Homedics QRM-400H Therapist Select Quad-Roller Massaging Cushion with Heat
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List Price: Our Price: $150.00 You Save: $29.99 (17%) Availability: Usually ships in 3-5 weeks Category: Health Care See more product details |
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Customer Reviews of Homedics QRM-400H Therapist Select Quad-Roller Massaging Cushion with Heat
Customer Review: The Scoop on the QRM-400H Massaging Cushion with Heat
Summary: 4 Stars
Customer review from the Amazon Vine™ Program (What's this?)
Set up couldn't be more simple. You free the Messaging Cushion of box and plastic, remove one screw located on the bottom, plug it in, and begin enjoying --while reading the instructions.
At least that is the way I did it. One of my tests for electronic products is what I call the 'idiot test'. Can I get the product to work without reading more than the tags that actually come attached to the item. In this case, no problem. The screw with its hex-key thingie was attached to the Seat along with a brightly colored set of instructions which warned me that I'd break the Seat if I didn't rip off the tag and remove the screw.
After that, I looked for further tags. Finding none, I set the cushion on a kitchen chair, fit the restraining straps over the back, plugged it in, sat down and discovered to my never ending pleasure that the controller was attached so that the kids couldn't wander off with it. The controller was clearly labelled so that experimentation was easy. There is even a demo mode that lets you experience all the options.
[Note: My 7 y.o. daughter loves this cushion HOWEVER you'd be crazy to leave a child unmonitored with it. The company gives a warning about how fingers -little and big-- should keep away from the powerful massagers.]
PROS:
-- Two Year Warranty! WooHoo. I don't think my laptop came with a 2 year warranty, so this is superb.
-- Almost any back can benefit from heat. The fact that the heating element cuts off after three minutes should ensure that all but the most stubborn of us don't over do it.
Good for Mild back problems:
-- If you are suffering from what many call 'sore back' this would be a good product for you to experiment with. It has two modes of operation: One with long strokes, the other with shiatsu type movement.
There are several useful sub-adjustments. Besides the choice between the shiatsu or long stroke action, you can adjust distance (width) between the rollers. You can also choose to 'focus' on a particular area. Especially good if it's the mid-region (Thoracic) -secretary's back - that plaguing you.
CONSIDERATIONS:
-- If you are tall you are going to miss out on any massage to the upper thoracic region of the spine.
-- If you have disk compression you will need to proceed slowly and carefully with this product. I myself have problems with the ever popular L-4 and L-5. And fortunately for you (and for reviewing purposes) these disks were acting up. I'd have to say in general that while the heat was soothing that the messaging providing little relief for the muscle spasms I was experiencing. I thought, in fact, that it might have made it worse.
-- The dang thing is noisy. I'm not talking ear-plug, 110 db noisy, but I wouldn't use it in a baby's nursery.
Four Stars. A 2-Year Warranty makes this a superior purchase in it's category. With heat and multiple message options it would be a great choice for people with normal back aches and strains.
For those of us with more serious problems, it could be of benefit. I suggest starting out with a towel between you and the chair to mute the massaging effect, at least initially.
Customer Review: Like a massage by a real person
Summary: 4 Stars
Customer review from the Amazon Vine™ Program (What's this?)
I just received my Homedics QRM-400H Massaging Cushion and experienced my first few massages.
I must say that I am impressed. I own a previous Homedic model that also offers Shiatsu massage but this new model is quite a bit better.
First, the Shiatsu mode feels more "cushioned" now. Which is a very good thing because the old model's massage often left my back hurting and sore for days - and No, I did not run it all day :-). The QRM-400H massages/kneads extremely well but not to the point of pain. Unlike with the old Homedics model, I do not need a towel or blanket between my back and the cushion.
The modes are Shiatsu and Rolling, each with full back, upper back, lower back, with or without heat modes. The heat function works very well and helps with the muscle relaxation, it is not too hot either, just very comfortable. There is also a Demo mode to demonstrate what the cushion can do.
