Welcome back to yet another massage chair review! Today we’ll be covering a legendary chair, one that has gained tremendous popularity over the years.
Step forward one of the best 3D massage chairs of yesteryears, the Luraco iRobotics Legend Plus!
In many ways the Legend Plus is still the chair to beat (more on this later!). Since this is my first review on a Luraco product, I feel it’s necessary to share a few interesting facts about these guys and how they made their claim to fame!
#1 They’re 100% American!—Based out of Arlington Texas, Luraco is a tech corporation with stakes in the military, commercial, residential, and industrial sectors. I’m not sure about all of their chairs, but the Legend Plus is 100% designed and manufactured in the US! For those of you who are all about supporting the US economy, Luraco are a great alternative!
#2 Some Of Their Chairs Are FDA & UL Approved!—I know the Legend Plus certainly is! What’s the fuss with FDA approval anyways? Is it a big deal? It’s not a game changer per say, it’s just that you know you have an extra vote of confidence before making a big investment such as a massage chair. However, FDA approval usually doesn’t impact my buying decision.
#3 They’ve Got Tons Of Recognition, Awards, & Patents!—I’m not gonna list them all but one worth mentioning is Luraco were named one of Dallas’ top 100 companies! They apparently also have a grand total of 44 patents, most of which are approved, and the remainder pending.
#4 They’ve Got A Strong Fan-base/Following!—There are those who swear by Osaki/Titan/APEX and the like (I too have a sweet spot for them!), and then there are those who love Luraco. Everything from the aesthetics and design, right down to the customer service and support!
So whatever it is Luraco are doing, people seem to love it. Most of the reviews I’ve read on Luraco massage chairs have all been very positive, and people have had nothing but good things to say about them. I need to understand what all the fuss is about, so without wasting a minute more, let’s dive right in!
Luraco iRobotics Legend Plus-Built In The US!
Luraco iRobotics Legend Plus Massage Chair: 4 Noteworthy Features!
#1 It’s Got A Massively Long L-Track, The Longest I’ve Seen Thus Far!
What is a roller track and why all the fuss? In layman terms, it’s basically a steel contraption that allows the rollers to traverse from one point to another. In other words, it’s the road on which the rollers can travel on!
How long is the L-Track on this chair? 58” ladies/gents! The Legend Plus definitely lives up to its name as far as roller track is concerned.
58” is the longest track I’ve yet to see on any massage chair to this day (early 2021). Pretty darn impressive considering this chair was released more than 3 years ago!
How much coverage can a 58” L-Track get you? To be honest it really depends. It depends on user height. For smaller individuals, a 58” L-Track could easily cover past the hamstrings and close to the back of the knees, and similarly right up the spine closer to the neck/head. For taller individuals, the coverage might not be as much, but still very impressive.
#2 3D Rollers Give You That Extra Bit Of Intensity!
When this chair was released I think 3D rollers were the creme de la creme. Of course now we have 4D rollers and these are very much the pinnacle of roller technology.
However, there are some absolutely phenomenal 2D/3D chairs currently on the market which would be very foolish to overlook! 4D is great but that doesn’t mean all you should buy is 4D!
The thing is not everybody needs the capability offered by a 4D chair. Most will be well covered with 2D/3D rollers, as they are more than able to perform what most people are looking for. To understand and appreciate 3D rollers, you first need to understand and appreciate 2D rollers.
2D Rollers
2-dimensional or 2D are the most simplest of roller systems you can find on a massage chair. If you remember high school math when they taught us how to plot graphs on the x and y axis, 2D rollers are no different! They move along the x axis, think horizontally across the width of the back, and they move along the y axis, think vertically along the back. That’s really all there is to it! Because 2D rollers are so simple, massage chair manufacturers have gained a ton of experience over the years in getting the most out of them!
3D Rollers
3D rollers are the exact same as their 2D counterparts, except for one difference. 3D rollers have an added dimension of inward/outward roller protrusion. This means the rollers can protrude in/out into the user’s back. If you wanna think of it in high school math terms, think of the z-axis, or in other words the third dimension! This extra dimension might not seem as significant, but it most definitely is. This added ability of inward/outward protrusion allows user’s to experience a much deeper, high intensity massage.
We won’t talk about 4D rollers here, but for now you should know that they are more technologically advanced than both 2D/3D.
