A full-size percussion gun with ten heads and a touch display, for the glutes, hamstrings and calves after a session.
The massage gun is usually the most expensive piece of a recovery kit and the one most likely to sit in a drawer, because getting it out means finding the case, the charger and the right head. The TOLOCO EM26 is a full-size gun with a 12 mm stroke and up to 3200 RPM per the maker, a touch display on the back that shows the speed level and the battery, and ten interchangeable heads. The maker gives up to 6 hours per charge depending on speed and 40 to 50 dB in use, and it charges from a USB cable.
No carrying case is listed, which is a con in a gym bag and almost a feature on a cart: the gun and its heads live in the open, in one bin. The wall plug is not in the box, a full charge takes 6 hours per the spec table, and it is listed as not water resistant – keep it on the dry tier, away from anything cold and wet.
Tip: Start with the big round head on a low setting and keep it gliding over muscle – about a minute per area is plenty – and keep it off bones, joints, the neck and the front of the throat.
Rester's Choice
cold on the quads or hamstrings after leg day, warm on the low back later, a freezer shelf kept for recovery
Amazon Basics
a recovery kit that lives by the door, the garage or the end of a hallway, rolling the whole kit to wherever you stretch, small apartments
Amazon Basics
lying lengthwise to open a rounded upper back, slow rolling of the mid-back and thighs, a corner with 3 ft of clear floor