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Buying a massage gun? Check amplitude and stall force first
Massage gun listings shout about speeds, RPM and how many heads come in the box. Two quieter numbers tell you more. Amplitude is how far the head travels, in millimeters. Stall force is how hard you can press before the motor stops. On the seven guns we looked at, amplitude runs from 7 to 16 mm, and two listings do not state it at all.
Which picks meet the numbers for your use?
Rule of thumb from this site, not a standard and not medical advice. It uses only the numbers printed on each Amazon listing we read on September 18, 2026. A gun marked "cannot confirm" may be fine. Its listing just does not say.
Check which guns meet the numbers for your use
Health note. This is general information, not medical advice. Keep the gun on muscle, not bone, and off the head, face, the front of the neck and any injury, bruise or open wound. Ask your doctor first if you are pregnant, have or have had a blood clot, have a pacemaker or other implanted heart device, have a bleeding disorder or take blood thinners. See where not to use a massage gun.
Guides
- The 7 best massage guns in 2026, by the numbers that matter
Seven percussion massage guns compared by listed amplitude, stall force, weight, noise and battery claims, plus what owners complain about.
- Amplitude and stall force: which guns meet the numbers for your use?
Pick general, athlete or travel use and see the amplitude and stall force ranges to look for, plus which listed massage guns meet them.
- Speeds and percussions per minute: the numbers that say the least
Why 5 speeds or 3,200 percussions per minute says little about how deep a massage gun works, and what to read on the listing instead.
- Using a massage gun on your own back: weight and grip decide it
How weight and handle shape decide whether you can use a massage gun on your own back, with listed weights and grip designs compared.
- Massage gun noise: what the dB claims leave out
What the decibel claims on massage gun listings leave out, the figures stated on seven guns, and two listings that give two different numbers.
- Battery life claims, and flying with a massage gun
How to read massage gun battery claims in hours and mAh, how many sessions a charge gives, and what TSA says about lithium batteries.
- Massage gun attachments: which heads you actually need
What each common massage gun head is for, how many come with seven popular guns, and why more heads is not the same as a better gun.
- Where not to use a massage gun, and who should ask a doctor first
The body areas to keep a massage gun away from, the conditions a maker says to check with a doctor about, and simple rules for safe use.