#3 Extended Heat Therapy—Who Doesn’t Like Warm & Cozy!
There’s many things I love about the Legend Plus, but this is probably one of my favourite features.
On the Legend Plus you have the capability of adjusting the heat therapy to 5 different intensity levels. To me this is revolutionary considering most chairs only give you an activate/deactivate feature!
One of the biggest annoyances with the modern massage chair is it’s inability to effectively integrate heat into the massage experience. What do I mean by this? Well there’s a couple issues.
#1 It’s Either Too Hot Or Nothing At All!—As mentioned previously, most massage chairs only allow you to activate/deactivate the heat function. The problem with this is you only have a single heat setting on the chair and there is no ability to adjust this. Most times, this one setting basically burns a hole in your back because it’s so hot! This isn’t true for all chairs, but I have noticed it on quite a few.
#2 Lower Back Heat Is Fine, But What About Everything Else?—Again 90% of massage chairs can only provide heat therapy to the lower back, lumbar region. This is fine, but what about everything else like the calves, the feet, the buttocks? These areas are just as important as the lower back, and unfortunately most massage chairs do not consider this. It’s usually only a feature on the high end chairs.
Apologies for the long rant, but this is something I feel passionately about, and I wish it would improve on newer models of massage chairs.
I’m happy to report that the heat therapy on the Legend Plus is one of the best I’ve seen in a long time! It’s got heating pads built into the feet, seat, and lower back areas.
Another absolutely phenomenal feature is the 60 airbags located in the shoulder, hand, arm, calf, thigh, and feet areas of the Legend Plus.
Just as it boasts the longest ever L-Track I’ve yet to see on a massage chair, it also boasts probably the most number of airbags!
Just to be clear so we don’t get sidetracked…..more airbags does not necessarily equate to a better massage experience. What’s more important than airbag number is where the airbags are located, how big of a surface they can cover etc. Of course airbag count is important, but it’s not the only thing to look at.
All that being said, the Legend Plus still does incredibly well when it comes to air compression massage!
In fact one of the really cool features on this chair is the adjustable bicep/tricep air massager which is another one of Luraco’s patented technology. You’ll be able to see how this functions in the video below! (check out 1:13)
And A Few More Features To Know Of!
Because there’s so much to talk about this chair, I’ve mentioned the 4 most important features above. However, I think it’s important to briefly discuss some of the other features on the Legend Plus.
#1 9 Auto Modes To Pick From!—You get a total of 9 auto massage routines to select from. Not too shabby, but I’m left expecting a little more considering the expensive price tag.
#2 5 Memory Settings!—This is pretty cool and makes up in some way for the 9 auto modes. You can basically customise a massage in manual mode and then save to memory!
#3 Noise Reduction—It might not be the most important feature because it doesn’t impact overall massage functionality, but the Legend Plus is one of the quietest chairs on the market!
#4 It’s Got A Fantastic Stretch Routine!—The stretch routine on the Legend Plus is one of the best you can find on a massage chair today. Not many chairs can compete with this!
There are several other features such as zero gravity, Bluetooth speakers, body scanning, and dual foot rollers which I won’t spend much time talking about because these are pretty standard on majority of massage chairs today. Granted it might not have been the case when the Legend Plus was released, but it is so today.
Luraco iRobotics Legend Plus Massage Chair Specifications
Luraco iRobotics Legend Plus Massage Chair Specs
Roller Type: L-Track
Roller Length: 58 Inches
Total Airbags: 60
Upright Dimensions: 61"L x 37"W x 47"H
Recline Dimensions: 81"L x 37"W x 47"H
Chair Material: Synthetic & Genuine Leather Combo
Height Range: 5'0" - 6'5" ft
Maximum Recommended Weight: 250 lbs
Luraco iRobotics Legend Plus Massage Chair Pros & Cons
Pros—The Stuff I Like!
Cons—The Stuff I Don’t Like!
58” Unrivalled L-Track!—If there is one thing that’s truly special about the Legend Plus, it’s the L-Track! You can search massage chair after massage chair, but you won’t have any luck in finding a 58” track, not in these times at least!
Heat Therapy Is Effective!—Unlike many other chairs, the heat therapy on the Legend Plus is actually effective. There are several heating pads located throughout the chair with multiple levels of heat intensity to choose from.
