I own a lot of percussion massage guns because I review them for this site. They range in terms of speed, durability, strength, and price. Of course, you can't talk about massage guns without talking about Theragun. They were the company that put this recovery tool on the map. Their third generation massager, the Theragun G3, was one of the hottest recovery tools this past Christmas.
And if you looked at buying one, you may notice that it is a lot more expensive than a lot of other ones you can get on Amazon or elsewhere. So you maybe wondering if is worth the high price tag when you can get one that is much cheaper. That is the question that this review seeks to answer; we know that it is not cheap. But we are trying to see if it is worth the high price tag.
Theragun G3 Features
Below you get a quick glance at the features of the gun:
Reviewing The Theragun G3
For each of the features above, I will be talking about how it stacks up against the other popular guns on the market. If you want to just skip this section and see what I rate it, you can just scroll down to the summary.
Power
This massage gun is an absolute monster when it comes to power. This gun combines sturdy massage heads, 16 mm stroke length, and 40 pounds of stall force/torque to give an extremely satisfying massage.
The 40 pounds of stall force edges out most other massage guns on the market. As for how to think about stall force/torque, here is a short explanation from our article on picking the right massage gun:
the amount of torque/stall force is the amount of pressure you can apply to the gun before it stalls---meaning how hard you can push the gun into the massage.
I have a lot of scar tissue from prior shoulder surgery so I really like massaging the area. And I have tried many massage guns before the G3 and was never fully satisfied with pressure. Then came the G3. With it, I am only able to massage the area for 1-2 minutes at the higher speed before I have to switch it back to the first speed. So now, the only massager I use for that area is the G3. I can use the massager for much longer in other areas of my body; it's just the shoulder area that is tender from scar tissue so it is more painful. It's painful---but it's good pain. It is what I seek in a therapeutic massage.
Theragun G3
Speed
Theragun makes it simple by having just two speed options, 1750 and 2400 RPM. That means you are getting 1,750 strokes per minute or 2,400 strokes per minute. While some other massagers have up to 9 speeds, I find that unnecessary. In addition, many other massage guns clock in at speeds of well over 3,000 RPM but still don't match the power of the G3. It goes to show, speed (after a certain point) isn't the major determinant in massage quality.
Ideally, I would like Theragun to have a third speed in-between. But overall, I am fairly satisfied with the speeds offered.
Battery Life
The Theragun G3 has an internal battery that will last you about an hour with a full charge. This is on the lower end of the spectrum for the current generation of massage guns. A lot of massage guns have battery life that extends 3 or 4 hours. You can see on our list of the best percussion massage guns, the Theragun is the only one of the 5 that doesn't extend past an hour.
With that being said, I do not find that battery life is a huge drawback as I still only charge the battery once every couple of weeks.
Noise
The Theragun models continue to be on the louder side in large part due to its powerful motor running inside. The Theragun clocks in at 68 and 72 decibels depending on which speed it operates at.
The current generation of massage guns have gotten a lot quieter, with many of them operating at under 60 decibels. The TimTam Power Massager Pro even goes as low as 10 decibels when operating at 900 strokes per minute.
To get a reference point of how loud these decibels are, here is a chart that shows you the decibels of common sounds:
So the Theragun is as loud as office noise.
If there is one thing that the Theragun can improve on, the noise would be it. But the noise isn't such a huge factor for me as I use it at home and for only a few minutes a day.
Theragun G3
Massage Heads
The massager comes with 4 detachable massage heads, which bring it in range with many other massage guns on the market. The different massage heads are for adapting the massage to different muscle groups, pains, and ailments.
The four detachable heads are as follows:
Massage Head | Suggested use |
|---|---|
Dampener | For general use, tender areas, and bony areas that require less impact |
Thumb | For lower back, trigger point therapy, and anywhere you might have used an actual thumb |
Standard Ball | Ideal for overall use, especially during your workout |
Cone | For pin-point focused muscle treatment, trigger points, and small muscle areas, like the feet and wrists |
But like most massage guns, you only really end up using 1-2 of your favorite massage heads while the others just sit collecting dust. For me, I only use the dampener and cone.
The sturdy heads combined a soft surface makes for an extremely strong but comfortable massage.
Other Considerations
The massager weighs 2.6 pounds (1.18 kg). This is about middle of the road as most massagers are between 2 to 3 pounds. I'm actually kind of impressed that it is only 2.6 pounds because the design feels and looks much more solid than some of the other massagers I own.
The massage handle is much improved over the previous version. The handle allows you to hold the gun from multiple angles, allowing you to easily massage anywhere on the body. Past designs of massage guns made it difficult to massage your back. But that problem has largely been solved with the current generation of massagers.
Theragun ships all their devices with instructions for accessing their mobile app. Their mobile app is a clean and simple. It contains step-by-step instructions that shows you how to use the gun optimally. The instructions are categorized by body parts and purpose. The video below shows you a little preview of the Theragun mobile app:
So Is The Theragun G3 Worth It?
So is the massager worth it? In my opinion yes. This is especially true if you are someone who wants a strong massage and have been rather underwhelmed with the massages given by other massagers on the market. This massager is the cream of the crop when it comes to power. If a strong and power massage is what you are looking for, this is it. The gun pays for itself as it will give you better relief than a traditional massage from a massage therapist.
Theragun G3
Pros
- Extremely strong massage
- Durable design
- Excellent customer support
- Comes with mobile app
- Good speed
Cons
- Battery life
- Noisier than other massagers
