Bob and Brad Q2 Mini Massage Gun Review – Tiny, Decent Power, And Affordable

Here’s a late Bob and Brad Q2 mini massage gun review.

We should’ve reviewed this sooner, seeing it has been on sale for a while now. Hopefully, it’s not too late to share what we have found from using it for a while and what you should expect if you haven’t bought it yet.

TIP If you haven’t heard about Bob and Brad, they are the two most famous physiotherapists on the internet. They have quite a following on YouTube and have garnered over half a billion views.

Now, let’s take a look at this mini massage gun in details…

Bob and Brad Q2 Mini Massage Gun Review

Bob and Brad Q2 Specifications

Why we like it:

• Compact and lightweight
• Sturdy stall force (approx. 32lbs.)
• Super quiet (51.6dB at top speed)
• Well-crafted design

Our review score:

4.3

Buy it at Amazon.

Check Price

Unboxing and First Impressions – The Q2 on Video

Below is our own video published on our YouTube Channel (feel free to subscribe :).

In the video, we cover the unboxing, provide an overview of the Bob and Brad Q2 mini massage gun, showcase the attachments, demonstrate its operation on each gear, conduct stall force tests, and explain how to charge it.

Our aim with this video is to provide you with a clearer understanding of the Q2 before diving into more details. Take a look!

What Is Included?

As you’ve seen in the video, we found a case with our device, and it is the norm with all Bob and Brad devices (but not so for other manufacturers, oh no).

It’s a nice compact 7 x 7-inch case. It’s made of some tough material, and you can expect it to go the distance. The case has a carrying strap.

Apart from the case and the device itself, there are attachments, which we will talk about in a few. There is also a USB-C charging cable, a spare gasket for the attachments, and a user manual with specifications and how-to-use instructions.

Device

What about the device itself?

It’s a tiny device, as you’d expect a mini massage gun to be. Unlike many other small guns we’ve tested, this one stands out with its design. While it’s not entirely a new concept, the rounded edges it boasts are a distinctive feature we haven’t seen on many devices.

The handle is vertical but really short. We’d say it fits perfectly in your palm. 

If you see the device in a photo, you’d think it’s a toy. But it’s not – it feels decent once you lay your hands on it. The materials used are quality as well. Bob and Brad chose a glossy plastic finish.

But it’s not just plastic. There is rubber where you need it to be. There are no visible screws. It’s a seamless design.

The weight (1 lbs) of it tells you straight away that you are looking at a serious device – not a toy as it appears in the pictures. There are air vents at the top and a charging port at the bottom.

We bought the black one. You can get a blue one too. This is a decent-looking massage gun, and we can’t wait to see what else it has to offer.

Size and Ergonomics

Even though we said it weighs quite a bit, it’s probably just enough not to feel like a toy.

It weighs just 1 pound with the flat attachment mounted. The plastic material used actually makes it lightweight. A metallic casing, as seen in many other guns, tends to add to the overall weight. This one is better to hold, plus it has rubber to prevent slipping when your hands get sweaty. 

What about its size?

It’s small and compact. That makes it highly compatible. If we had to compare it against other minis like the Hypervolt Go 2, this one is miles tinier.

It measures 5.7 x 3.3 x 1.8 inches. This is the same size as Ekrin Bantam, which we’d say is its main rival. At least as far as the overall size goes.

The ergonomics aren’t that bad, but we’ve seen better from competitors. The handle isn’t tilted as Ekrin Bantam. This means the Bantam generally holds better.

It’s still tough to comfortably massage your back with a mini massage gun, but Ekrin’s tilted handle has more reach than what the Q2 has. The part of the handle under the motor is short and may not offer enough room for massaging hard-to-reach areas.

That said, this is still a great travel companion. You can also use it as a supportive device if you have a full-sized one.

Controls

There is just one button on the back of the handle. It’s smack in the middle of it; you won’t miss it. But it’s probably not the most convenient of locations to have the only button.

However, it’s an inlet button which is good news; it’s less prone to accidental pressing. Ekrin Bantam’s button is located underneath the handle. We occasionally press it by mistake when using the device. 

The button activates and deactivates the device when you press it for at least 2 seconds. Once activated, you can tap the button to change speeds.

There are 5 LEDs bleow the button to indicate the speed settings. Just below them there is also a lightning icon that indicates the battery charge level.

