Saturday, December 6, 2008

Review: Sanyo HEC-SR1000K Massage Chair

By James Knolan

Sanyo has a full range of massage chairs in their product line. We are going to take an in depth view of the entry level model for Sanyo. The model SR 1000K is the subject of this product review. Our reviews are systematic and we judge any massage chair is five critical areas. We give a point rating of up to twenty points per area for a total possible score of 100. This is the SR-1000K massage chair recliner by Sanyo.

Warranty Coverage & Customer Service: First let us get the driest part of the review out of the way first-the warranty coverage. OK, we all know that warranty coverage is important in complicated machines like massage chairs. But what kind of coverage do you get from Sanyo? Sanyo provides the same warranty for all its chairs. The good news is that it adds up to good coverage for an entry level chair. You get 3 years of warranty for the roller mechanism, 1 year parts and labor, and 1 year in home service. There is also a call center for issues, should they arise. We give the SR1000 a 19 for its warranty.

Comfort & Ergonomics: Quite simply, a massage chair needs to be comfortable to sit in. We have seen some chairs that could not be used other than when the massage is running. Sanyo has figured this out and the SR1000 is a comfortable chair. The controller is well laid out and easy to figure out. The main power is to the side which takes a short training period to remember. The foot massager takes getting use to flipping out which is somewhat cumbersome. We give this chair a 17 for comfort and ergonomics.

Ease of Use: The advance of electronics is just simply amazing. However with this amazing advance come other challenges. All the new features that are in massage chairs must be learned and the user must figure out how to use them all. This is where the design becomes of paramount importance. The remote for the SR1000 seems to have more steps than needed to obtain the massage you want. We give this massage chair a 16 for this category.

Key Features: One of the interesting things with this model is that it has many technologies handed down from the higher level massage chairs in the Sanyo line. This is great for an entry level massage chair. Take for instance, the stiffness detector. The stiffness detector is found in Sanyo's high end model. This device is gripped with the hand. It monitors your pulse and sweat. It knows (somehow) where these changes are coming from and it actually targets those areas. Another electronic gadget integrated is the shape sensor. The shape sensor checks your body position in the chair and changes the massage to where you are. Interesting stuff, we give it an 18.

Massage Therapy: The SR-1000 comes with automatic and manual massage techniques. The automatic massages are named Recovery and Relax. Relax is a soothing type massage and Recovery is more vigorous for after more strenuous activity. The manual massages come with 3 massage techniques but also have two stretching capabilities. The stretching can be used in combination with the 3 massage techniques. The leg rest is capable to massage both the calves and the feet providing virtually a full body massage capability. The SR1000 earns a 17 for its massage therapy.

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. - 16004

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