Panasonic has been making massage chairs for about 30 years. They have a full range of massage chairs at many different price points. We are going to review the EP1273 which is in the 2 to 3 thousand dollar price range. We make a comprehensive review by rating a massage chair in five important categories where it can get up to twenty points. The sum of the points then yields the chair’s overall rating out of 100 possible points. Here is our evaluation of the Panasonic EP 1273 massage chair recliner.
Warranty Coverage & Customer Service: Even though Panasonic is one of the most famous brand names there is on the market, you still want to make sure you get adequate warranty protection. Even the best of companies have off days and you certainly do not want to be stuck with a massage chair made on an off day. Here is the warranty you get with the EP1273: there is one year coverage on parts and labor. For this price range, these are shorter times than other competitive brands. You get 1 year of free part shipping which is good. The best coverage is the one year in-home service. This is above industry norms for this price range. Customer service for Panasonic is average. We give the warranty coverage for this model a 16.
Comfort & Ergonomics: We have this category because with the increasing number of features, some functions are not easily accessible or hard to reach. Also, we have tried massage chars that were simply not comfortable to sit after a few minutes. Panasonic has designed the EP 1273 to be comfortable to relax in. The materials are soft to the touch and it comes with a pillow to support your head. The remote control is laid out well and easy to understand. This model rates an 18 for this key area.
Ease of Use: Panasonic has designed a fairly intuitive and easy to use remote. Everything is labeled clearly. Adjustments can be made without having to push a number of buttons to get what you want the chair to do. Adjustments are easy to make to the chair. You can switch from automatic programs to manual programs easily. We give the EP 1273 an 18 in ease of use.
Key Features: The key features of the EP1273 are the dual use ottoman and the 8 manual massage techniques. This massage recliner has a dual-use air ottoman system. Use the air system to knead and relieve tightness in the calves. Raise the ottoman and place your feet on it for a soothing and relieving foot massage. The second use of the ottoman is the built in stretch function. Hit the button and the ottoman will at first rise up and then it will lower in 20 degree increments. This will stretch out the lower body and provide gentle relief to aching muscles. This recliner also has 8 manual massage techniques. The 8 techniques include: Shiatsu, Swedish, Hawaiian, tapping, rolling, kneading, compression and percussion. This is a great variety for a mid range massage chair. We give the EP-1273 an 18 for key features.
Massage Therapy: The EP 1273 comes with the most variety of massage treatments for a massage chair in its class. You have a choice of automatic and manual programs. You can select from 4 automatic and 8 manual massage techniques. The automatic programs run the entire chair, including the air massage system. The 8 manual massage techniques are specifically for the back. Furthermore, there are 3 massage courses that target specific areas of the back. You can also vary the roller width and the intensity settings of the massages. The leg rest comes with an air compression massage for the feet and calves. This is a nice package of thorough massage therapies for a mid range massage chair. The EP-1273 is rated an 18 for massage therapy.
The Panasonic EP-1273 KL is a great value for a midrange chair. We give it an overall rating of 88 out of 100 points. We are most concerned with the short warranty for parts and labor. Otherwise, you get an excellent variety of massage treatments to choose from. The stretching function is another nice feature added into this massage recliner. The EP1273 massage chair is definitely worth checking out if you are looking at mid range massage chairs.