REVIEW – Ever bent over to pick up something heavy and felt that jarring pull in your lower back, and when you straighten up, it hurts like crazy? I certainly have, and the older I get, the more often it happens. The only thing that fixes a pulled muscle like this is time, but often a good massage or some heat can help mitigate the symptoms. For moments like these, I am testing a new heated back massager from Bob and Brad.
⬇︎ Jump to summary (pros/cons)
Price: $109.99 (on Bob and Brad) or $69.99 (on Amazon)
Where to buy: Bob and Brad or Amazon
What is it?
The EZBack is a combined massager and heater from Bob and Brad. The massager uses four rotating nodes to mimic a Shiatsu massage technique and a heater that provides gentle warmth.
What’s included?
- Massager/heater
- DC power supply
- Remote control
- User manual
Tech Specs
- Weight: 2.6 lbs
- Dimensions: 11.4 x 11.4 x 4.3 inches
Design and Features
The EZBack looks like a tooth-shaped pillow. The front has four cylindrical knobs pointing out of the stretchy gray material, while the back has a strap for connecting to a chair, a power connector, and a power button. It’s a design that is purely functional.
Assembly, Installation, and Setup
I removed everything from the packaging and then took a look at the manual. The first page told me that this gadget can be used to massage my upper and lower back, neck, abdomen, calves, or thighs. The next six and a half pages were full of warnings, the kinds that only lawyers enjoy writing. Most were obvious; some were silly:
- Do not place into water.
- Do not stand on the product.
- Do not stab the product with a knife.
- Do not use the product when you are drunk.
- Do not clean with bleach.
- This product is not a medical product.
There was one helpful if puzzling warning: The product is timed for 15 minutes of use, and it should never be used for more than 30 minutes at a time. I’m unsure if this is because the EZBack will overheat, or if it would be harmful to me to use it for so long.
There was also one bizarre statement: If the product causes harmful interference to television reception, consult an experienced TV technician for help. Right. I’ll be sure to call my TV technician if I have problems.
It seems Bob and Brad found every legal statement ever written about a gadget and added it to the manual, just in case. The useful part of the manual was on pages 9 and 10 that described the buttons on the remote and how they changed the various features that the EZBack supports. These were clearly explained and very helpful.
The first thing I did was plug the power supply cable into the power connector on the back. This version of the EZBack does not have an internal battery, so it must be plugged in to work. That’s just fine with me, as it’s one less thing to break and should keep the cost down. The power cord is 6 feet long; while that sounds really long, in practice I found it to be way too short. I had to use an extension cord when testing on my office computer chair and my couch, which was inconvenient. I wish it were twice as long.
The power button can be used to turn the EZBack on and off and to enable or disable the heating element. The manual says it can also be used to change the mode, but I couldn’t get that to work.
To fully use the features of this gadget, I had to use the remote, and it worked really well. If I ever forget what each button does, there’s a handy cheat sheet on the back. Here’s what they do:
- The on/off button turns the massager on and off.
- The mode button cycled between the three modes, each of which has different directions and intensities.
- The intensity button controlled the speed when set to the first mode.
- The heat button turned the heater on and off.
This gadget is easy enough to use, but how well did it perform?
Performance
I tested the EZBack three different ways.
For my first test, I put the EZBack on the seat of the Vantrum gaming chair in my office in order to massage my lower back. Because the EZBack is over 4 inches deep, this had the unintended consequence of pushing my backside forward in my seat. As the Vantrum does not have a very deep seat, it felt like I was on the edge of my chair, an uncomfortable position. This would probably be less of an issue with an executive chair that has a larger seat.
For my second test, I loosened the strap on the back and then used it to strap the EZBack onto the upper back of my chair in order to massage my upper back. The adjustable strap made it possible to keep the massager at exactly the height I wanted.
For my final test, I put the EZBack on my couch in order to to massage my lower back. Having a big soft couch made it easier to sit further forward and control how hard my back pressed into the massager.
From these tests I learned that an office chair is better when I want to control the vertical position of the massager, while a couch is better when I want to control the pressure I apply against the massager.
No matter where I used the EZBack, I found the massage to be hard and rough. The EZBack is not a percussion-style massager that uses vibrations; instead, it attempts to mimic Shiatsu massage techniques. I’ve never had a Shiatsu massage, so I can’t really tell you how similar the EZBack message is, but Wikipedia says that “Shiatsu techniques include massages with fingers, thumbs, elbows, knuckles, feet and palms.” It sounds like they are intended to apply a lot of pressure.
I removed the covering to see what’s underneath. You can see in the picture that there are two pairs of plastic knobs, and each pair rotates in a circle. These are not soft or padded in any way, so there are basically four plastic cylinders that grind against my back. No matter which mode I used, I found it to be too hard for me. If you like a firm massage, then the EZBack might exactly what you need.
Bob and Brad’s webpage says that the EZBack provides “gentle warmth,” and that’s exactly what this gadget provides. Unlike my heating pad, which can get so hot that it nearly burns me, the EZBack provides a mild amount of heat that is soothing.
As I noted above, the manual states that this gadget will automatically shut off after 15 minutes, and I found this was correct.
Final Thoughts
The Bob and Brad EZBack is a small pillow that provides both a massage and heat. The massage comes from four cylindrical, rotating knobs, and the heat is gently warming. Because the knobs are made from hard plastic, the style of message is rigid and intense. The strap on the back of the pillow allows it to be positioned at any location on an office chair, and pressure is controlled by leaning more forward or backward. If your back enjoys an intense and firm message, then give the EZBack a try.
What I like about the EZBack
- A hard massage with gentle heat
- Adjustable strap for attaching to an office chair
- Various speeds, directions, and intensities
- Remote control
What needs to be improved?
- Provide a longer cable.
Price: $109.99 (on Bob and Brad) or $69.99 (on Amazon)
Where to buy: Bob and Brad or Amazon
Source: The sample for this review was provided free of charge by Bob and Brad. Bob and Brad did not have a final say on the review and did not preview the review before it was published.
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