Thursday, October 30, 2008

Product Review: Sanyo HEC-DR-6700 K Massage Chair

By James Knolan

This is a review of a Sanyo massage chair. The model DR-6700K is one of the top massage recliners produced by Sanyo. We will walk through an evaluation of 5 separate categories and provide a score out of a possible 20 points each. A total rating is given by adding up the scores. This provides a basis of comparison for the other massage loungers that we have reviewed. Let us see how the HEC-DR6700K massage recliner stacks up to the competition.

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: Believe it or not some massage chairs are only comfortable to sit in when they are running. A massage chair needs to double as a recliner in our humble opinion. The DR-6700 cradles the body when you sit in it. The padding makes for a plush seat. The adjustable head pillow can be positioned to support your head well. The main functions of the chair are ran from the remote and it is in an accessible location. We give the DR6700 an 18 for comfort and ergonomics.

Ease of Use: One concern we have with the massage chairs is that the dramatic increase in functions could cause the chair to be difficult to use. The manufacturer must innovate with new features, but balance it with a simple and easy to use chair. We like the use of one touch buttons for the automatic programs. When selecting the manual techniques, there are more things to remember to get the chair to do what you want. We do like the layout of the control and the use of LED to show incremental settings. We give it 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.

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