Author, Expert Board Member
Bio:
Alex Stone is a Doctor of Physical Therapy and Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist (NSCA). He currently practices orthopedics in Bellevue, Washington, and manages an online health coaching business via social media (@dr.alexstone). He is passionate about health science education and general health/wellness optimization.
ByLuke Deszczulka
Fact checked by Dr. Alex Stone, DPT, CSCS.
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Welcome to this Theragun mini review. If you haven’t got the news, there is a new mini massage gun in town. And it’s from one of the big boys in the business.
Therabody has released a new mini. But is it really new?
They are still calling it Theragun mini – not “2.0”, just Theragun mini. We had to get our hands on it quickly, test it, and then tell you about it here.
We’ll find out what you can expect and whether it’s any better than Theragun mini first-gen.
Let’ roll!
Our review score:
4.5
Summary
Theragun mini 2.0 is a serious upgrade to mini 1. It addresses many pain points from the previous device. It’s finally a true mini; smaller, lighter, quieter, and now with connectivity. But it still lacks in performance, and its ergonomics remain questionable. Despite the steep price point, it still feels like a good device.
| Feature | Theragun mini 2 Specs |
|---|---|
| Stall Force | ~20 lbs (our estimation) |
| Stroke Length | 12 mm (verified) |
| Speeds | 3 |
| Percussion range | 1750 – 2400 ppm (verified) |
| Weight | 1.1 lbs (measured with a ball attachment) |
| Dimensions | 5.55 in x 4.92 in x 1.93 in (141 mm x 125 mm x 49 mm) |
| Attachments | 3 included |
| Noise (decibel) | 60.5 dB (verified on top speed) |
| Battery Life | 2 hours |
| Bluetooth | Yes |
| Warranty | 1 year |
| Retail Price | $199 |
| Where to Buy | X8YZF10 – 10% off at therabody.com |
The first thing you notice is that the packaging looks a little smaller than the 1st-gen mini. Perhaps a clue that the new mini is tinier.
Inside there is a small pouch for the gun. It’s the same as the one with the old device, but smaller. The only visual difference is the logo. It’s Therabody now, not Theragun.
There are three attachments, one mounted on the device. There is also a USB-C charging cord.
And then there’s the usual welcome pack with a quick-start guide, brand story, a letter from the founder, a sticker, and warranty information.
The old Theragun mini (we’ll call it mini 1 from now on) is still one of the most recognizable mini massage guns out there. The unique triangle shape makes it stand out. It’s the shape consistent with Therabody’s design language.
The new 2nd generation mini hasn’t changed, at least not as far as the design goes. In fact, you could easily mistake it for the mini 1.
This one looks smaller and noticeably lighter. But everything else is a copy of the mini 1. From the quality of materials to the rubberized texture that feels nice to touch to the overall appearance. You could argue they only shrank the covering of the mini 1.
It’s a simple device with no bells and whistles. There are no OLED screens. There are LED indicators, though. Those show the speeds, and one around the power button indicates whether the device is turned on or not.
Controls
There are only two colors of the device available at the time of writing this Theragun mini 2 review: black and desert rose. The mini 1 had more colors to choose from. We are assuming they will add more colors in the future.
Our Verdict
We like what we see. Everything feels premium, as expected. The build quality is still top-notch, and it’s even better now that it’s not oversized. We’ll discuss more in ergonomics.
We complained about the mini 1 not having enough attachments. It had the one ball attachment. All other brands equipped their minis with at least 3 well-varied attachments. Even Hypervolt Go 2 had 2 attachments.
Theragun mini 2 needed to address this, and finally, we have a Theragun mini with multiple heads.
But are they what you’d call optimal? Well, the attachments included are:
We believe the set would’ve been perfect if Therabody included the Wedge head instead of the Dampener, and the Cone instead of the Thumb. This is because the Wedge is perfect for scraping muscles, while the Cone is great for treating trigger points. The rounded Thumb just can’t do what the Cone can.
In the same breath, competitors like Ekrin Bantam have a better set that addresses different muscle groups – and there is one extra too.
Nevertheless, Therabody has done what many customers demanded – including more heads. What’s more important is that the device doesn’t feel like an upsell to bigger devices anymore. It can finally be considered a standalone mini. You can buy it as a starter device, not just a complementary Theragun.
Another thing to note is that the attachments are still compatible with other generations’ devices. If you want extra attachments, you can get them for $20-$30 each on therabody.com.
