Flow MINI Review 2023

The Flow MINI is one of the more popular massage guns on the market. It is advertised as a high-end vibration massager and is said to be “ultra-quiet” as well as “very light”. The customer reviews on the Internet are also almost all positive.

In this review, I would like to examine whether the mentioned features actually apply to the Flow MINI and whether the ratings are justified. For this purpose, I bought the massage gun myself and tested it extensively in practice.

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Contents Show

Scope of Delivery and Attachments

Delivered Flow MINI massage gun in a black cardboard box with blue accents.

More important than the box itself, however, is, of course, its contents. This includes the following:

1 x Flow MINI
1 x Ball Attachment
1 x Flat Head Attachment
1 x Fork Attachment
1 x Bullet Attachment
1 x Carry Bag
1 x Charger
1 x Manual

The scope of delivery thus includes everything I would want in a massage gun. Surely 1-2 other attachments, such as an air cushion attachment, would have been desirable. But that is complaining at the highest level.

Now I would like to go into more detail about the included attachments.

The ball attachment is the standard attachment among massage guns. It has a curved, medium-sized contact surface. This makes it suitable for massaging all muscles, but especially for medium and large muscle groups.

The flat head attachment has a smooth, very large contact surface. This makes it ideal for large muscles, such as the legs or chest.

The fork attachment is shaped like a U. So it has a gap in the middle. This gap makes it possible to massage around bones, ligaments and tendons. Therefore, the fork attachment is used primarily along the spine, but also for the calves.

As the name suggests, the bullet attachment is shaped like a bullet. As a result, it has a comparatively small, rounded tip. This enables the targeted massage of smaller muscle groups. For this reason, the bullet attachment is often used for trigger point massage.

The special feature of the Flow MINI is clearly the ball attachment. This is not made of foam as in other devices but of rubber, which provides a special massage feeling. All other attachments are made of plastic as standard. They are all very high-quality, stable, and also feel pleasant during the massage. Accordingly, I can’t criticize anything about the attachments.

Functionality

Flow MINI massage gun has the following three power levels:

1st Level: 1,800 rpm
2nd Level: 2,400 rpm
3rd Level: 3,000 rpm

These stages are well thought out. The first level is quite light and optimal for relaxing the muscles. The second stage, in turn, feels a lot stronger. The third level is very intense and is suitable for treating the strongest tensions.

In addition to the three power levels, the Flow MINI has a real special feature, the so-called “Flow Mode”. In this mode, all three power levels alternate. This is intended to massage and optimally relax the muscles in waves. This mode, like all other modes, felt very good in my practical test.

The motor was the main contributor to this. Its power is 60 watts. Accordingly, it is very powerful as a mini massage gun. Thus, I could press very hard with the gun in the test without the motor blocking. This is otherwise a common problem with inexpensive massage guns with low power.

The amplitude of the Flow MINI is “only” 10 mm. This is actually comparatively little and not enough to comprehensively massage deep tissue. Nevertheless, I had the feeling that the massage also reached deeper muscle fibers.

There is no pressure sensor or anything similar. However, such additional features are not included in almost any mini-massage gun.

Usability and Handling

The entire operation of the Flow MINI is done via a single button. If the button is pressed once briefly, the motor of the massage gun starts. Pressing the button again cycles through the four possible settings until the gun is switched off again. Alternatively, the gun can be turned off by holding the button for several seconds at a time. This operation is really child’s play.

The currently set levels are always displayed with the help of small lights.

The handling is also okay, although I have two things to criticize here. On the one hand, it is the weight. This is about 1.83 lbs (828 g) without the attachment and about 1.88 lbs (853 g) with the ball attachment. For a normal massage gun, this would be in the good range. However, with the name “Flow MINI”, I expected a mini massage gun. As such, the weight is very high, and also, the dimensions are rather inappropriate.

Furthermore, the handle is rather unwieldy. It is not the widest but slips quickly out of hand due to the smooth surface. Here I would have liked a rubber coating or ribbing.

Due to the amount of minor “flaws”, I give deductions in this category.

Power Supply

For the power supply, the Flow MINI contains a battery with a capacity of 1,500 mAh. That is quite little for a massage gun. Nevertheless, the manufacturer states a runtime of 3 hours. These can not confirm my values from the test. The runtime is rather 1-2 hours, depending on the intensity used.

During use, the battery status is displayed via several lights. The more lights, the fuller the battery. The following applies:

full battery charge: green light
weak battery charge: yellow light
almost empty battery: red light

Unfortunately, I could not find a more detailed explanation of the battery status display.

The battery is charged via the supplied charging cable. This is plugged into the bottom of the massage gun and connected to a power source (socket). This is also very easy. The charging process is then completed in a few hours.

Unfortunately, the battery cannot be replaced. For this, there are deductions from me. If the battery is defective, the entire massage gun has to be replaced.

Noise

I measured the volume of the Flow MINI massage gun from a distance of 40 cm. The following values were obtained:

1st Level: ~ 48 dB – similar to light rain
2nd Level: ~ 53 dB – similar to a radio or TV
3rd Level: ~ 55 dB – similar to a conversation

The flow mode plays through all three power levels. Accordingly, its volume ranges between 48 dB and 55 dB.

In general, I can say that the Flow MINI is rather one of the quieter massagers. Especially the first stage is barely perceptible. However, you should probably not use the massage gun in (very) quiet environments, such as in the office, from the second level onwards.

Material and Quality

The material of the Flow MINI is almost exclusively plastic. Therefore, the pistol has been given a metal look to make it appear more valuable. In my eyes, this is also very successful. The massage gun makes a high-quality and stable impression. Only a closer look reveals that it does not quite match the quality of metal models.

The quality of the mini massage gun is first class. All gaps are very small. Also, I could not discover any sharp edges or the like. Only on the side of the ball attachment was a not quite clean edge visible. However, this does not interfere with the massage.

The smell of the massage gun itself is typical for a new product and not unpleasant. This is a clear advantage over cheap models from Asia, which often smell chemical. However, the carrying pouch and the rubber attachment have a slightly unpleasant smell. Fortunately, this disappeared after a few hours.

Price Performance

I paid 149 € for the Flow MINI massage gun. When I wrote this review, however, the price was only about $110. For a mini massage gun, the model is definitely rather in the upper price range. However, it also has very few weaknesses, so I would still describe the price-performance ratio as “good” overall.

Conclusion – Flow MINI

Summary

The Flow MINI massage gun is described in the customer reviews on Amazon, but also in the product description with many positive features. These also apply to a large extent to the device as my practical test has shown.

The Flow MINI has a powerful motor that can work the muscles intensively. At the same time, however, the gun is quiet, has high-quality workmanship, and is stable. The scope of delivery could also convince me.

In addition to the high price, however, there is one thing that bothered me a lot: Although the name of the Flow MINI suggests that it is a mini massage gun, the device is quite large and heavy. Here, I would have simply expected a more compact massage gun. However, if that doesn’t bother you, the Flow MINI is a very good choice.