Attachments

There are 5 attachments included with this device.

They include:

• Ball head – Thus is a universal head made of EVA foam – a commonly used material. It feels rather hard with very little give to it. It’s not the best one to use on clothes. 
• Bullet head – This one is made of hard plastic. It’s used on trigger points, palms, and soles. 
• Fork head – It’s used to massage the spine area. You can also use it to massage your Achilles^​2​ or use it as a double-tip bullet head. 
• Cushioned head – this is the softest one for massaging tender and bony areas. 
• Flat head – This is likely the universal one in the set. It’s good for massaging large muscle groups. 

Does the set offer a nice variety? We’ll say yes, it does.

We love that Bob and Brad included one soft attachment – the air-filled head. Soft heads are often overlooked by manufacturers, especially in smaller and cheaper devices. We assume it’s due to the costs of production – after all, it’s easier to make something out of plastic and call it a day.

Also, the flat head is reasonably large – you don’t see that often with mini massage guns. Kudos.

When it comes to the number of attachments, the 5 heads are enough. You probably won’t need more. Some manufacturers throw in a bunch of similar attachments just to up the perceived value. We don’t buy into that, and we hope you won’t either!

Performance

How does this mini perform? We look at amplitude, stall force, and percussions per minute, and the combination of all three, as this matters the most.

Amplitude

Also known as stroke length, this is the distance the massage gun head travels during percussion.

Bob and Brad advertise it as 7mm. We measure it, just to be sure. As seen in the photo below, our digital caliper displayed 7.57mm, in line with the specification, and even a hair more. This doesn’t happen often.

With a 7mm amplitude, the best this gun can offer is a vibrational effect^​3​. You shouldn’t expect heavy punches. Even so, it’s 1mm longer than the Lifepro DynaMini and Recoverfun Mini which are direct competitors of the Q2.

But it’s lower than Ekrin Bantam’s. Even though the Bantam is more expensive, it has over 9mm amplitude. Now, that may sound like only ~2mm more, but it translates to about 20% punchier. It’s not something you can ignore.

Clearly, it falls behind Theragun mini and even Hypervolt Go 2, both of which dominate in this aspect. The former boasts a 12mm amplitude, while the latter offers 10mm.

But even with a low amplitude, a good stall force can turn the fortunes of the Q2 mini massage gun. So does the Q2 come with a strong motor?

Stall Force

Stall force is the amount of pressure it takes to stop a device from percussing.

Fortunately, the stall force here is pretty good, especially for a mini device. We managed to compare it with a known stall force devices and, to our surprise, it performs better than expected.

The company says it has 32 lbs., and, well, it feels more or less like that. While we usually take Bob and Brad’s advertisements with a pinch of salt, in this particular case they haven’t exaggerated the stall force. For this one, if the Bantam has 35lbs. of stall force, this one really isn’t far behind.

For such a tiny device, 30s is a very good stall force. It’s actually interesting that, being so tiny, it has more stall force than the much bigger Hypervolt Go 2.

Now, how does this number translate into your everyday massage experience?

At higher speeds, you can press it firmly against your forearms, shoulders, and calves. This means you won’t have the problem of percussions slowing down when you do so.

However, don’t push your luck too far and expect it to perform a more aggressive massage; it’s a mini, after all.

Percussions and Speeds

This is the first mini gun with 5 speed settings we have seen. It’s quite surprising; we didn’t even think about it before.

It’s awesome to have a bit more speeds, true. But is it really an advantage over the usual 3-speed setup we see with many other minis? Not really. Let us explain why…

Now, back to the percussion range. As mentioned, it spans from 1800-3000RPM (1735-2933RPM to be very precise), and we confirmed this with our digital laser.

The maximum RPM means that the Q2 can rev fast enough to get the job done. However, it’s worth noting that this speed is slightly slower than what we’ve experienced with some other mini massage guns.

For instance, both Hypervolt Go and Ekrin Bantam can rev up to 3200 RPM. While an extra 200 RPM might not seem like much (remember, we just discussed that the 240 – 400 RPM gap ;), when combined with their high amplitudes, you’ll definitely you’ll feel a noticeable difference.

And for even a broader perspective, the Theragun mini reaches ‘only’ 2400 RPM, but it boasts a substantial 12 mm amplitude. Do you see these nuances?

Noise

Bob and Brad have always delivered quiet devices; this one is no different.

