Whether you’re a marathoner, bodybuilder, yogi or average human just trying to squeeze in an at-home workout, nothing feels better post-exercise than a massage. (Preferably in front of the television, binging the latest hit show.) Enter: the best massage guns. So what’s so great about them? According to personal trainer Ashley Castleberry, these handy little tools use rapid punching motions to provide percussive therapy. “This helps relieve muscle soreness, reduce stiffness, increase range of motion, promote blood flow and support muscle recovery,” she explains. “Specifically, they break up knots and scar tissue, increase circulation, and prepare the muscles for activity.” The Cleveland Clinic states that this can be an effective means of reducing knots and decreasing tight muscle tissue ahead of your workouts, which may lessen your likelihood of injury.

Alternately, these gadgets aim to provide relief to pressure points in areas like your neck, back and shoulders, and reduce (or at the very least, delay) post-workout inflammation and soreness by lowering your muscles’ ability to create a buildup of lactic acid—the source of all that discomfort. The best massage gun for you will depend on several key factors, including the amount of pressure applied, the speed of vibration, the battery life, the weight and the noise level.

Ashley Castleberry is a certified personal trainer and nutritionist based in Tampa, Florida. Her specialties are athletic training, high-intensity interval training (HIIT) and strength training. Prior to opening a private practice, Castleberry worked with popular gym brands including Orangetheory Fitness and Critical Bench.

To determine the best massage guns, PureWow editors and their evaluation team tested most of the massage guns on this list over six weeks. They considered features such as amplitude, number of speed settings, battery life, noise level, attachments, portability and ease of use. We also asked Castleberry what brands she recommends.

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“When buying a massage gun, consider the amplitude/depth of percussion, number of speed settings, battery life, size/portability and noise level,” Castleberry advises. “Ensure it comes with multiple massage heads for targeting different muscle groups.” Here are six factors to consider:

As Castleberry explains, “A massage gun works through rapid, repetitive percussion into the muscle tissue.” As a result, the muscles will relax and release tension. Additionally, the vibration increases blood flow to the area.

Vibration therapy has proven effective at lessening cellulite, which is a clumpy area on the skin’s surface caused by fat cells multiplying in between the skin and the muscles. Massage guns increase blood flow to the area affected by cellulite, breaking up the fat for the body to absorb.

You can safely use a massager for 15 to 20 minutes two to three times a day, depending on the strength and type of massager. Excessive use of a massager can result in bruising and muscle exhaustion, so talk to your doctor before significantly ramping up your massager use. You should also avoid using a massager on bony areas.

You should avoid using a massage gun on bones, arteries, veins, wounds, infected areas and strained muscles. Castleberry counsels that you should also skip the neck and abdomen.

“In my opinion as a trainer, the Theragun Prime and Theragun Pro models beat the Hypervolt models in amplitude depth, stall force, and customization,” Castleberry says. “However, the Hypervolt may be quieter.”

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