This Thing Rules
Why I bought this knockoff Theragun and you should too
Ekrin's B37 massage gun has been a godsend for my sore muscles. Best of all: It's cheaper than a brand name Theragun or Hyperice Hypervolt.
I wish I didn’t have to be that guy stretching for what feels like an eternity before I start actually doing anything. But it’s the only way I can prevent my joints from exploding whenever I rock climb or skateboard.
In the same vein, I have to make sure that I stretch deeply after any workout so that my body doesn’t snap like a rubber band from feeling so tight. Along with all that stretching, I’ve incorporated using a massage gun as part of the recovery process. After any long day outside on the rocks or slamming into concrete, I can’t wait to use my massage gun to cut through all the soreness. After 10 minutes with the Ekrin B37, my body doesn’t feel like it was hit by a truck.
Better than brand name — Massage guns have really exploded in popularity, especially with the likes of Therabody and Hyperice. But I’ll be damned if I’m paying $300 for a fancy overengineered power tool. During my hunt for a new massage gun after my cheapo knockoff brand one broke, Ekrin B37 came highly recommended by many sites and felt like it could definitely hang with the brand names. In terms of pricing, the Ekrin B37 retails for $230, but I was able to snag it for $184 with a 20 percent off coupon.
The Ekrin B37 is pretty comparable to the Theragun Prime or the Hyperice Hypervolt 2 since it has four massage heads, five speeds between 1,400 and 3,200 RPM, and stays fairly quiet. I was especially attracted to the Ekrin B37 because of its 15-degree angled handle that made it a lot easy to reach the bottom of my trapezoids, since they would feel really sore after climbing.
After 10 minutes with the Ekrin B37, my body doesn’t feel like it was hit by a truck.
What really convinced me to pull the trigger on buying the massage gun was Ekrin’s lifetime warranty. After my previous massage gun broke, I was left utterly disappointed and given the choice between a refund or a replacement. I went with a refund on the knockoff because I didn’t want to replace it again only to realize that the warranty expired. Now, I get that extra security that comes with Ekrin’s lifetime warranty.
A premium feel — Compared to the cheap knockoff massage gun that I ordered off Amazon, the Ekrin B37 feels more premium. At the end of the day, most massage guns are just over-glorified jig saws, but there’s more polish with how the Ekrin B37 feels and sounds compared to cheaper alternatives. On the other hand, having used my friends’ Hypervolt and Therabody massage guns, I would say that the Ekrin B37 can also rival the top brands.
I’ve been using the Ekrin B37 for a few weeks now and haven’t run into any problems yet. In that time frame, I’ve probably used it for roughly 10-minute sessions just about every day. I stick to the third speed, which for me feels like the happy medium between not really doing anything and too intense of a massage. Compared to my previous knockoff massage gun, the Ekrin B37 sounds a lot quieter with its range of 35 to 55dB. It’s enough of a noticeable difference where it does feel like I’m not annoying my roommates quite as much.
Surprisingly, I still haven’t needed to charge the battery since I started using it a few weeks ago, but Ekrin does say it has an eight-hour battery life. Plus, it’s a really nice cherry on top to know that if anything does go wrong with it, I can just tap into the lifetime warranty.
A powerful placebo — Let me say that I’m no doctor or physical therapist, and it seems like the medical jury is still out on whether massage guns are actually beneficial or not. However, from my experience, I couldn’t see myself skating and climbing so much as I approach 30 without a proper recovery tool like the Ekrin B37.
Even in the small window between when my cheap massage gun broke to when the Ekrin B37 arrived in the mail, my body was probably feeling some form of massage gun withdrawal because I just felt so sore after every session. If some study does come out and definitively says it’s all a placebo effect, I still feel like I’ll have gotten my value out of the Ekrin B37 since it really helps my body not feel like absolute mush after climbing or skating.
Input may receive a portion of sales if you purchase a product through a link in this article. We only include products that have been independently selected by Input's editorial team.
