Saturday, November 1, 2008

Chair Review: Sanyo HEC-DR 6700K Massage Chair

By James Knolan

Sanyo massage chairs boast some of the most advanced electronic features to compliment their massage therapy. One of their higher end models is the DR 6700. This model is the subject of this review. We will analyze the DR6700K and point out its relevant features. We evaluate massage chairs in five key areas where up to 20 points can be earned in each area. Here is our evaluation of the HEC-DR6700K Sanyo massage chair.

Warranty & Customer Service: You want to make sure that you get sufficient warranty protection with your massage chair. These are complex machines and you want to be protected down the road. So what type of warranty do you get with the DR6700K? This recliner comes with 3 years on the roller mechanism. You also get 1 year of parts and also 1 year of labor. In home technician repair service is also provided for the first year free of charge. This is a pretty good warranty of this level of massage chair. Sanyo has now established a national call center for warranty issue and provides good service. We rate the warranty and customer service an 18.

Comfort & Ergonomics: You need to make sure that a massage chair fits your body type well and that all the main features are easily accessible. This is the goal of this category. The DR-6700 is a comfortable recliner to sit in. The back pad is soft and well padded. The head pillow is adjustable and supports the head well. The remote is well within reach and has larger buttons for the important automatic massage programs. We give the DR 6700 an 18 for comfort and ergonomics.

Ease of Use: We really like that massage chair manufacturers are adding features like there is no tomorrow. The counter-weight to this is ease of use. If a device is overly complicated, then it just won't get used, no matter how great the feature. The Sanyo comes with two remotes. The chair has a main remote and a sub remote. The sub remote must be held for it to perform the stiffness detection. It is an interesting feature, but not at the expense of having a second remote. We give the DR6700 a 17.

Key Features: The two extraordinary massage features in the DR6700 are the Stiffness detection system and the GK rollers. The Stiffness detection system is borrowed from Sanyo's lie detector technology. This system actually measures your pulse rate and the extent of your perspiration. This is done by reading your finger when you hold onto the secondary remote control. The DR6700 can locate areas of tension and stress in your body. These readings are then feed to the computer and those areas are targeted for relief. The other important feature is the GK rollers in the roller mechanism. These nimble rollers can massage over the tops of the shoulders for a soothing and relaxing massage. We give the DR-6700 an 18 for key features.

Massage Therapy: The DR 6700 has 4 automatic one-touch massage programs. The programs are as follows: Stiffness, Recovery, Fine and Relax. There are also manual massage techniques which include the following: Grip, Shiatsu, Kneading, Tapping and Combo. Each of these techniques is specialized with a particular movement to loosen or revitalize tight and sore muscles. In manual mode, just select the intensity of the massage to be more or less invigorating or select the width of the rollers to cover the areas of your back that you need attention. Target specific areas by selecting the region which includes: neck and shoulders, lower back, lower body and quick course. You have a lot of good options to choose from with the DR-6700. Our rating of the massage therapy is 19

We rate this massage chair recliner 90 points out of 100. Sanyo has integrated some unique electronic functions into the DR-6700. The physical shape sensor and the stiffness detector are unique to Sanyo. We are somewhat concerned with the warranty coverage only having 1 year parts and labor for a high end massage chair. The massage therapy programs are well designed and effective. This is a very good massage chair and the DR6700 should be one for you to check into further. - 15266

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