Table of Contents
Last week I presented a detailed review of Kahuna’s LM 6800: an entry level massage chair with a more than reasonable price tag. In today’s review, we will be looking at a more advanced chair from Kahuna, step forth the SM 7300!
In case you didn’t know, Kahuna are an American based massage chair manufacturer.
After having scoured the net in an attempt to find an answer to this question, I was able to confirm my initial thought. And that is that the Kahuna chairs are made in China. You shouldn’t at all be surprised by this, as most famous massage chair names (Osaki, Titan, APEX) all have their chairs manufactured out of China.
A decade ago i’d have said yes, but in present day 2019 my answer is quite different. Massage chairs made in China have actually gotten exponentially better than what they used to be. However, Japanese chairs are still superior if you ask me. But they’re also a heck of a lot more expensive!
Because of all the nuances, shopping for a massage chair can become quite confusing. Roller track is one of those nuances you need to pay attention to!
Let’s start right from the top so there’s no confusion. Rollers are the most important component to a massage chair. They’re responsible for massaging your neck, shoulders, upper/lower back, glutes, and hamstrings. It’s not at all an exaggeration to say:
Roller track then describes how a set of rollers traverses from top to bottom. There are 3 main types of roller tracks:
It’s important to know this so you understand the distinction between L-Track & SL-Track. There’s a lot of confusion people have where they think both are the same. They are not the same, nor do they feel or function the same!
Apologies for the long rant here, but I really want to drill the idea home. Hopefully it’s clear now. That being said, the SM 7300 does feature an SL-Track roller. If you look at the image below, you’ll notice that “S” contour from neck to lower back, and the overall “L” shape from neck to hamstrings. This is true “SL” Tracking!
Having reviewed 35-40 odd massage chairs, I’ve yet to come across a single one that has more than 4 rollers. Quad rollers, or a set of 4 rollers seems to be the preferred configuration for most manufacturers.
Instead of using a 4 roller system, they’ve taken it up a notch and have instead gone with a 6 roller system. But do 2 more rollers really make all that much of a difference?
Think of it like this: the magic of human massage is in a massage therapist’s hands, similarly the magic of chair massage is in a chair’s rollers. If you had 2 therapists massaging you instead of 1, how much more effective do you think massage would be? I speak from experience when I say it will be a heck of a lot more effective!
It’s these sorts of innovative designs that get me excited! Well done Kahuna!
The 6 rollers in the SM 7300 are 2-dimensional (AKA 2D). 2D rollers are the oldest and most basic of roller technology (4D is the most advanced). The technology may be old, but 2D rollers are still around for a reason. They give a hell of a massage! Ever heard the saying “old is gold”? That very much applies here!
Vertical and horizontal; that’s all you gotta remember about 2D rollers! The rollers move up/down and across the back from one side to the other. The arrows in the image below describe the vertical and horizontal movements.
User flexibility is how well a massage chair is able to accommodate various body types. The best massage chairs are those that can accommodate a wide range of body types.
If you’re someone with a larger body type, this is massive, as there’s not many chairs that are designed to fit larger/taller frames.
When it comes to auto programs, the more a chair has the better. It’s really as simple as that!
If you’re a no fuss guy like me, then the last thing you wanna do is have to mess around with manual settings every time. And that’s the beauty of automatic routines…..you hop into the chair, grab the remote control, pick a mode, and you’re set!
The 9 auto modes are:
The last 4 modes are categorized as “special”. Special, because they are geared towards a specific individual (such as an athlete, golfer etc.) and are in that sense more focused. The first 5 are considered your “traditional” modes.
It’s pretty easy! Hit the menu button from the remote. This will bring up a list of menus on the remote display.
As can be seen from the image above, the very first option is AUTO. This is what you want to select. When you do, you’ll get the list of all auto massage modes, including the special ones. Select the one you desire, hit ok, and enjoy!
As far as I’m concerned, space saving & zero gravity are 2 features that are a must have! What are these two?
Note: The Zero Gravity function can be activated directly from the remote control by the push of a button.
Well…before we can answer that question it’s best to see how the Kahuna SM 7300 competes against other chairs with similar technology. To give you a good idea of where the SM 7300 stands, we’ll be comparing it against 2 very similar massage chairs:
Well well well….moment of truth time! Should you buy Kahuna’s SM 7300 or should you consider something else, and if so, what? It’s so hard to decide, but after giving it much thought…..
However, I must stress this recommendation is only based on current pricing for all 3 chairs. Which reminds me…..when you’ve narrowed down your search to 3-4 chairs, it’s always a good idea to make note of the pricing on those chairs and monitor how they change over a month or 2. In other words, what I’m trying to say is you should never be in an immediate rush to “pull the trigger!”.
For example, I’ve seen the Pro Maxim on sale several times where the price has been at least $200-300 less than retail. When you buy on an impulse, you pay significantly more than necessary. Waiting pays off!
If you enjoyed reading and got some value out of this review, please consider sharing on the social channels. Also, if there’s a specific chair you’d like me to look at next, please drop a comment and let me know. Otherwise, I’ll see you in the next one!
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