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41 of 47 found the following review helpful:
 Good Design, But Some Intrinsic Limitations Dec 15, 2009
By Peter Borten
I am an acupuncturist and massage therapist, and I actually independently invented something much like this several years ago. Essentially, it was a dowel I could hold in my fist with a protrusion (like this tool has) between my index and middle fingers for working muscles. This tool is certainly a better creation.
The aims behind both my crude version and this better designed one are the same (as I see it) - saving your hands (and arms, elbows, shoulders, etc) and potentially allowing you to deliver more power than you might be able to with just your body.
As for delivering power, though, I find any person, of any size, can learn to give a massage that is deep and powerful enough for just about anyone. It's mostly a matter of learning to use proper angles, different body parts (e.g., elbows, knees, forearms), body weight, etc. You don't really need a tool for this. Unless you're injured, disabled, etc.
So, in my opinion, the only real need for a massage tool such as this is to save your body when giving massage. Otherwise, there is really nothing that a massage tool can do better than human hands can. The only exception is tools that you can use on yourself, like a Theracane, to work on places you otherwise couldn't get to by yourself, though it still doesn't actually work better than another person's hands would.
In my case, my thumbs and wrists bother me, so the idea of delivering pressure essentially via a closed fist was ideal. An vague equivalent would be doing pushups on your fists or using bars to do pushups. When you have your hands in line with your forearms this way, it's much less strain on your wrists than if your hands are flat on the floor, with the wrist in hard extension.
When you use a massage tool, you must understand that something is lost on both sides. As the giver, you lose sensitivity and precision. As the recipient, you lose on quality of massage and on the tactile feel that only flesh can deliver. I own a spa and employ about 20 massage therapists. My wife and I have gotten massages from all of them and dozens of others who've been with us over the years, and I've never met a massage therapist who regularly included any tools like this into their practice. Clients just wouldn't stand for it.
The main problem I have with this tool and the others in its family - the Knobble, the Jacknobber, etc - is that the massage is delivered through a piece of hard, rigid plastic. Same issue with wooden massage tools. To me, they just feel way too hard and way too inorganic.
What I did to remedy this was I got some of that stuff you dip tool handles in to give them a rubbery coat. I think it's called Plasti-Dip, though I'm sure there are lots of brands out there. Then I dipped the knob end of this thing into the plasti-dip over and over again (you need to wait about 30 mins between dippings - follow the directions on the can). I ended up giving it about 15 coats (seriously) before it developed a spongy feel. But it's considerably better now.
From what I gather, the massage tool industry needs to take a hint from the sex toy industry. The sex toy industry has probably spent millions on research and development into flesh-like substances, but the massage tool industry still relies mostly on hard plastic, wood, and stone. If these kinds of massage tools were coated with some sort of fleshy neoprene stuff to simulate the fat pad on the thumb, they would be worlds better. There, I just gave someone a million dollar idea. If you end up following through on this and developing great fleshy massage tools, I will gladly accept a few free samples in payment. You can contact me by email at peter@thedragontree.com
Anyway, back to the review. The other drawback is sensitivity. When you're working with your hands on someone, you can feel how the body responds as you enter. You feel muscles, tendons, ligaments, and bones shift as you apply pressure. And meanwhile, you're able to fine tune your angle, pressure and speed to deliver the ideal massage. This is just not possible to anywhere near the same degree with a tool like this. Some of the client's response is translated through the tool into your hand, but less so with a tool like this, because of the type of grip, than with a tool like the Knobble.
There are two main ways to hold this thing. One is to slip your fingers inside the elliptical part, which is only possible if you have rather slender fingers like me (and even then, my fingers can feel a little cramped). The other is to grip the entire thing, using the finger indents. This is okay, but a bit of a thick thing to hold. It would be nicer if they designed it for just one kind of grip. It could have been made more like a tennis racket with a nice squishy grip.
SO, in summary, the primary drawbacks of this tool are essentially (1) the fact that it's a tool, which I can't take away any stars for - it is what it is - and (2) the material it's made of. Otherwise, the design is decent.
I do appreciate what these folks are doing to create well designed massage tools. Please just work on the materials.
11 of 11 found the following review helpful:
 Force the issue with this Feb 28, 2009
By M and G
If that knot just won't relax, and you've got a friend who'll bear down on you, this is for you.
Pro:
+ A singular purpose: go deep
+ Light
+ Durable
+ Price
Con:
- While you can use it by yourself, unlike the "jacknobber" any knots on your back half require a second person
- I haven't found the grip on this to be comfortable for me
- Less versatile that the "jacknobber", just the one probe to press with
- We dislike the dark color... we are prone to lose it
Bottom line: Recommended as a complement to the jacknobber.
6 of 7 found the following review helpful:
The Original Indexknobber Dec 02, 2008
By Michael Lee
The handle is somewhat narrow, so if your hand is not small, it may be uncomfortable or impossible to hold it securely. The "knob" is a bit short, so it can't reach into deeper spaces.
2 of 2 found the following review helpful:
 Versitile Oct 04, 2010
By EquestrianGal
I purchased this and another massage tool (the knobble) to help me work on my horse. I do some sports massage, acupressure and trigger point with him, but because I have tendinitis and arthritis in my hands and wrists, I'm not able to use my bare hands to work with him very well. As far as massage tools go that are made for horses, it's very slim pickings. There is a "Y" shaped tool made specifically for horses, but I found that it placed my wrist at a bad angle when working on his haunches, shoulders, and neck especially, and I wasn't terribly pleased with using it on his back.
This tool in particular has been a great help to me. Not only can I use the tool with extreme versatility (as a single knob or a spread two knobs, or the rounded back of the tool itself, for instance), it doesn't put my wrist at a bad angle while working. Obviously if you don't know the basics of massage at the very least, the tool is going to be considerably less help (and possibly even hurt and harm), but if you use it well for appropriate techniques, it's wonderful.
Someone commented that the knob was too short, and I really don't know what they meant. Too short for you to reach your back well? Um, yes, obviously. But too short to access deeper muscles effectively? How big are they? Granted if I want to work very deep tissues on my horse, I have to use my hands (more for the benefit of feeling it than anything else), but this knob does not seem to short for me, and that's with working on my HORSE'S muscles.
I've owned the product for perhaps a month now, been using it fairly often, and it is holding up just fine. It still looks like new, in fact, and I'm keeping it in a tack truck so it's not exactly getting kind treatment all of the time. I especially like that it is easy to clean--a must considering I'm working with my horse, and no matter how much I brush him, there's still enough dirt and dust and loose hair to get on the tool.
All in all, I'm very happy with it. But most importantly, my horse is happy, too!
1 of 1 found the following review helpful:
Will save you thousands on services Jan 14, 2012
By goliath100
"goliath100"
I was told by a soft tissue therapist that if I used this device i could do 80% of the work i needed myself instead of having to spend time and money on him. He was exactly right. This thing lets me get all the knots.
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