Soooooo ... I have a big plastic bin in the living room ... my MOBILITY TOOLBOX! Cue dramatic music!!Balls of all shapes, sizes and materials ... foam rollers (smooth and textured) ... resistance bands ... 'voodoo' flossing bands ... a 'stick' roller ... an 'edge' type tool for IASTM ... even an acupressure mat.I didn't really 'need' another tool.Saw a guy at the gym with a version of one of these. Small enough to fit in a gym bag. He liked it, but wished he had a larger version for greater leverage. Had I not seen it in action right in front of me, I probably wouldn't have ever considered a tool like this. I'd seen them before but they seemed pricey and unnecessary ... and I already had a big box of mobility wonders. Still, I liked what I was seeing, and after talking to him, I decided to get a similar tool. I liked the look of the Body Back Buddy, and got the set with the regular tool and the Mini.Bliss! Pain! More Bliss! More Pain! You know the pain I'm talking about!! If you don't, well, maybe this tool isn't for you.This thing is AWESOME. Wish I had gotten one much sooner! Absolutely superior for back and shoulders! Precise, pinpoint pressure! Really lets you dig in to areas that other tools don't reach. Did I mention it hurts? But in a good way?I heard someone use the analogy of a mechanic's toolbox ... you don't have just one tool to fix a car. It's a good analogy ... no one tool is going to solve your problems with pain/mobility. This is not the ultimate, end-all, be-all tool. Foam rollers and lacrosse balls work wonders (and are so much cheaper). However, note the five star rating! If you have any interest in self massage in any form (ok, any clean and socially acceptable form that you can do while the wife and kids are around), this is a great tool!The specific PROs:-pinpoint pressure-well thought out ergonomic design-no wall or floor required-use standing or sitting-versatile-plenty of youtube type videos to give you ideasThe CONs:-can't do it all, obviously-one more tool for your collection-the full size one isn't portable and the portable one isn't versatile-not always obvious how to use it ... but check out youtube for ideasThe Mini ... hey, keep your hands at 10 and 2 while driving! Eyes on the road! Buuuuuuuut if you happen to be driving long distances, and your shoulders and back are sore from being hunched over the steering wheel ... I'm not going to tell you how to live, but I will mention that the Mini lives in my car and makes me a much happier driver during extended road trips. Or not so extended ones. Good stuff ... but be careful! Or just throw it in your gym bag like the guy I met!Hurts soooooooo good! I love it!
