Table of Contents
Osaki OS Hiro LT 3D Massage Chair Review
Pros
- Brushless Motors Are More Efficient & Make For Quiet Operation
- Ultra Long 52'' L-Track Pairs Well With The 3D Rollers
Cons
- Poor Value For Money!
- Too Few Auto Modes
- Heat Therapy Is Lacking
(Note: This is an affiliate link.)
First Impressions: It Bears A Hefty Price Tag!
Today on the menu is the Osaki OS Hiro, a chair that came out about 6 months before the start of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020. That makes it a couple of years old since it’s a late 2019 release, but still very relevant and therefore worth talking about.
Talking first impressions….it sure does cost a lot of coin!
Currently retailing for $5,699 on Prime Massage Chairs (at the time of writing this review), I am a little shocked to honestly see a 3D chair retail for this much in 2022. There are some nice features on the Hiro which we will touch on later, but no ways do they warrant the Hiro bearing such an exorbitant price tag.
Don’t get me wrong, it’s not a bad chair or anything of the sort. It’s decent enough for a 3D chair, but definitely not my best 3D chair, and definitely not something I would spend even remotely close to $6K on!
Okay, before we get in to features and specs…..the OS Hiro comes in 3 different color schemes: taupe, black, and brown.
I’m really starting to grow on the lighter color schemes, but I do err on the side of caution as I know long term maintenance might be a tricky one with something like taupe versus black for instance.
Alright, let’s talk features!
Osaki OS Hiro LT Massage Chair: Key Features!
Aside from a few notable differences, there’s nothing too special to talk about the OS Hiro. It doesn’t have many auto modes, heat therapy is basic and just on the lumbar area, 14 airbags which is acceptable, foot rollers, and a basic remote controller.
Not downplaying it’s capabilities, simply stating that what you’re getting for this price tag is really quite minimum. If you don’t believe me now, you will as we go through the comparisons!
That all being said, there are a few good things: one are the Japanese brushless motors which essentially makes the Hiro more quiet in operation, more reliable, and definitely more robust in the long term, and two is the ultra long 52” L-Track.
The rest are pretty standard features (space saving recline, Bluetooth speakers, 8 auto modes, foot rollers, and lumbar heating) which I will not be spending too much time talking about. It’s not that these are not important, it’s just that they are what you can expect to find on pretty much 95% of massage chairs today.
#1 Japanese Brushless Motors—Definitely A Good Improvement
A major enhancement on the OS Hiro is something known as brushless motors. With this kind of system, you generally get much better performance compared to your brushed motors.
You get better performance, because friction and heat generation is completely minimized. Because of a reduction in both of these things, you can also expect a longer working life. If you want to read more about brushed versus brushless motors, check out this article!
It’s definitely a positive no question about it, but it still doesn’t warrant costing as much as it does. Also, motors are not the only integral component to a massage chair!
What I would like to see is more and more manufacturers experimenting with new and more advanced technology. Voice operation was making huge waves in 2021 and will continue to do so in 2022, but it would be nice to see newer and better ways of doing things in the massage chair world!
Anyways, that’s my 2 cents for what it’s worth!
#2 Ultra Long 52” L-Track w/ 3D Rollers!
Probably the standout feature of the OS Hiro (aside from the brushless motors) is the ultra long 52” L-Track. There’s a lot to talk about here, so let’s break it all down.
First things first, what in the world are rollers? And why are they given so much importance anyways!?
The roller is to a massage chair as an engine is to a car. In other words, it’s a hugely important component without which there would be no massage chair. Why is it so important? Let’s look at this some more.
The rollers on a massage chair are typically responsible for delivering 70-75% of massage to the body, the rest is delivered by pulsating airbags. This is why rollers are so important. If they do well to provide an effective and relaxing massage, that’s 75% of the job done!
Airbags are in place to makeup for areas that the rollers are unable to reach and therefore massage. While airbags do make up for the gap, they are not the best at delivering massage. A pulsating airbag can only do so much after all!