The kneading in the Shiatsu mode almost feels like real knuckles digging into the muscles, very nice. What I really love is the ability to halt the massage rollers in a certain spot. I often experience knotted-up muscles only in a very small area of my back and this feature helps with concentrating on those painful spots. The old massage cushions kept doing their thing: Up and down, and up again, where those spots were only worked on very briefly. To now be able to give these spots exactly the attention they need is great.
The manual describes the Rolling mode as "two hands working slowly up and down your spine" but I found it rather unimpressive. It is a nice feeling, but nothing more - rather mechanical and not nearly as intense as the Shiatsu mode. One good thing though: While in Rolling mode, one can adjust the width of the massage - something I find quite useful. I could also see using the Rolling mode when I am looking for relaxation rather than an intense massage, but all in all I will probably use the Shiatsu mode much more than the Rolling mode.
There were a few Cons I would also like to mention and which made me give this product only 4 stars instead of 5:
1.Before using the cushion for the first time, one has to remove a screw with an included Allen wrench. It took me more than 10 minutes to get this screw out, mainly because the wrench was rather small and didn't get a good grip on the screw. Quite frustrating.
2. The cushion has a rather plastic-y smell which I find unpleasant. The manufacturer included an information sheet saying that this odor is completely harmless, but breathing it for an extended amount of time gave me a headache.
3. As with all of these massage cushions, the "upper back" mode leaves something to be desired. The massage rollers don't travel nearly high enough to reach the areas where many people have their problems areas - the shoulders. So if you experience mainly knots in your shoulder muscles, save yourself the expense because the rollers simply don't go there (unless, maybe, you were a very short person).
All in all though I am happy with the cushions and would readily recommend this product.
Customer Review: A Good Massage Cushion w/ Some Flaws
Summary: 3 Stars
Customer review from the Amazon Vine™ Program (What's this?)
I was going to do a video review of this product, but Debra Hamel did an excellent one so I won't go overkill.
Let me start off by saying that this portable massage cushion is the best I've ever tried (short of a full chair). It provides a great variety of back massages from the rolling to shiatsu; upper, lower or full back and with heat or without. The first day I got it had a bit of a smell but that disappated quickly and was not too offensive. Set-up took about 10 minutes and it was ready for action. It fit well on my work chair and gave me a great massage. I did 3 increments of 15 minute programs. Afterwards my back was relaxed and loose - you've gotta love the heat.
I took it around my office and let about 7 other people use it and they all loved it. But their few complaints were the same as mine.
1. The bottom cushion design is such that on a chair that isn't very deep, you feel like you are falling off it.
2. The back cushion reduces the depth of the chair, so a deeper chair works better. (see 1)
3. Lean up against the rollers too hard and the massage can become painful.
4 Noise. It is by no means overly load, but the roller noise is audible and can be a distraction if in a quiet environment.
5. The lights stay on until unplugged.
6. Here is the biggie ... it does not reach high enough on the back. The number one complaint was that it did not reach the should and neck area. Even people in the mid 5 foot range complained of this. They sell separate neck and shoulder massagers, but it would be great to have an all in one product.
All said though, it is a quality product that I would recommend with those caveats. Definitely the best value in the line of Homedic massage cushions, though the priciest. If they could just get it to reach the neck and shoulders, they'd have a perfect product here. Until then, my mid to lower back is happy. This is a holiday gift that WOULD get used by the recipient!
Other massage cushions in the HoMedics line:
HoMedics 8 Motor Faux Suede and Shearling Cushion - Black
HoMedics SBM-200 Therapist Select Shiatsu Back Massaging Cushion with Traveling Action
Homedics SBM-200H Therapist Select Shiatsu Massaging Cushion with Heat
HoMedics QRM-400 Quad Roller Massaging Cushion with Traveling Shiatsu Massage
HoMedics SBM-300 Therapist Select Shiatsu Plus Massaging Cushion
Homedics SBM-300H Therapist Select Shiatsu PLUS Massaging Cushion with Heat
Customer Review: good but could be better
Summary: 4 Stars
Customer review from the Amazon Vine™ Program (What's this?)