Attachment Accessories
Some of the noteworthy accessories include the Duo-adapter (it saves time) and Supersoft attachment refills (just the top, foamy part).
There are many noticeable changes in Theragun mini 2 under this section.
For starters, compared to mini 1, mini 2 looks like a true mini. Yes, the mini 1 was small and compact, but calling it a true mini would’ve been an exaggeration. The mini 2 looks different.
Therabody puts the difference in size as only 20%, but we’d say it’s probably tinier than that. One attribute that makes us conclude this is the thickness; this one is thinner. Even the grip got better compared to mini 1.
In terms of size, it measures 5.55 x 4.92 x 1.93 inches. Or 141mm x 125mm x 49mm. For comparison, mini 1 measured 6 x 5.3 x 2.25 inches. Or 152mm x 135 x 77mm.
The weight has been reduced by 25%, down from 1.45 pounds to 1.1 pounds. We did the measuring with the ball head attached. This is a significant reduction for a mini massage gun. It basically went from heavy to light in terms of weight category.
Yes we have seen some lighter devices, but those are often plastic and toy-like with very little power. We like to use the Ekrin Bantam as our benchmark for the perfect mini massage gun. The Bantam weighs 1.1 pounds – Theragun mini finally catches up!
When we reviewed mini 1, we discussed how the unique design was something to appreciate. However, despite the genius idea, it wasn’t the most comfortable device to hold.
The main reason for this was, while it felt good to hold it for a short while, holding it for longer strained the arm. You had to keep readjusting your grip from time to time.
But isn’t the new Theragun mini just a smaller variation of mini 1? Indeed it is; you’ll still have problems holding it for longer.
However, the strain on the arm isn’t as bad as it was with mini 1. This is because mini 2 is much thinner now. It’s also lighter. It’s now even better for folks with small hands and females too.
But we still have our reservations with this kind of design, at least as far as ergonomics go. We’d rather hold the Bantam’s traditional rounded handle than this one. Also, mini 2 still vibrates quite a lot, and those vibrations transfer to the holding hand, making it uncomfortable overt time.
That said, we love the new smaller and lighter body of this new Theragun mini. However, we still hold the same view as before in terms of ergonomics.
To be honest, we didn’t expect Therabody to alter the shape of mini 2. We’re guessing it’s a small price to pay for what you get from Therabody.
Does Theragun mini 2 perform better than its older sibling? We’ll find out below.
Also known as stroke length, it’s the distance the head covers as the gun percusses.
Therabody is known for making high-amplitude massage guns. The full-sized Theraguns have the highest amplitude in the business. But it’s not just the big guns that carry a significant amplitude.
Mini 1 has a 12mm amplitude. This is the highest among mini guns. Nothing has changed with mini 2. It also has a 12mm stroke length.
But does it have enough stall force to go with it? We know mini 1 had very little stall force to go with the 12mm amplitude.
Stall force is the gun’s ability to withstand pressure without stalling. When you need a deep tissue massage2, sometimes you have to press the gun against the muscle.
We noticed that nothing has changed for mini 2 here. But it may not be bad news because this new device is smaller. It could’ve been worse, right?
It still takes little pressure to stall the motor. We estimate it’s at, or perhaps even below, 20lbs at the third gear. For the initial two gears, the stall force is little. While we don’t expect a mini device to have a monster stall force, having very little has its downsides.
First, for a 12mm amplitude gun, you can get deep punches if the intensity (percussions per minute) is good enough. But a low stall force means slowed percussions when pressure is applied. This especially happens when you are massaging large muscle groups.
That means that instead of the max of 2400 percussions per minute, you are getting only a part of it. If more pressure is applied, the device will slow down significantly and eventually stop.
Side Note
Percussive therapy3 works best when the intensity of percussions is rapid enough. It’s the rapid percussions that override the pain signals in the brain, help increase heat within the tissue, and release tension in the tissue.
So, you want a good high amplitude, but you also want a good stall force to fully utilize it. We’ve learned that it’s easier to stall a high-amplitude gun than a low-amplitude one. This is because the latter revs faster. In Theragun mini 2’s case, we doubt whether the 12mm amplitude is useful enough with the low stall force.
All in all, we expected to see improvement in stall force for this new-gen device. But most people probably won’t complain about given the purpose of the device.
Fun Fact The mini 2, even though smaller, is more powerful than the bigger Hypervolt Go 2, which heavily underperforms in stall force.
