Massage guns have become increasingly popular as a method of treating injuries and aiding recovery, from the comfort of your own home. And, physiotherapists have been using them in clinics, too. With a huge array of options available, it’s hard to know which are truly effective. We asked cycling injury specialist, Dr Graham Theobald to review the C2 Heat+Ice Massage Gun from Bob and Brad.
The C2 Heat+Ice massage gun from Bob and Brad provides the massage features of all guns within this category, combined with a unique hot and cold head for additional therapy.
As with the multitude of massage guns on the market, it is of a standard size. However its stall force - the amount of pressure that can be applied without causing the motor to stop - amplitude and speed are proposed to be market leading. This model provides massage at 10mm amplitude, denoting the distance the gun head covers as it moves back and forth. This movement results in percussions (strokes per minute) that are delivered to the area being treated. In theory, the longer this distance, the harder the massage you get. This can be, however, a personal preference. As per much of the competition, it is targeted at active people and athletes.
Bob and Brad C2 Heat+Ice Massage Gun construction
This gun immediately feels more robust than its competitors. It has 5 attachments, including the unique hot and cold head which is charged, via a usb-c cable, independently of the gun. Hot and cold therapy has been used to treat injuries and aid recovery for decades and is a theory supported by research studies and practitioners. The gun has 5 speeds, a force (ring) light indicator, lights that indicate charge levels and a handle that gives excellent grip. Attachments are pushed on and off with spare rubber washers for wear and tear on attachment usage.
The gun comes with a nice carrying case with mesh for wires and attachments.
Bob and Brad C2 Heat+Ice Massage Gun in use
After using many massage guns both clinically and personally, the first thing I noticed about the C2 Pro was that, when compared to similar priced and marketed products, it has a very nice robust feel to it. Nothing on it feels flimsy or as if it will break after a few uses. This is reassuring. It is also one of the quietest guns of this size I have used. The 4 normal-use heads are sufficient for most applications. I mainly used the ball and air cushion heads, but the hot/cold head conveys the most intrigue. This gun is sold in two guises, with and without the hot/cold head.
From a professional perspective, I have used the hot/cold head quite a lot in the clinic on its own (it is independently charged and powered) as contrast therapy, without the additional massage function, and have found it useful working with tendinopathies which often benefit from this treatment (patella tendon and achilles for example). However, the hot/cold head when used on the actual gun seems somewhat contrived, hot and cold therapy does not need to be applied with the force of the gun, so my reccomendation would always be to use them independently, perhaps negating the need to spend extra on the function when other sources of cold and heat are available.
The power of the gun is fine for most areas such as arms, neck and feet (actually very good for plantar fascia) but when it comes to the larger athlete and muscle groups such as glutes, I found that it stalled too often and was a little underpowered. For these areas and bigger athletes, you may want to consider its bigger brother, the D6 Pro-C as this is more powerful and still over half the price of its competitor.
Lastly, the C2-Pro can be awkward to get to hard-to-reach areas such as the lower back which can be frustrating. Again, its bigger brother is better here due to its handle configuration and should be considered if these tricky areas are something you need to work on regularly. That said, if you have a partner who can help, the C2 is fine.
Bob and Brad C2 Heat+Ice Massage Gun value and conclusions
Overall, the C2-Pro is a great value massage gun for its intended use. At its normal price point of £99.99 (often less in Amazon sales so shop around), it remains a great product and ahead of its direct competition. Build quality is good. If you compared it to the market leaders (Therabody), it fairs very well against the Theragun Mini and is much cheaper. However, I would consider purchasing it without the hot/cold head unless you have a specific requirement for it.
Overall, a really nice product but with limitations with larger muscle groups and athletes.
