Table of Contents
Kyota M673 Kenko Massage Chair Review
Pros
- Very Well Priced For A 3D Chair!
- Tons Of Auto Modes Make For An Interesting Experience!
- User Flexibility Makes This A Great Chair For Both Taller & Shorter Individuals!
Cons
- None!
Kyota By Infinity!
My very first review of a Kyota chair was a few weeks ago. I reviewed the E330 Kofuko and while I wasn’t expecting to be, I was impressed! All in all, good value for money, pretty good functionality, and finally user experience was up to par.
I haven’t always been impressed by Infinity chairs, and since Kyota are basically a division of Infinity, I wasn’t expecting too much. The E330 has my vote of confidence!
Coming into this review, I now have high expectations of the M673 Kenko! We’ll dive into the key features next, but before we do, what is it that defines the M673 Kenko?
That’s a quick overview on Kyota chairs and my limited exposure to them. Take it for what it’s worth. As I review more of these chairs, I will definitely know more. For now, let’s dive into the M673 Kenko and see what this bad boy is all about!
Kyota M673 Kenko Massage Chair: 4 Really Cool Features You Should Know About!
#1 Quad 3D Rollers Mounted On An L-Track!
Roller technology is all the craze when it comes to massage chairs. If you go to a massage chair showroom, everyone is talking rollers and airbags. We’ll touch on the former for now.
What are rollers in layman terms? And why the heck are they so important!
Ever been to a car dealership before? Most of us probably have! For those of us who haven’t, we’ve probably dealt with a car salesman at one point or another. Anyways, a car salesman looooves to talk engines! Oh it’s got so many horsepower, and this sort of camshaft, and this much torque….blah blah blah….you get the point!
Just as the engine is the main contraption of cars, rollers are the main contraption of massage chairs!
Which explains why all the massage chair salespeople love to talk about rollers. They could probably talk about them from morning to night. Does that mean everything else is not important? Absolutely not! As we’ll see there are several other aspects one should carefully consider when buying a massage chair, and rollers are only one of them, albeit an important one.
To get a full appreciation of 3D rollers, you need to have an understanding of 2D rollers. And since we’re talking 2D rollers, we might as well throw in 4D rollers so you get a full picture of what all is available at the current time!
What do you figure? Can you tell how each roller type functions based on the images above?
It’s not that straightforward, so let’s take a moment to break it down:
The rollers themselves are important, but just as important is the track the rollers travel on. The track is essentially a long span of steel designed to allow the rollers to move from point A to point B. Just as there are different types of rollers, there are different types of roller tracks. The main 2 are an S-Track and an L-Track.
The biggest difference between both is that an L-Track has the added advantage of giving extended coverage down to the glutes and hamstrings, something that you won’t find in a shorter S-Track, but….
S-Track chairs have better stretch routines because the track is shorter and therefore the chair can “stretch out” much further than an L-Track could. If stretch routines are important, you may consider an S-Track!
All that being said, the M673 Kenko comes equipped with a high performing 49” L-Track. Because it’s 49” long, you get massage coverage from the neck basically all the way right down to the glutes and hamstring muscles. To most people coverage is more important than stretch, therefore an L-Track chair is usually more preferred!
#2 10 Auto Modes Keep Things Interesting Each Time!
When it comes to massage, there’s 2 types of people:
If you’re someone who likes to have many options to choose from, you best pick a chair with lots of auto modes! The M673 Kenko doesn’t disappoint as it comes pre-loaded with 10 pre-programmed auto massage modes, all of which can be easily activated directly from the remote control.
If you’re someone who prefers consistency, then a large number of auto modes might not be super important to you. Even still, it’s never a bad idea to opt for a chair with more auto modes versus one with fewer.
What are these auto modes and what are the steps to access them?
The 10 auto modes are rest and sleep, working relief, extension, neck and shoulder, waist and spine, sports refresh, all air, deep shiatsu, healthy breathing, and massage extend. All 10 can be accessed by following the steps outlined below:
One of the things that most impresses me with Kyota chairs is the sheer number of auto modes they come loaded with. This was evident on the E330 and is also true for the M673. Kudos to Kyota for taking user experience seriously!
#3 Space Saving Recline—A Common But Important Feature!
Space saving recline is one of those things that’ll either be a gamechanger, or it’ll be a moot point for you. If you have tons of room in your home, space saving is not critical. On the flipside, if you’re short on space, then this becomes incredibly important!
What is space saving recline and how does it function in theory?
It’s pretty simple. As the chair reclines further backwards, it simultaneously slides forward on a base. It’s this sliding forward action that ends up saving a ton of room from backrest to the wall, and as a result you require less clearance. For the M673 Kenko, the required clearance is 4 inches. All things considered, not too shabby!
I have seen chairs which can do 2 inches, but an extra 2 inches won’t be a deal breaker for most folks!
#3 They Say It’s Got The Longest Calf Massage On A Massage Chair!
This is what Kyota have claimed. What does it mean to have the “longest” calf massage?
It basically means that you get way more coverage than you would on other chairs. This coverage is made possible because of the extra long calf airbags.
These airbags are able to provide massage from the knees right down to the feet. It is pretty impressive no doubt, but for me it’s not the best way to massage the calves.
If you ask me, the best design is to have independent calf rollers working in tandem with calf airbags. This approach works best because it massages the calves using rolling, kneading, and compression massage. This will be much more effective than massaging the calves just through air compression.
But that’s not to say Kyota’s design is not a significant improvement. It most definitely is, but it would be even better if they would have integrated calf rollers as well! I guess you can’t have everything.
