We present a review of the Panasonic EP 30003 TU. Our goal is to present a potential massage chair purchaser with an unbiased, thorough and comprehensive review of the Panasonic Real Pro Ultra. We have developed a 5 category system to evaluate a massage chair. We give equal weight to each category and give 0 to 20 points rating and then add them up to present an overall score. Our categories include Warranty & Customer Service, Comfort/Ergonomics, Ease of Use, Features and Massage Therapy. We hope this disciplined method of evaluating a massage chair will help to guide anyone looking at massage chairs. The Panasonic Real Pro Ultra EP 30003 TU shiatsu massage chair price is in the mid range of $2,000 to $3,000.
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: Ergonomics is the practical element of design for comfort and fit of the body. The massage chair is built for relaxation, so the design must assist in getting the user comfortable and within reach. Panasonic takes ergonomics serious and does a solid job with the Real Pro Ultra. The back pad is plush, with an adjustable head pillow. The armrests are padded. The remote is fairly simple and intuitive for a massage chair. One area that is lacking is a footrest extension. This chair was not originally designed for the American market, so taller users may not fit as well. We rate this chair as a 17 for ergonomics. 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: The key features for the EP 30003 is the Junetsu massage and the reflexology foot massage. Panasonic has developed an ultra fine kneading technique. Junetsu uses one-second circular thumb-like movements. This helps to loosen knotted or tight muscles. The circular motion penetrates down through the muscle tissue. The foot reflexology massage reflexology nodules built into the foot wells of the foot rest. An air compression system is used to gently squeeze the feet. The reflexology nodules then push up into the pressure points in the feet. The reflexology massage helps to relieve tension throughout the entire body helping you to relax. Our rating of the Panasonic EP30003 TU in this category is 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. - 15255
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: Ergonomics is the practical element of design for comfort and fit of the body. The massage chair is built for relaxation, so the design must assist in getting the user comfortable and within reach. Panasonic takes ergonomics serious and does a solid job with the Real Pro Ultra. The back pad is plush, with an adjustable head pillow. The armrests are padded. The remote is fairly simple and intuitive for a massage chair. One area that is lacking is a footrest extension. This chair was not originally designed for the American market, so taller users may not fit as well. We rate this chair as a 17 for ergonomics. 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: The key features for the EP 30003 is the Junetsu massage and the reflexology foot massage. Panasonic has developed an ultra fine kneading technique. Junetsu uses one-second circular thumb-like movements. This helps to loosen knotted or tight muscles. The circular motion penetrates down through the muscle tissue. The foot reflexology massage reflexology nodules built into the foot wells of the foot rest. An air compression system is used to gently squeeze the feet. The reflexology nodules then push up into the pressure points in the feet. The reflexology massage helps to relieve tension throughout the entire body helping you to relax. Our rating of the Panasonic EP30003 TU in this category is 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. - 15255
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Find out why a Panasonic Massage Chair is a fantastic asset for your massage therapy needs. We have an comprehensive selection at http://www.massagechairwarehouse.com where you will find the top brands. Find out more about the Panasonic Massage Chair line.
