Purewave Massager Review 

Purewave Massager Review

July 12, 2019

Muscle pain can hit you at one time or another due to repetitive stress or poor posture. It can limit your movements during workouts or your actual performance in the sport or profession you practice. 

Massage therapy can relieve a lot of that strain, and percussive massage equipment has become highly recommended by trainers and doctors to relax muscles before and after doing vigorous exercise.

PADO and Purewave Massagers

A line of self-massage equipment produced by California-based PADO USA has been in the market for about four years now. 

The company, which makes other quality health equipment such as vacuum blenders and air purifiers, is most popular for its cordless and hand-held Purewave Massagers because they are lightweight and easy to use, yet very powerful in alleviating muscle tension.

What sets them apart among other best handheld massagers is their percussion type motor. The motor makes a back-and-forth thumping motion, similar to a hammer, creating gentle to intense waves of pressure.

Benefits of Using a Cordless Massager

Cordless massagers allow you to massage hard-to-reach areas — not just your back, but also your calves, spots behind your thighs and forearms. As percussive therapy equipment, Purewave simulates the sequence of short movements done by a professional masseur to induce blood flow and raise muscle elasticity.

Purewave Massagers weigh less than two pounds each so you can bring any one of them in your gym bag, backpack, or suitcase. They vary in terms of charging time as well as purposes due to the number of attached heads that come with each type of unit.

Comparison: CM7, CM5, and CM3

PADO offers three types of Purewave Massagers: the CM3 cordless percussion travel massager, the CM5 muscle and joint massager, and the CM7 body and facial massager. Let's check out each massager in detail below.

Purewave CM7


The CM7 has the most number of attachments among the three massagers. The product comes with the point stick, air cushion stick, six-head stick, body massage oil stick, scalp massage stick, and facial massage stick.

While the first three sticks have to be threaded onto the motor, the scalp and body massage sticks just need to be slipped onto it. Meanwhile, the facial massage stick is slipped onto the vibration motor, which is found at the tip of the massager’s handle. Here are all six of the CM7 attachments:

1. Air cushion stick: 

Some therapists compare the Purewave Massager's air cushion stick to the tennis ball massage they recommend to patients. The soft silicone head can provide a relaxing Swedish massage as it gently pats delicate muscles near or around the shoulders, knees, and other joints. The stick can also be used for the lower back and soles of the feet.

2. Point stick: 

This is the best attachment to use for pain anywhere in your trapezius muscle, the bundle of muscles from your nape to your shoulders. However, it can also be used for soreness in the lower back and the soles of your feet. Chiropractors are using Purewave Massager's point stick for patients with plantar fasciitis, which is heel inflammation felt on the arch of the foot. They also use it for Achilles tendinitis, which can start on your heel and extend to the back of the calf.

You can attach the point stick to the massager for finger-like pressure therapy.

3. Six-head stick: 

This is for deep tissue and sports massage therapy. It works well on sore hamstrings, thighs, calves, lower back, hips, and glutes or buttock area. Use the attachment for massages before and after sports or repetitive exercise to reduce muscle fatigue and boost performance.

4. Massage oil stick: 

Topical creams and ointments can be difficult to rub on your own skin, especially when you have to apply them on your back. The flat plastic attachment makes it easy for you to put the cream in hard-to-reach areas. You also prevent the cream from getting into your eyes because you wouldn't need to apply it on your hand first.

5. Scalp massage stick: 

Some headaches spring from pain in the upper neck. The "bristles" of the massage stick can relax the muscles on your nape and temples.

6. Facial massage stick: 

Give yourself a self-facial massage by applying moisturizer on your face using the facial massage stick. Attach it to the vibration motor to soothe your temples and jaw area.

Here’s a video to see the unique function of each stick.

PROS
  • The CM7 is PADO's top-of-the-line massager due to its dual motor feature.
  • Aside from having an adjustable percussive motor speed of 1,500 to 3,700 rpm, it also has a facial vibration motor that makes 10,000 vibrations per minute.
  • The CM7 has the longest reach of the three Purewave Massagers at 16.5 inches.
CONS
  • The CM7 does not have a heat-emitting feature that some cordless massagers offer. At 1.75 pounds, it can feel heavy to some users.

Purewave CM5


Although the CM5 has only three massage sticks — the point stick, six-head stick, and air cushion stick — the product is the massager of choice among professional trainers and physical therapists as most of them do not need the vibration motor for facial massage.

Both the CM7 and CM5 come with a holder for convenient and safe storage. Here is a video that compares the CM5 with CM7.

Meanwhile, the CM5 is similar to the CM3 in that both have only percussion motors.

PROS
  • Like the CM7, the CM5 has an adjustable speed of between 1,500-3,700 rpm.
  • It is 14.75 inches in length.
  • The CM5 is the "middle weight" of the three Purewave massagers because it is slightly lighter than the CM7 at 1.65 pounds.
CONS
  • Because the CM5 has only three of the total six attachments, it doesn’t work as effectively as the CM7 for massages involving medicated oils for the skin. It is also not suitable for facial massage.

Purewave CM3


The self-standing CM3 is considered the most basic of the three Purewave massagers, as its motor has only a single speed.