The sound feels smooth. There is no crackling or rattling. Bob and Brad claim it only revs to 55dB at maximum speed, which would be super quiet.

We measured the noise decibels, and it was even quieter. We measured 49dB to 51.6dB – we held the dB meter about 8 inches away, as our common practice (pictures below).

This means it’s a very quiet device, especially at lower speeds. We did hear some rattling at top speed, likely from the attachment, but nothing too loud. Also, there are some vibrations to the holding hand, but nothing you can’t live with. 

Battery

The battery has a 2500mAh capacity, according to the manual. We didn’t see any information on the device itself. It’s hard to believe it has that much capacity given the overall size and weight. That’s simply becouse many full-sized massage guns have batteries this size.

So, we can’t say for certain whether Bob and Brad are being entirely truthful here.

But, for time on battery, expect it to last for more than 2 hours if you use some pressure and high speeds. This is a good result, actually.

There is a USB-C charging interface to make charging convenient. We like it, as you can even use a power bank sometimes.

There is a lightning icon that is blue when there’s enough juice. It turns red when there’s 30% or less juice. It starts flashing when the level drops to 20%.

When it’s charging, the light is solid green, and it goes off when the battery is fully charged. 

Who Is It Best For, Then?

This is a very decent everyday mini massage gun.

You can use it to massage your sore neck, smaller muscles, and even larger ones at top speed with some pressure. It should be good enough to improve blood circulation^​4​ and lymphatic drainage. 

It’s great for folks who work behind the desk for long hours. You can also take it with you on your travels (even a plane).

Also, if you don’t like punchy guns, this gun is for you. You’ll love its perform balance.

It’s an excellent choice for women and individuals with smaller hands. Its small size and lightweight design are a plus, making it easily portable, even fitting snugly into a small women’s handbag. And thanks to its shape and balance, it sits comfortably in the hand.

The elderly will also find it beneficial. Its simple operation with just one button, absence of displays, and lack of extra features reduce complications. Additionally, it offers easy charging with USB-C (we discuss more options in our guide on massage guns for the elderly).

Are there any limitations?

Well, yes. It’s not the perfect massager at all (we are looking for The One in this post).

Despite its decent power, it’s still a mini massager with a relatively low amplitude. You also won’t find advanced features like LCD displays, Bluetooth, progressive modes, or pressure sensors.

It’s also less powerful than the Ekrin Bantam and Theragun mini, but it remains a reasonable choice, thanks to its attractive price – it’s more budget-friendly compared to the former options.

Warranty and Price

So, this one is a real bargain considering how well it’s built and how small it is. Last time we checked, it was only about $66 with a coupon available on Amazon.

It comes with a 12 months warranty by default.

Want an even better warranty? Check out our alternative below. 

Best Alternative – Ekrin Bantam

The Bantam will cost you slightly more, but it will also offer you slightly more.

For starters, we love Ekrin as a brand. We recently voted it the best brand. Their Bantam outshines many other minis out there – including the ones from premium brands such as Therabody.

The Bantam is tiny, about the same size as the Bob and Brad Q2 mini massager. It weighs 1.1 pounds – a shy heavier. It has an angled handle and may be better for massaging your back than Q2.

The handle is also rubberized to prevent slipping when your hands get sweaty.

It has better performance specs. A 9mm amplitude and ~30lbs. of stall force. Believe it or not, these are better specs than some full-sized devices. It has 3200RPM maximum percussions – better than the Q2’s 3000RPM.

You get 4 attachments here and a carrying case as well. The Bantam also comes with a USB-C charger for convenience.

The battery is Samsung branded, which we can confidently say has served as well for over a year – it still works like it’s new. What’s even better, Ekrin offers a lifetime warranty.

It usually goes for $149, but with the MGA20 coupon, which gives you a 20% discount, you can get it for $119. 

Read More Our in-depth Ekrin Bantam review.

Bob and Brad Q2 Review Summary

We’ve come to the end of our Bob and Brad Q2 mini massage gun review. This is a very well-executed mini massage gun from a well-known brand.

Even though it has a low amplitude, the above-average stall force makes up for it – or at least to some extent.

It’s a good everyday device. It’s light, tiny, and quiet. It also comes at an attractive price.

However, the Bantam is a perfect alternative if you prefer more power and a better warranty.

Take care!