The Same One-Year Warranty Means Something Different at Instant Pot and Theragun

Instant Pot Pro and Theragun Mini (2nd Gen) both carry a one-year warranty, but the company and the product behind each promise are in very different positions.

An electric pressure cooker and a handheld massage gun aren’t purchases anyone weighs against each other. What lines them up here is a coincidence worth examining: both the Instant Pot Pro and the Theragun Mini (2nd Gen) carry a one-year limited warranty, and in both cases that warranty is only as good as what stands behind it. One comes from a company two years removed from Chapter 11 bankruptcy. The other covers a specific model its own manufacturer has already marked discontinued.

Key facts

• Instant Pot Pro: 1-year limited warranty; maker Instant Brands filed Chapter 11 on 12 June 2023, acquired by Centre Lane Partners around October 2023
• Theragun Mini (2nd Gen): 1-year warranty; Therabody’s own product page marks it discontinued
• Theragun Mini (3rd Gen) replaces it: 150-minute battery vs. 120, 0.40 kg vs. 0.45 kg
• Tom’s Guide: the 2nd Gen ships with one attachment, versus four with the pricier Theragun Prime

A pressure cooker’s warranty, backed by a company rebuilt after bankruptcy

Instant Brands, the parent of Instant Pot, filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection on 12 June 2023. Centre Lane Partners completed its acquisition of the company around October 2023, and Instant Brands now operates as a standalone company under CEO Chris Robins, with leadership drawn from Newell Brands, according to Retail Dive. The Instant Pot Pro — 1,200 W, 6 quarts, 10 functions across 28 Smart Programs — remains in production and still carries a one-year limited warranty.

A one-year warranty is only worth as much as the company issuing it will be around to honor. CBS News reported at the time that the Chapter 11 filing followed a sharp slowdown in pandemic-era demand for the pressure cookers that made the brand’s name. There’s no indication here of any current problem with warranty service — the relevant fact is simply that this Instant Pot Pro’s warranty sits behind a company that has already gone through one reorganization.

Retail Dive’s reporting on the post-bankruptcy structure is worth dwelling on for a moment, because it explains why the Instant Pot Pro’s situation is different from a company that simply closes its doors. Centre Lane Partners bought the business, not just the brand name, and installed leadership with experience running Newell Brands’ consumer portfolio. A standalone company with new ownership and new leadership is not the same as the pre-bankruptcy Instant Brands, and it’s also not the same as a company at risk of disappearing outright. It sits somewhere in between, which is exactly where a one-year warranty’s real value is hardest to judge from the outside.

What 1,200 watts and 28 Smart Programs still get you

Whatever the corporate history, the Instant Pot Pro itself hasn’t changed: 1,200 W, 6 quarts, 10 core functions spread across 28 Smart Programs, in a footprint of 13.0 x 12.7 x 12.8 inches. Instant Brands has since built out the line above it — a Pro Plus with WiFi and a Pro Max — which puts the Pro in the position of the entry point rather than the flagship, similar in spirit to how the Theragun Mini sits below the Prime. Neither company discontinued the cheaper model outright; both simply built newer options on top of it.

A massage gun’s warranty on a model its own maker calls discontinued

Therabody’s own product page marks the Theragun Mini (2nd Gen), in its Gray colorway, as discontinued. The company has replaced it with a Mini (3rd Gen), described as the smallest and lightest Theragun yet: 150 minutes of battery life and 0.40 kg, against 120 minutes and 0.45 kg for the 2nd Gen, at the same three percussion speeds (1750/2100/2400 PPM). The 2nd Gen is still listed at $189.99 and still carries a one-year warranty — but a warranty on a discontinued model raises a question a warranty on a current model doesn’t: whether Therabody will keep stocking parts and offering like-for-like repairs a year from now, rather than steering a warranty claim toward the newer model instead.

That question doesn’t have a public answer in the record here — Therabody hasn’t said what happens to warranty service for a discontinued colorway once the 3rd Gen fully takes its place on shelves. What’s confirmed is only the fact of the discontinuation itself and the terms of the warranty as written. A buyer choosing the older, cheaper 2nd Gen over the 3rd Gen is trading a lighter, longer-lasting new model for a lower price today, and taking on whatever uncertainty comes with a warranty on a product line the manufacturer has already moved past.

What the Mini gets criticized for, warranty aside

The Theragun Mini’s problems aren’t limited to its production status. Tom’s Guide measured its amplitude at 12 mm — ‘about average’ for the category — and reported observed stalling and recoil on larger muscle groups like the quads and glutes under pressure. The review also noted the Mini ships with only one attachment, versus four included with the pricier Theragun Prime (roughly $100 more), and that it has no Bluetooth connectivity. None of that is a warranty issue; it’s a reminder that a warranty only covers manufacturing defects, not a device built to a lower spec than its more expensive sibling to begin with.

Put together, the stalling on larger muscles and the single included attachment describe a device built to a price rather than to match its bigger sibling feature for feature. That’s a legitimate design choice for a compact, entry-level tool, but it means a warranty claim over recoil under heavy pressure would likely go nowhere — Tom’s Guide’s finding describes normal behavior for this specific, smaller motor, not a defect a manufacturer would be obligated to fix.

Which warranty a buyer can actually lean on

Comparing the two products head to head would be a false exercise — nobody chooses between a pressure cooker and a massage gun. But comparing what a one-year warranty is worth in each case is fair, because the answer differs. The Instant Pot Pro’s warranty sits behind a company that survived a bankruptcy and is still selling the exact product new. The Theragun Mini (2nd Gen)’s warranty sits behind a company that is operating normally but has already moved on from this specific model. A buyer relying on either warranty for a repair in month eleven is making a different bet in each case, even though the paperwork on both says the same thing: one year, limited.

Sources: Retail Dive · CBS News · Therabody · Therabody · Tom’s Guide