PROS
  • CM3 is the recommended companion for outdoor activists and people into sports who need emergency body massage. It is a self-standing unit that weighs only 1.5 pounds. The massager's 3,500 rpm motor works deep into the tissue to dissolve painful muscle knots and adhesions as well to relieve stiffness.
  • The CM3 comes with two interchangeable heads: the point stick and the six-head stick.
  • It is lightweight, portable, and great for instant relief.
CONS
  • Due to the CM3’s single speed, you can’t use it on your face or for softer types of massage.

Charging Time and Battery life

The CM7 can be used continuously for three hours on full charge. The first charge may take one to two hours, but the succeeding charging time will take just one hour. Its battery can last for up to five years, performing as many as 500 charge cycles.

Like the CM7, the CM5 can operate continuously for three hours after being fully charged. Both products normally take around two hours to fully charge for the first time. Charging will only take an hour afterward, provided you do not let their batteries run until they go dead.

The CM3 has the shortest battery life of 90 minutes of continuous use among the three massagers. Charging time takes longer at two hours.

Warranty

All three Purewave Massagers come with a limited one-year warranty, depending on the delivery or the date when you bought them at the store.

Purewave Massagers Relieve Sciatica

Sciatica is the pain you feel along your sciatic nerve, which starts from your lower back and goes down your hips, buttocks, and legs. 

Sciatic pain can be caused by a herniated disk in your spine, an overgrowth of bone or what we call bone spur on your vertebrae, or tightness of muscles in the lower back, glutes, or legs. Sciatica can cause numbness or weakness of the affected leg or foot so it can make standing, walking, or sitting painful.

Deep tissue massage has been recommended in place of painkillers, with one study in 2014 saying that massage can be as effective as non-steroidal, anti-inflammatory drugs

Sciatic pain

sciatic nerve

PADO boasts four ways that Purewave can treat sciatic pain: by reducing muscle inflammation, tightness and tension; increasing flexibility; increasing circulation of blood to aching muscles, tendons, and ligaments to hasten recovery; and releasing muscle adhesions. Purewave Massagers can treat sciatica as long as the condition does not involve severe pain, loss of bladder, and bowel function and numbness.

Purewave: Used by All Ages in Various Fields

Professionals both within and outside the field of sports and fitness have been able to cope up with physical strain or recover from injuries with the help of Purewave Massagers.

Golfers have included Purewave massaging in their warm-up routine to improve mobility. Percussive massage therapy can alleviate the muscle stress resulting from rotation of the hips during golf swings, pivots of the knee for downswings, constant bending, and "golfer's elbow" or tendinitis.

Purewave Massagers also help street dancers deal with leg cramps and other aches that come with four to eight hours of practice to put a seamless performance. They use massagers to loosen their muscles during warm-up. 

Another group of people who experience a lot of physical strain regularly are acrobatic performers. They experience back pain, in particular, after their shows. A number of acrobatic artists have turned to Purewave Massagers for relief in between their stretches ahead of their next performance. 

Lastly, older adults who take yoga classes consider the Purewave Massager as a wonder tool for the changing needs of their body. They appreciate how the massager helps them stay in shape and keep blood circulation going as they use the product after their flexes. 

Beware of Fake Purewave Massagers!

PADO has warned the public starting last year about fake Purewave Massagers coming out from China and being sold by Bizton and Paston on Amazon. 

The genuine PADO massagers can be distinguished from their China-made counterparts through the following:

  1. The threaded rod of the original Purewave Massager to which various attachments or heads are slipped or screwed into is made of plastic, whereas the fake one is made of metal.
  2. The knob or dial of PADO's Purewave Massager — which turns it on or off and regulates the motor's speed — is circular and smooth, while the counterfeit product is circular and jagged.
  3. The fake massager has red lights on the left and right side of the rod where the massage sticks are attached. These lights turn on when in use. In a genuine Purewave Massager, only one light above the dial that controls the motor’s speed turns green when it is on.
  4. The counterfeit massager claims to have a dual motor but has only one motor. Therefore, it can’t function as a facial massager.

Note that the authentic Purewave Massager CM7 is patented and registered with the US Food and Drug Administration. 

Final Thoughts:

We previously ranked PADO's Purewave Massager as fifth among six products in a review titled “Best Handheld Back Massager.” 

The massager, however, is in a league of its own when it comes to percussion therapy. Percussive motors found in massage guns such as Theragun G2Pro, Hyperice Hypervolt, TimTam, Pleno M, and RxGun QUIETec pack more punch. But they lack the long, ergonomically designed handle that Purewave Massagers have, allowing users to do self-massage. 

Users and owners of Purewave Massagers have also spoken positively about how lightweight they are although similar products offer the same relief at cheaper prices, such as Mighty Bliss and RENPHO. The Purewave Massager has an edge over other massagers because of its convenience. Other percussive massagers are either powered by a cord (TheraFlow, Wahl, NURSAL, HoMedics) or have a shorter handle (Brookstone Max). 

About the author 

Kevin Lee

Health and fitness have always been a passion for me; whether its being in the weight room, going for a run before work or even participating in a half iron man triathlon. ShapeJunkie was created to share to knowledge and love of fitness with others.

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