Ekrin Bantam Review 2023 - massage-gun-guide.com

The Ekrin Bantam is the brand’s mini massage gun. It is advertised accordingly as a compact lightweight. In this review, I would like to find out whether these attributes are actually true. I also took a look at the scope of delivery, the quality, and the functionality of the massager, among other things. To be able to evaluate all this as objectively and practically as possible, I bought the Ekrin Bantam myself and tested it extensively.

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Contents Show

Scope of Delivery and Attachments

The Ekrin Bantam is delivered in a plain white cardboard box. On it there is a picture of the massage gun.

More important than the appearance of the package is its content. This includes the following:

1 x Ekrin Bantam
1 x Ball Attachment
1 x Flat Head Attachment
1 x Fork Attachment
1 x Bullet Attachment
1 x Carry Bag
1 x USB-C Cable
1 x Manual

With this, the scope of delivery looks very good, especially considering that it is a mini massage gun. These often come with only one or two attachments. This is different with the Bantam. Here, the most important attachments are included.

However, a power supply for charging is missing, in my opinion. Here you have to use an already existing (e.g., from the cell phone) or can charge the massage gun only via USB.

The ball attachment is the standard attachment that comes with most massage guns. Usually, it is quite hard and made of foam. With the Ekrin Bantam, it is made of silicone. This makes it soft and more suitable for massaging sensitive areas, similar to a cushion attachment.

The flat head attachment is also a standard attachment. The flat head attachment of the Ekrin Bantam is rather small in size. Thus, it enables the targeted massage of almost all muscle groups.

The fork attachment has a gap in its center. This allows ligaments, tendons and bones to be left out. The gap is kept very large in this attachment. This makes it very good for massaging the muscles along the spine, for example.

The last attachment is the bullet attachment. This has quite a small end and thus allows a selective massage. It is helpful, for example, to release trigger points or stubborn tension.

As already mentioned, the variety of massage attachments is very good. The feeling could also convince me very much. This is mainly due to the well-designed shapes and the matte surface.

The only thing I could criticize here is that a metal attachment is missing. Such an attachment would be needed to massage with oil or gel.

Functionality

The Ekrin Bantam has the following three power levels:

1st Level: 2,000 rpm
2nd Level: 2,600 rpm
3rd Level: 3,200 rpm

Unfortunately, these are quite few stages and also a rather small frequency spectrum. This makes the massage gun not ideal for beginners. Finally, the impact rate of 2,000 RPM at the lowest level is already very intense, which I also noticed in my practice test.

For intense massages, on the other hand, the Ekrin Bantam is probably the best mini massage gun. Not only does it have high frequencies, but it also has a powerful motor. This has a stall force of up to 35 lbs. In addition, the amplitude of 10 mm is in a good range. This means that even deeper tissue can be reached well. That is a great advantage over most other mini massage guns.

Usability and Handling

The Ekrin Bantam is very easy to use and can be learned by anyone. There is only one button for control. This is located on the underside of the handle.

If the button is held for a few seconds, the motor turns on or off. The three power levels are switched through by simply pressing it. So far, so good. However, the current level is not displayed. So you have to remember it. In this respect, the Bantam lags behind almost every other massage gun.

The handling again stands out positively. This is mainly due to the low weight of the Ekrin Bantam. The massager weighs only 1.18 lbs (534 g) with the ball attachment or 1.08 lbs (490 g) without the attachment. Accordingly, it is very light. This means that even prolonged use will not be too strenuous.

The handle is also not too thick, so it is easy to grip. There is no rubber coating. However, the matte surface prevents it from slipping out of the hand.

The fact that the Bantam is very easy to take with you on trips is often advertised by Ekrin. That is absolutely correct as well. The massage gun is very compact and can be stowed in almost any backpack, even with a carrying case.

Power Supply

For power supply, the Ekrin Bantam is equipped with a Samsung lithium-ion battery.
The capacity of the battery is 1,600 mAh. This is not particularly much at first. Nevertheless, the battery life is very good. It is specified with 6 hours. In my test, the battery lasted about 3 to 5 hours – depending on the intensity used.

It is also an advantage that a brand battery is used. This speaks for the quality and a longer lifespan. However, the battery cannot be replaced easily, which I find negative. In case of a defect, you have to replace the entire massage gun.

The battery status is displayed via a small lamp on the underside of the handle. The following applies here:

80 % to 100 % battery charge: blue light on
60 % to 80 % battery charge: purple light on
20 % to 60 % battery charge: red light on
less than 20 % battery charge: red light flashes

This is very easy to understand and comparatively accurate.

The battery of the Ekrin Bantam is simply charged via the included USB-C cable. Depending on the battery state and power source (laptop, power adapter, power bank, etc.), charging takes a few to several hours.

Noise

I measured the volume of the Ekrin Bantam from 40 cm and got the following values:

1st Level: ~ 55 dB to 56 dB – similar to road traffic
2nd Level: ~ 53 dB to 55 dB – similar to a loud talk
3rd Level: ~ 61 dB to 63 dB – similar to vacuum cleaner on short distance

Thus, the massage gun is rather one of the louder models. This may not bother with a massage for medical and sports purposes. However, a relaxed massage is less possible with it. The Bantam is also not ideal for use in quiet environments.

Material and Quality

The Ekrin Bantam is made almost entirely of plastic. However, that is not negative at all. The massage gun, nevertheless, makes a very valuable impression. This is mainly due to the matte surface in combination with the well-done color accents. It also looks very stable and durable to me.

I can directly continue this compliment with the workmanship. There are no sharp edges or the like. All parts of the Bantam are absolutely cleanly manufactured.

Only with the smell, I can find a little fault. The silicone attachments smell slightly unpleasant at the beginning. However, this is only a really light smell, which fortunately quickly fades!

Price Performance

I paid the equivalent of about $150 for the Bantam. Also, when I wrote this review, its regular price was $149.99. However, with a coupon (e.g., MGG20), the price was reduced by 20%. Thus, the massage gun would have cost only $119.99.

This puts the Ekrin Bantam in a fair price range for a mini massage gun. It is neither very expensive nor particularly cheap. However, it was very convincing to me in the other categories. Therefore, I rate the price-performance ratio as “Good” to “Very good”.

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Conclusion – Ekrin Bantam Review

Summary

For me, the Ekrin Bantam is the perfect mini massage gun, which is in almost no way inferior to its big brothers. If I were to choose a mini massage gun, it would probably be this one. Still, it doesn’t score the maximum points in my review. Why? It has minor weaknesses in almost every category, which makes it not suitable for everyone. For example, it is pretty loud and thus not necessarily suitable for relaxing massages. The massage is also a bit too intense for beginners. However, I would call it a perfect on-the-go massager for any (hobby) athlete!