I recently purchased a Cholas Massage Gun after accidently coming across it while shopping on Amazon. It had a surprisingly low price and great reviews so I figured “What the heck? I will give it a try.”
I own a more expensive massage gun and have no plans to replace it. The Hypervolt is a much better percussion massage gun and prices have come down a bit since I first bought mine.
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I purchased a Cholas percussion massager as an alternative to my higher priced Hypervolt, mainly because I have lots of run coaching clients who said that they would love to own a percussion massager, but did not want to pay a few hundred dollars for one.
When I saw this one (at a price of under $35), it was a low-risk enough purchase to see if it was worth it.
If it had enough power to give a great massage, great! If it didn’t, then I could return it, or just give it to one of my kids of something.
When it comes to reviews, I want you to know, that I did not receive this massager as a gift, or get paid to review this massager. I purchased it with my own money and have never communicated with the manufacturer about this percussion massager.
Oh, and here is proof I actually bought it since a lot of reviewers don’t even bother purchasing the items they review:
Today, I share my experience with the Cholas Massage gun. The good, the bad, and the ugly.
Quick Thoughts
Here’s the deal. It’s good. It’s not Hypervolt or Theragun good, but it does an OK job as long as you don’t need to press deep into your muscles. If you simply want to hit your calf muscles, IT band, hamstrings and glute, the Cholas can handle it.
If you need to press deep and hard into your muscles, don’t get this one. It will bog down and stop. It can do light and moderate massage well. And the quality was better than expected at this price range. I mean, seriously I only paid $31.77 for this thing and that included shipping!
If you are curious about the Hyperice Hypervolt, I did a detailed review here. It is still my top-recommended massage gun, but the Cholas is a good beginner massage gun to see if you like percussion therapy and will use it consistently before moving on to a better one.
Unboxing – What’s Inside?
When I opened the box, I found the massage gun, 6 different massage heads, a USB charging cable, and a carrying case. Everything was neatly packed and in perfect condition.
My only disappointment was the lack of a charger plug. It comes with just the USB cord. It wasn’t a big deal, but I would have paid a few more dollars to get a charging plug. I am always short of plugs.
The quality of the box and internal packaging was great.
The carrying case was decent quality. It isn’t the highest quality case, but it seems good enough to last for some time and I would not shy away from purchasing this massage gun based on it. Again, better than I expected for a massage gun in this price range.
Honestly, I was surprised it even came with a case!
The massage gun itself has a quality feel and felt good in my hand. It is a bit lighter than my Hypervolt which may actually be a benefit here for longer massage sessions. Here are a few close-up photographs:
The power switch and USB charging port are on the bottom of the handle:
The Cholas massage gun comes with a partial charge. Enough to get in a short massage session in. It also offers 30 adjustable vibration modes. The number on the left indicates the speed/vibration level. This picture shows the unit turned on, but not running. Using the + button ramps up the power level from 1-30.
Level 1 is more of a soft vibration. Level 30, the unit is hammering pretty hard.
Here are the six attachments that came with the Cholas massage gun:
My experience using the Cholas massage gun
Overall, my experiencing using the Cholas massage gun was better than expected. It is no Theragun or Hypervolt, but at nearly $150-$200 cheaper, I was not expecting it to be great.
But it wasn’t bad.
You can tell right away that it is not designed to be a powerful massager. On its highest settings you can get a good massage though for most uses.
However, if you like to have someone use it to apply extra pressure to dig hard and deep into your larger muscles, like you glutes for example, it will likely bog down and quit. This is common on all but the strongest commercial models, so keep that in mind. I have had similar experiences with more expensive models.
I feel the best use of this massager is to work the calf muscles and IT Band. It would also work really well on your neck, pectoral muscles, shoulders and back.
Battery life
Cholas lists the battery life at around 6 hours. Maybe if you set it on level 1, and left it. I got no where near that. I got maybe 30-45 minutes max but then again, I used it on higher power levels since that is what I prefer to help with trigger points.
The battery will get you through a couple reasonable-length sessions. When it dies, it dies fast. It starts to slow down and then stops.
If you are willing to recharge it after each use, it is a reliable enough. The recharge time is fairly fast. I simply plugged mine back in after each use and it was fine.
Sound and Noise Level
One thing this massager does better than my Hypervolt is the noise level. This massager is quiet. You could use this while watching TV! As you approach the higher speed levels (say, greater than level 20), it gets louder but nowhere near the noise level my other massager makes.
Durability
The Cholas massager feels durable. If you drop it, it will most likely be fine, even on the hardest surfaces. In terms of long term use, I can’t give a review. I have only had it a few days. I will come back in 30-60 days and maybe again in 6-12 months to share how long it has lasted.
User Guide
The user guide that came with the Cholas Massage Gun was extremely basic. It provided adequate instructions on how to use the different massage heads and how to adjust the speed settings. It would have been nice if they had more guidance on how to apply percussion massage on various muscle groups, but YouTube can fill in that gap.
The massager is so straightforward to use, I did not even read the instructions.
Final Thoughts
The Cholas massage gun provides adequate performance for mild to moderate massage. For a sub-$35 massage gun, it is a great value for the price. It is not a commercial or upper-tier massager by any means, but it does OK. If you want a higher quality percussion massager, go with the Hypervolt or Theragun.
The variety of massage heads and adjustable speeds make it suitable for a wide range of users, from athletes to those simply looking for at-home muscle therapy.
Overall, the Cholas Massage Gun has exceeded my expectations. Its versatility, durability, and quiet operation make it a great beginner massage gun for most runners. I plan on recommending it to my coaching clients who are looking for a cheaper massage gun option.
- About the Author
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Steve Carmichael is a running coach, sports performance coach, nutrition coach and has been a recreational runner for over 18 years. Steve holds multiple certifications as a certified running coach through the RRCA and USA Track and Field as well as he is a NASM certified personal trainer, and PN1-L1 certified nutrition coach.
Steve has been coaching since 2010 and has helped thousands of runners online and in the Central Ohio area maximize performance and run injury-free.
Steve is the founder of RunBuzz and Run For Performance.com. If you are interested in working with Steve though his online running and strength coaching services, feel free to reach out.
