If you are looking for a massage chair, then finding relevant information regarding potential shiatsu chair candidates is important. Reviews and evaluations can point out the relevant aspects of each product. To assist potential purchaser researching massage chairs, we evaluate 5 key categories which include Warranty & Customer Service, Comfort/Ergonomics, Ease of Use, Features and Massage Therapy. Each category is worth up to 20 points. All points are added up to give a total score based on the 5 categories. A disciplined, systematic approach takes out bias and presents facts. We review the Luxury range of $4,000 to $5,000 and feature the Sanyo HEC-DR7700K massage chair.

Warranty & Customer Service: It is important that the manufacturer stand behind its product. A good gage of the company's confidence is its warranty coverage and duration. Sanyo gives a 1 year labor, 1 year parts and 1 year in-home service. It does cover the roller mechanism for 3 years. Sanyo is well below other manufacturers in this category with its parts and labor. Sanyo recently instituted in-home service with the 1 year in-home whereas most are 90 days. Customer service is good. Sanyo has a national hot line with 24/7 service. Turnaround time on service is good. Our Rating in this category is 14.

Comfort & Ergonomics: Comfort and ergonomics are important design characteristic with a shiatsu massage chair. Sanyo designed the DR7700K to compete in the luxury class known for comfort and relaxation. This shiatsu lounger is well padded with nice upholstery. The armrests are padded and comfortable. The Sanyo DR7700K is a bit restrictive to accommodate taller users. Sanyo designed this chair for the Asian market and is importing it here without modifying it for the taller American market. The Sanyo DR7700K is a 15 in Comfort & Ergonomics.

East of Use: With the advance of electronics, the controls and features can just be overwhelming unless you work for NASA or JPL. Sanyo has made the controller fairly simple to use compared to what is out there. There are 4 automatic programs where one can select and just sit back and relax. There is one button to take you to Zero Gravity which is nice. A side panel contains many manual controls with basic controls for the massage techniques and the lower body air system. The sub-remote allows the chair to be raised or lowered and has the stiffness detector built in. Our rating in this category is 19.

Key Features: The most prominent features of the Sanyo HEC-DR7700K are the GK Rollers and the Zero Gravity Position. Sanyo designed jointed massage heads into the GK Rollers that have the capability to grip the shoulders. This GK Roller system is the first attempt by a massage chair manufacturer to bring in a third dimension to massage. The gripping action is soothing in the shoulders and neck areas. Zero Gravity is achieved by raising the knees above the heart with the chair back 170 degrees. The Sanyo HEC-DR7700K is an 18 in Key Features.

Massage Therapy: The Sanyo HEC-DR7700K has both automatic and manual massage settings. Sanyo incorporates 4 full body automatic courses, 4 manual massage courses, and 5 massage speed settings for a total combination of 83 manual massage courses. The manual massage techniques include Shiatsu, Kneading, Tapping, and Kneading & Tapping. Sanyo has some stretching capabilities for the lower body and has 24 airbags of coverage. The airbags have projections to perform shiatsu acupressure massage. There is a good variety of massage therapy techniques in this massage lounger. The Sanyo HEC-DR7700K is a 19 in Massage Therapy.

How does the Sanyo HEC-DR7700K rate? Overall, our rating of the Sanyo is an 85/100. The technology of the massages for both the back and the lower body are solid and thorough. The controls are easy to use and intuitive. The main drawbacks with this Sanyo shiatsu massage chair are first it has a weak warranty for the price of the chair. Second, the footrest cannot be adjusted, which limits the size of who can use the chair. Comfort is important because the massage helps one to relax. All in all, this is a solid chair with many interesting and novel features. You will not be disappointed.