Expect 3 speed gears that rev as follows; 1750RPM, 2100RPM, and 2400RPM. So, even though there are fewer gears for the smaller devices, the range is the same as the bigger guns.
Another thing, 3 speeds are what we’ve come to expect with mini devices. There are 3 LED indicators to show the speed levels, but you can also hear as the gears change.
Perhaps with such a low stall force, Therabody should’ve gone with a low amplitude? This would’ve meant more percussions per minute but less head travel. This allows for a better impact and makes the device harder to stall. Don’t take our word for it, we’re only speculating.
Our Take
Either way, we have to conclude that Theragun’s industry-leading 12mm stroke length may be great, but it’s perhaps not fully utilized. The device does the job at the basic level, but if only there was more stall force, then this would’ve been a wonderful mini device.
Here is how the mini compares against the most popular competitors.
Conclusion
Stall Force: Theragun mini might bring some innovative design language to the table but it disappoints with the low no-stall force. Devices like Ekrin Bantam are smaller, lighter and yet deliver more power.
Conclusion
Stroke Length: The mini, as other Theraguns, shines when it comes to the stroke length. 12mm is best you can get for a mini massage gun and other devices can’t match the mini’s amplitude.
The mini 1 wasn’t the quietest mini massage gun. Upon using the Mini 2, we personally felt it was a significant upgrade from its predecessor.
In our test, the noise level of the Mini 2 was lower compared to the Mini 1. Mini 1 maxed at 61.4dB. Mini 2 maxes at 60.5dB.
Even so, the biggest improvement is the sound produced. The mini 1 had a harsh, rough sound. The sound produced by the Mini 2 was less harsh and grating in our testing, a marked improvement over the Mini 1.
We found the Mini 2’s sound to be similar to the Theragun Pro Gen 5 from our previous testing. Based on our usage, we believe there is potential for further noise reduction, but this is a positive step forward.
Big news! Therabody finally got rid of the big old wall charger even for a mini. We were pleased to discover that the new Mini 2 includes a USB-C charger, enhancing its usability..
This change was eagerly anticipated by us, especially since we’ve seen that 90% of mini massage guns we’ve tested now come with USB-C charging. So Therabody is catching up with competitors.
But the big question would be, does the small device also mean a smaller capacity battery? We don’t have the answer to this question yet. We couldn’t find battery capacity information from Therabody.
In our testing, the battery performance of the Mini 2 was on par with the Mini 1. The company claims it can run for 2 hours on a single charge, which was close to our experience. However, in our practical usage, the battery lasted for about 1.5 hours.
We noticed the battery drains faster when pressure is applied. The speed gear used also impacts the time on battery, just not as much as applying pressure.
So does the new Theragun mini have enough juice? Yes, under normal usage, the battery should last you a few days. Is this the best battery performance among mini massage guns? No, it’s not. We believe Ekrin Bantam can give you twice the performance provided here.
There is an LED indicator for the battery. It works as follows:
From our perspective, another area where the Mini 2 has improved over the Mini 1 is its Bluetooth connectivity. We found this new feature to be particularly useful.
It means you can now connect it to the Therabody app and use the guided routines and the custom speeds. Even though this is not a must-have option (you can learn the routines on YouTube), beginner users can learn different massaging techniques.
This time we’ll say yes.
After testing this new device, we can say that it’s somewhat worth its weight in gold, despite a few caveats. In our opinion, after extensively testing both, it provides better value for money than its predecessor.
It no longer feels like a complementary device to the full-sized Theraguns. We were impressed to see how well-equipped it is and how significantly it has evolved during our hands-on experience. After spending time with the device, we give a thumbs up to Therabody for figuring out how to reduce the size and improve the sound quality.
In our experience, we found it to be a perfect addition to our existing full-sized Theraguns. It will perfectly complement the Prime, Elite, or the Pro, and you can take it on the go.
Plus, the heads are pretty much still interchangeable – it makes perfect sense to get this one if you already own a bigger Theragun.
The regular price is $199 at therabody.com, but with the code X8YZF10, you can get a 10% off. We also encourage you to check out our coupons page any additional available discounts. You can also consider the previous mini, now $20 off.
But if you are just starting with massage guns, you might want to look at alternatives.
After direct comparison through personal usage, we find ourselves favoring the performance and ergonomic design of the Ekrin Bantam. More on that in a minute.
The Theragun Mini 1.0 vs. 2.0 similarities and differences, at a glance:
Similarities:
What has improved in mini 2:
Issues yet to be resolved:
What mini 2 doesn’t have that mini 1 has:
Price: Theragun mini 2 goes for $199, while mini 1 goes for $179 (it’s likely available until it sells out).