Air Compression Massage Is One Of The Best!—Not just the sheer number of airbags, but also the placement of airbags is phenomenal on the Legend Plus. The adjustable arm airbag is also a great way to ensure an effective massage on the biceps and triceps.
5 Memory Slots—Some people will love this and others not so much. If you’re the type of person who likes exploring technology and trying out all the features, then I think you will love this. It takes some messing around and figuring stuff out in manual mode to really appreciate having the option to save a customised massage. Not for everyone….
Definitely The Price—Before I start my rant on pricing, let me just say: I love the Legend Plus. It’s an amazing chair with lots of really awesome features, but all that aside the pricing to me seems outdated. The Legend Plus seems to be priced according to what you’d expect to pay for a massage chair 10 years ago in 2010 maybe! There are 4D chairs with superior roller technology which cost less or around the same as this does (no I’m not kidding!). That being said, I can’t wrap my head around the pricing. What do you think? Agree/disagree? Drop a comment down below!
Should You Buy The Luraco iRobotics Legend Plus Massage Chair?
Yes or no? Take a walk with me for a moment!
Let’s try to answer this question by doing a side by side comparison of the Legend Plus with 2 other 3D massage chairs. For the purpose of our comparison, we will only be looking at 3D chairs since we only want to compare “apples to apples” so to speak. However, you will recall from earlier that you can get a 4D chair at cheaper the price of the Legend Plus!
We will be comparing the Legend Plus to 2 of my favourite 3D massage chairs, both from Osaki: the First Class and the Pro Admiral.
Osaki Pro First Class
It is expensive no question about that, but you’d be hard pressed to find another chair that’s as well balanced as this is. The First Class has got an awesome blend of both features and functionality, and it’s no surprise then that it’s quickly becoming a highly rated sought after chair.
Osaki Pro Admiral
Similar to the First Class in many ways but slightly less superior in some aspects. Still a phenomenal chair from Osaki that continues to gain lots of popularity and fandom. One of my favourite things about the Pro Admiral is it’s flexibility in being able to accommodate a wide range of body types.
Osaki OS Pro First Class
$$$
Price
5’0 – 6’0 ft & 285 lbs.
User Height/Weight
50″ L-Track
Roller Track
23
Auto Modes
24
Airbags
3
Foot Roller Rows
Yes (3 Slots)
Memory Save
Lower Back
Heating Pads
Yes
Calf Rollers
Luraco Legend Plus
$$$$$
Price
5'0 - 6'5 ft & 250 lbs.
User Height/Weight
58″ L-Track
Roller Track
9
Auto Modes
60
Airbags
2
Foot Roller Rows
Yes (5 Slots)
Memory Save
Lower Back, Seat, & Feet
Heating Pads
No
Calf Rollers
Osaki OS Pro Admiral
$$
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
No
Calf Rollers
What do you figure?
Yes the Legend Plus boasts a far more superior roller track with an extra 8-9” of coverage and more airbags, but does this justify the more expensive price tag? In my opinion, no. If I were the one who had to decide, I would not spend as much and would rather opt for the more cheaper First Class or Pro Admiral.
However, everyone is different. You’ll have to decide if spending an extra $2K (approximately) for more airbags and slightly more coverage is worth it!
I just don’t see it. Yes the Legend Plus is a better chair when considering rollers, airbags, and user flexibility, but not by much. In other areas, the 2 Osaki chairs fare better. For example, the 2 Osaki chairs have far more auto modes, better foot rollers, and the First Class even has calf rollers, something the Luraco Legend Plus doesn’t have.
It’s not as clear cut as I would’ve liked because the Legend Plus is still an awesome awesome chair, but after having considered it all, my final recommendation is to opt for either of the 2 Osaki chairs in favour of the Luraco Legend Plus.
Significant Caveat: My final recommendation is based on the current pricing of all 3 chairs at this time. Of course, prices are subject to change in the future, and this should be considered before deciding on what makes most sense to purchase. I wanted to make this clear, as I love the Legend Plus and I can see why it has become so popular over the years.
However, it falls short as far as pricing is concerned.
And that concludes today’s review ladies/gents. I hope you enjoyed reading, and most importantly got some value out of this. If you did, please do consider sharing this post on the social channels. As always, please do not hesitate to get in touch should you have comments/questions. See y’all next week!
4 years ago
Eve
Just an average bloke intrigued by massage and its incredible benefits. Oh, did I mention I also own a massage chair? More on that in the blog posts!