Sore Muscles

I was EXTREMELY skeptical of massage guns. They just looked dumb. Seriously! Why would something that resembled an adult toy pounding against your muscles feel relaxing? But to my surprise, many of my friends and some family members actually liked theirs. My sister-in-law convinced me to try one against the stiff shoulders, neck, and lower back, but I found that painful when the ball head pounded against my fragile shoulder blades. “How do you find that relaxing? Doesn’t that hurt?” I asked her.

FYSMY vs Kica Mini K2

She instructed me to use it at a slight angle for a more gentle massage and… that made a BIG difference! The stiffness in my neck slowly waned away, and as I increased the intensity of the massager, it felt even better. However, I was still not convinced to get myself one, and so my sister-in-law sent hers home with me to try for a week.

I tried the massage gun on my neck and shoulders for a few evenings after long days in front of the computer, and surprisingly, it felt more relaxing each time — even when I pointed the ball head directly at the shoulders. It used to feel painful, but for some reason it felt better those times around, and I pushed deeper into the tissue in an attempt to ease up the muscles. I finally became a believer and bought myself a “standard sized” one to get the kinks out of my shoulders, neck, and lower.

Too Big For Travel

There was one problem with these massage guns: they were TOO large and unwieldy to bring for travels. I set out to find a more portable one, and after weeks of research, I discovered that Merach was one of the top brands for mini massage guns in the $100 range. The Merach Pocket Massage Gun Nano was also the lightest and one of the smallest I could find. Time to give it a try.

What’s Good? What’s Bad?

Pros

• Very portable and small (size of my hand)
  • Lightweight at less than 1 lb
• 4 head attachments included to address different body parts
• 3 different intensity levels
  • Merach stated its brushless motor operated at 1,600-3,200 RPM
• 7-hour battery, according to the manufacturer
• Relatively quiet
• 3 color choices: Red, Gray Silver, and Black

Views of Merach Pocket Gun Nano

• Used for relaxation and for faster recovery post-workout (I did not try it for recovery)
• Very detailed user guide showing the scientific names of each muscle area and which head accessory to use on them
• Drawstring pouch included
• Non-slip side grips
• Inexpensive when on sale for $90
• USB-C Fast-charge (USB-A to USB-C) to fill the 2,500mAh lithium battery up within 2.5 hours
  • Cable included
• Automatic shutoff after 10 mins

Merach Pocket Gun Nano and Accessories

Cons

• Small size
  • Felt less intense than the standard-sized ones
  • Harder to reach all areas of the upper back that the bigger massagers could get to
• Carry pouch could barely store all items, and could get the massager scratched by the accessories
  • Kica Mini Massage Gun K2 includes a carry case that neatly holds all parts, though that makes it bulkier to pack away
• May take some getting used to
• May not be for everyone: wife and mother-in-law dislike percussion massages

Drawstring Pouch

Tips

• Fully charge the massage gun before you use it for the first time. This prolongs its battery lifetime
• Be very careful not to use the massager against bone or you could seriously injure yourself!
• When massaging, do not stay at the same spot for more than 60 seconds and for no more than 3 repetitions to avoid injury
• Even though I had used my larger massage gun at a 45-degree angle, the recommendation is to actually point the head perpendicular at the muscle
  • Angle of impact does matter with different muscle groups

Merach Massage Gun Nano Unpacked

Head Attachment Types

This massager came with: ball, flat, cylindrical (bullet), and fork (U).

• BALL HEAD: for larger muscle groups
• FLAT HEAD: for whole body
• BULLET HEAD: for specific body parts (ie. arm, back, heel)
• FORK HEAD: for specific body parts (ie. spine, triceps, calf, neck, heel)

My favorite attachments are the ball, flat, and cushioned ones.

Bottom View

Head Applications

Generally, use the following heads for various body parts:

• SHOULDER: ball head, fork head, flat head
• UPPER ARMS: ball head, fork head, flat head
• CHEST: ball head
• WAIST: ball head, fork head, flat head
• THIGH: ball head (go top to bottom)
• CALVES: ball head, bullet head
• FOOT FASCIA: bullet head, flat head
• BONE JOINTS: cushioned head

The ball and flat heads are the most versatile.

Kica Mini Massage Gun K2

The Kica K2 is another, excellent miniature massage gun. Here are some pictures for comparison.

Final Thoughts

Pocket Massage Gun Nano Uses /Merach

The Merach Pocket Massage Gun Nano (MR-1537G) is very compact, helps relax the muscles, and is quiet. The biggest downsides are that you get less force/strength (compared to the larger massagers), could have difficulty reaching parts of your upper body, and that the included carry pouch could have the massager scratched when the attachments are also stored in there. It would have been nicer if Merach had included a larger carry case (like the also excellent Kica K2) that could neatly store everything away, but that would also take up more space in your luggage. Pros and cons. It’s a great product either way, and feeling less sore at the end of the night makes sleep much better.

Where To Buy

• Merach Pocket Massage Gun Nano MR-1537G
• Kica K2 Mini Massage Gun