The Roll Recovery R8 is a product I have had my eye on for a long time before getting to review it. It really stood out to me for a few reasons, for starters it is a deep tissue massage that applies the pressure for you. This is similar to the idea of Normatec Pulse Recovery boots but on a much simpler level. The R8 doesn’t need to be plugged in and have you setup in a chair, it is a spring loaded device that you just clamp on to a body part and move around. Another reason I really like the automatic applying pressure of a hand operated tool is for basically the reason I have just stated; self massage is tiring and sometimes makes my hands and forearms feel like they need a massage afterwards. With the Roll Recovery R8 you don’t exhaust your hand muscles to get a good deep tissue massage.
Roll Recovery R8 Features
Self Adjusting Pressure – What make the R8 special is the basic concept of the spring loaded pressure. When you place this on a part of your body the tension in the spring is based on the amount that you are opening it. The more you open it, the more pressure it will apply. This is how springs work.
Soft Rollers – The rollers that apply pressure to your body are made of a nice soft gel feeling wheel. They are basically just soft inline skate wheels but they are nice ones. If I had to guess I would say around 68a hardness based on a durometer rating.
Roll Recovery R8 Usage
As soon as I unboxed the Roll Recovery R8 deep tissue massage I stopped what I was doing and started to massage my legs. I was a bit surprised by the power of the R8’s spring and a little concerned too. I say this because when you have a base level of spring power there is no lessening it. The flip side of that is that if it’s too weak you are back to using a bunch of arm strength instead. From what I noticed the R8 was usually right for me, for most areas I wanted to massage out. When I was hitting areas that were really sore, and not as meaty like around shins, I actually had to pull outwards on the springs so that I wasn’t screaming in pain. I’ve spent a good amount of time in the ol’ pain cave and the level of pressure was too much for me at certain points.
Other than these few instances of it being too much pressure the Roll Recovery R8 was a pleasure to use. I would just slap it on my quads and hammy’s and go to town on them. The ability to spend less effort and get a deeper massage was definitely a game changer.
See the image below for the semi-scientific analysis I did of the amount of variable pressure as the spring widens. As you can see with the amount of opening for an ‘average’ leg you end up with about 20 pounds of squeezing power. The distance between the springs for the picture on the left is on MongoDB rubik’s cube, scale, and console top – measuring at about 4.25″.
Roll Recovery R8 Durability
Durability will not be a concern with this item. I see no way in which this item could wear out within my life time of usage. I bet I could use this on a rhino every day for 10 years and it wouldn’t show much signs of wear. It is built with thick materials and a relatively simple design with few moving parts.
Roll Recovery R8 Pros and Cons
Pros
- Deep tissue massage with little effort
- Simple design, no batteries required
Cons
- The price tag is a little steep for some people $100-120
- Base pressure of the springs can be a little high for some people
Similar Products
I am a self massage fanatic (see also – frequently injured) and here are a few of my current tools that I have used in the past:
Liked:
MobilityWOD Gemini
Lacrosse Ball
Massage Roller Stick (I own 3 versions)
Foam Roller
Didn’t Like:
Hand Massager Glove
Orbit massager
Mobility WOD Supernova
Spikey Massage Ball
Gridded Foam Roller
Your style may vary from mine so it’s worth even checking out the ones I didn’t like. Most of them were referred to me by one person or another that also enjoys crushing out some muscles.
Roll Recovery R8 Conclusion
This product is a must have for my self massage arsenal. Besides every day usage I normally travel with a roller stick and lacrosse ball in my bag, the Roll Recovery R8 is being added to the travel bag. The ability to get a deep massage without much hassle is a big win. One thing you should take into consideration as stated above – if you don’t like deep massages this might not be the tool for you – this R8 goes really deep. If you can manage the $100 price tag ( think of skipping on a massage or two) you will have an invaluable tool added to your recovery kit.
Have you tried the R8? Got another massage tool not mentioned here? Leave a comment below.
Dario
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