Sharper Image Power Percussion Review – Good on the Outside But only So-So In Performance

Diving into our Sharper Image massage gun review, we’ve rigorously tested the Power Percussion model, matching its real-world performance against its promised features.

While it presents some strengths, the question looms – does it provide substantial value for its price point?

As we share our personal observations from using this percussion massager, we’ll share why, in our experience, there might be stronger muscle massagers in this price bracket.

Let’s dive in!

Sharper Image Power Percussion Review

Sharper Image Massage Gun Specification

First Impressions and Design of the Sharper Image Power Percussion

Unpacking the muscle massager, we were greeted with a nicely packaged box featuring descriptive images, immediately giving us a sense of the product’s quality.

When you unwrap the packaging, you find a gray zippered carrying case, which we must admit is a nice touch for a sub-$100 massage gun. Either way, even guns under $50 come in a carrying case at this point, so this shouldn’t be surprising. 

As we opened the case to reveal the sports massager neatly tucked inside, our first impression was undeniably positive, enhancing our anticipation for the product’s performance.

We like the design. It looks sleek and rounded. It comes in a light gray color with orange accents. The entire body is made of plastic, but we like the quality.

The designers clearly wanted to create a good first impression. It’s a modern look that we like. 

What Else is Included with the Sharper Image Theragun?

We discovered another tiny case in the main case, specifically for the Sharper Image massage gun attachments. In our previous experiences, we’ve often seen a tiny pouch used, so this change felt fresh and surprisingly convenient.

The instructional manual is helpful if you care to read it. It includes information about which massage gun attachment to use on which muscles for trigger point massage.

We found a wall charger and spare attachment gaskets within the package. From our experience with similar products, gaskets can wear out over time, so having spares is a welcome addition. We personally found the orange color of the gaskets to be a charming touch.

Sharper Image Massage Gun Attachments

There are 6 massage gun attachments included with the sports massager. The mounting system is push-n-pull, which requires a bit of force. We see this with most cheap guns.

Briefly about the massage gun attachments:

• Flat Head (with tiny dots) – This one is for massaging larger muscle groups. You can use it when you want an aggressive massage. 
• Smaller ball head – The universal head can massage all muscle groups. It’s made of EVA foam. Please don’t use it on clothes. 
• Larger ball head – This works similarly to the small ball head above but covers a larger area. You can use it on your larger muscles.
• Bullet head – Works on trigger points, joints, palms, and soles. 
• Fork head – It works on the spine area but can also be used on the Achilles. It can act as a double-headed bullet attachment. 
• Wedge/bar head – This can be used on the calves, arms, and biceps to simulate scraping. 

Size and Ergonomics

The sports massager felt substantial yet compact in our hands, striking a fine balance between weight and portability.

It feels substantial, but it’s not bulky. It probably looks smaller than most full-sized percussion massagers out there. It measures 9.84 x 6.9 x 2.5 inches.

It has quite a long handle. This is good because you can easily reach your lower back. On the flip side, it makes the Sharper Image percussion massager look bigger. 

It weighs 2.2 pounds with the flat massage gun attachment mounted. We’d say this is the typical weight of a full-sized gun. Even the Ekrin B37 sports massager weighs the same.

What about the ergonomics?

The handle is straight and not slanted like on the Ekrin Athletics devices (the Ekrin B37, for example). It’s slightly harder to maneuver the Sharper Image percussion massager than the Ekrin muscle massager. Also, the T-shape handle causes the wrist to strain when you are using the Sharper Image massager for longer sessions. 

We noticed the handle was rather thick, which might not suit those with small hands. However, the abundant rubber coating offered a firm grip during our test sessions, assuring us of its user-friendly design.

Percussion Massager Performance

So, this percussion massager looks neat on the outside, but does it have what it takes to do a decent job? We check for performance by collectively examining amplitude, stall force, and percussions per minute—or power. 

Massage Gun Amplitude

Amplitude is the distance the head travels as the massage gun percusses.

Sharper Image percussion massager does not provide official stroke length figures, but based on our hands-on test and subsequent measurements, we found it to be around 9.83mm—fairly close to our initial expectation of 10mm.

This means you get a vibrational massage^​2​ with the Sharper Image Power Percussion deep tissue massage. You shouldn’t expect deeper punches like Theragun.

