The RENPHO massage gun catches the eye at first sight, mainly due to its unusual shape. Through this, it is supposed to be particularly well suited for massaging muscles that are difficult to reach. Whether this is true, I would like to find out in this test report. In addition, I will tell you how the massager performed in my massage gun test. For this purpose, I bought the massage gun and tested it extensively.
Characteristics | RENPHO R4 |
Motor Power | 18 W |
Speed Levels | 4 |
RPM | no information |
Amplitude | no information |
Noise (from 40 cm Distance) | 59 dB - 69 dB |
Material | Plastic |
Battery Capacity | 2,200 mAh |
Battery Life | ca. 2 to 4 hours |
Battery changeable |  |
Weight (without Attachment) | 2.23 lbs (1,011 g) |
Scope of Delivery |
|
Summary
- RENPHO R4 massage gun is unfortunately one of the worst massagers I tested. Despite its low price, I cannot recommend it.
- The massage gun has too little power (18 W). As a result, the motor blocks quickly.
- I could not find any information at all about the rpm and impact depth.
- The volume is also in the high range with up to 69 dB.
- Therefore, I would instead buy the Ekrin B37 for a bit higher price. It performed much better in my test.
Overall
-
Scope of Delivery and Attachments - 10/10
10/10
-
Functionality - 7/10
7/10
-
Usability and Handling - 8/10
8/10
-
Power Supply - 10/10
10/10
-
Noise - 6/10
6/10
-
Material and Quality - 8/10
8/10
Scope of Delivery and Attachments
The RENPHO R4 is delivered in a plain white cardboard box.
This includes the following:
- 1 x RENPHO R4 Massage Gun
- 1 x Large Ball Attachment
- 1 x Medium Ball Attachment
- 1 x Flat Head Attachment
- 1 x Fork Attachment
- 1 x Bullet Attachment
- 1 x Trigger Point Attachment
- 1 x Carry Bag
- 1 x Power Supply
- 1 x Charging Station
- 1 x Manual
I can’t say anything negative about the scope of delivery. It comes with everything you need to use the gun.
A very important role in the use of the massage gun play of course especially the attachments. Therefore, I would now like to talk about them in more detail:
The large ball attachment is a typical attachment that can be used for almost all muscles. Since the RENPHO massage gun comes with two such attachments of different sizes, the large ball is especially recommended for massaging larger muscle groups.
The medium ball attachment is shaped like the large ball attachment, but has a smaller size. Accordingly, it can also be used in principle for all muscles. However, it is particularly suitable for medium-sized muscle groups.
The flat head attachment can also be used very universally. It is also suitable for both medium and large muscles. However, due to its shape, it is especially good for massaging the legs and chest.
The fork attachment has a recess in the middle, as it is shaped like a “U”. This allows bones to be left out, as well as ligaments and tendons. Accordingly, the attachment is used along the spine as well as the calves.
The bullet attachment has a small contact surface. This makes it suitable for precise application. For this reason, the attachment is particularly suitable for use in trigger point massage or for massaging small muscles.
The trigger point attachment is, as the name suggests, primarily shaped for trigger point massage. However, it can basically be used for the same areas as the bullet attachment.
As you can see, all muscles can be worked with the attachments. The quality is also high, as you can hopefully see from the pictures. Only an air cushion attachment I would have liked for sensitive areas on the body. However, this is not a must.
Functionality
RENPHO massage gun has four power levels. This is a fairly typical value for massage guns. Unfortunately, I could not find the impact frequency of the individual stages in the supplied instructions or in the product description on Amazon, etc.
However, when using it in my test, I noticed that there were significant differences between the different power levels in terms of intensity. Thus, the first level still felt very light, while the last level is very intense.
An indication of the stroke length I could also unfortunately not find. I find that very unfortunate! In addition, the motor is very weak. Its power is specified at 18 watts. This is by far one of the lowest values of all guns tested by me. As a result, the motor stalled very quickly when I pressed on just a little. There are deductions in this category for this.
The RENPHO massage gun also lacks additional functions, such as a pressure sensor or timer.
Usability and Handling
The big plus of the RENPHO R4 massage gun should be its handling. That is why I have paid special attention to this.
However, I would like to start with the operability. This is basically very simple. With a button on the top, the gun is switched on.
The motor, on the other hand, is started via a second button. Pressing this button again switches through the different stages. The current level is indicated by small lights. I was only very disturbed by the annoying beeping noise that is always heard when the button is pressed.
The handle of the massage gun is quite narrow and covered with rubber. This makes it easy to grip as well as hold. However, the weight of the gun is not so good for handling. This is about 2.23 lbs (1,011 g) without attachments and 2.30 lbs (1,044 g) with the large ball attachment. Accordingly, the model from RENPHO is one of the heavier ones. For longer massages, this has a negative effect on the use.
