Aerlang Massage Gun Review 2023

The Aerlang EM8 massage gun quickly catches your eye on Amazon due to its very low price. This was also the case with me. Accordingly, I asked myself the question: Is the massager worth it for the price, or is this typical “China junk”? To find out, I bought the Aerlang massage gun myself and tested it extensively. I present my results in the following review.

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Scope of Delivery and Attachments

Aerlang massager comes in a plain cardboard box with the inscription “MADE IN CHINA”.

The packaging appears accordingly less spectacular. However, that is not so important. After all, it’s about the contents of the box. This includes the following:

1 x Aerlang Massage Gun
1 x Ball Attachment
1 x Flat Head Attachment
1 x Fork Attachment
1 x Bullet Attachment
1 x D-shaped Attachment
1 x Crescent Moon Attachment
1 x Carry Bag
1 x Charger
1 x Manual

Thus, everything you need to use the massage gun is included. At this point, the price of the device was also not at all obvious. Here, it does not have to hide behind top models.

The attachments also cover the most important areas of use:

The ball attachment is a standard attachment that comes with most massage guns. It has quite a large surface area and can basically be used for massaging all medium and large muscle groups.

The flat head attachment is also a standard attachment. It can basically be used for the same muscles as the ball attachment. Because of its shape, I like to use it for large muscles, such as the chest or thighs.

The fork attachment has a gap in the middle. This allows certain areas of the body to be left out. Accordingly, it is used in places where bones, ligaments and tendons are to be left out. These include, for example, the area along the spine, but also the calves.

The bullet attachment has a very small surface area. On the one hand, this allows small muscles to be targeted. On the other hand, the entire force of the massage gun is concentrated on a small point. Thus, the attachment can be used for trigger point massage, for example (see: How can I loosen Trigger Points with a Massage Gun?).

The D-shaped attachment, as the name suggests, is shaped like the letter “D”. Thus, it has an elongated, thin surface for the massage. This allows it to be used, among other things, for massaging certain regions on the back.

The half-moon attachment is slightly curved and has a large surface area. The attachment of the Aerlang massage gun also has many nubs. This gives a special massage feeling. The attachment is used for larger muscles, for example on the legs.

All in all, I am satisfied with the attachments, their quality, and their possible uses. I would have only wished for a cushion attachment for sensitive body parts. However, that is complaining on a high level.

Functionality

The Aerlang massage gun has 20 power levels. That’s quite a large number so I won’t list them individually here for clarity. Instead, I will present the power levels for the four areas of use specified by the manufacturer:

1st to 5th Level: 1,450 to 1,700 rpm – muscle relaxing
6th to 10th Level: 1,760 to 2,010 rpm – moderate massage
11th to 15th Level: 2,070 to 2,320 rpm – fascia relaxation
16th to 20th Level: 2,380 to 2,650 rpm – deep tissue massage

The shock rates are thus rather within a small spectrum. However, this is also due to the 12-volt version used in this country. The variant with 24 volts can prove a much larger spectrum.

Despite this, clear differences between the individual stages could be felt during the massage. The first level felt very light, while I could perceive the impact number on the 20th level much more intense.

The amplitude is specified at 16 mm. Here I have to make a clear criticism and deduct points. The massage gun clearly moves only a few millimeters back and forth. However, the 16 mm is not reached at all. The advertised deep tissue massage is definitely not possible with this.

The motor also plays a role. I could not find any information about its power. However, it blocks very quickly under pressure, which is often a sign of low power.

Even the additional features, such as the automatic shutdown after 10 minutes, can’t save the rating in this category.

Usability and Handling

In this category, I would like to evaluate the usability and handling separately. I would like to start with the usability:

To start the massage gun, you first have to set the switch on the bottom to “ON“.

The individual levels are switched directly on display by touching the “+” and “–” buttons. This works quite well. The only annoying thing is the number of levels. If you want to switch to the highest level, you have to press the plus button 20 times, which can be very annoying.

