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Monday, March 2, 2009

Product Review of the Panasonic EP 30003 KU Massage Chair

By Steve Esquire

This is a massage chair review of the Panasonic EP 30003 shiatsu recliner. This is the new line of recliners called the Real Pro Ultra by Panasonic. This review will point out some of the important features, warranty coverage and specifications of this chair. The EP-30003 is a mid range model in the price range of $2,000 to $3,000.

Let us first take a look of the warranty of the EP-30003. The warranty coverage is your protection from defects from the factory. You want strong warranty coverage since it protects you from unknown problems in the future. This is a big ticket item, so it is important you get trouble-free enjoyment for the amount you are paying. Panasonic provides a 3 year warranty on the parts. You get 1 year on the labor with 1 year of shipping expense covered for parts if needed. Also, in home technician service is now available from Panasonic. You can get an extended warranty to match the major chair manufacturers but at additional cost. It is recommended that you get the extended warranty.

We are currently seeing an explosion of new technologies and features being poured into massage chairs by their manufacturers. The price of the features is dropping to integrate, so features are being added without significant price increases. The next challenge for manufacturers is to keep the controls simple enough to use without having a PHD. Panasonic has tremendous experience with electronics, so we expect their controllers to reflect that knowledge. We are not disappointed. The remote control is simple and easy to use. Panasonic has one touch automatic programs which operate massages based on themes. Also, they have included a voice guidance system to help walk users through using the controls.

There are two important features of the EP30003 that we would like to point out. Of course, there are many more, but we won't cover everything in this review. One of the more relavant features for Americans is the leg rest extension. The leg rest can be adjusted out to better position the areas on the legs. Also, this helps individuals that are taller to better fit in the massage recliner. The other innovative feature is a new massage technique. Panasonic has developed the Junetsu massage. Junetsu means ultra fine kneading in Japanese. This Junetsu technique uses small circular motions. These small circular motions are used in conjunction with firm pressure to penetrate through the muscles and to the surface of the bone. This is a great addition to the shiatsu and Swedish massages already offered in this chair.

The Real Pro Ultra has a sleek, post modern design. It is somewhat industrial in its design and lacks some designer touches. This is a bit of a drawback. The massage recliner is comfortable to sit in. It has soft padded armrest covers. The synthetic leather is surprisingly soft to the touch. There is a contoured head pillow to give support. The backpad has adequate padding to be soft to sit in. The rollers do not stick out too far when not in use, so the chair is comfortable to sit in when not being used for massage. This is overall a well designed chair.

There are one touch automatic programs in the Real Pro Ultra. These automatic programs include such programs as Shiatsu, Swedish, Deep, Stretch and Quick. The first four are 15 minute programs and the Quick is a 5 minute invigorating massage. Each of the automatic programs is targeted for specific benefits for the user. You are free to use the manual massage techniques. These manual massage techniques are Junetsu, Shiatsu, Swedish, Knead, Stretch, Tap and Full Roll. You can also select specific back courses to target your back. You can select the whole back, upper or lower back. This focuses the massage in that particular area. There is a built in air massage system which targets the feet and calves in the leg rest.

The EP30003 comes with the new massage technique called Junetsu or ultra fine kneading. This is great if you are looking for deep tissue penetration for your back. It provides sensational invigorating relief. The other massage therapies are also solid and relieving. We feel the only drawback with this chair is aesthetically. Panasonic needs to move out of the industrial age and get some real first class designers. Otherwise, this is a nice chair. It is at a great price for the range of capabilities that are built into this massage chair recliner.

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