But should it have enough stall force and rapid percussions, then 10mm can be good enough to make the Sharper Image deep tissue massager. And here’s what we think of its stall force.

Stall Force

Stall force is the gun’s ability to remain functional when pressure is applied to the motor.

After testing this percussion massager, we figured the stall force wasn’t so bad. However, it feels like an entry-level sports massager stall force. We estimate it’s 25-30 lbs. at top speed. It could be single digits at lower speeds.

For perspective, it takes minimal pressure to significantly slow the percussions down (at low speeds). 

It feels slightly robust at higher speeds but slows down significantly when you press it against large muscle groups, such as when treating glute muscle pain. Pressing the gun against the body helps to achieve deep tissue penetration and treatment^​3​.

Sharper Image Percussion Massager: Percussions and Speeds

Often, when you see a 10mm amplitude or lower, you know there is a chance the gun can also rev rapidly. But this is an attribute of good low-amplitude guns. We expect those to rev up to 3000-3300 RPM.

However, according to its specifications, this Sharper Image gun only revs up to 2700 RPM. We measured the hits using our digital tachometer and recorded even less, 1200 to slightly over 2600 RPM.

Now, 2650 RPM isn’t so bad if combined with a decent amplitude, such as on a Theragun Mini or a Theragun Prime. But with 10mm, it feels too regular at best.

It lags behind competitors who try to balance the stroke length with the percussions. They often combine a higher amplitude and rapid percussions. This allows for a more penetrative and best deep tissue massage.

But doesn’t Hypervolt 2 Pro have about the same maximum percussions?

Yes, The Hypervolt 2 Pro has 2700 maximum percussions. However, it also has a 14.5mm amplitude – that’s close to twice Power Percussion’s amplitude! Even the entry-level Hypervolt 2 has a 12mm amplitude (similar color).

Noise

It’s a quiet percussion massager that remains hushed throughout the operation. Even at higher speeds, it rarely buzzes. We measured the noise levels and recorded about 60 dB on our digital noise meter. See pictures of our measurements below.

But this is what we’ve come to expect of low-amplitude devices. 

But we did notice it gets louder after a few dozen sessions. We observed rattles, vibrations, and some creaking noise. This often means that the massage gun might have reliability issues in the future.

We know that a cheap massage gun tends to get louder a few weeks into use. This is a characteristic we’ve noted with many budget massage guns.

The massage gun attachment mounting system may shoulder the blame for the rattling. We don’t know how long this sports massager will stay functional, but it’s nothing we haven’t experienced with similar percussion massagers. 

Battery

Expect a 2500mAh battery. This is a standard massage gun battery capacity.

According to the brand, the Sharper Image percussion massager should last about 4.5 hours of operation time. However, this sounds like an exaggeration unless you don’t move past speed 1. In our test, under normal usage, with some pressure applied, a single charge lasted for 1.5 – 2 hours when used at higher speeds.

This is still good enough and could translate to about a week of use under normal usage. 

The main display has a battery indicator (0-99 percent). The LED ring on the handle is reminiscent of Hypervolt. We are not so sure the battery will go the distance.

Again, from our experience, a budget massage gun tends to save on batteries. In fact, we also spotted several negative reviews from buyers who complained that the percussion massager suddenly stopped working, for instance, on this website here and here. Obviously, we’ll have to wait and see. 

Sharper Image Massage Gun Price and Warranty: Is it Worth Your Money?

We didn’t see any warranty information inside the case. We are assuming it’s a 1-year warranty and nothing more. Many cheap massage guns tend to have a 1-year cover. We prefer brands like Ekrin Athletics and Lifepro, which provide life coverage for all their devices. 

You can order this device online at Walmart. It’s not an expensive gun.

We bought our unit for about $65. We understand it was slightly higher than this before. But is it worth its weight in gold?

We know it can handle basic percussive therapy and trigger therapy, but we know competitors with better value-for-money sports massagers. We list 2 alternatives below. 

Sharper Image Power Percussion Alternatives

Bob and Brad C2 Percussion Massager: Best Massage Gun Under $100

The Bob and Brad C2 massage gun is a budget massage gun, too. It is one of the best massage guns under $100, and you might get lucky and get $30 off when using the coupon on Amazon!

