In January of 2019, Luraco announced a new chair to it’s retailers and displayed it at the CES in Las Vegas. I attended and sat on the prototype. Though rudimentary and quite rough, the goal of Luraco was to introduce it to their retailers to show what was being worked on and to get feedback from those retailers. Access to the prototype was not for the customers…just the retailers.
The chair was supposed to officially launch in the 4th quarter of 2019. Lo and behold, along came Covid-19 and everything was put on hold. Now, as we approach the 4th quarter of 2021, they are ready to launch. We know a few things about the chair, but I have no idea how it feels and functions compared to what I experienced with the prototype almost 2 years ago.
Here is what we know about the upcoming Luraco i9 model:
- Split L-track – I’m not quite sure what that is, but I am imagining, in my mind’s eye, that it will be a hinged L-track similar to that of the Daiwa Supreme Hybrid. I am told that the split L-track will provide a better full body extension stretch, akin to that typically found in an S-track chair. The video below doesn’t shed much light on that.
- Calf Rollers & Foot Rollers – The i7+ and Legend Plus has 2 sets of foot rollers and the new i9 will have 3 rollers. Whereas the i7+ and Legend Plus do not have calf rollers at all, the new i9 will have 2 calf rollers per leg.
- Arm & Hand Rollers – 4 separate sections of rollers that will cover the hands, wrists, and forearms. Until now, we have only seen arm rollers in the D.Core chairs. I think it’s a fabulous feature and I’m glad to see Luraco introducing a chair with it.
- Made in the USA – Luraco has always boasted that their chairs are the only massage chairs in the market that are “Made in the USA”. Their non-critical components are manufactured in Taiwan. Their critical electronic components and programming have all been done at their headquarters in Dallas, TX. Well, the new i9 will have even more of it’s components made in Dallas. How much exactly, I do not yet know, but they have told me that they are planning to build even more of the i9 domestically than it’s predecessors.
- Slide Doors – the arm rests have been built to work like sliding doors. FFL Brands first introduced arm rests as doors, with the OHCO M series of chairs. Those doors open and close like car doors. The Luraco i9 will have doors that slide back along the side of the chair body, much like sliding patio doors or pocket doors, for easy entry. Ideal for elderly customers or folks suffering from acute low back pain or other disabilities.
- More Patents – Luraco is notorious for innovative patents for technologies that they have developed. I don’t know what all those pending patents are at this point for the i9, but you can be sure there are a handful of new ones that we will learn about.
There are lots of other subtle improvements that I won’t mention here, but you can learn about some of them in the video below. The chair body and remote control configuration looks similar to that of the i7+ and the Legend Plus. Same great engineering and customer support can be expected from Luraco. I will be flying to Dallas on September to see and feel the chair myself. I will post more once I return from the Luraco headquarters.
Dr. Alan Weidner
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