Beurer MG 185 Review 2023

The Beurer MG 185 is the successor to the Beurer MG 180, which I also tested. According to the description, the MG 185 is an ergonomic massage gun for easing tension. It is also said to be equipped with a powerful lithium-ion battery. To what extent the description is true, I would like to tell you in this review. I bought the device myself and tested it extensively.

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Contents Show

Scope of Delivery and Attachments

The Beurer MG 185 comes in a fairly compact, colorful box.

More important than the box is of course its contents. You can find them listed here:

1 x Beurer MG 185
1 x Ball Attachment
1 x Flat Head Attachment
1 x Fork Attachment
1 x Bullet Attachment
1 x Cushion Attachment
1 x Carry Bag
1 x Charger
1 x Manual

As you can see, the MG 185 comes with everything you need to use it. So, all you have to do after receiving it is charge it via the included power adapter before you can use it.

Attachments are included five in total, which is a good number. These include the following:

The ball attachment is an attachment with a fairly large surface area. This makes it ideal as a universal attachment for almost all medium and large muscle groups.

The flat head attachment also has a large contact surface. The flat head is accordingly very suitable for muscles with a large surface area, such as the chest or thighs.

As the name suggests, the fork attachment is shaped like a fork. Accordingly, it has a gap in the middle. This allows bones, ligaments, and tendons to be left out. Accordingly, the attachment can be used for massage along the spine or calves, for example.

The bullet attachment has a rather small pressure point. This concentrates the force of the massage gun on a small area. This allows the targeted treatment of smaller muscles but also strong tensions or trigger points.

The air cushion attachment also has a large surface area. However, it is softer than the ball or flat head attachment. Accordingly, the shocks of the massager are cushioned. For this reason, the air cushion attachment is well-suited for massaging sensitive areas.

All in all, the most important attachments are included, which are sufficient for massaging all muscle groups. Depending on the muscle and the goal, you can choose the right attachment. I can’t find anything wrong with the quality either. The surfaces are cleanly finished and feel pleasant.

At most, a metal attachment is missing here. This would be needed to perform a massage with oil or gel. If you do not intend to do that, the scope of delivery is more than sufficient.

Functionality

The Beurer MG 185 has the following nine speed levels:

1st Level: 1,200 rpm
2nd Level: 1,400 rpm
3rd Level: 1,600 rpm
4th Level: 1,800 rpm
5th Level: 2,000 rpm
6th Level: 2,200 rpm
7th Level: 2,400 rpm
8th Level: 2,600 rpm
9th Level: 3,000 rpm

The number of stages is very good. On the one hand, there are not too many levels, which would make it too tedious to switch through the individual levels. On the other hand, there are enough levels to adjust the intensity of the massage exactly to one’s needs.

The frequency range that the MG 185 covers is also optimal. At the lowest level, the massage felt very light in my practical test – similar to gentle vibration therapy. At the highest level, on the other hand, the muscles were massaged very intensively. This felt almost painful at first. Thus, the massage gun covers all areas of application.

Besides the classic levels, there are also three pre-installed programs: relax, recover, and regenerate. These follow different patterns, and all feel pleasant and fitting to the description.

The impact depth is 10 mm. This puts the Beurer MG 185 below average in this area. Nevertheless, the impact depth is still just enough for the massage to reach into the deep tissue. I felt the massage deep in the muscles, at least on the upper levels.

Usability and Handling

Operating the Beurer MG 185 is child’s play. To use the massage gun, you first need to turn on the switch on the bottom of the handle.

At the top of the massage gun there are two buttons. By pressing the left one, the motor starts. By pressing the button again, the nine power levels can be switched through. If the surface is held down longer, the motor in the massager turns off again.

If the motor is on and you press the other button, you switch to the pre-installed massage programs. You can switch through these programs by pressing this button.

The handling is also quite good. This is primarily due to the handle. It is quite narrow and can thus be gripped well but also held effortlessly for a long time. The handle is also quite long. Thus, even hard-to-reach places can be massaged quite well.

