Table of Contents
Chirp Wheels Review
Pros
- Really Good At Breaking Up Fascia In The Upper/Lower Back!
- Spinal Grooves Make For A Really Effective Stretch Massge!
- The 3 Wheels Used Together Work Really Well To Not Only Alleviate Pain, But Also Improve Posture!
Cons
- Aside From Shoulder, Neck, Upper/Lower Back Massage, These Wheels Can't Do Much Else
- Durability Needs To Improve Because These Have Ended Up Failing For A Few!
Did You Know These Guys Were Featured On Shark Tank!?
Another day, another review post!
Today it’s one of the best selling massage/yoga products on Amazon: the Chirp Wheel! I didn’t know too much about these guys so I figured I’d best do some research.
Turns out the Chirp Wheel was featured on Shark Tank, believe it or not! And they actually ended up doing pretty well for themselves by scoring a pretty sweet deal.
It makes me really happy to see startups becoming so successful, living that American dream! But how has such a simple wheel design become one of the hottest massage products online? The beauty is in its simplicity, ladies and gents. Here’s a quirky, hilarious video detailing what the Chirp is and how it can help pretty much everyone and their grandma (yes this time I’m serious!).
If there’s one thing these guys get a 10/10 in, it’s marketing! This is one of those ads where you’re captivated from start to finish. Also love the background retro score!
Sorry for the quick digression, but coming back to the Chirp Wheel…..is it worth it? Before we answer this, let’s look at the wheel in some more detail!
A Closer Look At The Chirp Wheel & What It’s Capable Of!
To be quite honest, there’s really nothing complicated about the Chirp Wheels. Here’s the spiel!
#1 It Comes In 3 Different Sizes!
There’s a 12”, 10”, and a 6”. What’s the difference and why 3 sizes?
The largest wheel offers a massage with gentle/mild intensity; the smallest wheel offers a massage with deep tissue intensity.
If you think of this intuitively, it makes sense. Imagine rolling your back on the largest wheel versus the smallest one….easier on the larger wheel and requires some work on the smaller wheel.
But that’s not the only difference between all 3 wheels. Here’s a few more you should know of!
#2 It Can Withstand Up To 500 Lbs. In Weight! (Or Can It!?)
There was a lot of questions around how durable these wheels were, and if they could safely support the additional weight. Rolling yourself on a wheel does require an element of trust, because if the wheel goes bust, you can actually injure yourself and end up worse for it!
Fortunately enough, the Chirp Wheels are able to withstand up to 500 lbs. in weight thanks to it’s innovative molded rigid core design!
So if you’re someone who weighs a bit more, you can rest (or roll!) easy knowing that the wheel won’t collapse on you! (at least most of the time…more on this below)
#3 4 Way Stretch—What Is It & How Can You Benefit From It?
In the commercials above, you’ll have noticed a lot of talk about this thing called the 4 way stretch. Is this some marketing lingo, or is this actually something that the Chirp Wheel can do?
The idea behind this is that there’s a spinal groove located in the center of the wheel which not only ensures the spine stays in place and locked in during the rolling, but also ensures the muscles around the spine are stretched both up and down and side to side in 4 directions.
I can definitely see the vertical upwards/downwards stretch, but I cannot see the horizontal stretch. In any case, I think it doesn’t matter all that much. The main objective which is to roll and effectively stretch and massage the back is still being achieved.
However, It Does Have Flaws….Let’s Look At A Few Shall We!
As is the case with pretty much all products these days (save for a few!), the Chirp does have notable flaws. A few of these are niggly, minor annoyances, and a few are definitely major concerns!
#1 Turns Out It’s Not As Indestructible As I Had Thought Earlier….
Being able to safely handle 500 lbs. means this thing should be able to withstand a lot of weight right? Nope, wrong. Reading some of the reviews, there’s definitely a few unfortunate souls who’ve had to fall because the wheel couldn’t hold their weight.
And no it wasn’t 500 lbs., much less actually!
This is definitely disappointing and even if there’s only a handful of people that this may have happened to, it still is shocking because you start to question the authenticity of what the manufacture claims!
