There is a myth on shiatsu massage chairs since its existence that the more motors that you have on your chair the better. Since that myth came out, more and more companies trying to incorporate more motors on their chairs in an effort to put themselves on top of the market for manufacturers of shiatsu massage chairs. Logic will tell us that more motors means more movements or more techniques can be applied on the massage. The question now is, is the myth true or not?
We are about to challenge the myth on shiatsu massage chairs that the more motors your chair have the more effective the massages are. Manufacturers in the past have responded to this myth and some companies have somehow incorporated 18 motors in to the chair. Logic will again tell us that more motors means the chair will be expensive since motors don’t come cheaply. Will the quantity of motors really improve the quality of your massage chair? Let’s find out even more.
For every motor placed in the chair that means another space is filled and additional mechanisms must be added to give life to the motor and perform the function it is designed to do. Remember, motors are fairly heavy with a weight of 2 – 5 lbs each and with 18 motors and with 5 lbs each, that totals to 90 lbs. You still have your added mechanisms, frame, leathers and cushions and other components and accessories that can also add a lot of weight in your chair.
The question asked earlier, if more motors will improve the quality of massages as this was the basis of the myth. Shiatsu massage chairs, may it be high end or medium level massage chairs uses 3 motors for the rollers. One of the three motors will drive the other two up and down with the one performing the kneading motion and while the other performs a tapping motion for the acupressure on your back and both functions, the kneading and tapping can be performed at the same time.
Often times on other models, two motors are tasked to perform the kneading task and are running independently from each other but are synchronized. Same numbers of motors can be found on tapping functions as well plus the rollers that will give you five motors total. Does it increase the quality of massage compared to chairs that have 3 motors? In our experience, no it has not. The trade off then is to use cheaper motors on your 5 motor chair to compete with the price of a 3 motor chair that doesn’t really offer a difference in quality of massage offered. By installing cheaper parts, it lowers the massage chairs life expectancy and may offer lower warranties in the process.
So what does more motor offer to the table if lesser motors can provide the same quality, cheaper massage chair and lighter weight in comparison? By having more motors the design becomes more complex. Additional components wirings and controls as well as software must be added to make the extra motors work. Complexity on designs means more rigorous testing must the chair is subjected to, to ensure functionality of the parts. Additional motors means additional potential problems to your massage chair in the long run. The simpler the design then without sacrificing quality on performance and durability of the product is much better. So don’t believe in the myth that more motors will be better.