Roll Recovery Gear Review: Rockin’, Rollin’, Recoverin’

What You Need To Know

Introduction to Roll Recovery:

TAYLOR: I always have some pride when good things come from close to home. Roll Recovery is one of those things. The brand lives right down the hill from me, based in Boulder, Colorado. If you haven’t heard of Roll Recovery, its purpose is practically in the name. Roll Recovery is a niche brand that’s hyper-focused on personal massage equipment.

Out here in Colorado, I catch Roll Recovery gear in pretty much every nook and cranny of the running community. Whether you’re a local elite or a hobby jogger, it seems like everyone has something from the hometown brand. Now that I do too, I think I understand.

Roll Recovery R8 Plus Deep Tissue Massager

TAYLOR: I’m gonna throw it out there — Roll Recovery’s original product is still its best. The R8, well, the R8 Plus, is their bread and butter, and they keep finding ways to make it a more practical machine for recovery.

At a basic level, the R8 Plus Deep Tissue Massager is a large clamp with roller-like wheels to massage your muscles deeply and fluidly. It’s actually one of the few self-massaging tools that has worked well for me over the years. Interestingly, the wheels on the R8 Plus are actually inspired by human fingers, right down to the fact that there are four knobs on each side.

What makes this version the “Plus” is the ability to adjust the amount of pressure applied. A simple turn of the dial helps to either tighten or loosen the squeeze, giving you a harder or softer massage. After having used the standard R8 previously, I can say that I really, really like the update.

Unfortunately, the R8 Plus does have one limitation — you pretty much have to use two hands. It’s a larger massager, making it tough to control otherwise. This ultimately limits how and where you can use the R8 Plus, making it pretty much impossible to use on your arms and shoulders if you have a sore upper body.

PRICE: $159

Roll Recovery R1 Percussion Massager

TAYLOR: Massage guns come in many shapes and sizes. In a very saturated market, it is hard to decipher which options are worth it. What I would look for first is motor size and speed then how deep the massaging arm will go. Roll Recovery’s R1 Massage Gun does pretty well in those categories and comes in a beautiful compact package.

The R1’s motor can allow for up to 3200rpm at 40-50 watts with a 7mm depth. In layman’s terms, this small percussion gun is quick, pretty powerful, and has a moderate range of motion compared to its competitors. Because the motor is relatively powerful and quick, the R1 Percussion Massager can get away with having a fairly limited stroke. Honestly, I would desire more range, but I was able to apply a good amount of pressure before it was obvious that the motor was getting overworked.

Again, the Roll Recovery R1 Percussion Massager comes in a small package. I traveled all around the country with this thing. It’s an easy instrument to throw under the car seat on long road trips or carry in your backpack for the plane. It comes with a convenient carrying bag that also houses the four heads that also come with the R1 Percussion Massager.

Overall, I was pleased with the Roll Recovery R1 Percussion Massager’s performance, especially for its size. If you choose to order one, know that it comes in four beautiful colors.

PRICE: $129

Roll Recovery R4 Body Roller

TAYLOR: Like the percussion massagers, the traditional roller has seen a wide range of designs. Roll Recovery’s R4 roller has to be my favorite, though.

The prominent feature of this firm foam roller is the center groove. It is specifically designed for fitting around the spine and neck, and by golly, it works like a charm. Every time I laid down on the R4 roller, I could feel (and hear) the loosening of the tissue. It feels so good that I am actually motivated to roll out pre-run. Let’s just say it has been a long time (many years) since I have been so motivated to use a roller before heading out for my miles.

Even better is that the R4’s groove works really nicely on IT bands, lower calf muscles, and I appreciated the texture for glutes as well.

There’s not much more to say other than I definitely approve of the Roll Recovery R4 roller as long as you don’t mind a firmer roller.

PRICE: $59