Theragun Elite vs. TimTam Review
You're here because you're shopping for two massage guns, the Theragun Elite and the TimTam. After performing hours of testing on these handheld massagers, using them on myself and our athletes for several months, we have a clear winner.
Read on for my Theragun Elite vs. TimTam review. If you don’t have time to read it all, click here to skip to the bottom to see who won.
Theragun Elite Massager Review
All-New Bluetooth Capability
Along with the Theragun PRO, the Theragun Elite is the first handheld massager with Bluetooth. The built in bluetooth compatibility works with the Theragun app to allow you to not only track the pressure you apply, which is an amazing breakthrough, but you can also adjust your massager's speed using your smart phone.
In addition, there are also guided sessions for specific body areas, plus specific routines such as a nightly sleep preparation that is really useful for bedtime relaxation. Furthermore, the app allows you to track and store your session information.
The fact that the app stores the sessions length and frequency by data and time, means you now have access to your recovery data and analytics, helping you spot trends in your performance and recovery, to help you optimize your performance and use.
In addition, once you pair the Theragun Elite to your smart phone, you can also adjust the speed in any increment ranging from 1750-2400, via the app. So in reality, the speed level can be customized far beyond 5 speeds, even!
Power Rating
Firstly, the Theragun Elite claims to generate up to 40lbs of force. In fact, when testing the Elite , I discovered that this makes it about equally as powerful as the amount of force put out by the TimTam.
Furthermore, the Elite produces 2,400 percussions per minute, so your muscles get lots of movement.
In addition, the Elite offers five speed variable options, in case you need to dial back the power. This is great for treating smaller muscle groups like the calves and the front of your shoulders, or if you want to treat injured areas with caution. The TimTam does not have adjustable speed options.
Most of all, we believe power is a key attribute of evaluating a massage gun's value, after all, if a massager isn't powerful enough for your sore muscles, you won't be completely satisfied. By that definition, the Theragun Elite did pretty well with our testers, ultimate earning it an average rating of 8 when used at the top level 2 setting.
Accessory Options
The Theragun Elite includes a premium carrying case, which is nice for transporting the Theragun to the gym or other activities.
In addition, the Theragun comes with one built-in lithium ion battery (more on that below in the Battery Power section), a standalone charger and five attachment heads. The attachment heads include a standard ball, a dampener, a cone, and a thumb attachment. In fact, the dampener is perfect for treating less developed areas on the body and in a way, serves as a "step-down" for the power on this device.
- Standard smaller round ball: This attachment felt great on my glutes and quads, and wasn't as intrusive as the cone or thumn tip.
- Cone and Thumb tips: These simulate a therapist's thumb. These tips allows you to get into the muscles deeper and really helped target some trigger points that needed treatment. These tips are good in doses -- they are painfully good!
- Dampener and wedge tips: These are great for treating thinner muscle areas and when testing on less developed people around the office. They are less intense than the other attachments, which is good when needed.
Battery Life
As mentioned, it comes with 1 built in battery with a 120 minute battery life. This is 4 times the amount of one of the TimTam battery! This means that the Elite can be used much longer without having to bother with charging or batteries.
Most importantly, the Elite is fully rechargeable and comes with a AC charger for countless sessions.
If you’re convinced the Theragun is the right massager for you, the pricing information for the massager is below.
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TimTam Massager Review
Power Rating
First of all, the TimTam is also very powerful. However, it is a lot louder than the Theragun Elite, which makes it not nearly as impressive in my view. After all, if a device sounds like a lawn mower, it should be powerful, right?
Due to the power capability, the TimTam is very useful for treating muscle groups quickly. Since it is so loud, it is a good thing that you don't need to use it for very long to get the benefits.
Overall, the power is not a problem, it's more the noise and also the fact that the only attachment it comes with is a very hard surface ball, meaning you won't be able to use this device on areas that might need a little more gentle treatment at times.
Accessory Options
The TimTam includes a carrying case standard with its kit. The case is nice and compact, and very practical for transporting your massage gun.
Although the TimTam comes with one standard attachment tip, it is also compatible with up to six attachment heads, including a hot attachment, a cold attachment and a blade shaped design, which they are calling the Recovery Blade. Additional purchase is required for these heads. This is the only handheld massager that I've heard of that offers a heated or cold tip, or a blade.
