Ekrin Kestrel Massage Gun Review 2024

In-depth Ekrin Kestrel Massage Gun Review: Testing & Analysis

Build Quality

The Ekrin Kestrel Massage Gun is a premium massage gun from Ekrin Athletics.

It is a large massage gun, but it only weighs 2.2 lbs. It’s designed for personal and professional use. Ekrin recommends it to athletes, trainers, physical therapists, chiropractors, and folks serious about recovery.

Another massage gun that is rated for professional use is the Theragun Pro. We compared both of these massage guns, as well as a few others. Considering the Kestrel is a little bit of a splurge at around $250 (at the time of writing this), the price makes sense because of who it is designed for. The Theragun Pro is a few hundred dollars more, in comparison.

The Ekrin Kestrel Massage Gun might be a bit excessive for some people because of its price and percussion range. I’m really pleased with the overall quality and think that this one is a great option if you’re looking for a professional grade at a lower price than comparable brands.

Motor

The Kestrel is more powerful than the Ekrin B37. I’m really impressed with how quiet the Ekrin Kestrel is. We have the 5th generation Theragun Pro, and the Kestrel is a lot quieter to use. The 6th generation is said to be quieter.

The motor is a “professional-grade” level 4 brushless motor.

It is a step up from the B37, however, it’s just as quiet. The stall force isn’t listed for the Kestrel, but considering the B37 has a 56 lb stall force, I’m assuming the Kestrel has at least this amount, if not, higher. It includes a higher speed range for the percussion settings, plus, it’s the premium model, so it would make sense to have a higher stalling force.

With how powerful the Kestrel is to use, you shouldn’t need to put much force behind it and you probably won’t have to worry about stalling out the motor. It requires a good amount of pressure to stall it out. Note: We don’t recommend trying to stall out the motor on any massage gun because it could damage it over time.

The battery is said to last up to 8 hours per day. This is the same as the B37. It’s a high-powered premium lithium-ion battery. For personal use, the battery could last days, if not weeks. I only use massage guns for a few minutes per day. If I’m really sore, I use them at most for 10 minutes at a time usually. With that kind of use, the Kestrel shouldn’t need to be charged often. For professional use, the battery should last too, it will probably just need to be charged more often. It really depends on the percussion setting and the amount of force you’re placing behind the massage gun, for the battery life.

The Kestrel has a 10-minute Intelligent Stop feature. This means that the massage gun turns off after 10 minutes of continual use. Massage guns aren’t really meant to be used for more than 10 minutes or so at a time. You can turn the Kestrel back on after the 10 minutes though.

Like most massage guns, the Kestrel comes with a USB-C charging cable. It doesn’t include the wall charger, so you’ll need to use your own. The only downside is that it needs to be plugged in to charge. The battery isn’t removable so keep this in mind if you plan on using this on multiple clients per day. You’ll need to factor in some time to charge it, most likely.

Amplitude

The Ekrin Kestrel digs a little more into your muscles than Ekrin’s other massage guns. It has a 13 mm amplitude or stroke length.

This is the distance the attachments move when penetrating into your muscles.

16 mm is the highest amplitude on massage guns, currently. The Theragun Pro and Bob and Brad D6 Pro have 16 mm amplitudes. These massage guns definitely dig deeper into your muscles, and it is noticeable when using them versus the Kestrel.

Although the amplitude alone doesn’t feel as powerful, this paired with the percussion speeds, makes the Ekrin Kestrel more intense at the higher settings. More on this in a moment.

Handles

The handle stays true to Ekrin’s other massage guns with this 15-degree angle. It’s long and the slight angle allows me to reach areas like my mid back more easily than massage guns with shorter handles.

It’s the same size as the B37, so it’s 5.5”.

The 6.1” circumference is a little thick for my hands, but I can grip it easily enough. The Kestrel has a textured silicone coating over the bottom part of the handle. It makes it feel really nice in your hands while providing a good grip so it shouldn’t slip out of your hands after you’re sweaty from a workout.

While I would prefer the handle to be a little slimmer, this is my preference. I’m also pretty petite at 5’1”. Considering the high amount of use the Ekrin Kestrel is designed for, I’m glad it isn’t a small massage gun. It is meant to be powerful, and it is with this design.

