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: We start with the dry subject of warranty coverage. It is less glamorous than going through the wonderful features on this massage chair, but nonetheless, it is important. Warranty coverage is like insurance. It protects you from disaster-just in case. With large ticket items, you want some protection for shelling out your hard earned money. Panasonic gives you rather light coverage on parts and labor which is covered for only 1 year. Other chairs in this range are longer from the factory. The best coverage which exceeds the norm is one year coverage for field service. Customer service is OK. Overall, we give the EP 1273 a 16 in warranty coverage.

Comfort & Ergonomics: Let us take a look at the EP-1273 from a comfort perspective. The chair back is well padded. You get a pillow to support your head that can accommodate the size of different users. The chair tends to fit the body well and support the back. The materials selected add to the comfort of the chair. The remote is simple for the amount of functions. Panasonic has thought through the design well and earns an 18 for the EP1273.

Ease of Use: As technology advances, we are seeing that more features are being added at incrementally lower costs. That is an excellent trend for consumers. On the other side of this is for manufacturers to keep the use of their equipment simple and easy to use. Luckily, Panasonic is an expert in this field. The EP 1273 is no exception. You can master the controls very quickly and easily. We give this massage chair an 18 for ease of use.

Key Features: There are number of great features with the EP 1273 massage chair recliner. The features we want to point out are the Swede-Atsu massage and the stretching function of the leg rest. The Swede-Atsu massage is a specially designed massage mechanism built into this massage chair. The Swede-Atsu replicates the hand movements of a master masseuse. This is a fabulous technology. Panasonic also incorporates a lower body stretch function. This stretching is accomplished by bring the leg rest up to a horizontal position. It then holds the feet and lowers down, stretching the legs. This is very relieving and a great way to relax after a long day. The EP1273 gets an 18 for its features.

Massage Therapy: The EP1273 gives you a choice of four automatic programs. Select Shiatsu, Deep, Gentle and Refresh at the touch of a button for 15 minutes of relaxing massage therapy. You can also select from 3 manual courses covering the back. You have many choices of manual massages. An interesting feature in the EP 1273 is the back rollers. The back rollers have four firm rubber massage heads which make up the Swede-Atsu massage. The Swede-Atsu massage replicates the stroking with the palm of the hand and the pressing with the heel of the hand. You can also feel the mechanical thumbs apply firm pressure. The kneading massage is firm with the rubber massage heads feeling like strong pressure with the thumbs. You also get a thorough calf and foot massage with the leg ottoman of the EP-1273. We rate the massage therapy of the Panasonic EP-1273 an 18.

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.