Thumper Sport Personal Percussive Massager

This Thumper is amazing! I waited over a year to write a review and still cannot think of anything negative about this product! I have used it to relieve my hip and lower back pain and stiffness. If you read and follow the directions to note how to use it correctly . . . to use the weight of the product to provide a deep tissue percussion massage . . . it works well! At first, I thought it was a bit heavy, but again, I learned to utilize the weight of the percussion head to really dig into my hip and lower back muscles. It works so well to relax my back that I almost always fall asleep right after using it. It is well made and has a long cord. Money well spent!!!

OMG, OMG, OMG!!!! If you are in need of a dependable, well built, versatile hand held vibration for massage unit, this is what you want!!!!! I had a very old model I had bought at a yard sale years ago and loved it. It was way past its prime when I bought it, and yet it worked for years longer for me. That has to address any question on quality parts and construction. As a single woman (ok get your mind out of the gutter) and trying to work on the kinks involving pulled muscles, cramps, back aches or just very tense neck or shoulder muscles is near impossible. Stupid heating devices do not work, neither do long soaks in a bath. Sometimes you just need some kind of muscle manipulation. Here in S. FL. just one short massage at my local spa cost me $65 + tip (about a half-hour session). That hurt worse than the strained rib muscle. With this hand held device you can be a truly independent person (again, no gutter thoughts), and not waste your coins on a professional massage session that is ridiculously over priced. Now for the performance operation report. What it will do for you...............This item has three levels of massage/thumptation. That's a new verb in old Webster's book. But this is not a rotational head massager. It is totally stationary with two humps/thumpers that are covered with removable couplings. The nubs feel as if they are going up and down, but are not moving at all its just the vibration. Depending on the speed setting determines the type of vibration/thumping you receive. On lower speeds you feel a soft & gental palpitations. Good for just a little kneading, maybe for a charley horse in your thigh or calf. Medium speeds are a more pronounced thump/palpitations that go deeper than just the surface. This would be better on side, back, upper leg muscles that are uncomfortable. The highest speed is a beatdown and is not recommended for weaklings. This device is capable of giving deep tissue be using if not properly respected for it's intended use. At this setting it is important to keep the massager moving. You don't need to set land speed records. But gently "walking" the device from side to side and letting it move more freely will put you in relief heaven. This is best used on thicker muscles like the hips, back and depending your size your shoulder/neck muscles. You will not need it at this level over a long period of time. It goes down deep in the muscle, and it is only natural to tense up against the thrust. Thus the need to keep moving, heavily muscled areas and in short time frames but on a more frequent schedule. The machine is somewhat weighty. Single handed will work on low & med settings. For the higher settings, I suggest placing it between you and the back of the couch, a chair or just a couple of pillows. There are 3 different massager head covers. 1-smooth, 2-nubs, 3-covered with dull spikes. The electrical cord is for 110-undercurrent (US ELECTRIC), you will need the power adapter for use overseas. It measures approximately 7ft. Once you use this device you will never waste your money on any other unit. I RECOMMEND IT 5'''s

