Vanessa Doyle, Warranty & care editor

I'm the one who reads the warranty PDF all the way to the end. On a purchase this size, the warranty is part of the price, and the headline number on a listing rarely tells the whole story.

A three-year warranty can mean three years on the frame and one on the electronics, with in-home service only in the first year. Or it can mean something else entirely. I split it out model by model: frame, motors and rollers, airbags, upholstery, who pays to ship a replacement part, and whether a technician comes to you. Registration deadlines and the exclusions list get read too, because that's where commercial use and pets tend to turn up.

Upholstery is my other subject. Synthetic leather lasts longer when you treat it the way the manual says, and owner reviews about peeling or cracking often mention a cleaner the manual warns against. I keep the care guide close to those instructions.

I also write the guide on massage guns versus chairs, for readers still deciding whether they need a chair at all. None of this involves running the machines myself. It's careful reading and comparing, and I don't skip the small print.