Friday, November 28, 2008

Massage Chair Review for Panasonic EP 1273KL Massage Recliner

By Steve Esquire

Let us take an in-depth look at the Panasonic EP-1273KL shiatsu massage chair. We review its features, warranty and specifications. Panasonic is a Fortune 500 company with multiple product lines in the electronics industry. The EP 1273KL fits into the $2,000 to $3,000 price range or midrange level of massage chairs. We will explain some its advanced features and give our opinion of the Panasonic EP-1273KL shiatsu massage chair.

Massage chair companies are a diverse group. Panasonic obviously has a solid name and reputation. You can buy with confidence and be assured your warranty will be covered. Just a note of precaution if you are considering other brands: Just make sure any chair brand you buy sells to retail clients. If they do not, then be cautious about how they will back their warranty later. Saving a few hundred dollars now may translate into many more times that to fix a chair later.

Out of the box warranty coverage for the EP-1273KL massage chair is basic by industry standards. Of course for additional expense, you may and should purchase the extended warranty which will bring you up to other manufacturers standard coverage. Without the extended warranty, Panasonic covers has very basic coverage. The EP 1273 is covered with 1 year parts, 1 Year shipping, 1 year labor, and 1 year in-home technician service.

What about the Panasonic EP-1273KL shiatsu massage chair? Let us start with the design and aesthetics. Panasonic makes this massage chair more appealing than some of their other models. It is not as ultra modern which gives it a broader appeal. It has silver accents on the front legs and on the tail of the back legs. The EP-1273KL comes with a plush detachable head pillows and an extra back pad. It is a comfortable chair to sit in.

The Panasonic EP-1273KL massage chair has quite a number of manual massages including Shiatsu, Swedish, Hawaiian, tapping, rolling, kneading, compression and percussion. The back rollers have four firm rubber massage heads. These rubber massage heads are controlled by Panasonics Swede-Atsu massage which simulates the stroking with the palm of the hand or the pressing with the heel of the hand. The kneading massage is firm with the rubber massage heads feeling like strong pressure with the thumbs. Choose from four automatic programs with the EP-1273KL shiatsu massage chair. The 4 auto programs include Shiatsu, Deep, Gentle and Refresh and are 15 minutes in duration. There are 3 manual courses for the neck and lower back. The manual massages are thorough and help to relieve tired or aching muscles.

An air massage is included in the Panasonic EP-1273KL massage chair for the lower body. The lower body air compression massage targets the calves and feet. The foot rest can be operated automatically. It also has stretching functions which help to extend muscles of the lower body including knees, hips and lower back.

The EP-1273KL massage chair by Panasonic is a good value for its class. It provides a strong and thorough back massage and has a tension relieving lower body massage. One of the nice features of the Panasonic EP-1273KL is the dual-use ottoman with the built in stretch system. For this price range, there is not a massage chair that will have more than one position of stretch. Only drawback with the ottoman is there is no foot well. The user must bend their knees to position their feet to get a foot massage. Other than that the Panasonic EP-1273KL is a strong contender for shiatsu massage chairs in this mid-range class. - 15995

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