So I’m in the process of applying to access to work and have seen the wheelchair service who recommended a self propelled wheelchair with electric addons however when I tried wasn’t suitable due to the fatigue factor.
I have spoken to an independent company who have said over the phone that they wouldn’t recommend this and would only recommend an electric wheelchair (costing between £400 & £15000!) as they would feel they were mis selling due to my condition. I personally think that with the correct electric addon I would be able to manage. E.g with a trike type addon. The thing with an electric wheelchair means I would have to change my car and I’m going through pip reassessment.
What are your thoughts. What would you do. I just want to still keep some independence and mobility as it were
am not sure what u mean by unsuitable due to fatigue but…
several years ago when i was much more able than today i had the chance to try such a wheelchair but the battery that you attach to underneath was too heavy and fiddly for me to manage so couldnt use it.
i understand re keeping your molbility-of course i do-but i would tend to agree re electric chair in the longer run. thats not giving in but managing your energy to manage a days work.
there are portable powerchairs around weighing 23ish kg which are ok depending on your upper body strength to get them into the car/boot.
as u know theres not ‘one size fits all’ but hope you find what is right for you.
I bought a folding electric wheelchair. I rarely use it, as i want to keep walking but for when i go out shopping or appointments we use it. It is amazing it folds really easy with one clip, and un folds as well easy and it has great battery can do over 30 miles. you have the batterys iin the arms and they are not heavy at all. Its not too heavy for anyone to put in a boot of a car either.
It wasnt cheap. It was delivered with engineer waste of money that though lol.
its wheels make it an outdoor one and i have driven on grass with mine easily. no punctures either and its all very stabilised. really good quality. you can just charge one battery in the house if you want too. the batteys are really light.
its worth looking at. i wouldnt buy the electric addons we tried one in store its way too fiddly and i didnt feel safe.
That looks very impressive, I would need to save up and would need a test drive, I wonder what the power and stability is like when dealing with slightly uneven surfaces.
thats very much like my small chair-my footrest is black, not silver but all the rest is the same.
i find the front wheels need to hit even the smallest of kerbs/raised bits straight on. u havent got the option to make them fixed. DO NOT put any bag on the back! it changes the whole distribution of weight and affects the clip underneath that holds it together.
i have had mine 18 months and had first issue with it 10 days ago! theres 5 wee pins in the controller-2 broke so cant use at all. ar*os do same day delivery for a unit or necklace but 10 days later i am still without use of my chair (i do have my nhs one but that cant go in car hence when i got the one in cc post) mmm will phone again tomorrow…
i aint very tall, 5’5" but i am not sure how a taller person would find it.
unfortunately ive looked at a similar one of these and it’s just too heavy for me to manage. Do you know if this could be lifted with an electric car hoist?
CC’s chair weighs in at an impressive 59 pounds so its pretty lightweight,and looks like it would be great fun to ride about in when needed.I don’t think you would have much trouble using a hoist to get it into a car. Just to put that into perspective, my present chair weighs in at a whopping 11 stone (!!) but it can be easily hoisted with no problem.
Its great i test drived it before i bought. i live in slopy area although its sheltered, i took it down and up curbs, and out of gates and over grass it never faltered. Its wide at back and the wheels are really quite big. Its worth a test drive. It folds in seconds even i can fold it. it goes really well and the beauty is you can just charge up one battery. You have 2 so if one goes the other one takes over. I love mine, its light and very well designed.
I cant see why not hun, but you can ring the manufacturer and ask. I have had no problem with mine tilting on front or back the wheels are solid and stable. and my curbs here for disabled are useless. My other one i did tip over.
they can do a try before you buy. x its easy to pull about when its folded too, and unfolds really easily.
Hi there, I had a manual and rapidly became apparent I did not have upper body strength. I presume that what you mean by fatigue? My answer was to get an add on. In my case a Benoit Light Drive Benoit Systemes des motorisations pour fauteuils roulants manuels they have recently updated the website and that video features the newest version. Bit lighter than mine! I bought it in 2014 and the motor was similar and the battery was lithium ion. Larger but still comes apart. The advantage is, if you have two arms that work, you can lift in to any car with a decent boot. My manual weighs 6kg, and that the heaviest bit. The motor is heavy and you need to hold with 2 arms. Battery - well the new ones look light enough.
EDIT we don’t have a car and have to take a lot of taxis. We managed to get it into most. Also on a bus and on a train. I found unless going on a train, I didn’t need the anti tip wheel on the back. Its very zippy and turns well. Does not like gravel, wet streets and mud!
CC it looks like the UK reseller website is still under construction and the Irish reseller site is ok with some older info but no prices. I have requested UK price info from the manufacturer, if I get any I will post it here.
I also need to now if it can be used on a folding self propelled chair. If not the weight and simplicity benefit could be negated by not being able to get the chair in my car.
Hi M, It is a shame isnt it? I would Have much preferred one to go with my manual chair instead of a traditional powerchair. That’s the trouble with tech, if you want it, you have to pay through the nose for it. AV/Nia.
I have a manual folding self propelled chair (have had it for 2 years now). Weighs just over 11kg. Earlier this year, I invested in a Klaxon electric which effectively turns the wheelchair into powered trike. The Klaxon is great. However it isn’t cheap, just over £3,500 and you have much, much more choice (and cheaper) of trike options with a fixed manual chair.