I give this a 4 of 5 stars, though that is in part due to having used a (twice as expensive) Brookstone unit for many years. A couple months ago I got this machine as a replacement to that Brookstone, and I do have mostly positive feelings about the Thumper with some critical thoughts on the differences between the two. So that you can maybe better get a feel for how you might use this thing for yourself, here is my backstory (pun semi-intended). Almost ten years ago, I finally started feeling the effects of desk jobs. I was always uncomfortable in the chairs and desks that felt designed for bigger people (I am 5'6") and sitting is just plain bad for you, but 9 hours a day + two, hour long commutes mean that's what I spent most of my day doing. It started with being uncomfortable a lot and progressed into sciatica, complete with shooting pain down my right leg that almost knocked me off my feet a couple times, and a huge numb patch on my right outer thigh. Later on, the place that always seemed to pinch and go out in my lower back finally slipped a disc. I could barely walk. The doctor gave me mild muscle relaxers and once the tension subsided, I pushed the disc back in place with my two thumbs. There was an audible *snick* as it went back in place, and an instantaneous wave of relief. For me, I have come to rely on this kind of machine to help realign my discs that sometimes get a little out of place and to relieve tension of the muscles near the spine. I've tried a myriad of other fixes, and aside from a good back brace for when I am feeling prone, or my Yogi Joint tea to help mitigate some aches and pains - this thing is hands down a lifesaver for a bad back. It also feels great on the legs, bum and with care - neck and shoulders. After a couple months of use, here are my thoughts - positive, negative, neutral - on the Thumper. PROS: Quiet: The Thumper is the quietest dual headed percussive massager I've ever used. The Brookstone always made me feel as though the neighbors might wonder what was going on next door when I used it - especially on one of the noisy, programmed cycles where the pulses varied. Simple: The Brookstone had a bunch of buttons and settings. This has on/off and strength 1-5. Doesn't get much simpler than that. Effective: I had gone without one of these for a couple months before I went looking, did some research, and settled on this unit. By the time it came in the mail, I was glad to have it. The nodules that span the spine and the percussive vibration really is exactly what I need to keep my back out of whack. Quality: I've used the Brookstone mostly, but many years ago I had some Homedics and other cheaper brands. They aren't as percussive as the Thumper (or obviously the more expensive Brookstone) and they feel much more rickety. The Thumper, while plastic, feels pretty substantial and sturdy. Lower-cost brands feel like they would break if you thought about it too hard, and perhaps that the motor wouldn't be very enduring. The Thumper motor, while less powerful than the Brookstone, still feels high-quality. Also, with quality and power comes a weightier machine. This helps the machine do it's thing to your muscles without having to press down. It is heavy enough to feel much more substantial and high-quality compared to featherweight Homedics brands, though feels a little lighter than a Brookstone. Price: This is a middle of the pack price. Brookstones cost $200-300 and Homedics types are probably in the $30-60 range. At $120(ish, since Amazon prices flux so much) this is right in between. And I have to say it feels it's worth double the price of a Homedics type brand. The Thumper isn't cheap, but it's a good quality machine that can truly help alleviate a lot of pains and strains, thus is more than worth the cost if you can afford it. And I think of it this way: If it means one sick day due to a bad back is missed - it's paid for itself and then some. Cons, or things to consider: Simple means simple: This doesn't have a lot of programmable settings like the Brookstone, with varying pulses and a million power settings. If you want that flexibility then the Thumper is not for you. It also does NOT have adjustable nodules. The Brookstone allowed for three settings of narrow, normal and wide-set nodules to get more places. I do miss this, especially the narrow which I used on my neck, but I can make do with the stationary setting on the Thumper. Powerful, but not the most powerful: the Brookstone is louder, in part because it is SO powerful. I miss this the most of my old Brookstone unit, but Thumper is sufficient and sturdy at half the cost. For me it works. It's just not cheap: It may be less than the Brookstone, but the Thumper isn't cheap. My boyfriend blanched when I told him the cost, as he hadn't been there for the purchase of the Brookstone. But on the other hand, he knows how much I use this and what it does for me - and for him when he needs it on occasion. Bottom line: I am happy with the Thumper. It has helped me put my spine back in place dozens of times in the last couple months already. It feels like it is sturdy enough to do that for quite some time. If I have any problems I will be back to update this review ASAP, but otherwise I may just come back some time from now to say "Still works, love it!" or if I find a new tip that may be helpful. If I hadn't had the Brookstone before, and somewhat miss the power and the adjustable nodules, I think I would give this a 5. As it stands, I give it a 4 or a 4.5. Hope this review helped you and hope the Thumper can help you! Best of luck! UPDATE 10/04/2016: After having this product for just under a year, I have to say the only thing I miss about my Brookstone is the power for when something is stubbornly out of whack, but 9 times out of 10, this machine does the job and either: puts my vertebra back in place, loosens a knot and gets everything back where it should be. It stays by the bed and I can use it before I lay down when I am stiff or something has been out, to help make sure I sleep with things as aligned as possible. It's very helpful for that. Also, it can be used on the bum-cheeks, the legs and shoulders, which my boyfriend appreciates. He too misses the power of the other machine, but this one is half the cost, feels very sturdy and works pretty well for the price point.