The weight, in turn, is in a suboptimal range. I measured 1.91 lbs (868 g) with the ball attachment and approx. 1.87 lbs (846 g) without the attachment. Accordingly, the Beurer MG 185 is neither particularly heavy nor particularly light. However, this is only noticeable during longer massages.

Power Supply

For power supply, the Beurer MG 185 contains a battery with a capacity of 2,400 mAh. This is quite a good value, which is reflected in the runtime. According to Beurer, this is up to 5.5 hours. However, I have to note that this naturally depends on the power level used and the battery’s condition. In practice, the runtime should average 3 to 5 hours. That is still a good value.

The current battery state is displayed via three small lights. These are located below the control buttons. The display works as follows:

75 % to 100 % battery charge: three LEDs light up
50 % to 75 % battery charge: two LEDs light up
0 % to 50 % battery charge: one LED lights up

The display is, therefore, not very accurate, but it is sufficient to get approximate information about the remaining battery life.

If the battery charge is nearing its end, the battery can be recharged via the included power adapter. This is quick and easy. The current battery state is also displayed here. However, the LEDs blink in this case.

The disadvantage of the Beurer MG 185 is that the battery cannot be replaced. If it is defective, you have to replace the entire massage gun. The battery is also unfortunately excluded from the three-year warranty.

Noise

I measured the volume of the Beurer MG 185, as with all devices in my massage gun test, from a distance of 40 cm. I obtained the following values:

1st level: ~ 47 dB to 48 dB – comparable to birds chirping
2nd level: ~ 46 dB to 47 dB – comparable to birds chirping
3rd level: ~ 48 dB to 49 dB – comparable to whispering
4th level: ~ 51 dB to 52 dB – comparable to a TV
5th level: ~ 50 dB to 51 dB – comparable to a TV
6th level: ~ 51 dB to 52 dB – comparable to a TV
7th level: ~ 52 dB to 53 dB – comparable to a conversation
8th level: ~ 54 dB to 55 dB – comparable to a conversation
9th level: ~ 59 dB to 60 dB – comparable to a loud conversation

Thus, the volume of the MG 185 is overall in its excellent range. Especially on the first seven (!) levels, the soundscape is very pleasant. Only on the last two levels does the massage gun get louder. At the highest level, I found even the volume very annoying.

I would also like to note that a rather high-pitched sound was perceptible during the entire use. This fact and the high volume at the highest level mean I have to deduct one point in this category.

Material and Quality

Beurer has mainly relied on plastic for the MG 185’s material. Nevertheless, the massage gun looks very stable and valuable. On the one hand, this is due to the rather thick material. On the other hand, the matte surface makes a modern impression.

The workmanship is also on the highest level. I could easily detect unclean edges or similar on the entire massage gun. Instead, all edges are cleanly processed, and the gaps are kept small.

The smell surprised me negatively at first. When opening the bag, I was immediately confronted with an unpleasant chemical smell, which strongly reminded me of rubber. However, this has fortunately dissipated within seconds. The massage gun itself smelled “new”.

Price Performance

I bought the Beurer MG 185 for €127.99. At the time of this test, the price was in a similar range and was $110 + shipping from the cheapest seller. Thus, the MG 185 is priced in a pretty good range. At the same time, they offer solid performance. Even if this does not come close to top models, it is very fair in relation to the price. I would therefore rate the price-performance ratio as “Good” to “Very good”.

Conclusion – Beurer MG 185 Review

Summary

The Beurer MG 185 is the successor to the MG 180, but a new version does not necessarily come with improvements. But in this case, Beurer was able to improve the massage gun significantly.

The MG 185 is much nicer to look at than its predecessor. It also scores better on other points. For example, it is much quieter, has a lighter weight, a thinner handle, and has more power settings (9 in total). At the same time, it is in a similar price range, which is also more than fair.

Thus, I can definitely recommend the Beurer MG 185!