#2 It Lacks Versatility…..Somewhat At Least
There’s not too much you can do with these Chirp Wheels other than massage/stretch the upper/lower back and neck. I’m not saying targeting anything else is impossible, but it’s definitely not easy!
If you want versatility, your best bet is to look into a roller. You can do a lot more full body massage and stretch with a roller than you can with these wheels!
#3 It Ain’t Cheap!
When you consider what it offers (and that is limited), along with the construction and of course knowing that it has cracked for several people when put to the test, the Chirp Wheel costs a lot more than what I would be willing to dish out!
I guess the silver lining to all of this is you get what they call the 100% happy body guarantee, which essentially means you get your money back in 60 days if you’re not satisfied with it.
In that sense I guess you could try it out if you really wanted to and then decide if it’s something you wanna keep or return.
What Else Is There To Know About The Chirp Wheels?
It’s FDA approved and considered to be a Class 1 medical device. I guess this is a positive considering most other wheels and rollers are not FDA approved.
While FDA approval is a definite positive, it’s definitely not a game-changer for me. FDA approval doesn’t mean a product is absolutely awesome with unicorn rainbows!
A product can be FDA approved but still could be a terrible product in terms of what it offers and its value for money. It’s important you understand this so you can see past the marketing jargon!
Also nothing against Chirp Wheel but they make a claim that their wheels are doctor recommended. When I scavenge their site, I only came across one video of a Chiropractor recommending their product: Dr. Jeff Brown. I’m not trying to find faults here but it would be nice if Chirp Wheel could list all the professional recommendations somewhere on their site.
Once again I’m not trying to find holes, just saying that it would be nice to see all the recommendations so we can see for ourselves!
Is The Chirp Wheel Worth It?
After having considered everything including the many cons I touched on earlier, I think the Chirp Wheel is still a decent product, but there’s a caveat.
I do recommend the Chirp Wheel but I do not recommend buying all 3. I would pick from one of the wheels based on your specific condition and go with that. If you need an additional wheel in the future, you could always buy one then.
I don’t think it’s worth spending $$$ on 3 wheels. I think a good fit for most people would be the 10” or 12” wheels. The 6” deep tissue wheel might only be needed by those who suffer from serious back pain.
With that being said, let’s talk about the caveat!
I would only consider buying the Chirp Wheels if you’re less than 200 lbs. If you’re over 200 lbs, I don’t think it’s worth investing in one and seeing if it ends up going bust. As mentioned previously, it has cracked up for a few others, so proceed with caution.
Setting Expectations To Avoid Disappointment!
When it comes to health and wellness type products, there’s typically a lot of buzz generated by marketing and advertisement. In turn this creates a certain expectation in the consumer’s mind. When this expectation remains unfulfilled, people are disappointed and leave negative reviews.
I feel that might be what’s going on with the Chirp Wheel. It’s a great product (aside from some of the misleading advertisement!), but it can only perform one thing!
If you think the Chirp Wheel is going to solve the pain in your knees or calves, you might be setting yourself up for disappointment. It’s designed to specifically work on the shoulders, neck, and back (upper/lower), and knowing this beforehand is definitely important.
Another thing to keep in mind: the Chirp Wheel may help to an extent with your back problems, but it may not resolve them completely!
And That’s Pretty Much All There Is To Know!
My favorite thing about the Chirp Wheel is that it helps restore the spine’s natural “S” shape. This to me is way more important than all the other stuff like pain relief, breaking up of fascia etc. because all of those things are a consequence of posture correction.
All in all, a decent product with a lot of room for improvement, specifically when it comes to how much load it can take without failing. I feel this is something Chirp Wheel should try to resolve ASAP!
If you own any of these Chirp Wheels, drop a comment down below and let us know how its worked out for you. Do you feel it has made an improvement to your back posture and pain? Would you recommend it to others? We’d love to hear!
And that brings us to the end of this review post. I hope you enjoyed reading and got some value out of this. A share on the social platforms would be an awesome way to show your support! Your questions and comments are welcomed down below.
Stay safe and stay well!
