

Ekrin Bantam Mini Massage GunCheck today’s price on AmazonBuy on Amazon →

A full-size Ekrin

Ekrin's full-size guns sit between the minis and a Theragun. The B37S measures 28 lb of stall force and a 10.33 mm stroke, with six locking heads, a force meter and up to eight hours of battery, though it is one of the louder guns on high. The B37 is commonly cited at about 30 lb and 13 to 14 mm; where the measured and quoted figures differ, the measured one is the safer guide. Amazon now sells the Ekrin B37v2 Massage Gun, a newer version than either of those, so confirm its specs on the listing.

Using a massage gun safely

A massage gun is a comfort tool, not a treatment. A few common-sense habits:

• Start on the lowest speed with light pressure, then build up.
• Keep it on muscle. Avoid bony areas, the spine itself, joints and the front and sides of the neck. Many people find high speeds on the upper neck and head unpleasant.
• Keep time on any one spot short, and ease off on bruised areas.
• Anyone with a medical condition, a history of blood clots, or who is pregnant should ask a doctor first. The NIH's overview of massage therapy notes that serious side effects are rare but have occurred, often with vigorous deep-tissue work or in people at higher risk of injury.

Comfort at home also comes down to sleep. The mattress buying guide and the pillow guide by sleep position cover the other half of the routine.

Who should buy which

• A quiet gun to use around the house or office: the Bob and Brad Q2.
• Travel, or a long battery in a small gun: the Ekrin Bantam.
• The deepest possible hit: a full-size Theragun, accepting the weight and noise.
• Full-size, but quieter than a Theragun: a Hypervolt 2.
• Skip: no-name guns under 20 lb of stall force. They quit as soon as you press, and some cheap brands vanish from Amazon months later, leaving no support.