Percussion Settings

The Kestrel has a faster range of percussion settings than most massage guns we’ve tested. The Hyperice Hypervolt Go 2 has a high max speed of 3200 RPMs, but the Kestrel takes it up a notch – literally.

The RPMs range from 1800 to 3500. There are 6 speed settings. The low percussion settings feel gentler for sensitive areas, while the max speed definitely makes for a more intense massage. Compared to massage guns like the Theragun Pro, which has a deeper amplitude and slower RPMs, the Theragun packs a little more punch, but the Kestrel might have additional benefits because of its speed range.

In this study, 30 to 50 Hz which is 1800 to 3000 RPMs was shown to increase blood circulation, with the higher range providing additional benefits by increasing the skin blood flow more quickly.

The Theragun ranges from 1750 to 2400 RPMs. This range is great and effective for circulation, massage, and muscle recovery, but it is nice that the Ekrin Kestrel offers a higher range of RPMs.

Ekrin Athletics recommends using speeds 1-3 for muscle recovery and speeds 4-6 for massage and warming up before exercising. Considering the high range of RPMs showed a faster increase in circulation and blood flow, the Kestrel should be very effective at helping warm the muscles up before a workout as well as post-workout for recovery.

The higher range and 13 mm amplitude make this massage gun pretty powerful though, so if you’re new or sensitive to percussive therapy, just keep this in mind.

To adjust the percussion settings, the Kestrel has a control wheel at the top.

You press and hold it to turn the massage gun on and off and scroll the wheel to increase and decrease the percussion speeds. This makes the Kestrel really easy to use. It’s also unique to other massage guns that just have power buttons.

4 blue LED lights display the remaining battery life and a line of lights indicate which setting you’re on. The 2 lowest settings light up green, the 2 middle settings light up yellow, and the 2 fastest settings light up purple.

Attachments

The Ekrin Kestrel comes with 6 different attachments. The attachments are made out of plastic and some of them have a silicone coating that makes them easy to clean.

The attachments have an interlocking design to help prevent the attachments from flying off when you’re using the Kestrel.

With this design, you can’t simply push the attachments into the Kestrel. Instead, you have to line up the interlocking pieces and twist the attachments into place. This isn’t hard, but if you just push the attachment in, it might not lock into place properly.

I didn’t notice the locking design before I started using the Kestrel and within a few minutes, the attachment came off while I was in the middle of giving myself a massage. This isn’t a con, but rather something to keep in mind before you start using the Ekrin Kestrel. I like this design because it allows you to actually secure the attachments into the massage gun. Most massage guns just require pushing in the attachments, which often makes me wonder if they’re actually locked into place enough. This helps to ensure they lock into place.

Flat

The flat attachment is basically the same as the Ekrin B37. It just has a shiny plastic top. The flat head is my favorite attachment on the B37, but with the other options the Kestrel has to offer, it isn’t my favorite anymore. The flat attachment is best for most areas of the body though. It’s firm and a good pick for general soreness and warming up all of your major muscle groups.

Air Cushion

I really like the air cushion attachment. It has 3 shallow points of contact and some give in the silicone when pressing on it. This is the attachment that is best for sensitive areas. It’s still pretty firm, but it is your introductory option for the Kestrel Massage Gun, if you’re newer to using massage guns or if you’re sensitive to them.

Bullet

The bullet attachment is pretty much the same as Ekrin’s other massage guns and other brands. It is best for deep massage and pin-pointing specific areas of tension, such as a knot in your back.

Round

This round attachment is my favorite to use with the Ekrin Kestrel Massage Gun. It is best for large muscles, like your quads, hamstrings, and glutes. It has been updated with a silicone coating overtop, so it’s easy to clean. Its quality is a lot better than the round attachment that comes with the Ekrin B37 and the Bob and Brad D6 Pro.

I have an old knock-off Amazon massage gun at home that has the same fabric-coated attachment as these massage guns. It is hard to clean, so the silicone-coated attachment that comes with the Kestrel is appreciated.

