Hydragun is a massage gun brand that launched in Australia last October. At the time I brushed it off as another device in the quickly-becoming-crowded fitness and sports recovery scene. But this particular brand has gotten many positive reviews from athletes and even tech/gadget reviewers.
Needless to say, my curiosity was piqued. Also, I’ve been working from home since February and have been experiencing some shoulder pains and lower back pains. So when this device started dominating my IG feed I thought – hmmmm…interesting.
So, if like me you want value for money when it comes to buying – I’m going to be frank here – trendy products, could Hydragun be the one you’re looking for? I had the same question so I got myself a kit, tested it and here’s my no holds barred review. By the way, here are Boberg Arms you can also check.
Disclaimer: At the time of writing I’ve already used Hydragun for two weeks.
What’s In The Box?!
My Hydragun kit came 3 days after I ordered which is great – coz they said in their site delivery would take 4-7 days. So getting it one day earlier is a good sign that they overdeliver.
The box is solid – good weight and I liked the minimalist white with their red wave logo. There’s also a reminder to recycle printed in the box – the black one in the photo, which is very thoughtful. My kit came with:
1 massage gun
6 attachment heads
1 plug-in charger AND adapter
1 User Manual
Some extra rubber band things – I think it’s for replacing the ones that the attachment heads go with.
I liked that it came with the carry case and that the gun and all its accessories are in one bag. I won’t misplace anything. The bag doesn’t look and feel cheap though – and I even sprayed some water on it and it’s water resistant – the gun and all the stuff inside the bag didn’t get wet at all, which is good.
Charging and Battery Life
Although my gun came with a factory charge – which by the way still lasted about three days before I had to charge the gun and took this photo. It’s pretty straightforward. You connect the wired charger to the base of the gun, plug the charger into a wall socket.
Red light at the bottom of the gun lights up to indicate the device is charging, which turns off when the gun is ready to go. Charging time took about 45 minutes, and according to the Hydragun website – the device’s battery life is 6 hours.
Okay so I didn’t really use the gun for 6 straight hours – who would, really? – BUT the long battery life did get me several days worth of massages. It took a week of daily use for me to have to charge the massage gun again. While this may seem as not too big a deal for someone like me who works from home, it’s actually helpful for people that travel a lot and would like to take their massage gun with them.
The Gun
Design and Weight
Hydragun’s got a minimalist design. It looks like a sleek power tool. It’s got some weight in it – I’d say about a kilo. Not too bad, I’ve read about other massage guns that are too bulky and heavy and the weight of the Hydragun is manageable. I suppose because it’s made of aluminum alloy and not the usual composite plastic. It’s not heavy, but you know that you didn’t just buy a flimsy product either when you hold it for the first time.
The handle is made of silicone and it’s not too wide – so I was still able to get a good grip on it. Also, I sprayed some water on the handle just to see what it’d feel like if my hands get sweaty:
The water/moisture didn’t affect my grip at all. Cleanup is also simple: I wiped off the handle with a clean cloth. Did the same on the gun and that’s it.
Another thing worthy of note is the handle – maybe because it’s made of silicone – isn’t uncomfortable to hold on to even while I was using the gun at full power. I mean the gun was vibrating like crazy but my hand didn’t feel strained or tired.
As I’ve said it’s got 6 attachment heads and I took a photo with my favorite one – the bullet (see photo above) – because I find it great to massage my hands with after a long day of typing. Having a variety of massage heads gives a more personalized massage experience and I’m not mad at that.
This device has a one-button function. Basically you push the middle button and hold for 2 seconds or until you see the bottom LED indicators light up. Then you push the button again to go from speed 1 and again if you want to increase speed/intensity.
Simple – but too simple, I think. I’m all for minimalist designs and function but I’m a little turned off with how it’s a bit confusing to turn on the gun. Confusing because half the time – at least during the first few days – I’m not sure if I’m actually turning on the device correctly. This is how it looks turning on the gun:
My thumb completely blocks the power indicators from my view. So I had to take my thumb off the button to check if I did turn it on, and then I find out I haven’t turned it on yet – do you know what I mean?
Overall the minimalist, sleek, straightforward design and function is great. I just feel that the Hydragun’s LED power indicators should be positioned somewhere it can be seen easily.
Bottom lights – indicate power levels. Middle lights – indicate speed/intensity and the three lights above (not fully visible here, sorry) are for stall force. Stall force, according to the Hydragun website is the amount of force you’re putting on the gun to stop the motor.
So, if you’re pressing the gun onto yourself pretty hard, the top LEDs would light up. And this is another design feature that personally isn’t useful for me. For one thing, the massage gun is already powerful enough on levels 2 and 3 that it feels like I’m getting a deep tissue massage, without pressing the gun deeper onto my muscles.
I suppose for someone more muscular and who enjoys getting beaten on a regular basis would press this onto their muscles deeper – but for my experience, those stall lights or indicators can go.
Sound Level
Massage guns, especially the first ones released in the market are notoriously LOUD. I read a review of the Theragun a couple of years back, describing the sound it makes as “like turning on a jackhammer”. So when Hydragun started saying they’re the quietest muscle gun in the market I was a non-believer.
But oh my goodness did they convert me. This device is surprisingly quiet. At level 1 I could hardly hear it over my TV. Levels 2 and 3 are still pretty dang quiet. Only when I hit the higher speeds 4 – 6 did it start making a sound that can be classified as “noise”, but even then the sound level is tolerable.
I’ve used it during zoom calls. And I asked my co-workers if they could hear my massage gun and they said no. I don’t know how they did it, but wow – I was, I still am amazed that the folks at Hydragun were able to get around the noise level issue. I’m going to post a video of me with the Hydragun and a decibel meter to show you guys next time.
The Massage
I sit in front of my computer for 9 – 10 hours a day. So shoulder and neck pains are common, as well as lower back tightness, so I found that using Hydragun is helpful in relieving tightness and pain in these areas.
I also liked that the device has 6 speeds/intensity levels. I’m not a fan of really hard massages, so the gradual increase in speed levels means that this gun can work for everyone. I appreciated that it didn’t go from 0 to 100 right away.
I could say though – that this is the best massage gun for those that prefer a moderate level type of massage. It doesn’t punch THAT deep into the muscle. Personally, that works for me, but again if you’re someone looking for a harder massage – you would need to press the gun head deeper into your muscles.
Final Thoughts
Overall my experience using Hydragun is positive. I paid $399 for the whole kit and caboodle which while not exactly cheap – IS more affordable than the likes of Theragun PRO which retails at $899. So, yeah for $500 less Hydragun is one good looking gun. And as I mentioned earlier it came one day earlier than they promised, which is also a good sign that this company albeit young – is determined to leave a good impression.
But looks and first impressions ain’t everything honey.
Did it help relieve my muscle pains? Yes it did. Was it a powerful enough device? For me, it is – but it doesn’t punch deep enough if you’re the type that wants intense massages every time. Battery life is the longest among massage gun brands, as of this writing.
For the price point, I would say that it delivers everything it promised. An effective massage tool that you can use and take anywhere. So – is Hydragun the massage gun Australia needs? There’s only one way to find out. Let me know about your experience and let’s chat in the comments.