The OS Hiro comes equipped with 3D rollers. 3D stands for 3-dimensional and this type of roller can move in 3 different ways. It can move in/out of the back, it can move up/down along the length of the back, and finally it can move side to side along the width of the back. The image below depicts exactly this.
Now that you have a basic understanding of massage chair rollers, let’s look at roller track. Roller track is basically an elongated structure which the rollers are mounted on. The purpose of a roller track is to allow the rollers to move from one point to another.
Is it true that the longer the roller track, the better the massage experience? Generally, yes this does hold true.
However, as is the case with everything, there’s a trade off. With ultra long L-Track’s, you do lose out on a proper stretch routine because the elongated structure does prevent how far back a chair can “stretch out”. I do think it’s a small compromise and my preference has always towards chair’s with longer roller tracks.
#3 14 Airbags Located In Different Parts
Unlike the roller track, where we said the longer the better, more airbags in a massage chair does not necessarily make it better!
If anything, more airbags means a requirement for more mechanical equipment (valving, larger compressor etc.) and therefore more strain on the chair in the long term.
Something that Osaki have done really well on some of their newer chairs is reducing the overall number of airbags, while still ensuring the surface coverage remains the same. So you don’t lose out on how much compression massage you’d be receiving.
The OS Hiro has 14 airbags located in different parts of the chair. This would be the shoulders, arms, calves, and feet. See the image below for a clearer depiction.
Osaki OS Hiro LT Massage Chair Specifications
- Osaki OS Hiro LT Massage Chair Specs
- Roller Type: 3D
- Roller Length: Approximately 52 Inches
- Total Airbags: 14
- Upright Dimensions: 61"L x 29.1"W x 49"H
- Recline Dimensions: 79.5"L x 29.1"W x 43"H
- Chair Material: Synthetic Leather
- Height Range: 5'0" - 6'2"
- Maximum Recommended Weight: 260 lbs
(Note: This is an affiliate link.)
Osaki OS Hiro LT Massage Chair Pros & Cons!
- Brushless Motors Are A Good Addition—Not only do they make for a much quieter operation, brushless motors also increase the longevity of the massage chair (as discussed previously).
- 52” L-Track—The 52” L-Track coupled with the 14 airbags work really well to provide a solid, full body massage experience. 3D rollers also give the user an added dimension of protrusion to play around with. If one wants something more intense, this is an option, if they want something less intense, this is also an option.
- Oh My God The Price!—I cannot justify paying almost $6K for the OS Hiro, and trust me when I say I’ve looked at it from all angles and I fail to see it. The 52” L-Track, brushless motors, and everything else come nowhere close to agreeing with the chair’s exorbitant valuation. What do you think? Agree/disagree with my thinking? Drop a comment and let me know!
- Only Lumbar Heating!?—Disappointed to see that the OS Hiro only comes equipped with one heating element on the lower back, lumbar region. At the minimum I’d have expected to see lumbar and foot heating pads. Sigh….
- 8 Auto Modes Is Too Few!—Again, 8 auto modes is what I’d expect on any other chair, so why would I pay close to a used car to get this one!?
(Note: This is an affiliate link.)
Should You Buy The Osaki OS Hiro LT Massage Chair?
By this point I think you probably already know my answer, but in case you don’t….
No, given the current pricing ($5,699 on Prime Massage Chairs), I recommend steering far far away from the OS Hiro at this time!
Unless this thing drops by like half the price or more, it’s just not worth looking into. I know there might be a few of you who disagree with me, so I will back up my recommendation by doing a comparison to 2 other 3D massage chairs – which you should consider. Both are Titan chairs – the Pro Omega and the 3D Quantum.
One of my favorite 3D massage chairs at the time of writing this post! It’s about as well balanced you can find these days. It’s got calf rollers, a long L-Track, voice activated control, and best of all it’s much more reasonably priced than the OS Hiro!
