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If you’re in the market for a new massage gun, you might be led to believe that a Theragun is your best option. While they are excellent, I’d like to present to you a rivaling, less expensive alternative. Today we look at the all-new, more powerful, expertly designed PlayMakar MVP+ massage gun.
Quick Overview of PlayMakar
PlayMakar is a sports minded, performance and recovery business located in Texas. Featured on the Inc. 5000 Fastest-growing Companies list for three years running, they’re quickly becoming the go-to brand of professional athletes and practitioners.
Unlike a lot of their competitors, PlayMakar sells FDA cleared workout and recovery tools including massage guns, electrical muscle stimulators, and hot & cold therapy packs among other things. Rest assured, they only sell the highest quality products.
PlayMakar MVP+ Percussion Massage Gun
At first glance, you might think the MVP+ looks similar to every other bargain bin massage gun out there. Upon closer inspection, you will quickly realize that this is something special. From the build quality to the attention to details, it’s obvious that PlayMakar is out to compete.
Professional Grade Specs
So what makes the MVP+ special?
As a 2.0 product, it’s evident PlayMakar went back to the drawing board. By bringing the engineering in-house, every aspect of the MVP has been improved upon. And that’s great news because the original version was just….ok.
Related Reading: PlayMakar MVPmini Massage Gun Review
Stronger Motor
The first thing you’ll notice about the PlayMakar MVP+ is the ultra-powerful new motor. The six speed brushless motor now produces a staggering 58 lbs of stall force!
Stall force refers to the amount of pressure required to completely stop the motor from percussing. In other words, the higher the stall force, the deeper the massage. If your intention is to use the massage gun on the larger muscle groups i.e. glutes and quads, you want more stall force.
The PlayMakar MVP+ also has a stroke length of 14mm. Again, not to bore you with the technical aspects, but stroke length refers to how far the massage head travels. A longer stroke length will penetrate and dig into the muscles better.
14mm is more than enough and is above average relative to most other massage guns.
Quieter Than Before
Typically with a more powerful motor comes increased noise. Fortunately, that isn’t the case here.
The MVP+ is now equipped with what PlayMakar calls QuietVybe technology. Essentially, it’s a patent pending redesign of the internal motor which produces less vibration and noise.
In real life scenarios, on the lowest setting the MVP is quiet enough (~48 decibels) to easily carry on a conversation without raising your voice. As expected, however, on the highest setting the motor outputs about 70 dB. That’s still within the safe range of hearing, but it’s noticeably louder.
Improved Massage Tips
A quiet and powerful motor is great and all, but you probably want a massage gun that’s comfortable to use more. If that’s the case, you are going to love the 4 included massage tips.
With progressive impact EchoFlex technology, the ProTips offer a full spectrum of comfort and treatment options. Best of all, unlike other foam massage heads, these tips can be used with oils and lotions.
The 4 ProTips include:
- Shoc: A soft impact, do-it-all massage tip that mimics the pressure of a thumb. Ideal for all areas of the body.
- EchoBall: This 1.5″ ball head provides a medium to high impact massage treatment. It’s the perfect attachment for dense muscle groups.
- ImpactBall: Slightly larger at 2″, this tip is great for most muscle groups. With a bit more cushion to it, the ImpactBall is a great all-around tip for most areas of the body.
- AcuTrigger: Simulating acupressure therapy, this ProTip is an excellent choice for targeted trigger points.
Related Reading: How To Use A Massage Gun On Muscle Knots
Ergonomically Designed
The key to a great product is one that is intentionally designed for the user. The PlayMakar MVP+ percussion massager is a perfect example.
First and foremost, the exterior shell of the MVP is covered in a soft touch matte black finish. Not only does it feel great to the touch, but also makes it far less prone to fingerprints (*cough* *cough*…Theragun Elite). From a practical standpoint, the finish is grippier too. Making it far less likely to accidentally drop.
Which leads us to the handle design. It’s not super obvious, but it does taper down in size, much like a cone. That small detail improves long-term comfort and reduces grip fatigue. Weighing in at 2.3 lbs, that’s something to consider if you plan to use for more than a couple minutes.
