Tuesday, December 2, 2008

Product Review for the Sanyo SR1000 Massage Chair

By James Knolan

This product review is going to provide an evaluation of the Sanyo model SR-1000 K massage chair. This is the lowest priced Sanyo model in their product range. We will put this massage recliner through the test of five different categories and rigorously evaluate it. See how the SR-1000 from Sanyo rates.

Warranty Coverage & Customer Service: We start with the warranty coverage because this is your long term protection. Massage chairs are complex machines and obtaining sufficient warranty coverage is always advised. Sanyo covers the SR-1000K recliner with the following warranty: You get 3 years coverage for the roller mechanism, 1 year labor coverage, 1 year parts coverage and 1 year in home service coverage. This is a great warranty for an entry level massage chair. Sanyo also has moved to a national call center which has also improved customer service. We rate the warranty coverage and customer service a 19.

Comfort & Ergonomics: This is an important element, especially for entry level massage chairs. We have tried many entry level chairs that were not comfortable which defeats the purpose of a massage chair. The SR1000K is pretty comfortable to sit in. It has an adjustable head pillow and a plush back pad. The main power button is located on the left side of the chair and can be reached when seated. The leg massager requires you to bend down to flip the foot massage mechanism out. This is the least ergonomic part of the massage recliner. We rate the comfort and ergonomics of the SR 1000 as a 17.

Ease of Use: This is perhaps a category because it is a pet peeve of ours. Let's face it our world is getting more complex and so are the devices in it. It is the responsibility of the maker of these items to keep it simple. We found the remote to have too many steps to get what you want compared to other massage chairs. This was surprising given that it was a Sanyo. But nevertheless, it is what it is. We rate the SR-1000 a 16 for ease of use.

Key Features: There are 2 electronic features integrated into the SR-1000 that just stand out in this chair. There is a physical shape sensor and a stiffness detector. The physical shape sensor detects how your body is positioned in the chair. If you move, then it changes the massage to better target your new position. The stiffness detector is actually based on lie detector technology. It monitors your pulse and sweatiness. We don't know if it knows you are lying! Anyway, somehow it knows where this nervousness originates from and it goes after those areas. The SR1000 earns an 18 for these electronic device features.

Massage Therapy: This is the most important category, since this is what a massage chair is all about. The SR 1000K comes with the following manual massage techniques: massage, tapping, combination, stretch 1 and stretch 2. The massages can be used in combination with the stretch 1 and stretch 2 functions. There are 2 automatic programs which are Relax and Recovery. First you choose the massage and then you can select the region of the body to target. You can select neck/shoulder, upper body, or waist. The SR1000K also comes with a calf and foot massager. The leg rest can be used directly for the calves. You must flip the foot massager out to use the foot massager. The leg rest allows you to target the following regions: calves, back of the knees, soles of the feet and the Achilles tendon/heal. The leg rest roller mechanism provides effective massage to the calves and the back of the knees. We rate the massage therapy of the SR-1000 a 17.

So how does the Sanyo SR1000K rate overall? In our review it gets an 87/100 points. We like the warranty and that gives you confidence that it will last. The electronic features are interesting, but they seem to be at the expense of more massage treatments. There are only 2 automatic programs, which seem a bit light compared to other massage chairs. The look of the chair is a little different, because the main power is located on the side. The aesthetics are nice otherwise. This is an interesting massage chair and is worth checking out.

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