Here’s an alternative you can explore if you are not impressed by Therabody’s latest mini edition.
TIP There’s a new player in the game that might just go toe-to-toe with the Mini in terms of specs and style. It’s also way cheaper. We’re talking about the new Bob and Brad percussion massager. We’ve just put it through its paces and you can check out our dedicated Bob and Brad Air 2 Mini review right here.
Ekrin Bantam is probably the best Theragun mini alternative. It has about the same features and then some.
For starters, it weighs the same 1.1 pounds as the new generation Theragun mini. But the shapes are different, and the Bantam has way better performance aspects than the new Theragun mini.
It has a tad less than 10mm amplitude but way more percussions to keep the intensity high and remain effective.
It also has way more stall force than any other mini massage gun out there. With about 30lbs. plus of stall force, it beats even the bigger Theragun Prime, which has a 30lbs. stall force.
The percussion range is 2000-3200RPM. The faster percussions make it much harder to stall than mini 2.
The Bantam is more suited to a more intensive massage than the mini 2. For an aggressive massage, you can press it harder against the muscle (even large muscle groups). Theragun mini 2 feels more like it’s meant to glide over the skin without applying pressure.
The Bantam also features better ergonomics. It has a 15-degree angled handle that allows for a more natural and firm grip. It’s comparably quiet, but has a smoother sound.
It comes with 4 excellent-quality attachments, and a hard carrying case. The new mini only has a pouch.
Its battery is Samsung-branded and can go for 3-4 hours on a single charge when used normally. It also charges via USB-C.
It comes with a lifetime warranty and great lifetime customer support when you register your device upon purchase.
It usually goes for $149.99, but with the MGA20 code, you can get 20% off and buy it for only $119.99. Great price for a device that we voted as the best mini massage gun on the market.
Read More Check our in-depth Ekrin Bantam review here.
The Hypervolt Go 2 may be considered the natural alternative to the new mini 2 due to the rivalry between the two giant brands. This one has a more classic look – it looks more like the Bantam but larger.
We haven’t recommended it here as the best alternative because it’s weaker than the new Theragun mini.
While the mini 2 is easy to stall with its 20lbs. stall force, the Go 2 is even weaker. We figure there isn’t more than 10-15lbs. of stall force in the motor. Hyperice doesn’t say how much pressure their device can withstand.
Another reason the Go 2 doesn’t qualify as the best alternative is that the mini 2 is a revamped version of the mini 1. This mini 2 is clearly an upgrade of the older model.
Therabody worked on the size, weight, charging type, noise, and connectivity. In our opinion, they did a much better job than the guys at Hyperice. The Hypervolt Go 2 felt nearly identical to the older Go.
You can read the full Theragun mini vs. Hypervolt Go on our other post.
If you like Hypervolt Go 2, you can buy it at hyperice.com, an official Hypervolt store.
We’ve come to the end of this Theragun mini review. We expected Therabody to address a few glaring issues from the previous device. To be honest, they have done a pretty decent job.
The new Theragun mini isn’t just a complementary device, it can be effective on its own. We also love the reduced size and the new sound it makes when you turn it on.
Does it mean it’s finally the best mini around? Probably not.
The new mini is still expensive and isn’t as versatile as Ekrin Bantam, which we still believe is the best mini around.
Till the next time!
Here's a quick rundown of all the tweaks and edits we've made to this article to keep it accurate and up-to-date!
Current version.
October 9, 2023 Text and internal and external links updated for clarity and readability. (Author: Greg)
June 5, 2023 Made updates to better demonstrate that we had a first-hand experience with Theragun Mini G2 and G1 (Author: Luke)
April 10, 2023 More photos from our testing added to the gallery. (Author: Greg)
February 28, 2023 Fact checked by Dr. Alex Stone, DPT, CSCS.
November 23, 2022 Post updated and re-published with a hands-on Theragun mini 2.0 review, featuring real-life photos and spec measurements, alongside a comparison with its 1.0 predecessor. (Author: Greg)
Published on:
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Written by:
Luke Deszczulka
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As an owner of both the Mini 2.0 and the Bantam, I have to disagree with this article just a bit. I find the increased amplitude of the Mini 2.0 to be more effective than the increased stall force and percussion of the Bantam.
Both are good in different use cases but for me, if I had to keep just one, it’d be the Mini 2.0.