Customer Email #1
I’ve been researching the chairs you mentioned and I’m leaning toward the IT 8500. I read on one of the reviews on you site a gentleman had a broad frame and the IT 8500 seemed to be the best fit for him. Would you say that a broad shouldered person would best fit in the IT 8500?
One of the things I liked to do with my Panasonic real pro Ultra would be to scoot up in the chair a few inches when it was reclined to get a bit of glute massage. Not sure if the chair was made for that but I didn’t have any issues with it. The domes on those Osakis appear to restrict any kind of movement like that. Maybe that is a good thing from a safety stand point.
The only thing that concerned me about the IT 8500 were some negative reviews on Amazon particularly about the customer support from Infinity. Amazon is the only place I’ve seen these negative reviews so perhaps there is something particular to Amazon. Have you had any complaints about Infinity’s customer support?
My Response #1
The best fitting chair for broad shouldered people, across the board, is a chair without shoulder airbag housings. Most chairs nowadays with shoulder and hip airbags do have some size restrictions. I actually wrote a blog post about the different sizes of chairs, i.e. width between shoulder airbags and hip airbags. I think this will be of assistance. Here is the link:
https://www.massage-chair-relief.com/blog/general/will-you-fit-in-a-massage-chair/
The “scooting” idea is something alot of folks do to get a better glut massage. You can do that with any chair that does not have the dome at the top. The Osaki Pro Cyber, Pro Dreamer, and the Infinity Iyashi come to mind with that feature. You may want to avoid those. I cannot think of any safety features with or without the dome. But, you can avoid this issue altogether nowadays with the advent of the new extended roller track, aka L-Track, wherein the rollers continue down the back and under the seat, massaging the gluts and piriformis muscles. A phenomenal innovation for low back and buttock massage. No scooting necessary!
As far as customer support for the Infinity chairs go, I have heard of the Amazon reviews, but my experience with them is quite the opposite. They have been fabulous with taking care of my customer’s needs. As a matter of fact, if you ever do have a problem with any chair from any company for which I sell, and you feel that you are not getting appropriate attention from the manufacturer, just contact me and I’ll get involved. That almost always gets things expedited and taken care of. I don’t leave you high and dry after the purchase, as my customers will attest.
Customer Email #2
Hello Dr. Weidner,
I have had a Panasonic EP1015 for probably close to 20 years and recently realized that one of the (rubber) rollers broke and the bracket that used to hold that roller has actually sliced open the back of the chair. I have attempted to get parts with no success…no surprise there. I really enjoyed that chair, but after owning it for that long it certainly doesn’t owe me anything. Time for a replacement!
Infinity IT-8500
I have purchased the Kindle version of your book and read it over the weekend. I appreciate your insight; coming from a medical professional, it is especially meaningful. I have narrowed the field of chairs down to the Osaki OS-4000T and the Infinity IT-8500. I have tried both chairs and am leaning toward the Osaki as it is appears to be less aggressive than the Infinity and the less expensive price doesn’t hurt either. The Infinity, as you know, has a “music system” which I could care less about. The two biggest factors for me are 1) offering a thorough and effective massage and 2) since it is the only other chair in my office space/man cave besides my desk chair, it needs to be comfortable to sit in as a recliner for reading or watching television.
Do you have any comments on my requirements and choices, and can you offer any advice going forward? Are both companies reputable, etc.?
Thanks for information/advice you can provide.
Very best regards,
Bob
My Response #2
Hi, Bob
Thanks for your email and thanks for using my book as a resource.
Yes, those Panasonic chairs last a long time! Great chairs. The fact that you have already sat on both the Osaki and the Infinity chairs is HUGE when it comes to deciding on which chair to buy. As you have already observed, the IT-8500 is a more vigorous chair, but both chairs are very dependable. I would rate Infinite Therapeutics higher in the customer support department, but both companies take good care of my customers. If you ever do feel as though you are not being heard or your request for support elicits a slow response, just let me know and I’ll get involved…which usually expedites the response from either company 😉
The OS-4000T is a very reliable chair. I have 4 of them in the Salt Lake Airport for the staff of the airport to use and they get used all day long. No problems yet with any of them (knock on wood!). One thing that I like about the Osaki chairs is that the extended warranties include parts and labor for 1 or 2 years, whereas the extended warranty of the Infinity chairs only covers the parts. And, by the way, I do recommend ext. warranties for any Chinese-made massage chair.
The only issue that you might have is that you want either chair “to be comfortable to sit in as a recliner for reading or watching television.” Any massage chair with an exposed ottoman and calf and foot wells is not designed for casual sitting as you would in a regular recliner. The chairs are comfortable to sit in, but if you want to cross your feet at the ankles, as you would with a normal recliner, the calf and foot wells will make that a little difficult.
But, other than that, you are good to go with either chair. Let me know if you have any other questions or if you need any assistance with processing your order. I am always at your disposal.
Customer Email #3
One concern I still have: Inada uses Airbag pressure to do a lot of the functions. In the past when I briefly tried similar chairs, the Air cylinders held my neck or arms in place, but did not seem to really relax my muscles like an intense roller (or human hands) could do. Is there any airbag technology difference between Inada and the other high end chairs?
Loren
My Response #3
Hi, Loren
Yes the DreamWave uses a lot of airbags but aside from the traditional use of airbags in other chairs, Inada uses them a little more creatively…
- Airbags in the headpiece are used to massage the neck and offer compression onto the trap muscles…something we don’t really see in any other chair.
- Airbags on the lateral aspect of the thighs actually offer a pretty deep massage of the IlioTibial Bands…again, something we don’t see very much of. Most other chairs use the hip airbags simply to hold the hips in place while the rollers go up and down the lumbar spine. But, in the DreamWave the airbags actually perform a compression massage.
- Airbags are used to move the seat up and down and side to side…this is what the term “DreamWave” actually alludes to. This is the first chair to use airbags in the seat to introduce passive motion to the low back and pelvis. Again, quite unique and innovative.
Inada DreamWave
4. Waist airbags are used to move both sides of the low back forward, simulating a rotation or “twist” of the lumbar spine. Very innovative in this industry…but now everyone has employed that in their chairs.
I hope this helps a bit in understanding how Inada uses airbags, but not in a typical fashion. Of course, the rollers in the back reach the neck all the way down to the sacral area of the pelvic area. Great roller massage. Combined with the airbags this chair gives quite a remarkable overall massage experience.
Dr. Alan Weidner
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