If you’re looking for a quality massage gun, then there are likely only a handful of brand names that will come to mind, Pulseroll and Therabody amongst them.
Theragun can be considered as having been at the forefront of percussive therapy technology, having been around since 2009 and has been prevalent in the industry. Aside from selling percussive massage guns, the company branched out into other areas of wellness and officially became Therabody in 2020.
Founded in 2016, Pulseroll has quickly established itself as Britain’s leading muscle recovery brand, backed by leading retailers, teams and athletes. As the name may suggest, Pulseroll first offered vibrating foam rollers before expanding its range to include massage guns and other vibrational massage devices.
The question is, can the new kid on the block stack up against the established Therabody? Let’s compare the two.
Pulseroll Pro Massage Gun vs Theragun PRO
Today, we’re taking a look at two of the leading suppliers of massage guns, specifically at their Pro offerings.
Price
Winner: Pulseroll
At £224.99, the Pulseroll Pro is about 60% friendlier to your wallet. In fact, you could grab yourself the Pulseroll Pro Massage Gun, Pro Massage Roller, Vibrating Massage Ball and Vibrating Peanut Roller for £499.96. That’s an entire range of vibrational therapy devices.
Battery
Winner: Draw
- Theragun PRO: 5 hours
The Pulseroll Pro Massage Gun comes with a rechargeable 21.6V Lithium-ion battery, which lasts up to 5 hours. Whilst the Theragun PRO battery life is also 5 hours, this is split between two batteries, each lasting 2.5 hours.
Speed Settings
Winner: Theragun
The Theragun PRO has 5 pre-programmed speed settings and also offers users the ability to select any speed between 1750 and 2400 RPM, with its customisable speed range.
Max RPM
Winner: Pulseroll
Pulseroll, whilst offering fewer speed settings than Theragun, reaches a far higher number of percussions per minute. Its top two speeds are 2500 and 3300, compared to Theragun’s top speed of 2400.
Amplitude
Winner: Theragun
With an amplitude of 16 mm, Therabody’s Theragun PRO can reach 4 mm deeper into your muscles than the Pulseroll Pro Massage Gun.
Weight
Winner: Pulseroll
Yes, that’s really cutting it close. The Pulseroll and Theragun PRO Massage Guns are so close in weight that we might have to take a look at a second metric - size.
Size
Winner: Pulseroll
The slightly smaller size of the Pulseroll Pro Massage Gun means it’s that little bit easier to transport and take a long with you to your gym, yoga class, office, or wherever else you might want to be using your massage gun.
Attachment Heads:
Winner: Draw
The Pulseroll Pro and Theragun both come with 6 attachment heads, though they do somewhat differ. We’ve included a bit of additional detail below.
- Large round head: General full body muscle massage. Ideal attachment for beginners.
- Small round head: General full body muscle massage. For more focussed deeper muscle work.
- Flat head: General full body muscle massage. For increased intensity and depth.
- Pneumatic head: Massage for sensitive muscles. To manage those more painful areas.
- Spinal head: Spinal muscle massage. Specific head attachment.
- Bullet head: Trigger point therapy. For advanced localised deep muscle massage.
- Supersoft™ Attachment: For sensitive or sore areas, or areas close to the bones or joints.
- Dampener Attachment: For tender or bony areas. Perfect for overall use.
- Standard Ball Attachment: For overall use on large or small muscle groups.
- Thumb Attachment: For trigger points and for the lower back.
- Cone Attachment: For pinpoint muscle treatment, including hands and feet.
- Wedge Attachment: For the shoulder blades and IT Bands.
Overall Performance
Having compared the main features of the Pulseroll Pro and the Theragun PRO, we can see that Pulseroll is holding its own against Therabody, winning on price, max RPM, weight and size. It also performed just as well in terms of battery life and attachments.
|
Pulseroll Pro Massage Gun |
Theragun PRO |
|
|
Price |
£224.99 |
£549 |
|
Battery Life |
5 hours |
5 hours |
|
Speeds |
4 |
5 |
|
Max RPM |
3300 |
2400 |
|
Amplitude |
12 mm |
16 mm |
|
Weight |
1.1 kg |
1.3 kg |
|
Size |
250mm x 160mm x 60mm |
255mm x 180mm x 76mm) |
|
Heads |
6 |
6 |
Pulseroll Pro Massage Gun vs Theragun Prime
Taking a look at the Theragun Prime, Therabody’s simplified massage gun, we can see that this is much closer in price to the Pulseroll Pro Massage Gun, at a price of £275.
As with the Theragun PRO, the prime has the same 5 speed options and 16 mm amplitude.
The battery life, however, is significantly lower, at only 2 hours. This is a 3-hour difference compared to the Pulseroll Pro. Even at its highest speed setting of 3300 RPM, the Pulseroll PRO battery will last 3 hours. With your average foam rolling session lasting around 15 minutes, you’re getting an additional 4 to 12 sessions with the Pulseroll Pro Massage Gun before you need to charge it again.
The Theragun Prime also comes with fewer attachment heads. The Prime is missing the Wedge- and Supersoft™ attachment of the Theragun PRO, and is therefore not as well equipped to target the shoulder blades, IT Bands, or sensitive areas close to the bones or joints.
|
Pulseroll Pro Massage Gun |
Theragun Prime |
|
|
Price |
£224.99 |
£275 |
|
Battery Life |
5 hours |
2 hours |
|
Speeds |
4 |
5 |
|
Max RPM |
3300 |
2400 |
|
Amplitude |
12 mm |
16 mm |
|
Weight |
1.1 kg |
1 kg |
|
Size |
250mm x 160mm x 60mm |
225mm x 160mm x 73mm |
|
Heads |
6 |
4 |
Summary
Therabody has developed its massage gun technology over the last 13 years and offers some great specifications. Despite being newer, Pulseroll has fast established itself in Britain as a market leader where vibrational and percussive massage technology is concerned. The Pulseroll Pro stacks up well against Theragun in terms of price, battery life, speed and size - i.e, that all-important portability factor. Who said quality can’t be affordable?
