There is a massage chair myth that has been permeated through time about the number of motors. This myth claims that the more motors contained in the massage chair, the better the massage chair. At the height of this myth, companies were claiming to have more and more motors in their massage chairs. The thought being that with more motors, the massage is greatly enhanced. Claims were made to have a massage chair with 6, 8 and even 18 motors. Of course, having more motors could enable more varied movements in the shiatsu massage chairs, but is this actually true?
This myth buster will challenge the more motors the better the chair. There are inherent advantages to having more motors, such as more massage movements. As with anything, there are tradeoffs, such as quantity versus quality. Can a massage chair with 18 motors have the same quality motors in a chair with only 3 motors? Keep in mind that motors are one of the most expensive items in a massage chair. Since, motors are not cheap, as the number of motors increases, the cost of the chair increases holding the quality level equal. Obviously, there is a great chance as motors are added; the quality level of the motors will drop.
Weight is a consideration since motors weigh between 2 lbs to 5 lbs each. Imagine a massage chair with 18 motors, each weighing 5 lbs for a total of 90 lbs just in motors. Motors can quickly add more weight. Space is another important consideration. There is only so much space in a shiatsu massage chair for the motors and the mechanisms driven by the motor. Shiatsu assage chairs with 3 motors in the chair back are already constrained, where do the other 15 motors go?
The real issue is does having more motors increase the quality of the massage? After all, this is the basis of the massage motor myth. Most shiatsu massage chairs, whether high end luxury models to even lower level models tend to use a 3 motor system for the back massage rollers. One motor drives the roller unit up and down the chair back. Two motors are mounted on the roller system with one motor to perform a kneading motion and the other motor to perform a tapping motion. Both motors can be run simultaneously to product a kneading/tapping massage.
Sometimes, 2 motors are used for the kneading by having them run the left and right side independently, but synchronized. The same can be done with the tapping. This can increase the number of motors to 5 in the roller system, but does the quality of massage increase? In our experience, we have not felt a noticeable difference in massage. Again, the tradeoff is to use cheaper motors since you need to have 2 rather than one or significantly increase the price, which puts the chair at a competitive disadvantage. So are more motors better?
Some massage chair companies started this fad and some how it caught on and became perpertuated into myth. We still see massage chair companies hyping that they have 12 or 15 motors. It is obvious that these motors cannot all drive the massage mechanisms. These companies think that if it moves, we can count it as a motor. Having motors is not enough, what do they actually do? This is a myth built on hype and unsubstantiated facts. Why would someone want an overly complex chair with low quality motors? Simple is the elegant solution. - 15438
This myth buster will challenge the more motors the better the chair. There are inherent advantages to having more motors, such as more massage movements. As with anything, there are tradeoffs, such as quantity versus quality. Can a massage chair with 18 motors have the same quality motors in a chair with only 3 motors? Keep in mind that motors are one of the most expensive items in a massage chair. Since, motors are not cheap, as the number of motors increases, the cost of the chair increases holding the quality level equal. Obviously, there is a great chance as motors are added; the quality level of the motors will drop.
Weight is a consideration since motors weigh between 2 lbs to 5 lbs each. Imagine a massage chair with 18 motors, each weighing 5 lbs for a total of 90 lbs just in motors. Motors can quickly add more weight. Space is another important consideration. There is only so much space in a shiatsu massage chair for the motors and the mechanisms driven by the motor. Shiatsu assage chairs with 3 motors in the chair back are already constrained, where do the other 15 motors go?
The real issue is does having more motors increase the quality of the massage? After all, this is the basis of the massage motor myth. Most shiatsu massage chairs, whether high end luxury models to even lower level models tend to use a 3 motor system for the back massage rollers. One motor drives the roller unit up and down the chair back. Two motors are mounted on the roller system with one motor to perform a kneading motion and the other motor to perform a tapping motion. Both motors can be run simultaneously to product a kneading/tapping massage.
Sometimes, 2 motors are used for the kneading by having them run the left and right side independently, but synchronized. The same can be done with the tapping. This can increase the number of motors to 5 in the roller system, but does the quality of massage increase? In our experience, we have not felt a noticeable difference in massage. Again, the tradeoff is to use cheaper motors since you need to have 2 rather than one or significantly increase the price, which puts the chair at a competitive disadvantage. So are more motors better?
Some massage chair companies started this fad and some how it caught on and became perpertuated into myth. We still see massage chair companies hyping that they have 12 or 15 motors. It is obvious that these motors cannot all drive the massage mechanisms. These companies think that if it moves, we can count it as a motor. Having motors is not enough, what do they actually do? This is a myth built on hype and unsubstantiated facts. Why would someone want an overly complex chair with low quality motors? Simple is the elegant solution. - 15438
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