HoMedics SBM-200 Therapist Select Shiatsu Back Massaging Cushion with Traveling Action

We immediately fell in love with this purchase. It does a very good job of relaxing the back. I just wish it included the neck. I am large and muscled...240 pounds...and it works great on me. My wife is very petite...5'2" on a good day and 114 pounds...and I think she enjoys it more than I do. She has to place a towel over the rollers. It is a strudy unit. It sits well in the chair we selected for it. (It is always waiting for us.) I don't feel like I have to keep my weight off of it. I purchased it for $79 with a coupon. My only complaint is there isn't a button that allows me to force it to concentrate on one area. I turn the "lower back" button on and off to force it to stay down there. Then I let it fly over the rest of my back after a while. We both love the fact that it shuts itself off after a certain number of series. (It feels like about fifteen minutes, though we've never timed it.) Don't wait. Buy now. I wish we had one years ago.

As most other previous reviewers stated, it is addicting. The leather quality and feel is excellent. (the comments pertain to my stature. I'm 6'1/175lb. people of different stature may experience it differently)Few minor points:-the rolling balls don't go low enough to hit the lower lumbar area, ususally most in need of that massage. That's a big dissapointment enough to knock off 1 star.-when set on "low back" setting, the balls still roll up high enough into my shoulder blades.-the "full back" setting is useless. It goes up to bump against the shoulder blades and that hurts. I rarely use that setting.-Take it easy when you first get it. Do not underestimate how vigourous these rolling balls are. I used it with only a thin T-shirt on and for over 1/2 hour. I was sore the next day. I now use it for no more than 5-10 minutes and with a thicker shirt.-Because the coverage area is constantly the same, a bit of moving around and adjusting your position on the chair maybe reqiured to hit the desired areas.-finally, what's really funny is that I have to compete with my 2 year old. Whenever he sees me sitting on the chair to use it, he makes me move and he takes my place. It's funny watching him move back and forth with the movement of the balls. He giggles and laughs...he loves it. I only get to use it when he's away. Guess he would have given it a 5 star rating..lol......

I bought the SBM-200 as a gift for my wife after she tried it at a local store and loved it. After getting it and using it, I noted a few things about these units to be aware of.The upper back and lower back programs also massage the mid back. I wish there was a way to limit the movement to only the lower or upper back, and have a separate program for mid back instead of the demo mode button.There are 3 zippers on the back near the upper and lower seat fold, and 1 zipper on the seat bottom. Unfortunately, the zipper bodies have sharp metal edges and the seat cover does not have flaps to cover them, so they might damage the upholstery of your chair. The instruction manual warns of this, and says not to use it on wooden chair surfaces. I placed a folded towel underneath the unit to protect my leather recliner. This slightly adds to the height and further reduces the depth of the seating area.The seat bottom does nothing at all except for being a cushion and a holder for the wired handheld remote.The unit is not comfortable to sit on when not in use. However it is somewhat clunky to remove, transport, and store with the 12 ft of power cable, transformer (which sits on the floor), and the various seat fastening straps.Given these facts, the slightly shorter SBM-100 might be a better and more economical choice. Since the SBM-100 does not have a bottom seat cushion, it offers some leeway in positioning the unit against your back.Homedics also offers the slightly more expensive SBM-300 and QRM-400 which feature rolling massage, adjustable massage width, and the ability to hold the massage heads at a specific point. The SBM-300 also has vibrating seat massage while the QRM-400 has 4 heads. Adjustable width is nice as I feel the SBM-200 massages too close to my spine.Note that all of these units have the sharp zipper bodies. Homedics should really redesign them to use velcro or position the zippers on the sides and top where it won't contact and damage the chair.They should also try to package the power transformer into the back cushion to make it easier to transport and store.I opened the zippers and took a peek inside the back. It is mostly plastic. A single motor rides on a track and simultaneously drives the 2 rotating nylon heads. The gears are nylon. Limit switches on the track determine the points at which the motor reverses for each of the programs. Each head has two "nubs" which do the massaging. The heads rotate against a thin nylon cover. A vinyl flap covers the nylon cover. The massage action feels pretty good, but it is hardly "state of the art" and I hope it lasts. The manual warns against putting your weight on the heads while they're in motion.

i read a lot about people who had problems with this product and still bought it, thinking they had been doing stupid things or using it wrong. unfortunately, during use on the first day it broke, the little gears got hung up at the top and didn't go back down. we unplugged it and left it for a day and my girlfriend got it to work the next day, but as soon as i sat in it it did the same thing. now it even does it for her. very frustrating, total waste of money.

While this item performed under my expectations, I don't think those of us with bad backs might benefit from it. The meandering ball that massages moves everso lightly...almost not touching the spots I think need massaging. It rolls up and down the back with not too much emphasis on any one place...almost hap-hazardly rolling back and forth. I have kept this item because it DOES provide some (little) relief. I think that the notion of it rolling up and down makes one feel a little better (psychologically). Finally, don't buy this if you're interested in having that range of motion that you get in the chiropractor's office. This one does not apply that pressure.