Overall, the design of the PlayMakar massage gun feels balanced and well put together. It may not be flashy, but there’s no question it has been made to withstand some heavy use and abuse.
Purposeful Interface
Besides the ON/OFF button, the PlayMakar MVP+ is strictly operated from the rear touchscreen display.
In our testing, we found the touchscreen to be very responsive. Even the lightest touch was enough to change the settings, which is great.
If you find that you’re unintentionally touching the screen while in use, there is a built-in feature called SpeedLock.
Pressing both the (+) and (-) buttons simultaneously for 3 seconds will lock the screen. That locks in the RPMs and prevents any touch inputs. To unlock, simply do the same for another 3 seconds. It’s a pretty neat feature.
There are only 3 touch sensitive buttons and we think you will appreciate the simplicity. Two buttons to increase and decrease the speed and the middle button to start and pause the motor.
Battery Life
The final design aspect worth mentioning is the battery life. Rated at 2400mAh, the lithium ion battery should net you about 3+ hours of battery life.
Battery life is of course determined by the speed and intensity in which you use it. With moderate daily use, there’s really no reason you’ll need to recharge more than once or twice a week.
The battery life indicator on the touchscreen will help you gauge how much juice you have left.
Warranty
Perhaps one of the most overlooked “features” of any massage gun is the warranty. Sure, you have full faith it will keep working…until it doesn’t. And that’s the thing about electronic battery operated devices, sometimes they just die suddenly.
Well, as warranty go, it is only as good as the company that stands behind it.
You will be pleased to know that PlayMakar offers a full 2-year warranty on the MVP+. That’s twice as much as most companies and far more than the questionably unreliable yet popular Sharper Image massage gun.
PlayMakar MVP+ Massage Gun Reviews
As a review site that partially benefits from affiliate sales, you might think it’s in our best interest to paint every product in a positive light. But that’s simply not the case because we do have a reputation to uphold. We wouldn’t recommend the Playmakar MVP if it wasn’t worth buying. Period.
Our thoughts and opinions aside, consumers like you have very positive things to say about it:
Is The PlayMakar MVP+ Better Than a Theragun?
Fundamentally, there’s a lot that separates the PlayMakar MVP from the Theragun PRO massage gun. The design language is totally different for starters. They look nothing alike and which you prefer is 100% subjective.
The Theragun also comes equipped with bluetooth and an associated guided massage App. They did a great job with it, but wouldn’t say it’s essential. That’s something the MVP lacks.
That said, there are a few key areas where the MVP+ nearly matches the PRO offering from Theragun.
| Features | PlayMakar MVP+ | Theragun PRO |
| Stall Force | 58 lbs | 60 lbs |
| Stroke Length | 14mm | 16mm |
| Battery Life | 3+ hours | 150 minutes on 1 detachable battery |
| Attachments | 4 | 5 |
| Warranty | 2 years | 2 years |
As you can see, comparing the PlayMakar MVP+ vs Theragun PRO, the important specs are neck and neck. But here’s the kicker, as of this writing, the MVP is $169.95. The Theragun PRO is $599.
A little multiplication will tell you that you could purchase 3 MVPs for the price of one PRO. Is that worth it? You decide.
Final Verdict Of Our Playmakar MVP+
It’s our opinion this massage gun offers a huge amount of value for the money. For a deep tissue massager, the MVP+ delivers big time and hangs with much more expensive brands in spades.
Given the amount of built-in features, performance, and price, you can’t go wrong. This is easily considered one of the best percussion massage guns you can buy.
PlayMakar MVP+
Summary
Buy it if you want an ultra-powerful motor, patented attachments, and above average battery life. All at an unbeatable price.
The authors and editors that comprise the Recovatech Team have 20+ years of combined experience and knowledge covering the topics of strength, fitness, and recovery. We are impassioned in our pursuit of presenting the most up-to-date information on strength training, cardio fitness, physical rehab, functional movement, nutrition, workout recovery, and best-in-class reviews. Should you feel inclined, please reach out to us at admin[at]recovatech.com.