It's not very useful to review a product in terms of what it is not. This is not a personal masseuse and it is not a very expensive massage recliner. It is a very nice massage cushion.
I don't have back troubles but I do spend a lot of time sitting at a desk, often with bad posture, and often with the stress of work tightening up my shoulders and back. This cushion is a wonderful way to ease some of that tension by providing up to a fifteen minute massage.
This model provides four rollers rather than two, providing a more thorough and natural feeling massage that doesn't feel like being poked in the back. The massage rollers are fairly strong, however, so those who are sensitive might want to cushion the cushion a little bit with a towel. Personally I loved the strength of it and wouldn't want it to be weaker.
There are two types of massage, roller and shiatsu. The first basically goes up and down, with the option to control the width of the rollers. The shiatsu kneads the back, without the ability to control width. Both allow the choice of massaging the whole back, or just the upper or just the lower. Also, and this is a great option, each can be focused even more specifically on a particular area. These options get the massage to exactly where it is needed the most.
To add a little show to the massage the roller mechanisms are lit--red when the optional heat is on, blue when the heat is off.
For what it is, a portable cushion that can be strapped to just about any type of chair, I think the QRM-400H is very, very good.
But it's not perfect. First a small complaint. The heat doesn't get warm enough for me. I can kind of feel the warmth, but barely so, and likely not enough for the heat to make a big difference. Not a big deal, and maybe others might notice the heat more than I do.
The key problem I find, however, is that it only comes in one size. One size does not fit all backs. For those who are between say 5'2' and 5'8 this is likely a perfect massage, reaching from bottom to the top of a back. I'm six feet tall. Which makes this cushion a very effective lower and middle back massage, but not at all helpful for my upper back. As my shoulders and upper back are where I tend to keep most of my tension, the lack of reach of this cushion was a big disappointment.
They should design this in three sizes, providing the most effective massage possible for different sized people. The lack of this option makes me seriously pause when I think of the price.
Where it does reach it is very nice, so I heartily recommend it for those who are looking for lower and middle back massage, or who are shorter than 5'9".
Customer Review: Well designed
Summary: 4 Stars
Customer review from the Amazon Vine™ Program (What's this?)
The Homedics QRM-400H is the second massaging cushion I have owned. The first was a much simpler model and worked more on vibration that actual massage. Although that cushion worked well enough to loosen up tight muscles, it was nowhere near the massage you get from this cushion. This cushion features four rollers that move up and down the height of the cushion. For regular massage they simply move up and down. For the Shiatsu massage they also move side to side while moving up and down. The controls allow you to specify either lower back or upper back but the upper back control should more properly be labeled as middle back. A person would have to have a very short torso for the rollers to reach as high as the shoulder blades. If you problem is upper back pain, this unit probably is not going to work for you. The unit also features a heat option but this can only be used during a massage and not by itself. The intensity of the heat is not adjustable.
The massage itself can be quite strong and I found myself having to adjust my position during the massage so that it would be strong enough in one area but not too strong in another. I found that adding a towel over the cushion reduced the intensity which helped especially with the Shiatsu massage. The rollers are hard and a bit uncomfortable to lean against but once the massage starts and I was able to adjust my position properly (or use a towel to cushion the rollers) I was able to comfortably enjoy the massage. Although the unit comes with straps to attach to a chair, I found them too short to use but I also found them to be unnecessary. The controls are attached to the unit by a cord that allowed me to change the settings easily while using the unit. The unit automatically turns off after 15 minutes of use which is probably enough of a massage at one sitting.
Overall I liked the unit and found the massage it provides comparable (almost) to the much more expensive massaging chairs. If you are prone to muscle stiffness or lower back spasms or you exercise a lot and get back muscle soreness this cushion might be just what you are looking for to help relieve the problem.
Important warning: There is a screw that MUST be removed from the back of the chair before it is used. Using the unit without removing the screw will break the unit. Homedics designed it so that the plug for the unit can't be accessed easily until the screw is removed but an eager person might still find a way to do it.