Bob and Brad Air 2 Mini Massage Gun Review: gunning for the Theragun Mini

Bob and Brad Air 2 Mini Massage Gun review in a nutshell: A portable massage gun, perfect for first time users, that’s almost on par with the Theragun Mini (but just half the price).

I’d heard of Bob and Brad for a while and seen lots of people rave about their massage guns, but it wasn’t until now that I tried one. For those who haven’t heard of the brand, its founders – Bob Schrupp and Brad Heineck – are both physical therapists with over 60 years combined experience. Their motto is ‘move better, live better’, and the duo have been delivering advice to their four million YouTube followers and creating products that will help do just that.

The Air 2 Mini Massage Gun is Bob and Brad’s latest innovation which, when it arrived, I thought looked scarily similar to the Theragun Mini. It’s their most affordable massage gun yet, costing less than £100. In the past I’ve struggled to find a good quality massage gun around this price point (the best massage guns will often set you back anything between £130 to over £200), but I can safely say I've finally done it.

Bob and Brad Air 2 Mini Massage Gun Review: price and availability

The Bob and Brad Air 2 Mini Massage gun retails for £89.99/$89.99 on Amazon, so this massage gun is extremely affordable coming in under the £100 mark. Usually we’d steer away from cheaper massage guns, as the quality just doesn’t match up to bigger brands, such as Theragun or Hyperice, but this massage gun from Bob and Brad is definitely an exception, as you’ll find out below.

Bob and Brad Air 2 Mini Massage Gun Review: what’s in the box?

Inside the box you’ll find an embossed ‘Bob and Brad’ travel bag and inside this smartly sits the Air 2 Mini Massage Gun and five head attachments. The bag presentation, and bag itself, has got to be a 10 out of 10, especially considering it’s just shy of £90. Inside the mesh sleeve of the case is your USB cable for charging and the user manual. The user manual also includes a pictured guide of the different body parts to target, how long for and the head attachment you should use for each one – very handy indeed!

Bob and Brad Air 2 Mini Massage Gun Review: design and build quality

As mentioned in our headline, the Air 2 Mini looks very similar to the Theragun Mini, albeit the handle shape is more of a right handed triangle. This is still very easy to grip and sits nicely in the palm of your hand.

The plastic body of the massage gun has a coating over it which makes the massage gun feel silky smooth and soft which, I thought, makes it feel a lot more like a high end product . All the attachment heads also have this coating, so that they glide effortlessly over the skin and clothing. It’s also extremely light too and weighs just 1.15lbs (around 525 grams), so ever so slightly heavier than the Theragun (1lbs).

Bob and Brad Air 2 Mini Massage Gun Review: performance

Reverting back to four heavy weightlifting sessions (and the odd run) a week, there wasn’t a better time for me to test out the Air 2 Mini Massage Gun. I really appreciated the picture guide in the user manual showing me where I should exactly be moving the gun and how long for. Roughly two minutes max on each area is advised, which I was quite surprised at, but as Bob and Brad are physical therapists themselves, so I trusted their judgement.

Holding the massage gun felt comfortable but, personally, I prefer ones with a handle as I just find them easier to manoeuvre, especially for those harder to reach areas, like your back. Luckily, I have pretty good shoulder mobility, but for someone who doesn’t it’s worth baring in mind (the Hyperice Hypervolt Go 2 may be a better option here).

Pressure-wise, I think the Air 2 Mini is very good for its size. The best way I can describe it is it’s deep, but gentle. There’s three different speed settings: 1750 strokes per minute (SPM), 2050 and 2400 – which is almost identical to the Theragun Mini (the second speed on that is 2,100). The massage head amplitude is the same though (12mm), which I’d say is deep enough for first time users/people who don’t go in too hard with their training. But for those who do, it probably won’t be strong enough. That being said, I did feel the Air 2 Mini definitely helped ease my delayed-onset muscle soreness and gave my muscles some decent TLC. Actually, I was pretty blown away by the quality and its power, considering its price.

Being smaller, it’s definitely on the quieter side (although not as quiet as the Hydragun Atom Mini) and its size was great for storing in my gym bag to help warm my muscles up pre-workout too. I haven’t had to charge it yet as it lasts up to four hours. There’s also no app or Bluetooth connectivity for this massage gun either, but I always think that's more hassle than it's worth.

Bob and Brad Air 2 Mini Massage Gun Review: verdict

I think the Air 2 Mini Massage Gun is well made and fantastic value for money. Bob and Brad seem to always be bringing out affordable, quality products, and this massage gun doesn’t disappoint. It’s portable, powerful and affordable.

When you compare it against its almost identical looking twin – the Theragun Mini – the specs in terms of amplitude, speed, size and weight are practically the same. The Air 2 Mini battery life is almost double, it comes with five attachment heads (not just one) and will cost you less than £100. However, the charging time, 180 minutes, is longer than the Theragun Mini’s 80 minutes, but is that really a big deal when it lasts so much longer? The bag it comes in would also make this massage gun a great gift.

Overall, if you’re new to massage guns, or you’re specifically looking for a mini massage gun to have with you on the go, then I don't think you can’t go wrong with the Air 2 Mini. But, if you are someone who does intense training and regularly gets sports massages, then you’d be better off with a larger, more powerful massage gun.

Bob and Brad Air 2 Mini Massage Gun Review: alternatives to consider

If money isn’t an issue, then one of my other favourite mini massage guns is the Hydragun Atom Mini. It’s literally the quietest massage gun I’ve ever used and, it has higher speeds and battery life, than the Air 2 Mini and Theragun Mini. It’s also made from aerospace-grade aluminum, so it has a much more high end feel to it. But, it will cost you almost double the price.

For those who do need something more powerful, the Hypervolt 2 Pro is a good option. It has five speed settings, comes with five head attachments, has a three hour battery life and Bluetooth connectivity. Plus, you can also buy a headed head attachment for it, which I've also been testing an can confirm is very soothing.