#4 Independent Foot Rollers!
As newer massage chairs continue to be released, foot rollers are becoming more and more of a norm. Before it used to be something you’d be expected to pay a premium for, but now you can almost come to expect that most massage chairs are all equipped with foot rollers.
Are foot rollers important? How much importance should be given to them?
I definitely think so, and I speak from some experience being the owner of a chair that does not have foot rollers. My advice is to always look for chairs which come equipped with foot rollers. Of course this won’t be too hard considering most chairs these days all have them.
Kyota M673 Kenko Massage Chair Specifications
- Kyota M673 Massage Chair Specs
- Roller Type: L-Track
- Roller Length: 49 Inches
- Total Airbags: 40
- Upright Dimensions: 38"L x 29"W x 48.50"H
- Recline Dimensions: 57"L x 29"W x 38"H
- Chair Material: Synthetic Leather
- Height Range: 4'10" - 6'4" ft.
- Maximum Recommended Weight: 300 lbs
Kyota M673 Kenko Massage Chair Pros & Cons
- A Lot of Auto Modes!—For me auto modes are a big deal, so knowing the M673 Kenko comes loaded with 10 auto modes is definitely a huge plus simply because it does a lot to improve overall user experience!
- Medium To High Intensity Massage—Which is made possible thanks to the 3D rollers which are able to protrude inward/outward from the back.
- Fantastic User Flexibility!—I may have not mentioned it earlier, but the user flexibility on this chair is pretty darn good. It’s able to accommodate individuals ranging from a height of 4-10′-6’4′ ft and up to a total weight of 300 lbs. It’s rare you find chairs that can fit individuals less than 5 feet, so this is definitely good to see.
- Nothing I Can Presently Think Of!—Once again I think Kyota have done the important things really well, so it’s difficult for me to find something wrong with the chair. That being said, I’d like to see how it compares to similar 3D chairs to get a better idea. Not to worry because I’ll be going through a comparison next!
How Does The Kyota M673 Kenko Compare To Other 3D Massage Chairs? And What Should You Buy?
At the present time and with 2020 coming to a close, there’s tons and tons of massage chairs to choose from. Of course this is a good thing because it gives consumers lots of options! However, it can become stressful if you’re looking at 20 massage chairs and have not the slightest of clue what to pick.
Research is paramount when it comes to buying an expensive investment such as a massage chair! It’ll save you from serious disappointment.
To give you a quick and dirty idea on how to compare and contrast, we will be comparing the M673 Kenko to 2 other massage chairs, both from Osaki.
Just as its name suggests, it’s top notch! With 23 auto modes to pick from, this is without a doubt a definite contender for best 3D massage chair!
One of my favourite 3D chairs for the longest time! Just like the First Class, it’s got a good balance of features!
- Osaki OS Pro First Class
- $$$$$
Price - 5’0 – 6’0 ft & 285 lbs.
User Height/Weight - 50″ L-Track
Roller Track - 23
Auto Modes - 24
Airbags - 3
Foot Roller Rows - Yes
Memory Save - Lower Back
Heating Pads
- Kyota M673 Kenko
- $$
Price - 4'10 - 6'4 ft & 300 lbs.
User Height/Weight - 49″ L-Track
Roller Track - 10
Auto Modes - 40
Airbags - 2
Foot Roller Rows - No
Memory Save - Lower Back
Heating Pads
- Osaki OS Pro Admiral
- $$$$
Price - 5’0 – 6’4 ft & 240 lbs.
User Height/Weight - 49″ L-Track
Roller Track - 16
Auto Modes - 24
Airbags - 3
Foot Roller Rows - No
Memory Save - Lower Back & Calves
Heating Pads
Out of the 3, what chair should you get?
In terms of price, the cheapest option is the Kyota M673 Kenko, and that too by quite a bit! However, both the Pro Admiral and Pro First Class eclipse the M673 in terms of overall features and specifications. It’s obvious that these 2 are the better chairs, that there’s no question.
However, you will have to decide what’s more important you: spending an extra $1-2K for a superior chair with a lot more auto modes, and some additional features, or forgoing those in favour of cost reduction?
There is no right answer of course. Decide wisely!
Do Not Hesitate To Get In Touch!
That brings us to the end of this post. If you have any burning questions, please do not hesitate to get in touch, irrespective if whether your question is about this chair or any other.
Best of luck, happy holidays, and we’ll see you next week!
Hi Eve!
Your reviews are awesome! I have a question. I’m currently trying to decide which massage chair I should buy. So far I’ve narrowed down my choices to Titan Prime 3D and Kyota M673. I’ve found both for just under $2,000, which is the top of my budget. Am I missing out on another chair you might recommend over those two?
I was hoping you might be able to tell me your preference. For reference, I would say I work out a lot and am looking forward to both relaxing in the chair as well as working on various knots and sore spots every night.
Thanks so much, and keep up the great work!
Howdy Roy! My sincere apologies for not getting back to you sooner. I hope all is well. Did you end up buying a chair already? If not, the Pro Omega is one you may want to check out. There’s also the Pro Cascade which is worth checking out. Look forward to hearing, and please let me know if you have any questions!
I did end up buying a chair – totally blew past my budget but figured if I’m going to have this for a long while, I should get the chair I want! “Buy once, cry once.” I ended up going with a Positive Posture Brio Sport and have loved every second of it!
That’s awesome to hear Roy! Happy to hear that you found something you like. I will need to review that chair soon! Take care and feel free to keep me updated in the coming months.