Percussion massage technology has become an essential recovery tool for professional athletes and fitness enthusiasts alike, and newer devices are making vast improvements in precision, battery life, and affordability. Given renewed focus on daily health and wellness, 2022 may be the year Aussies permanently add this essential new recovery tech to their daily lives.
But thanks to growing demand for percussion therapeutics, the Australian market (in particular Amazon) has been flooded with cheap, unreliable, and unsafe knockoff products. That’s where we come in…
Our testing process is simple: We check massage gun features, percussion quality, and overall usability from reputable brands, and then rank devices in a list based on qualifications including availability in the Australian market. Read on to find the best percussion massage guns for your money.
Ekko One: Editor’s pick for all around best massage gun – $189.99 at Mifo.com.au
Where to buy the Ekko One percussion massage gun in Australia
The best massage gun including back and neck massage, post-workout, therapeutic massage, and all around recovery use comes from a brand new to Australia. But don’t let that scare you off, as the Ekko One massage gun is easily one of the best we have ever tested. The top value with local inventory can be found at Australian electronics retailer Mifo linked below.
BEST VALUE
- $189.99 at Mifo.com.au – 2-4 day delivery
- OF NOTE: Go Travel Edition $149.99 at Mifo.com.au – 2-4 day delivery
So what makes the Ekko One massage gun the best all around percussion therapy device?
The best massage gun for daily use, period. The Ekko One ships with a bevy of features that improve recovery immensely, including back or neck massage, beginning with its easy to grip form factor. Incredibly sleek, the massage gun is simple to grip and has a large, intuitive display indicating speed and battery level. Tappable buttons speed up or slow down pulsing at 7 speed levels that max out at 3,200 RPM, more than enough power for even the toughest athlete.
Absurd battery life with rapid charging. The Ekko One itself will run for nearly 6 hours, a feat we tested over several days. Not only that, but the included rapid charging cable can provide an hour of use with just 10 minutes of charge time. We were able to recharge the device fully in just under 30 minutes. That’s stunning, and makes us wonder why massage guns from more expensive brands have just a third of the battery life and take over 90 minutes to recharge.
Whisper-quiet motor that won’t disturb others or interrupt relaxation. The Ekko One is the only massage gun we tested that will not disturb others around you with audible motor noise. This makes the Ekko One perfect for use at the gym or whilst a partner is sleeping.
Robust accessory pack for a customized massage experience. The Ekko One includes 4 unique interchangeable massage heads designed for different types of therapeutic massage and recovery. Including these essential elements rather than selling them separately is a big win for Ekko customers. In addition, Ekko have included a carrying case for storage or travel.
EDITOR’S NOTE: Ekko have now released a smaller, travel-ready Go edition, designed to keep you in top performance mode whilst on the road. It carries with it reduced cost, but offers reduced massage power for $149.99.
Australia-based warehouse and customer support. We have been continuously disappointed with electronics brands in the past, even from tech giants like Sony. Part of that disappointment comes with poor or absent customer service and shipping to Australia. We tested Ekko on several occasions with questions and every time received proper replies within an hour. That demonstrates commitment to Australian market and contributes greatly to our award of Editor’s Pick.
Theragun Prime: Solid percussion massager with room for improvement – $499.00 at Recovertech.com.au
Where to buy the Theragun Prime in Australia
If you aren’t price sensitive, Theragun may be the brand for you. This percussion massager ships with fewer features than the Ekko One, but features a unique grip design some may find more appealing.
BEST VALUE
Why Theragun makes the list of percussion massage gun winners
Excellent marks for massage quality, with some drawbacks. The Theragun Prime offers a complete sports massage experience with a time tested product that simply works. And while Theragun was first on the scene with a truly professional-grade percussion therapy device, an aging feature set and a high price point cost them our top spot. For example, battery life is advertised at 2 hours, of which we were able to achieve no better than 108 minutes of total use. That’s well under the Ekko One use time of 6 hours.
Connectivity options to a larger ecosystem. Theragun provides a smartphone app that allows connectivity and recovery massage journaling, features that may be of interest to professional athletes that keep strict control over routine. In practice, the app is useful at tracking specific activities, but we found it unnecessary and stopped using the app after just a few days.
Quiet operation, but not truly silent. When the Theragun Prime was first released to market, the motor was one of the quietest available. Since that time new technology has led to quieter operation in newer competitor products. That said, the Theragun Prime delivers a mostly quiet experience that should not bother others around you. It may not be appropriate if you tend to use recovery devices when other are sleeping near by.
A price many simply can’t pay. Theragun rarely offers sale pricing, and that hurts now more than ever. Yes, the product is supremely reliable and from a brand that was one of the first in the space. But with newer devices pushing the boundary of performance and features, we wish the Prime came at a more affordable level.
Hyperice Hypervolt: A massage gun with celebrity status you’ll pay for – $549.95 at Hyperice.com.au
Where to buy the Hypervolt massage gun in Australia
Hyperice has delved into the warmup and recovery percussion category by focusing on celebrity athletes. And while the Hyperice Hypervolt is an excellent product, it suffers from a hamstrung motor, weighty heft, mediocre battery life, and an astronomical price point, costing Hyperice a higher position in our list.
BEST VALUE
Why Hyperice makes the list of top massage gun picks
Great warmup or recovery experience that comes at a cost. While Hyperice have engineered a product that is indeed a worthy contender, it does come at a cost. Most of this can be attributed to celebrity-backed campaigns with the likes of Naomi Osaka. We appreciate the need for marketing, but the idea of paying such a high price is a bit much. That’s truly our top concern, as these days asking $550 for anything is particularly painful.
Full-featured, but gets in the way of its own power. Of note are the options to connect with Bluetooth for activity tracking, and 5 interchangeable massage head attachments. And though a 3,200 RPM motor places the Hypervolt at the top of the pack for power, it is limited by only three speed settings and short battery life.
Built for gym use, but may not work for you on the road. The Hypervolt is rated for airline-approved travel, but the product weight may make that idea less appealing. Coming in at nearly 1.5 kilos, the Hypervolt is a massage gun that carries real heft. We often found our arms getting tired after ten minutes of holding the Hypervolt during post workout recovery sessions.
Runners-up: Best Percussion Back Massage Gun
There are many, many massage guns in the Australian market. And while we attempt to test as many as possible for our readers, some units simply don’t make the cut. Here’s a quick peek at percussion massagers that didn’t make the list.
XFT Triangle – $399.00 at DickSmith.com.au
XFT is a Chinese electronics company known for decent quality and value, but the XFT Triangle is a halfhearted attempt that misses on many areas of functionality in favor of a more interesting design aesthetic. XFT could get there some day with future generations, and we will keep our eyes open, but the Triangle just isn’t fit in its current form.
Theragun Liv – $299.00 at DickSmith.com.au
Theragun did earn a spot in our top list with the Prime, and we were excited to learn the Liv – a lower cost option – would be coming to Australia. Unfortunately the Liv is inferior in nearly every way, with horrid battery life and a single (yes, only one) speed setting that makes it uncomfortable to use. We do fully endorse the idea of bringing the cost down for Aussies, but not when the device itself is unusable.
TimTam PowerMassager Pro – $650.00 at TimTam.tech
No, we aren’t talking about biscuits! TimTam have been developing back and neck massage and recovery massage products for several years, and the second generation of PowerMassage Pro represents the flagship in their series. But a huge price and relatively few unique features left us wanting more. Much more to be exact. It would also be nice to have an Australia-based warehouse for faster, cheaper shipping and better customer support.