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GoNintendo Sumo Omni Plus Review


Sep 27, 2008



Ann Tancio


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GoNintendo ‘End of day’ thoughts – Great/Tolerate/Hate review: Omni Plus

All the way back in 2006, our good friends at Sumo sent us the Omni. It was unlike anything I had ever seen, and it was the first real product that Sumo was throwing out to the public. You can check out that review here. Without a doubt, everyone at the warehouse loved that product. There was only one issue with the Omni. After a number of months with good use, the product lost its form factor. What started out as a giant, shapeable bean-bag chair, eventually wound up being tired and worn-out. This was due to the composition of the Omni. Little styrofoam beads didn’t really hold up well, especially when you have person after person flopping down on it every day.

We recognized the issues a sizable amount of time after we received the Omni. The good news is, so did the Sumo people. They heard the complaints and frustrations from those that picked up the Omni. That’s why they went back to the drawing board. The final product has been named the Omni Plus. The Omni Plus takes the idea of the Omni, mixes it with the design of the Sumo Sac, and remakes the original Omni with higher quality.everything. For those wondering, our Sumo Sac has held up extremely well. It’s pretty much exactly how it was on day one. You can read the review of that product here.

So, Sumo went back and redesigned a product that had potential, but literally fell flat after major use. Have they succeeded in rebranding the Omni, and making it worth your cash?

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Great

The Omni Plus fixes absolutely every design flaw that the original Omni had. As mentioned above, the big issue was with the filling of the Omni. The Omni Plus uses the same foam that is in the Sumo Sac, which Sumo says with never decompress or go flat. If our Sumo Sac hasn’t decompressed by now, than nothing is going to kill it. That’s how I know that the same can be said for the Omni Plus. This sucker can be propped, positioned, fluffed, and attacked in any way you can think of. However you want to get comfortable is up to you. Once you are set, you can nestle in and not have to worry about your favorite position going flat after months of use.

Also matching the Sumo Sac, the Omni Plus is covered in the same microsuede cover that the Sumo Sac is. Just as we stated with the last review, the material is extremely comfortable. Comparing the Omni to the Omni Plus is like night and day. The material covering the original Omni was not soft or welcoming, but it definitely felt nice. The thing is, you wouldn’t like the original Omni at all if you spent time with the Omni Plus first. The microsuede really makes a difference.it breathes more, and does a much better job of forming around around body. Since the original Omni wasn’t really malleable, you didn’t have a need for this type of material. Now, with the padding/cushioning of the Omni Plus, the microsuede is absolutely necessary.

Adding on to the original Omni, the Omni Plus has a set of straps to help you better position the giant cushion. This way, you can wrap the Omni Plus in itself, and shape it into a chair, tunnel, or whatever else the clips will allow for. We use the Omni Plus a lot during the week, but it gets the most use during ‘Movie Night’. That’s when a big group of people come over to the warehouse, and we all settle down for a movie. The first seats in the house are fought over, those seats being the Sac and Omni Plus. With the adjustable straps, a couple can set up the Plus as a chair to themselves, and snuggle into it for prime movie watching.

Another great plus is that the Omni Plus isn’t as big as the Sumo Sac. The Sac takes up a lot of space.and I mean a lot. If you have the room, it is a great product. I see the Omni Plus working out a lot better for most people. It is smaller, and easier to move around. With the straps, you can still pile the sucker up high, and get the same sort of cushioning. I just know that quite a few people were surprised with the size of the Sac, and knew that they wouldn’t have room for it. The Omni Plus gives you everything the Sac has, in a smaller package.

Tolerate

I have to say, I have definitely been spoiled by the Sumo Sac. That sucker will eat your entire body up, and than some. I am a huge guy, and I can fit my whole body into the Sumo Sac, and still have room to spare. When it comes to the Omni Plus, I can fit myself on with room to wiggle, but there’s not all that much space for another. When you are always hanging out with a big group of people, the Sumo Sac makes for a better idea. It all depends on how much use you plan to get out of your giant pillow. Both of these products are massive, but the Omni Plus could be squished by the Sac. You just have to make sure you get the right product for your situation. The Omni Plus comes with less foam filling, so keep that in mind.

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Hate

I know that a lot of you will take issue with the price of the Omni Plus, and most Sumo products for that matter. As it stands right now, you can grab the Omni Plus from Sumo for $200. When you are trying to enjoy a hobby like gaming, you are definitely shelling out lots of cash as it is. Dropping $200 for a pillow may seem like a lot, and I understand that for some people it is. All I can tell you is that the product you end up with is high-quality, and eventually, you will feel that it was worth your investment. Quite honestly, I don’t know what I would do without the Sac and Omni Plus. We use them both every single day, without fail. Look at it this way.the Omni Plus is cheaper than a bed!

Wrap-Up

Sumo definitely cares about their customers, and are connstantly striving to create the best product possible. While the Omni is still available, the Omni Plus is a direct response to each and every complaint levied against the Omni. Honestly, any issues I took with the Omni after over 6 months of use have all been answered with the Omni Plus. My Omni has now been relegated to my room, and the Omni Plus is front-and-center in the living room. All the podcast gang and other friends have spent time on the Plus, and I’d say that a good 75% of them have passed out as soon as they dropped their head to the pillow. With Mom Brain and I doing some house-shopping, we are looking for inventive ways to seat people and save cash. I can’t think of any other product that offers this amount of comfort, while providing so many different methods of seating. Sumo impresses me each and every time they release a product. This time, I don’t see what they could do to the Omni Plus to make it any better.

Huge thank you to the gang at SumoLounge for sending us yet another fine product to review.

The Omni Plus gets a ‘drool-inducing comfort’ rating on the ‘snuggle’ scale

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