TheraGun Therabody Prime 6th Gen Deep Tissue Massage Gun | Navy

Why it's worth it

The Prime's triangle grip lets you hold it three different ways, so you can get behind your shoulder blade or down to your lower back without contorting. Five speeds, real-time pressure feedback, and a Therabody app full of guided routines for sciatica and back massage.

The grip is the whole reason this wins. Percussion massagers live or die on whether you can point them at your own back. Therabody's patented triangle handle gives you three grip positions, and the 6th Gen widened the opening. That sounds like a small change. It isn't. Wirecutter's testers found 90 percent of people could reach their lower back unassisted with this design, compared to fewer than 60 percent using a straight handle. If you live alone, that's the difference between a useful tool and an expensive paperweight.

Pressure feedback is the other thing you won't find on most of the field. LED indicators on the body show how hard you're pressing in real time, which sounds like a gimmick until you use it on a tender spot. Most people either barely graze the muscle or lean in far too hard. The light tells you when you're in the useful middle. For anyone nervous about a device that hammers 2,400 times a minute near their spine, that's genuine reassurance.

From our review of 7 percussion massagers for back pain

What we like

• +The grip is the whole reason this wins
• +Pressure feedback is the other thing you won't find on most of the field
• +The app is not filler
• +Build quality is the quiet argument here

What to know

• –It's heavy. At 3.3 pounds, this is the bulkiest device we're recommending, and you feel that weight most in the exact position…
• –You get two attachments