Friday, February 23, 2018

The BFF Massager Review



I thrash my body on a fairly regular basis.  In the past few years, I have dealt with Achilles tendonitis, a calf strain, ongoing plantar fasciitis, and most recently, an ankle injury.  I have been able to run through my plantar fasciitis for almost 9 months now, but the ankle issue stopped me dead in my tracks.  Kind of ironic since I write about running without injuries, right.  The reality is that I do research, but tend to push myself farther and faster than I should.  Just being real with you.

I try to foam roll and stretch on a regular basis.  I also try to cross train, although I tend to be really good for a month or two and then just seem to slow down on my cross training and stretching until I get an injury.  I think I just get complacent when by body feels good and stop doing what it took to get to that place.  I know exactly what I should be doing, but just don’t do those activities at times.

I have used multiple types of foam rollers, some of which vibrate, massage balls, sticks, and everything in between.  Some of the products are amazing while others are just horrible.  I have my favorites, but am always interested in testing out something new.  You never know when you will find that next miracle piece of gear that can help you stay more injury free.

I was on Facebook and ran across a Sponsored ad for The BFF, which looks like a car polisher/buffer.  The BFF is a small startup out of Chicago, where founder Joshua Grabuffsky came up with the idea after attending a part where he got “buffed” using a large polishing device.  He wanted to come up with a similar product that was more sleek, simple, and practical.  He started to teach himself every facet of how to transform his vision into a reality.


I got The BFF and started using it that night.  It is extremely easy to use, but, let’s first go over what comes in the box.  You get The BFF, and two pads, a white mitt for massaging over clothes or on bare skin, and a blue mitt to spread lotion for keeping your skin silky smooth.  There are also hair removal/exfoliating pads that can remove body hair (almost like a fine grit sand paper), but more on that later.

The BFF has a 12 foot cord, which is awesome for using anywhere around the house.  I have more than one massager/recovery device that has a 6 foot cord or shorter, so I either have to use an extension cord or sit right next to the outlet.  Not with The BFF though.  The BFF operates at 3300 buffs per minute and the pad is 6” in diameter.  The pad that the mitts go on is a triple density foam disc that rotates and vibrates. 


The skin exfoliating/body hair removal disks work well although it does take several passes of the buffer to get the hair off, and in my testing it did not get all of the hair but most of it.  I do have to say that is was painless and felt calming as I was removing the forest of hair on my legs (all in the name of product testing). 

The BFF recently came out with the Jeff Galloway version.  Jeff Galloway is an Olympic runner and author.  He has written books all about running, including about the “run walk run” method. Here is a video that Jeff put out about The BFF.


I have been using The BFF for over a month now and have really enjoyed it.  The instructions say to let the weight of the device put the pressure on your body, there is no need to push.  I have had one incident where I was really trying to get deep in my shin muscles and pushed a little too hard.  I ended up with a friction burn.  After using this almost every day, that was the only incident that I had.  There was also a warning that you need to watch out for loose clothing, which I never had an issue with. 


When I hurt my ankle, probably due to overuse, I was running about 65 miles a week, which were the highest weeks I had ever done, although I had been building up to those distances for quite a while.  I was just in the middle of a long run when I started to develop a pain along the tendon in the front of my ankle.  I feel that it is most likely an impingement or some sort of tendonitis.  Unlike almost every other running injury that I have had, there was no running through this pain.  I tried ice and compression, both of which made the injury worse.  I then tried heat and Active Release Techniques, which helped, but I think one of the main reasons why I am recovering so quickly is using the BFF on a regular basis to massage the muscles all around the shin, calf, and ankle.  I also for the first time ever, actually took time off of running, which was huge.

I recently started to use the tips in this video by Jeff Galloway to help with my Plantar Fasciitis.


I am a huge fan of The BFF and would not hesitate to recommend it.  In my opinion, the biggest issue of The BFF is the price.  At a hefty $300, you might have to hold off on those shoes you want to get, but it may help you stay healthier and increase mobility. 

The BFF website claims to increase blood flow, provide nerve and cell rejuvenation, and vascular dilation.  It also claim to help clear lactic acid, release tight or sore muscles and provide Myofascial trigger point release (like foam rolling).  There are some other claims as well.  While I can see that the claims may be valid, but there is no scientific data backing up their claims from what I can see.  I am not saying that the claims are incorrect, but if you are looking for a doctor’s testimonial backing the claim from a medical perspective, it wasn’t on the website. 

Pros:
Helps to loosen muscles before and after workouts/running
Has several mitts for massage, moisturizing, or hair removal
Feels great and not painful like foam rolling
More benefit in less time

Cons:
A little pricey at $300.00

The BFF’s Social Media Links

If you are looking to keep your muscles loose and help your overall mobility, I think The BFF is a decent product.  You should stretch as well as use other methods of increasing mobility and getting stronger, but The BFF could be a great tool to help you perform and recover more efficiently.  While the price can be a little high, it’s a solidly built product that should last for years to come. 

Note:  I received this product in exchange for a review.  The review is my personal opinion of the product and I was not required to give a particular opinion of it.  I am not a doctor, so please use all of the products that I review at your own risk.

3 comments:

  1. Santamedical sleek mini penguin massager delivers a steady, relaxing massage to tired muscles. your neck, shoulders and face will sigh with relief when you sooth them with the Santamedical mini penguin. The mini penguin’s small size is perfect for a woman’s hand but powerful enough to bring relief to the tightest muscles.

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  2. An useful review I just gone through here. All the features and usefulness described here about BFF massager are really awesome. I do believe to keep anyboodies muscles loose and help overall mobility BFF is a decent tool. Thank you very much for sharing use helpful article. Chiropractic Therapy Gig Harbor

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  3. I am not going dispute the results. The problem is that it doesn't last. Mine only worked for 6 months. There is no warranty information on their website and they do not respond to emails.

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