Similar to the Pro Omega with a few small differences. This one doesn’t have calf rollers, but does have quite a few more auto modes, and better heat therapy. It’s biggest selling point? It’s even cheaper than the Pro Omega as you’re about to see!- Titan Pro Omega 3D
- $$
Price - 5’0 – 6’3 ft & 270 lbs.
User Height/Weight - 48-50″ L-Track
Roller Track - 8
Auto Modes - 28
Airbags - 2
Foot Roller Rows - Yes
Voice Activated Control - Lower Back
Heat Therapy - Yes
Calf Rollers - 1 Inch
Required Clearance - Synthetic Leather
Leather Upholstery
- Osaki OS Hiro LT
- $$$$$$
Price - 5'0 - 6'2 ft & 260 lbs.
User Height/Weight - 52″ L-Track
Roller Track - 8
Auto Modes - 14
Airbags - 2
Foot Roller Rows - No
Voice Activated Control - Lower Back
Heat Therapy - No
Calf Rollers - 1 Inch
Required Clearance - Synthetic Leather
Leather Upholstery
- Titan 3D Quantum
- $
Price - 5'0 - 5'10 ft & 260 lbs.
User Height/Weight - 48-50″ L-Track
Roller Track - 15
Auto Modes - 24
Airbags - 2
Foot Roller Rows - Yes
Voice Activated Control - Lower Back & Calves
Heat Therapy - No
Calf Rollers - 3 Inches
Required Clearance - Synthetic Leather
Leather Upholstery
As you can see from the above table, the Pro Omega and the 3D Quantum are generally more superior than the OS Hiro whether you look at number of auto modes, the inclusion of calf rollers, heat therapy, and even overall operation and control!
The only area where the OS Hiro is superior is with the brushless motors and a slightly longer L-Track (the difference is not significant), but otherwise it stands no chance!
Most importantly, the price is affordable for the Pro Omega and 3D Quantum. This is not the case for the OS Hiro. Based on the comparison above, my final recommendation is simple:
Go with either the Pro Omega or the 3D Quantum, no brainer!
(Note: These are affiliate links to Amazon. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.)
The Proof Is In The Pudding!
The age old verbiage applies once again! That being said, feel free to drop your comments down below, and I’ll be more than happy to assist in any way I am able.
Alright, that’s all from me folks. I’ll see you next week with another review. If there’s a specific chair you’d like me to check out, let me know! Be safe and be well!
Osaki OS Hiro LT 3D images were used with permission from Osaki Massage Chair
Hi!
First thanks for your reviews they truly help new buyers out a lot! Ok so for my question regarding the Osaki OS Hiro LT 3D – as you noted this chair isn’t worth the coin that they are asking however Costco currently has it on sale for $2999.99 USD so at that price do you think it’s a good choice? Second question, I looked at the Titan TI-Pro Omega 3D reviews on Amazon and many were not positive so do you think in the $2000 to $3000 price range there is a better chair than the above Osaki? Side note, the huge advantage of buying from Costco is they will return anything so I’m more inclined to buy something from their line up. Would love your thoughts and appreciate being able to ask for your input! Thank you.
Hi Cary, so awesome to hear from you! Todd asked me the exact same question and so I will say the same thing I said to him. That is, $3K is definitely a lot better than the almost $6K price tag but still a bit on the higher side, however, I imagine you will get to test out the chair at Costco? If this is true, then this is a massive advantage. I also agree with what you have said about returns being less of an issue at Costco! You are also correct about the reviews, unfortunately I can’t offer much on that since I don’t actually own the Omega.
This is the thing with massage chairs, you have way more options online, but you sacrifice being able to test it out before buying. It’s a trade off and everyone will approach it differently depending on how risk averse they are. I know this is not a conclusive answer, but I hope it provides some context. Let me know if you have follow-up questions!
Thanks for the review! So, Costco currently has these on sale for $3,000. What are your thoughts on the chair for that price?
Thanks for dropping a comment Todd! $3,000 is still more expensive than the other 2 chairs, but the massive positive with maybe buying it from Costco is that you can try it out and see how you like it. I assume it’s in the store physically, correct?