We evaluate the Panasonic Real Pro Ultra in 5 categories including Warranty & Customer Service, Comfort/Ergonomics, Ease of Use, Features and Massage Therapy. Each individual category is given equal weight of 20 potential points. This systematic approach helps to present massage chairs from the same vantage point to help make comparison easier. If you are looking for a massage chair, then check out the Real Pro Ultra. The model EP 30003 is a mid range model.
Warranty & Customer Service: How good is the warranty of a given chair? Do you have to buy an extended warranty? How well does the manufacturer back their product? Panasonic gives you 1 year labor and 3 year parts. Service is obtained through your retailer or via national service centers. Obviously service varies substantially based on the retailer where it was purchased. Panasonic also builds in an machine hour counter. This enables Panasonic to provide 1,000 hours of warranty coverage. Once the counter hits 1,000 hours, then the warranty ends. To match other manufacturers, you may want to purchase an extended warranty. We give a rating of 16 in this category.
Comfort & Ergonomics: The comfort and fit of any chair is important for the use. Panasonic usually makes it chairs pretty ergonomic. The Real Pro Ultra is no exception. The back pad is comfortable and plush. The head pillow can be adjusted to fit different heights of users. The arm rests are padded and are fairly wide. The footrest does not extend, so this can be problematic for taller users. Taller users would have to bend their knees to get a foot massage or extend the footrest horizontal to and put their legs through. Our rating in this category is 17.
Ease of Use: Intuitive and easy to use are some of the hardest elements to get right with today's electronics. Massage chairs have so many features, that some controllers become an unsightly mess. You have to spend hours over the manual to figure some of them out. This severely detracts from the massage therapy environment. Panasonic has a simple control. They incorporate along the top of the control the automatic massages for one button selection. You can tailor massages fairly easy and the learning of the control is rather fast. We give an 18.
Key Features: 2 of the best features of the Real Pro Ultra is the reflexology foot massage and the Junetsu massage. Most people do not yet understand the importance of the feet in massage therapy. When stress is put on the body, the body activates the hands and feet for action. The major organs then gear up to for support. Reflexology foot massage helps to reverse this process. The Panasonic EP 30003 comes with reflexology foot massage that helps relax the whole body. The other important feature is an ultra fine kneading called Junetsu. Small circles are made with firm pressure. This provides a penetrating and deep tissue relief. We rate this an 18.
Massage Therapy: The lower body air massage has 14 strategically placed air bags. These air bags cover the calves and feet. It also includes the foot reflexology massage. The really fine kneading is a new feature by Panasonic called Junetsu. This massage penetrates deeply providing effective relief. At the top of the control there are 5 automatic programs which include: Refresh, Shiatsu, Deep, Swedish and Stretch. You can also select from 4 manual massage techniques and choose 4 manual massage courses. Manual controls include tapping, kneading, rolling and combination. This midrange model scores a 19 rating.
How does the Real Pro Ultra stack up? We give an overall rating for the Panasonic EP 30003 an 88/100. This is a solid chair for the midrange market. The fact Panasonic included the Junetsu massage in this model is great. It is offered in their higher end models as well. The remote also comes with a voice guidance for those unwilling to read. The warranty is one area that most likely needs an extended warranty. Taller users need to see how well they fit, since the footrest does not extend out. Otherwise, Panasonic has done a good job for this massage chair recliner. - 16650
Warranty & Customer Service: How good is the warranty of a given chair? Do you have to buy an extended warranty? How well does the manufacturer back their product? Panasonic gives you 1 year labor and 3 year parts. Service is obtained through your retailer or via national service centers. Obviously service varies substantially based on the retailer where it was purchased. Panasonic also builds in an machine hour counter. This enables Panasonic to provide 1,000 hours of warranty coverage. Once the counter hits 1,000 hours, then the warranty ends. To match other manufacturers, you may want to purchase an extended warranty. We give a rating of 16 in this category.
Comfort & Ergonomics: The comfort and fit of any chair is important for the use. Panasonic usually makes it chairs pretty ergonomic. The Real Pro Ultra is no exception. The back pad is comfortable and plush. The head pillow can be adjusted to fit different heights of users. The arm rests are padded and are fairly wide. The footrest does not extend, so this can be problematic for taller users. Taller users would have to bend their knees to get a foot massage or extend the footrest horizontal to and put their legs through. Our rating in this category is 17.
Ease of Use: Intuitive and easy to use are some of the hardest elements to get right with today's electronics. Massage chairs have so many features, that some controllers become an unsightly mess. You have to spend hours over the manual to figure some of them out. This severely detracts from the massage therapy environment. Panasonic has a simple control. They incorporate along the top of the control the automatic massages for one button selection. You can tailor massages fairly easy and the learning of the control is rather fast. We give an 18.
Key Features: 2 of the best features of the Real Pro Ultra is the reflexology foot massage and the Junetsu massage. Most people do not yet understand the importance of the feet in massage therapy. When stress is put on the body, the body activates the hands and feet for action. The major organs then gear up to for support. Reflexology foot massage helps to reverse this process. The Panasonic EP 30003 comes with reflexology foot massage that helps relax the whole body. The other important feature is an ultra fine kneading called Junetsu. Small circles are made with firm pressure. This provides a penetrating and deep tissue relief. We rate this an 18.
Massage Therapy: The lower body air massage has 14 strategically placed air bags. These air bags cover the calves and feet. It also includes the foot reflexology massage. The really fine kneading is a new feature by Panasonic called Junetsu. This massage penetrates deeply providing effective relief. At the top of the control there are 5 automatic programs which include: Refresh, Shiatsu, Deep, Swedish and Stretch. You can also select from 4 manual massage techniques and choose 4 manual massage courses. Manual controls include tapping, kneading, rolling and combination. This midrange model scores a 19 rating.
How does the Real Pro Ultra stack up? We give an overall rating for the Panasonic EP 30003 an 88/100. This is a solid chair for the midrange market. The fact Panasonic included the Junetsu massage in this model is great. It is offered in their higher end models as well. The remote also comes with a voice guidance for those unwilling to read. The warranty is one area that most likely needs an extended warranty. Taller users need to see how well they fit, since the footrest does not extend out. Otherwise, Panasonic has done a good job for this massage chair recliner. - 16650
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Find out how a Panasonic Massage Chair is a fantastic asset for your massage therapy needs. We carry an excellent selection at http://www.massagechairwarehouse.com where you will find the top brands. Find out more about the Panasonic Massage Chair line.