1 reply to this topic

[Johnws]

can anyone help?

My iGlide powered chair as a fault, so I'm looking to replace it - Cyclone now sell the same type of chair they call it -- The tailwind -- although it's exactly the same construction as my iGlide, BUT it costs £5995.00 "I think it's a rip-off" (you can buy a new car for that price) The other is the yamaha powered w/chair.
I am looking at the E-Support power wheelchair manufactured by Ottobock in Germany. has anyone tried these powered w/chairs - if so - which do you think is best for my needs --
I'm C5/6 and live in a village that's quite hilly, so I have a long push too and from the shops, also my driveway and garden is on a slop, I did like the iGlide which I bought 5 years ago, but having difficulty finding a replacement so can any one help?

[Bagpuss-wheels]

Johnws, on Feb 6 2009, 05:30 PM, said:

can anyone help?

My iGlide powered chair as a fault, so I'm looking to replace it - Cyclone now sell the same type of chair they call it -- The tailwind -- although it's exactly the same construction as my iGlide, BUT it costs £5995.00 "I think it's a rip-off" (you can buy a new car for that price) The other is the yamaha powered w/chair.
I am looking at the E-Support power wheelchair manufactured by Ottobock in Germany. has anyone tried these powered w/chairs - if so - which do you think is best for my needs --
I'm C5/6 and live in a village that's quite hilly, so I have a long push too and from the shops, also my driveway and garden is on a slop, I did like the iGlide which I bought 5 years ago, but having difficulty finding a replacement so can any one help?

Hi,

The Otto Bock 'E-Support' is the same as the Yamaha 'JW-II' (just re-badged). You can either purchase an Otto Bock chair with the E-support or send the frame to Germany and have them fit the E-support to a chair of your choice. The alternative is to get the Yamaha JW-IIs fitted by a company like DaVinci (DaVinci Website) (As I've said elsewhere, the Yamaha JW-IIs are known under various names: Decon wheel "e-move", Otto-Bock "E-support", Meyra's name for them is the "Servomatic" and, in the USA, they are also known under the name "Quickie Xtender" available from Sunrise Medical. They're all slight variations on the Yamaha JW-II!)

You can either have DaVinci fit the Yamaha JW-IIs to a frame you buy (or already have) or have them make a new frame and buy the chair complete with the Yamaha JW-IIs.

The thing to do is to ask them out for a trial and have a really good go around the area you are intending to use the chair so you can see if it will suit your needs.

I tried the Yamaha JW-IIs (and some re-badged ones) at the Naidex Exhibition the other year and then invited DaVinci and another company out to where I live. I tried the JW-IIs up and down the road where I live as it is too steep for me to push myself up in my current manual chair.

If you can wait a bit and can get to Brum, I'd recommend going to the Naidex Exhibition (held at the NEC from 28-30th April 2009) see: http://www.naidex.co.uk/ for details and to pre-book. (It's free but pre-booking means it's quicker to get in!)

Also, invite the companies out to see you. Try your local Otto Bock dealer but I'd also give DaVinci a try too. (DaVinci have got a new chair out on the market - the 'Extreme' - it's not made it onto their website yet.) I'm getting a DaVinci XL chair from them with the Yamaha JW-II wheels (plus Spinergy Everyday wheels for when I need/want manual wheels), Frogs Legs with soft-roll 5x1.5inch front castors.

DaVinci are making a 'mock-up' chair for me to try before finishing it off to check that it is correct (at no extra cost). (Unfortunately the first 'mock-up' wasn't right and needed a fair amount of 'tweaking' so I'm currently waiting for the second 'mock-up' to be done but at least they are doing this - I'm not just being told "we've built it so have it or go elsewhere".)

Bromakin wanted £30 extra to make a 'non-standard' angle footplate - on a 'CUSTOM-BUILT' chair! They also wanted a lot more for other things too. (The cost was nearer £6000 and didn't include Spinergy wheels but 'standard' metal spoked wheels.)

The thing is, do your research, try everything you can (and ask as many companies out to show you things as possible - you don't have to buy anything you don't want to and, by trying something, you may be pleasantly surprised!)

You may want to look at the following pages on the forum with comments about the various add-on power-assist wheels available and people's opinions on them:

http://www.apparelyz...h...ic=4397&hl=
http://www.apparelyz...h...=4397&st=30

http://www.apparelyz...h...c=10025&hl=

http://www.apparelyz...h...ic=8416&hl=

I hope you find the solution that you need for you.

Best wishes,
Cat
>^..^<