Quick Hits – iRobotics 7; 18 Month 0% Financing; Visit to Texas

February 24, 2015
 By Dr. Alan Weidner
February 24, 2015
 By Dr. Alan Weidner

Quick Hits – iRobotics 7; 18 Month 0% Financing; Visit to Texas

rss-icon-1-970189-mHere are a few things of note that are going on in our business as well as the massage chair industry:

1. Luraco iRobotics 7

Luraco introduced a new model, the iRobotics 7, at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas back in January. At that time, the chair was not fully completed but the body was on display at the show. That model is now about ready for market deployment and I will be checking it out next week during my trip to Texas (see #3 below).

Here is what I know about the chair so far:

  1. It appears to have a little smaller design than it’s sibling, the 6SL. As you can tell from the picture,
    iRobotics 7

    iRobotics 7

    it has a nice, sleak look to it.

  2. This chair has integrated health monitoring, which means that it will allow the user to measure their heart rate and blood pressure. Luraco has always touted it’s chairs as medical devices, so this feature seems quite congruent with that approach.
  3. It will have a smart touch screen remote that “has the same hardware and software platform as in a smartphone.” Not sure what the practical application of that is, but I suspect it means it will work much like the functionality of a smart phone.
  4. Luraco is talking about a sensor technology that will accurately measure the contours of the user’s back/spine. This sounds akin to the scanning technology that Inada has used in it’s DreamWave chair. By the way, like the Panasonic chairs, the iRobotics 7 will have a memory function wherein the user can customize, save, and the subsequently load a massage profile.
  5. 3-layered foot and calf ottoman, reminiscent of the Fujiiryoki 3800 ottoman, which allows a good extension for longer legs as well as a different massage feel from the airbags.
  6. Genuine leather upholstery at all touch/contact points, meaning the head, arms, and feet.

    irobotics7

    iRobotics 7

  7. Double mechanical foot rollers under each foot.
  8. Feet, seat, and full back heat.
  9. MP3 music system, which Luraco describes as “ultra clean.” I can only suspect that means a really nice music system!
  10. Zero gravity
  11. Of course, the only chair with a major part of it being manufactured in the USA. Customer support for the Luraco chairs is fantastic and engineers that work at their facility in Dallas, TX often get involved in any tech support issues. Great people over there!

I will be visiting Luraco next Tuesday and will film the chair and bring back more info for you.

2. 18 Months, 0% Financing from Synchrony Bank.

As I’ve mentioned from time-to-time, Synchrony Bank lowers their merchant processing fees a few times a year, which allows me to offer 18 months, 0% interest financing. It is offered for 1 week at a time and the next time is during March Madness, March 11-17. If you want to finance a chair with the longest term possible, do it during that week in March. Of course, you can always get 6 or 12 month, 0% interest financing the rest of the year!

3. Another Visit to Texas

texas-flag-1192380-mI haven’t been to Dallas since the last time I visited Osaki and Luraco 1.5 years ago. Well, I’ll be flying back there on Tuesday March 3rd and will spend some time with both companies. On Tuesday, I’ll be visiting Luraco and checking out the new iRobotics 7 as well as getting caught up with my friends there. As I mentioned above, I’ll be videotaping the new chair, which is supposed to be up and running when I get there, and sharing my experience of the chair once I’ve sat on it. I’ll keep you update on my Facebook page, http://www.facebook.com/massage.chair.relief

On  Wednesday the 4th, I’ll be spending the day with my friends at Osaki. Osaki and Titan are the same company, so I am looking forward to trying out the Titan TP-Pro 8300. I have the Pro Alpine and Pro 8400 in my showroom but have yet to experience the Pro 8300. Osaki/Titan has also come out with a new line of chairs called Apex. The look fabulous aesthetically, but I am looking forward to trying out some of the new chairs to see how they FEEL. If I like what I see, I’ll be adding a few models to my website and perhaps a model for my showroom.

When I last visited Osaki, they were just in the process of moving to a huge office/warehouse facility not far from where they were at. Well, they are settled in now and I look forward to a video tour of the new place. Again, keep an eye on our Facebook page and maybe even our Twitter account to see what is going on during my visit.

Panasonic 1285 Massage Chair

Panasonic EP1285

4. Panasonic EP1285 Discontinued

One of the first models I carried when I opened my Massage Chair Relief showroom was the Panasonic EP1285. It was a lesser priced chair, manufactured in China but engineered in Japan, that had very basic features, but was a great buy at the price. Well, I have learned this week that this model will not be imported to the USA anymore. You will probably find it at pretty good prices on the web, FYI.

 
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