6x American Ninja Warrior competitor and Conquer The Gauntlet Pro Amy Pajcic loosening up her muscles.

Maybe you’ve seen athlete pre/post-race loosening up their muscles with them or seen them advertised in your Facebook feed.  Massage guns seem to be a big trend in the last couple of years.  I’ve looked into them in the past and typically lose interest as soon as I see the price.  However, Compex just released their massage gun at a price that’s half as expensive as many of the others on the market.  With a lower price point and a trusted brand I was familiar with I picked up their Fixx 1.0 massage gun and here are my thoughts.

Compex Fixx massage gun protective case.

Functionality:

The gun works great.  It has three different speed settings for three different levels of vibration.  I find myself using the lowest setting the majority of the time with occasionally bringing it up to level 2 for a more focused use.  The head of the gun can be angled to allow you to reach parts of your back that might otherwise be challenging.

Battery: 

The battery life says 90 minutes but all I know is I’ve never used it to the point where the batter started dying despite infrequent charges on my side.  If I was concerned, there is a battery life indicator on the side of the gun so you’ll know when it is getting close to recharge time.

Four blue light battery indicator lit up.

Price:

It is currently on sale for under $200.  At a price like that the Compex Fixx blows its competitors out of the water.  Most of the competitors I have seen advertised are anywhere from $300 to $450.

Expertise: 

Compex has been around for more than 30 years with research, experience, and expertise in physiotherapy, pain treatment, and sports injury.  There is something to be said about that level of focused effort over such a long period.  That is why I default to them over other brands, and why I would rather go with a trusted company than try to fashion my own massage gun out of random tools from Home Depot (which seems like a good way to hurt yourself).

Fixx in the carrying case.

Downside?: 

The only downside I could find is the head of the massage gun isn’t interchangeable like some other brands.  However, I’ve borrowed a friend’s massage gun with interchangeable heads and found that when you are using the gun it couldn’t feel much of a difference in the attachments.  I feel like I could get the same effects by pushing the gun into my muscles harder or softer.  Based on that experience, I’ll take the single head over the multiple heads and keep my extra $200.  Some of the older pictures I found online look like they have planned multiple different heads and the carrying case actually has pre-cut squares for different heads (see above picture), so maybe that’s something that’s coming down the line for the Fixx 2.0.

Other Use: 

While I got the Compex Fixx for myself for post OCR, my family seems to enjoy it too.  Whenever I start using it on my legs, my wife and daughter come over to ask for back massages.  Fifteen minutes later, I’m back to my legs.  Just a heads up if you think you’ll be the only one using this, but also a good selling point if you need to convince your wife that this is a “family investment.”

Ultra-OCR Man and author loosening up the forearms after a grip strength workout thanks to Atomik Climbing Holds.

Overall: 

I love the Compex Fixx 1.0.  Compex did a great job with the product creating a massage gun that is reasonably priced, safe to use with few moving parts and comes in a padded case.  I don’t think I would change anything about their product and I’m looking forward to using it all season long in 2020 and beyond.

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