The C2 percussion massage weighs 1.5 lb (0.7 lbs less than lighter than the Sharper Image muscle massager), about the same as the Sharper Image percussion massager.

However, the C2 has a better stall force (40 lbs), ~ a 9mm amplitude, five speeds, and a speed range between 2000 and 3200 RPM.

With a single charge (which takes about 3.5 hours), the battery will last between 3 and 4 hours of continuous run, depending on the speed and force used during a trigger point massage.

Bob and Brad massage guns are quality, and all of them come with a semi-rigid carrying case for storing all five massage gun attachments, user manual, power cord, spare gaskets, and, of course, the percussion massager!

The five massage gun attachments are of different materials (not all plastic, as seen in many cheap massage guns). The Ball Head is made of EVA foam, the Fork head (massage gun attachment for calves), flat head and Bullet head are plastic, and like a Theragun Soft head, the C2 has an air cushion head which is good for sore muscles after gym.

Percussion therapy is effective in relieving pain in lower back and buttocks and aids healing during rehabilitation. It is a great shoulder reliever.

The handle on the Bob and Brad muscle massager is oval, which makes it easy and comfortable to hold.

We like the fact that it’s a single-button operation as well: On/Off and speed changes.

Being an entry-level device, it is perfect for first-time users.

This massage gun under $100, you can get it for just $69.99 by ticking the box beside the coupon on Amazon.
It’s an incredible 30% discount.
Also, it has a 1-year warranty by default, but if you register the device with Bob and Brad Massage Guns, you get a total of 2 years of warranty.

Learn More: Our full Bob and Brad C2 massage gun review.

Taotronics Massage Gun TT-PCA004 – Cheap Massage Gun, but Better

This Taotronics massage gun, along with its twin brother TT-PCA003, made our best budget massage guns list as the best massage gun under $50. 

In our tests, the Taotronics massage gun TT-PCA004 performed even better than any option we have mentioned here thus far.

Even though they advertise a 12mm amplitude, we measured a 9mm stroke. This is just like the Sharper Image Power percussion’s amplitude, but because this Taotronics muscle massager has more stall force, it feels stronger and somewhat better balanced in terms of power.

We measured the percussion range to be 1000 – 3000 RPM. This wide range allows for both slow and fast treatment—350 percussions more than the Sharper Image Power percussion. With this setup, you can get a deep tissue massage. 

We found the Taotronics Massage Gun TT-PCA004 a tad lighter than the Sharper Image Power massager even though it has a higher capacity battery – 2600mAh compared to 2500mAh.

Like the Theragun soft head, this one has a soft massage gun attachment for massaging bony, achy joints and muscles.

Deal Alert Taotronics Sale. You can get 50% off the Taotronics massage gun now! It will cost you a mere $39. Get it right here

It only costs $45.99 (as of August 25, 2024). If you check the description page, a 15% discount window may appear a minute later!
This one is cheaper than Bob and Brad C2 and Sharper Image massage guns. You can get it right here.

While it may be cheap, it offers better value for money than the Sharper Image percussion massager. It also comes with a one-year warranty.

Learn More: in our in-depth Taotronics TT-PCA004 review.

Sharper Image Massage Gun Review Summary

Before we conclude our hands-on experience with the Sharper Image Power Percussion, we noticed a few things that are worth sharing.

When we first unboxed this muscle massager, we appreciated its well-thought-out design and visually appealing aesthetics. However, when we tested its performance, it fell short of expectations.

Based on our trials, we believe this sports massager could be suitable for beginners. We found it helpful for myofascial release and trigger point therapy in relaxing tense muscles and relieving DOMs in smaller muscle groups. We also found it helpful to massage before workout to warm up our muscles.

However, when we sought a deeper, more penetrative massage, we felt this percussion massager couldn’t quite deliver the desired intensity. Our advice is to find one with a higher amplitude – in our opinion, this one didn’t stand up as a viable alternative to the Theragun.

We recommend checking out the two alternatives we listed above. We have tested them and found them superior to the Sharper Image massage gun in many ways. One has better features and better performance (Bob and Brad C2), and the other performs really well and costs less (Taotronics TT-PCA004).