Bob and Brad UNI massage gun: Product review

It hadn’t been my intention to have three consecutive posts reviewing things but with not doing anything race-wise at the moment whilst my body gets itself well again after February’s issues, that’s just how it’s fallen.

More massage, sir?

And equally I wouldn’t have expected to be reviewing another massage gun in such a short space of time. The marketing team at ‘Bob & Brad’ contacted me again and asked if I would take a look at their UNI massage gun.

Having just reviewed the C2 massage gun I was a little hesitant.

But then again I thought it might be interesting to compare one with the other. My first review was of a product type I had previously had no experience with, so now at least I have something to compare to. And hopefully this will enable you to decide which (if either!) Bob & Brad massage gun would be the most appropriate.

The C2 retails on Amazon UK at £69.99 and (RRP £89.99). The Uni is currently retailing at £62.99 (RRP £69.99), with a 5% off voucher (as of 8th May 2023) bringing it down to about £60 give or take. So the C2 is more expensive, although with the current deals the difference is about £10. It’s worth noting that the deals have altered a little since I reviewed the C2, so it’s worth checking them both out to see what their current prices are looking like.

Questions??!

And this left me with the following questions:

  • What is the difference between the two
  • Who are they aimed at
  • Why does the company have two products at almost the same price point

So part of this review will hopefully try to make sense of these questions.

Indeed, I asked directly:

SF: “I’m just wondering what the difference is between the C2 and UNI massage gun products in terms of who they are aimed at and, at least from a company point of view why a person might choose one over the other.”

B&B: “For these two, their main differences are stall force and amplitude. 

  • stall force:  UNI 35lbs     C2 40 lbs
  • amplitude: UNI 10mm   C2 8mm”

So it’s a bit technical but the long and short is that the C2 has a bit more oompf to it compared to the UNI. As for whether they were aimed at different people they highlighted that the smaller size of the UNI model might be more appropriate to the smaller person. Kinda sorta anyway.

Unboxing and first observations

The UNI was duly delivered and I’ve included an unboxing so you can see what you get if you buy this model:

YouTube player

 

I noticed several things having previously reviewed the C2 model.

  1. The UNI is a more lightweight package overall, coming in a fabric carry bag, compared to the hard case of the C2. The company indicated that the UNI was a more portable model, so this might explain this design choice.
  2. The heads are smaller and more lightweight, with a hollow design compared to the C2 heads. These heads are pushed into the socket on the massage gun and it’s worth noting that this socket is smaller on the UNI than on the C2. Which means that the UNI heads would not be able to be used in the C2 and vice versa. Not that this would ever normally be something that you’d ever do I guess unless you were replacing an old massage gun and wanted to use the old heads for some reason. Essentially it’s no big deal.

    The five massage heads that come with the UNI. The top left-most head is the unique head to the UNI (the C2 doesn’t have this one)

  3. Four of the UNI heads are the same shape as on the C2 models, namely the large ball head, air cushion head, fork head and bullet head. The UNI has a firm sponge “standard ball head” instead of the hard plastic head of the C2. Interestingly it’s this head that is attached to the massage gun on the front of the packaging.
  4. The UNI is a more streamlined shape compared to the very utilitarian looking C2 model. You can see that the UNI massage gun has its ‘handle’ at a much wider angle than the C2.

    UNI (left) and C2 (right)

The unit comes with an instruction booklet that explains the basics and gives some suggestions on how and where to use the UNI massage gun. As per the C2, I would be inclined to wander onto YouTube and watch a few videos on the matter, in particular the ones that highlight where you should, and should-NOT use the massage gun on the body.

Build quality appears good with the UNI feeling solid. Nothing rattles and it feels well put together.

Different sizes

The UNI massage gun body is about 10% lighter than the C2. I weighed them both so you don’t have to:

Charge before first use

The UNI needed charging before first use, and this was done via the included USB-A to USB-C charging cable, but you need to provide your own plug socket to connect the cable into, something which I think we’re mostly used to now with most mobile phones. But if for some reason you haven’t already got a charging brick, you’ll need to get one.

When charging the rear LED is red…….

The unit didn’t take long to be fully charged:

…. and turns green when fully charged

Testing the UNI massage gun

I was interested to see what the power output was like compared to the C2. The marketing team suggested that the UNI was perhaps a little lighter on the massaging than the C2 and that it might benefit people preferring that.

But given both have five speed settings one might assume that you would be able to find an appropriate intensity on either.

Firing up the UNI on my upper back, it seemed a little more comfortable to hold than the C2, I think because of the bigger angle between the head and the bit you hold. So this might be something to bear in mind if you’re planning to use a massage gun on yourself, rather than have someone else doing it for you.

The UNI didn’t seem noticeably different in intensity to the C2, although as mentioned above, with 5 massaging speeds to choose from there’s a pretty decent chance you’ll find one that hits the spot. Literally!

The same was true massaging my pecs and my glutes, plenty of power being delivered.

Conclusion and final thoughts

So overall, the UNI massage gun delivers at a decent price, although exactly how robust the hollowed out heads will be in practice compared to the solid C2 heads I’m not sure, although I’d guess they’ll have been tested enough to ensure they don’t self-destruct over time!

It does still leave me a little confused as to why the company has two products that do pretty much the same thing for a very similar price. Whilst I understand the portability of the cloth bag for the UNI massage gun, the solid box for the C2 would offer the massage gun more protection if it’s being taken out on the road so to speak, although it is bulkier and heavier to carry.

Which massage gun is right for me?

So if I was in the market to purchase a massage gun, which would I choose?

Honestly there’s not a lot in it. I think I prefer the hard carry case of the C2 over the soft case of the UNI, but ion terms of the massaging abilities both massage guns deliver a decent massage with plenty of power so I don’t think you’d go wrong with either.

The UNI massage gun is physically slightly smaller and lighter which may suit you better if you are a smaller frame than me. Also the angled handle of the UNI may suit better than the C2 if you’re applying the massage gun to yourself. I have long arms (not freakishly!) so the handle angle doesn’t make a huge difference to me.

The differently available head might sway you one way or the other. But in practice I don’t see that would influence me. The C2 is seemingly about £10 more expensive (current pricing) so if you’re on a tighter budget the UNI might be a better fit for you.

If you wish to purchase the Bob and Brad UNI massage gun, please follow this link to find it on Amazon. It’s not an affiliated link, but it lets Bob and Brad know you’ve come from this review.

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