However, it is a big negative that they only include one attachment in the original purchase, whereas the Theragun Elite includes 4 attachments in the box.
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- Standard round tip (included): included with the TimTam, which makes sense because it is the most all around tip. It is a good balance between the flat and the pointed tips.
- Flat metal warmup tip: This attachment felt great on my chest and quads, and is a little less intrusive than the trigger tip, so I see why they call it a warmup tip.
- Pointed metal trigger tip: Simulates a therapist's thumb. This really gets deeper than the round ball attachment and the flat tip. It is great for treating stubbornly tight sore spots.
- 2 plastic hot tips, 2 plastic cold tips: Using heat to warmup or frozen surface to cool down is next level for a handheld massager. This is a neat feature.
- Recovery Blade: this attachment looks like it would help hit deeper into larger athletes or specific body areas with deeper muscle development.
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Battery Life
First off, the 30 minute battery life is 1/4 as long as the Theragun Elite. However, the nice thing is they do sell backup batteries. With that in mind, if you're a coach looking to use this device on your team, I suggest buying an extra battery to combat the somewhat short battery life.
Lastly, the charging port charges the batteries separately from the device, so if you purchase an extra battery, you would be able to easily swap out batteries while the other one charges.
If you’re convinced the TimTam is the right massager for you, the pricing information for the massager is below.
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Theragun Elite vs. TimTam Side-by-Side Comparison
Your body type and overall preferences will determine which massager you perceive as the better value. The following side-by-side Theragun Elite vs. TimTam comparison will help you to understand the differences there are in the specs and features of each massage gun.
| Category | Theragun Elite | TimTam |
| Power | 8 out of 10; 40 lbs torque; 5-Speed Options + Fully Customizeable via app | 8 out of 10; Only 1 Speed |
| Battery Life | 120 minutes | 30 minutes |
| Accessories | Bluetooth Compatible + App + Wireless Charging + Carrying case + 5 attachments | Carrying Case + only 1 attachment, extra options available for additional cost |
| Self-Use | Can reach ~90% of spots easily | Can reach ~80% of spots easily |
| Brand | Specialize in Handheld Massagers and these are the one type of item in their catalog; The original handheld massager in its class | Newer, smaller company with various fitness products |
What’s the right massager for you? Theragun Elite or TimTam?
So the big question, is Theragun Elite or TimTam the right massage gun for you?
After all of our tests on both of these massagers the winner for me is Theragun Elite. Overall, I feel that the Theragun Elite massager is simply the better massager. I would recommend the Theragun Elite massage gun to anyone who falls into the following categories:
- Noise matters – The Theragun Elite is much quieter than the TimTam. In fact, using the TimTam on the upperback can cause a headache, because it is so loud. You can also use your Theragun in shared settings without bothering others, like at the office.
- Now with Bluetooth and Wireless Charging – the Elite is loaded with tech as it is one of the first and currently one of the only handheld massagers with Bluetooth compatibility and is ready for wireless charging.
- Multiple speed options – with 5 speeds, the Theragun Elite allows you to adjust the power in case you want to treat smaller muscle groups or injured areas with caution. In addition, you can fully customize the speed via the app!
- Superior Ergonomic grip – the patented triangular Theragun design makes it much more comfortable to use, especially for longer sessions.
- Multi Color Options – the Theragun Elite is now available in black or white, where as the TimTam is only available in one colorway.
Click here to order your Theragun Elite from us with fast, free shipping, or checkout the Theragun Elite on Amazon.
In general, I would recommend the Theragun Elite massager to most people. With that being said, there are some situations in which the TimTam might be a better option for you:
- You want more expandability options – The TimTam can be swapped out with hot, cold and the recovery blade, besides standard attachment heads, so you can really attack your soreness in various ways.
- Adjustable angle - The shaft also adjusts to a horizontal level so you can apply the massage easier on a partner at different angles.
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Author Bio Gideon is the Director of Purchasing at Recreation of LA and the head honcho around here. A Los Angeles native, Gideon spent several years working in purchasing, merchandising and content management for ecommerce companies. In his free time Gideon likes playing basketball, lifting weights, and searching for the best beaches in LA.