Furthermore, there is no pause button. To change the attachment, for example, the motor has to be stopped completely. Afterward, you have to set the desired power level again.

When it comes to handling, I looked at the handle on the one hand. This is rubberized. Thus, it does not slip out of hand so quickly. However, the handle is also quite thick. Therefore, it is rather difficult to grip, which can be particularly strenuous during long use.

On the other hand, weight plays an important role in handling. In my test, I determined a weight of 1.97 lbs (893 g) without the attachment and 2.02 lbs (916 g) with the ball attachment. This makes the massage gun one of the heavier ones on the market. This also has a negative impact on handling.

Power Supply

For the power supply, the Aerlang massage gun contains a battery with a capacity of 2,500 mAh. This is a typical value. The same applies to the runtime. This is specified by the manufacturer for about 2.5 hours. I can confirm this approximately.

I find the battery indicator very good. This is done directly on display:

This makes the display much more accurate than many other massage guns. With those, often, only one LED lights up in a certain color to indicate the battery status.

The battery is simply charged via the supplied charging cable. This is plugged into a power outlet and into the bottom of the massage gun. A full charge takes only a few hours.

Unfortunately, the battery is not replaceable. This is a big disadvantage. After all, the entire massage gun has to be replaced when the battery stops working. During the one-year warranty, such damage is at least repaired free of charge.

Noise

I measured the volume of the Aerlang EM8 from a distance of 40 cm in my test. Here, I again oriented myself to the areas of use. I was able to record the following noise levels for these:

1st to 5th Level: ~ 41 dB to 47 dB – similar to light rain
6th to 10th Level: ~ 43 dB to 48 dB – similar to birds chirping
11th top 15th Level: ~ 42 dB to 47 dB – similar to birds chirping
16th to 20th Level: ~ 47 dB to 49 dB – similar to a quiet radio

As you can see from the values, Aerlang’s massager is very quiet. It is even one of the quietest in my massage gun test. I especially like that the low volume is achieved even at the highest power levels. Accordingly, nothing speaks against a relaxing massage in quiet environments (e.g., in the office).

Material and Quality

Aerlang primarily relies on plastic for the material of its massage gun. This looks surprisingly high-quality. However, there is a material defect on the front of the handle on my test sample. Even though this is possibly just a coincidence, I have to deduct a point in this category.

I can only slightly criticize the workmanship of the massage gun. The edges were processed comparatively cleanly, and I did not find any large gaps. Only in one place could individual parts of the casing sit better on each other.

The smell, on the other hand, is a clear point of criticism for me. The massage gun itself smells neutral. However, the handle smells very chemical. This often indicates harmful softeners. I give it a corresponding deduction. At least the smell largely disappeared after a few hours.

Price Performance

As described at the beginning, the Aerlang EM8 massage gun is one of the cheapest devices on the market. I myself was able to purchase the massage gun for just €17.99 thanks to a coupon. When I wrote the review 3 weeks later, the price was around $35, which is a realistic price for the massager.

All in all, the Aerlang massage gun definitely belongs to the lower price range. However, it also has clear weaknesses in return, as my test showed. I can therefore rate the price-performance ratio as “Good” at the highest.

I would rather advise you to spend more money and buy a top model. For example, I can recommend the Hyperice Hypervolt.

Conclusion – Aerlang Massage Gun

Summary

Probably everyone knows the saying: “If you buy cheap, you buy twice.” The Aerlang massage gun could at least partially disprove this in my practical test. Here you get a cheap, but solid massage device.

Of course, the massage gun has clear weaknesses. This was not to be expected otherwise at this price. These include an unpleasant chemical smell, which can be noticed on the handle. In addition, the product description often contains unclear and incorrect information about the performance values.

On the other hand, the massage gun is very quiet. In addition, the scope of delivery could convince me. Accordingly, I can recommend the Aerlang massage gun to anyone who is looking for a particularly inexpensive massage device and for whom the many disadvantages of the gun are not a problem.