Fork

The fork attachment is pretty standard. It’s meant to be used on the muscles along your spine, as well as large muscle groups. It provides 2 points of contact with your muscles and can target specific areas.

Cone

The cone attachment is more unique. Ekrin recommends it for large muscle groups, but it is firmer than the round attachment. I like it for general tension, but I’ve noticed it can target specific areas more than the round attachment can. I also like it for smaller muscles and areas like my arms and shoulders.

Dimensions/Portability

Although the Ekrin Kestrel Massage Gun is a large and powerful recovery tool, it comes with a hard-shell zipper carrying case. Each of the attachments, the USB-C charging cord, and the Kestrel have a pocket to fit in. This keeps everything together and tidy.

The zipper carrying case has a handle so you can easily take it with you places.

It might be a little large to throw in a gym bag or even a carry-on suitcase, but it’s nice to have the case. There is also a user manual for the Kestrel that tucks into the mesh pocket in the case.

Warranty

Ekrin Athletics stands by their massage guns. They include a lifetime warranty with the Kestrel. We really like this warranty, especially because most brands only include 1-year with their massage guns.

Should You Buy The Ekrin Kestrel Massage Gun?

The Ekrin Kestrel Massage Gun is the top-of-the-line from Ekrin Athletics. It is powerful and quiet. Ekrin recommends the Kestrel for personal and professional use. It is well-made for a lot of use, so if you have multiple clients or if you’re looking for a powerful massage gun, then check this one out. This massage gun might not be best for casual use and for beginners to percussive therapy, but it is priced lower than comparable massage guns, like the Theragun Pro.

The amplitude isn’t quite as high as Theragun’s, but it pairs well with the large range of percussion speeds to increase your circulation for muscle recovery as well as pre and post-workouts.

The long angled handle makes it easier to use on yourself, plus the scroll wheel makes adjusting between high and low speeds, quick and easy. Along with the speed settings, which increase pretty high, the 6 attachments are high-quality and allow you to target pretty much any muscle tension you have.

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Ekrin Kestrel Massage Gun Review FAQs / Q&As

What is the difference between the Ekrin Kestrel and Ekrin B37 Massage Guns?

The Ekrin Kestrel is a premium massage gun. It is priced higher than the B37 and is more powerful. It has a 13 mm amplitude versus the 12 mm that the B37 has. The percussion settings range from 1800 to 3500 RPMs versus 3200. The motor is more powerful on the Kestrel, too. If you’re looking for the most powerful massage gun from Ekrin Athletics, then check out the Kestrel. If you want a well-powered massage gun that will save you a little bit of money, go with the B37.

Is the Ekrin Kestrel Massage Gun worth it?

The Ekrin Kestrel Massage Gun is great for personal and professional use. It might not be worth it to beginners or those who are sensitive to percussive therapy. It might not be best if you’re looking for a budget massage gun, as well. It’s worth it if you are looking for a high-powered massage gun that is designed to last. It has a long-lasting battery, powerful and quiet motor, as well as a great range of percussion speeds. The design makes this massage gun convenient to use on yourself, as well as others, too.

Is this Ekrin Kestrel Massage Gun review a paid review?

We were not paid to create this Ekrin Kestrel review. Ekrin Athletics sent us this massage gun to test, but this review reflects our own thoughts and opinions. We work with a variety of massage gun brands to review major models on the market. This way, when we recommend the best massage guns, it is because we’ve tested them and know exactly how they work.

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About the Author

Sydney Kaiser, ISSA-CPT, ISSA Nutritionist Certification
Sydney is a certified fitness instructor, personal trainer, and sports nutritionist who combines her passion for fitness, health, and wellness with her passion for writing. After graduating from UC Riverside with a Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing, she began teaching indoor cycling and Lagree Fitness group fitness classes to people of all ages and abilities. Raised in Central Michigan, Sydney grew up training and competing on the Arabian Horse Association circuit through both Regional and National levels in Dressage and Sport Horse classes. In college, Sydney went on to compete at the collegiate level as a Division 1 equestrian athlete. Here at TRG, Sydney relies on her extensive background in fitness when reviewing and recommending all kinds of fitness, recovery, and health-related products.

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