In Part 1 of this 2-part comparative review, I dealt with the similarities of these 2 very popular models. Today, I delve into the primary differences between these chairs.
DIFFERENCES
1. Inversion – true inversion infers a chair recline beyond 180 degrees. It basically means the body is inverted or upside-down. Well, neither of these chairs recline past 180 degrees, but the IT-8500 comes a lot closer to it than the OS-7075R. The IT-8500 reclines to 178 degrees, while the OS-7075R reclines to 170 degrees. Only the IT-9800 has a “true inversion” feature beyond 180 degrees, but the IT-8500 comes pretty close. When you are sitting in the 8500 with the zero gravity feature and full recline, you actually feel like you are past horizontal on the recline. Not sure how truly therapeutic it is, but it sounds and feels pretty cool.
2. Music System – the IT-8500 has a music system, including a USB port where you can plugin a jump drive full of your own music downloaded from your computer. There are external speakers and a headphone jack for more private listening. The OS-7075R does no have a music system.
3. Vibration – the OS-7075R has a vibration feature that you notice almost as soon as you turn on the chair. It is in the seat and feels kinda cool. There is no vibration feature in the IT-8500 at all.
4. Roller Track Length – this is a pretty big thing. The longer the roller track, the further up and down the spine the rollers travel, thus allowing for a more extensive massage of the spine. A 31″ track is the longest that I’ve ever seen in a chair. Both the OS-7075R and the Panasonic MA70 have the 31″ roller track…the only two that I am aware of. The IT-8500 has a 30.25″ roller track….still a good length but not as long as the OS-7075R.
5. Roller Intensity Control – the owner’s manual says that the OS-7075R has a roller intensity adjustment. Well, it does but it is only available in the manual kneading setting; not in any auto program or on any other program of this chair. So, by a strict definition, the OS-7075R has an intensity control, but for all intents and purposes it is not a feature woven throughout all the functions and programs of the chair. The IT-8500 does not have a roller intensity adjustment. Both chairs have airbag intensity adjustments.
6. Massage Cycle Time – the IT-8500 has the capability to have a 45 minute massage session. The OS-7075R has a 30 minute max. Pretty cool either way. Most chairs only have 10-15 minute sessions so to see a couple of models that offer 30 – 45 minutes is pretty cool. It seems that shoppers are always asking me if there is a way to get longer sessions out of a massage chair. Now, there are these two chairs with extended cycle times.
7. # of Motors – the OS-7075R has 13, the IT-8500 has 8. After all these years in the business, I wish I could tell you which is better…but I can’t. Some reason that more motors means more things to break down, others say that more motors mean that when a motor goes down less functions are affected. To be honest, I suppose both could be true.
Well, that’s about it for the comparative review of these two chairs. From my personal experience, I can say that the OS-7075R feels like a more vigorous massage, but not as specific when it comes to hitting certain muscles. It is a more “gross” massage in that it gives a more intense gross overall massage, but the IT-8500, though very intense as well, seems to hit the muscles of the back in a more specific, shiatsu-like way.
The IT-8500 has a more comfortable fit for a body, in my opinion. It seems to be a more snug fit for the body (not tight, but more snug, if that makes sense!). Online, more folks seem to buy the OS-7075R, based on the available online information, but in my showroom where folks can actually sit on the chairs, more people buy the IT-8500 chair after trying out everything we have there, including the OS-7075R.
Another observation is that the OS-7075R is a very large chair. It can be quite imposing in a room. The IT-8500 is a smaller chair and doesn’t take up as much space as the OS-7075R. So, for those of you trying to fit these chairs into a particular decorum, I figured you’d need to know that.
The styling of each chair is quite different as well. The IT-8500 is a more Sogno-like design, whereas the OS-7075R has a design that is quite unique.
I hope this assists you in the buying process. For a more detailed comparison, visit http://www.massage-chair-relief.com/massage-chair-comparison/.
Dr. Alan Weidner
www.massage-chair-relief.com