Product Review: Sanyo SA5000 Massage Chair
This is a review of the mid range massage chair the SA 5000 by Sanyo. This review covers 5 different categories including Warranty & Customer Service, Comfort/Ergonomics, Ease of Use, Features and Massage Therapy. We give equal weight to each category which can earn up to 20 points. The scores of the individual categories are summed to give an overall rating of a possible 100 points. We have found this system to cover the salient points of the massage chair. Let us take a look at the SA 5000.
Warranty & Customer Service: We first cover the warranty and customer service. These are your long term protections from potential problems with your purchase. This product is has the following warranty coverage: 3 years on the roller mechanism, 1 year parts, 1 year labor and 1 year in home technician service. We like the 3 years on the roller mechanism. The best manufacturers cover parts for a minimum of 3 years, so Sanyo is a bit light here. They do offer 1 year in home technician service which is a plus. Sanyo has a national call center for customer service which is fairly competent. We give an overall rating of 15 in this category.
Comfort & Ergonomics: The SA-5000 comes with a well padded back pad on the chair back. The head support cushion is contoured and adjustable. he armrests have sufficient padding. The leg ottoman cannot be extended which may be a concern for taller users. This massage recliner was originally designed in Japan for that market and later exported to the USA. The main remote has a simple layout with one touch buttons for automatic massages. There is also a wired remote, but it has limited functionality. We give the SA5000 a 15 for ergonomics.
Ease of Use: Massage chairs have evolved to full body massage loungers. This is an excellent development, but on the flip side, manufacturers need to ensure that their product remain simple and easy to use. The SA 5000 remote control is fairly straightforward to use. It has 4 single touch automatic programs. You have a Program Memory button that memorizes the last few minutes of massage and will store it for future use. There is a side panel that contains the manual massage functions. The SA 5000 comes with a wired sub remote. This sub remote has the pulse monitoring system and has the program memory function and enables you to work the foot rest and chair back. This recliners earns an 18 in this category.
Key Features: The SA-5000 comes with some unique technology from Sanyo. They include their GK roller systems for neck and shoulder massage. They also have a stiffness detection system integrated into the massage recliner. The GK roller system can reach out over the shoulders. It performs a grip massage that is effective to relieve tension and soreness in the shoulder and neck regions. The stiffness sensor is based on lie detector technology. It monitors your pulse and perspiration to determine areas of stiffness in the body. This is then fed into the computer which then directs the massage for those specific areas. The SA 5000 earns an 18 in this category.
Massage Therapy: The SA 5000 comes with automatic programs, 4 programs stored in the Memory Program, 4 manual massage techniques and 4 massage courses for the back. The automatic programs are Stiffness, Relax, Recovery and Fine. There are 5 adjustments for both the massage speeds and roller width adjustments. There is the Grip massage which effectively targets the neck and shoulders. For the lower body, this recliner comes with 24 airbags to provide relief for the feet, calves and thighs. There are specially designed airbags that provides a multi-point shiatsu massage. This provides a penetrating and soothing massage. We give the SA-5000 an 18 in this category.
Overall, we rate the Sanyo SA-5000 an 84/100. The SA 5000 comes with many of the same technologies as Sanyo’s high end version the DR7700. The stroke length of the back rollers is 28 inches compared to 31 inches for the DR 7700, but most of the same technology is in the SA 5000. The factory warranty is just ok and you may want to explore an extended warranty to equal other manufacturer’s coverage. The GK rollers are a nice feature for neck and shoulder coverage. The leg rest would be more ergonomic for the American market if there was an extension built in. If you are looking for a massage chair recliner in this category, the SA 5000 is one you should check out.