I have never used another massager but my daughter has back problems and she has been using them for decades and she says the Thumper is the best she's ever used by orders of magnitude -- and I have no reason to disbelieve her. Haven't had it long enough yet to determine its durability but so far this thing is awesome.

Do you have lower back pain and sciatica down through your hip and into your lower leg keeping you awake at night? I do and I also have neck pain radiating down into my arm from 2 cervical fusions. I use this product religiously every night and the relief I get from it is amazing. After using it on the hip and more especially the outside of the calf and foot, 90% or more of the sciatic pain is gone. It works wonders on my neck pain as well. I have used this product for over 10 years now and just started using my 3rd purchase. The only disappointment is that the motor brushes wear out long before the rest of it. If not for the brushes, this product would last a generation. The motor brushes are the first to go. Even so, 2 of them have well served me so far and I expect no less from this last purchase. The long handle allows me to reach almost anywhere and the extra weight over other comparative products makes it even more effective. I highly recommend this product.

I brought this as a backup have as I have owned 3 Thumper sport models massagers in the last 10 years & know used the thumper so often (Daily) I know how the unit should perform. I opened it last night as my old one finally died and was so surprised & disappointed the motor dies in about 3 years or so. However, his unit is definitely not the same, something is off, as it does not have a 1/3rd of the power it should have. Setting 5 is like setting 2 used to be on all my other thumper sport units, it barely provides any relief as my other thumper sprot units did. This was advertised as new it has to be refurbished or defective. What a shame as i see many others saying the same thing about their units. I paid for a NEW unit not a defective or refurbished unit, it's shameful.

I do not write reviews. This is my first one. Why? Because this product did something that all the other (non percussion) massage products could not. Some background. I am a bicyclist by hobby - 100+ miles per week on the average at 18 - 20 mph avg speed. For about 2 or 3 years my calves starting getting very very tight and painful. I thought this was just part of biking...or getting old - I am 45 years old. I tried a regular electric massager(not percussion), though it felt good, it could not break up the knots in my calves. I also tried rollers, etc. and diff kinds of manual massages. I had a discussion a few weeks ago with my neighbor, who is a ex Ironman and still works out very hard. He said he never had that problem and that maybe the swimming made the knots go away. He said that I should not have tight calves, they need to be flexible. He suggested going to get regular massages. Great idea, but I don't have the time with 3 young kids, nor the money to do it a lot. I know there are new machines out there just for feet and calves, but they are limited since they do not go high enough on my calves...and I am only 5'8", plus they are 300 dollars or more. I came across some productions at Brookstone...one was called a percussion massages...interesting concept. I did some more readings on percussion massage, but no one ever mentioned calves with regards to percussion massages. Even the websites had videos, but they never showed them doing the calves. So in reading reviews, the Thumper came across as the best one for the money. I said, what do i have to lose, this is the last time before i go to see the doctor or sports therapist. I was just in to much pain just waking around the house. So to make a long story come to a close. I ordered the Thumper Sport. I have had it about 1 month. The first two days i used it, no results....but it felt good. After about the 3rd or 4th try, i noticed that my calves were slowly getting more flexible. After about a week and a half or two weeks of using this every day...the pain totally stopped and my calves were flexible again.....I still can't believe that after years of pain, all i needed as this product. It's amazing. This product is awesome and I will always use one - forget the regular massager...waste of money. I regularly use this every 2 days for about 10 minutes on my feet, calves, thighs, back and even the palms of my hands.

The massager works fine but is crazy loud. It is only loud when using it in the forward direction, going backwards it is not too loud...... My family can hear it from across the house.