They Do Business
Companies, Products and Services
You Need to Know About
The web site all about the companies and products and services that are hot now!
Learn about the companies and who runs them.
Learn about the products and services and what is special about them.
Featured Company is Panasonic
Review of Panasonic EP-30004 KU Shiatsu Massage Chair
By James Knolan
James has extensive experience in massage therapy coupled with an engineering background.
MassageReviews can play an important in the research phase of any product. To be helpful, reviews need to present a variety of facts to aid in the selection process for a consumer. We have developed a five category system to help compare different massage chairs. This system weighs the 5 categories equally allowing each one to earn 20 points. The score of each category is then summed to give a total score for that massage chair. This is by no means a perfect system, but it provides a more systematic approach to the evaluation process. The 5 categories we use for the review include: Warranty & Customer Service, Comfort/Ergonomics, Ease of Use, Features and Massage Therapy. We hope you find this approach helpful for your research. This review is of the Real Ultra EP30004. This shiatsu massage chair is in the $4,000 to $5,000 range.
Warranty & Customer
Service:
The first category is warranty and customer service. The warranty is the
protection given to the consumer for the product. The shorter the warranty,
the more risk the customer has to take in the transaction. With the EP30004,
Panasonic gives a 1 year labor, 3 year. This is the warranty directly from
the manufacturer. This is a rather short warranty period for the dollar
value of the transaction. In most cases, the consumer can purchase an extended
warranty for this massage recliner, but then that drives the total cost
of the product. If you require customer service, then you must contact
your original retailer. This certainly means that customer service and
turn around times are variable and depend on the retailer. Overall Rating
for Panasonic warranty and customer service is 15.
Comfort & Ergonomics:
Massage chair recliners usually have a dual function. One is obviously to
massage, but the other is as a recliner. Therefore, comfort is usually
an important consideration, since the chair may not always be used in the
massage mode. A recliner should be comfortable to sit on. The Real Pro
Ultra comes with padded armrests. There is a comfortable, soft upholstered
head pillow to support the head. We found the recliner is comfortable to
sit in. The leg ottoman is adjustable out an extra 5 inches, which helps
to target your legs better. The Real Pro Ultra is well designed from an
ergonomic point of view. Overall Rating for Panasonic comfort and ergonomics
and customer service is 18.
East of Use:
The massage chair industry increases the functionality of its chairs every
year. With the increase in functionality comes increasing complexity of
controls to run them. Our ease of use category is for making the controls
of the chair as intuitive as possible for the user. Panasonic is one of
the premier electronics companies in the world, so we expect them to completely
understand this issue. Panasonic has pioneered the use of a "Voice
Guidance" system in their chairs to help consumers with ease of use.
This interactive system enables novice users to quickly understand and
use the chair to maximum benefit. The remote is very cleanly designed and
intuitive. It is not cluttered like many controllers we evaluate. The remote
comes with memory functions that can remember the favorite massages of
up to 4 different users. Manual controls are located in the side panel
of the remote. Overall Rating for the EP 30004 for ease of use is 19.
Key Features:
The important features of the EP-30004 are the Junetsu massage and the shoulder/arm
stretch. Panasonic has developed the Junetsu style massage in the Real
Pro Ultra. The Junetsu is an ultra fine kneading massage. This uses small
circular motions that penetrate deeply through the muscles for a soothing
massage therapy. Panasonic has developed a novel shoulder stretch in the
EP 30004. The arm rest has padded covers that lift up, where the hands
and arms can be placed inside. The airbags then activate to which hold
the arms. The chair back then reclines slightly to extend the arms and
shoulders. This slow, gradual stretch helps to elongate the muscles of
the arms and shoulders. This stretch helps to remove tension from the muscles
and increase the range of motion. Overall Rating for the Real Pro Ultra
for features is 19.
Massage Therapy:
The massage functions built into the EP 30004 include both automatic and
manual programs. There are four 15-minute Pre-Programs, One 5-minute Quick
Program and One 15-minute Self Program. There are 4 full body automatic
courses and 5 different massage speed settings. The automatic massage functions
include the following: Shiatsu, Gentle, Deep and Refresh. Panasonic has
developed its exclusive Junetsu or ultra fine kneading massage system in
the Real Pro Ultra. This chair provides high quality and realistically
replicated massage therapies. There are two stretching functions. There
is a lower body stretch and the shoulder stretch. The lower body is covered
with 22 airbags including the hands, arms, buttocks, calves and feet. This
chair also provides both Swedish and shiatsu style massages for excellent
massage coverage. Overall Rating for the EP 30004 massage recliner for
massage therapy is 19.
How does the Real Pro Ultra EP-30004 rate on an overall basis? Summing up the score, our overall rating of the EP 30004 is a 90/100. Panasonic continues its innovation with cutting edge massage therapies such as the Junetsu massage technique and the shoulder stretch. The technologies incorporated into this massage recliner are solid. We are still a bit disappointed with the aesthetics of this chair, which is very plain. Panasonic has incorporated an extendable ottoman which helps reach a taller user more effectively. The massage therapy tends to be a bit lighter than other chairs which over longer term use may be a concern for some. But, overall, this is a well designed and effective massage chair recliner. If you are looking for a shiatsu recliner in this price range, then this is one you should check out.
If you are interested in finding out more about the Panasonic EP 30004 Massage Chair, check us out for more information of luxury brands at Massage Chair Warehouse. Make an informed decision by perusing a variety of information including product reviews, articles and much more.
TV
Plasma
Or LCD - Whats the Main Advantages of a Good Plasma Like the Panasonic
TH42PX80?
By Joe Simpson
Here are some thoughts on the benefits of choosing a Plasma HDTV. It should be remembered that these are general statements and will vary between makes and models of TV sets.
Black/Contrast Levels
One of the most important factors and certainly what the experts always check first is that of black levels. Generally black Levels have traditionally been best on Plasma screens primarily due to the way that the screens create contrasts - LCDs will alter crystals to block light whereas Plasmas modify the power to each pixel - as such Plasma screens are usually far more effective at displaying blacks. The gap between the best plasmas and LCDs has certainly narrowed recently with some of the best LCD screens from Sony, Samsung and Panasonic rival the top plasma screens for the depths of their blacks and contrasts.
Angle of Viewing
The first LCD screens were very poor in this respect - basically you had to sit within a pretty narrow band to view the TV properly. Plasma screens have a much wider viewing angle (up to 160 degrees). Again the gap between the two formats has reduced dramatically with most LCD screens have pretty good viewing angles however is this is of a primary concern for you then generally Plasma TVs have the advantage.
Color Displays
A much closer call and in essence the winner in this respect is probably down to individual preferences. Plasma screens contain individual blue, green and red pixels so have potentially have an advantage creating accurate color depth but the LCD screens have an advantage of creating colors by modifying light and as such produce a brighter, clearer display that many individuals prefer.
Brightness
This is where the LCD screen is a clear winner - LCD can produce white light much more easily than plasmas and utilize much less power in doing so. This can lead to white and bright scenes looking much crisper on an LCD.
This is a very brief summary - but again it should be remembered that a bad plasma screen would lose in all categories to a quality LCD. But the above points are worth bearing in mind before you make your purchase.
Joe Simpson - Technology Specialist and Film Buff
Likes these Plasma screens for great value and performance.
Samsung LE40A656 - Panasonic TH42PX80
© 2008 They Do Business