The USP of the gun is probably the adjustable massage arm. This has again positively influenced the use. The arm is quite long and can be brought into five different positions in a range of 90°. This allows you to adjust it individually to the area to be massaged. This has pleased me very much.
However, the adjustment of the arm is not solved optimally. The button for adjusting the arm can only be pressed in with difficulty.
Power Supply
For the power supply, there is a battery with a capacity of 2,200 mAh inside the RENPHO R4. This is quite little for a massage gun. However, since the motor is weak on the right, the battery still lasts for approx. 2 to 4 hours during normal use. The current battery status is always displayed at the top of the gun via several lights.
- 75 % to 100 % battery charge: four lamps on
- 50 % to 75 % battery charge: three lamps on
- 25 % to 50 % battery charge: two lamps on
- 0 % to 25 % battery charge: one lamp on
Charging the battery works via the included charging station. This is connected to a power outlet with the help of the power adapter. The battery is simply plugged into the station and thus charged in a few hours.
Another positive feature is that the battery is replaceable. It can simply be pulled out of the gun for this purpose. If the battery is defective, only it has to be replaced, and you do not have to replace the entire massager.
Noise
According to the product description, the RENPHO R4 emits a volume of less than 60 dB. In my test, I could not confirm this. I measured the volume of the gun from a distance of 40 cm and got the following values:
- 1st Level: ~ 59 dB - similar to a loud conversation
- 2nd Level: ~ 60.5 dB - similar to a loud conversation
- 3rd Level: ~ 65 dB - similar to road traffic
- 4th Level: ~ 69 dB - similar to an open plan office
As you can see from the values, the massage gun is not only loud but even very loud. Especially on the highest level, the noise was extremely perceptible. Using the massage gun in a quiet environment is thus rather not possible. Accordingly, there are large deductions from me in this category.
Material and Quality
The material of RENPHO's R4 is primarily plastic. That is quite typical in the first place, even if it does not look as valuable as metal. However, the material makes a rather low-grade impression on me in this model. It looks quite thin, and the workmanship is not the best either. For example, the gaps are very large.
I can find less fault with the smell. Thus, the gun smells rather as good as new. Only the rubber handle smells a little chemical. However, this smell is still within limits.
Price Performance
I purchased the RENPHO R4 massage gun for 89.99 €. This price had the massager also when I wrote this review. With a coupon, it could be reduced to 69.99$. Accordingly, the gun is in the middle price range. For this price, in my opinion, better massage guns are available, such as the ABOX Hero 1 or the Mebak 5. Purely from a price-performance point of view, I can not recommend the RENPHO R4 massage gun accordingly rather.
Conclusion - RENPHO R4 Review
Summary
The RENPHO R4 massage gun is advertised with a special shape that allows you to massage hard-to-reach muscles effortlessly by yourself. This is also the only point why I can advise the gun. If this is important because you want to massage specific areas of the body yourself, then the RENPHO massage gun is definitely a (good) option.
Otherwise, the massage gun is at most a moderately good option. In the same price range, there are definitely better models, in my opinion. In particular, the weak battery and the high noise level bothered me a lot.
There are even some of the best massage guns for about twice the price. I can only give a limited recommendation for the RENPHO R4. Instead, I would rather recommend spending a little more money on a top model.
Overall
-
Scope of Delivery and Attachments - 10/10
10/10
-
Functionality - 7/10
7/10
-
Usability and Handling - 8/10
8/10
-
Power Supply - 10/10
10/10
-
Noise - 6/10
6/10
-
Material and Quality - 8/10
8/10
Pros
- 6 attachments included
- carry bag included
- space-saving transportable
- simple operability
- good handling
- well processed
- special shape for hard-to-reach muscles
- exchangeable battery
Cons
- very loud on all levels
- very heavy
- doesn’t look particularly valuable
- weak motor
- no additional functions
- annoying beep sound when pressing the buttons
FAQ & Troubleshooting
My RENPHO R4 Massager is not charging - What can I do?
- Avoid completely draining the battery. The problem that the massage gun cannot be charged often occurs when the battery is completely discharged.
- Make sure that you use the original power supply. A massage gun should only be charged with the original charger. If you do not have the original charger, you can write the support and ask for one.
- If the battery still does not charge properly, leave it connected to the charging cable for about one hour. Remove the charging cable and then start the massage gun. Empty the battery completely again. Then try to charge the battery again. The whole process may have to be repeated several times.
- If this won't help and you still have a warranty on your RENPHO R4 Massage Gun, contact the manufacturer with your problem. They can help you in most cases.
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