33 replies to this topic

[Gibbo]

hey, i am looking at buying a new wheelchair, if u had a choice of anychair with no budget, what chair would you get? and why?

thanks

[Smoothcruz]

Power or manual?

[Gibbo]

manual

[Lucydog]

Im an RGK fan through and through. If I had any amount of money Id have the top of their top range no question about it!

cheers
Luce

[Gibbo]

i thought bout an rgk but i think i need a bit more adjustability atm so am not sure, i was thinking about a ti lite, they look nice but am not sure of quality, any advice?? thanks

[russ1]

Gibbo, on May 2 2006, 11:25 PM, said:

i thought bout an rgk but i think i need a bit more adjustability atm so am not sure, i was thinking about a ti lite, they look nice but am not sure of quality, any advice?? thanks

Ti Lites are lovely but if you're in the UK the sole distibutor racks up the price and provides very iffy customer (non)service. In the UK they're overpriced and I wouldn't buy another (actually I would but I'd import it personally - not something I'd recommend unless you'r very confident you know what you're doing).

Cyclone do a nice adjustable I'm led to believe the cameleon but I don't know much about it - otherwise you won't go wrong with a Quickie Ti or a Kuschall.

[Gibbo]

thanks for the advice russ, i will take tht in2 account, how much more do they put on the price of ti lite? as insurnce company is paying for the chair,
thanks,

[russ1]

My Ti Lite was approx £800 more than my similarly specified Quickie. If you want the TiLite by all means go ahead but it's not appreciably better than the others and once you've placed the order you'll get it when TiLite and/or the distributors are good and ready to give it to you regardless of what you were told when you ordered it - If you don't mind waiting you'll be ok because wait you certainly will.

Russ 'bitter and twisted from experience'

[Gibbo]

ok thanks, sounds like pretty shitty service lol, i am still looking around atm, thanks again

[Lucydog]

I know I bang on about RGK but I look at the others and lwsy come back to them, like a BMW very little compares IMHO.

Check out their website which is www.rgklife.com I think. I really have found their service very good. You can have quite a decent trial with them before you buy. Might be worth chatting to Kanga as I think he is about to trial one of their chairs.

Im looking for a new chair myself and keep going round in circles!!! I need it for work so I just cant decide whats best. bit of a nightmare really, Im just going to have to make a decision, no mre procrastination!!

[socratesbeard]

Gibbo, on May 1 2006, 11:15 PM, said:

hey, i am looking at buying a new wheelchair, if u had a choice of anychair with no budget, what chair would you get? and why?

thanks

Have you spoken to GBL w/chair warehouse? I work for a w/chair service and sometimes deal with them and I can definitely recommend them. They have a great outlook and philosophy and are very approachable. The place is run by w/chair users and they do a very decent range. www.gblwheelchairs.com
020 8867 2461. Even if you can't get to Hanworth or Littlehampton they are worth ringing or at least looking up.

[Apparelyzed]

Are you on commission?

That's the third plug you've given them, out of a total of 3 posts.

No more plugs, or Uncle Admin's going to get his pruning shears out!

Simon

[Gibbo]

Yeh i have orderd a basketball chair from gbl, i am now looking at the invacre top end terminator, any1 know much about these chairs?? thanks

[maladjusted]

Gibbo, on May 25 2006, 04:46 PM, said:

Yeh i have orderd a basketball chair from gbl, i am now looking at the invacre top end terminator, any1 know much about these chairs?? thanks

Also thinking about a top end terminator ti. Like Gibbo any opinions, experiance of this chair? Colours, wheel sizes too etc?

[MissBonita]

Anyone one heard of a chair called ZRA? I'm also looking for a new chair i'm in Vancouver, BC CANADA. I just demoed the Quickie GT (i think the casters stick out way too far) And now i am in the ZRA, don't know if i like it yet, just got it today, still needs some adjustments to really give it a try. Thanks for any input in advance!!!

-Elisa

[kanga2433]

To answer Gibbo first, you haven';t said what you wheelcahir experience is or what you currently use. The RGK made to measure chair is fine if you are sure what you want but if you are fairly new to this game an adjustable chair is a better choice. Cyclone do a number of adjustable chairs so might be worth looking at. I think thye just added a couple to the range but they are not on the website yet. I've wondered about Kuschall but I gather from Russ that they are a bit too tippy if one is tall and I am 6' 4".

MissBonita, I have heard of the ZRA chair but know nothing about them. Try Sportaid for a really good offer on this chair.

Finally, Having seen Russell at RGK on 30th March I have had one phone call from RGK's Scottish Rep and nothing at all since. very odd!

[Gibbo]

I use a kushell fusion, have been since march, it is too wide for me and the front castors stick out alot, and i dont feel that it is that strong and the brakes are crap lol. that is about it really

[kanga2433]

Well, if you want to keep an adjustable chair, why not have a look at the Quickie range? The Quickie Ti is about as light as you can reasonably expect to get and looks very swish. Of course, as you will know with the Fusion, the cantilever design can result in the frame grinding to a halt if the casters hit something.

Our great administrator, Apparelyzed, had used an RGK chair but has recently had a new one. I can't find the thread but it was a titanium one from Bromakin who do other chairs as well. They are in Loughborough so if you are in range you could have a look there.

Edited by kanga2433, 31 May 2006 - 03:06 PM.

[Apparelyzed]

Here's a photo and the post about my Bromakin Ti chair: http://www.apparelyz...p?showtopic=372

Regards

Simon

[kanga2433]

That's cheating, Simon. I searched high anf low for the picture yesterday!

[benok]

Quote

Here's a photo and the post about my Bromakin Ti chair: http://www.apparelyz...p?showtopic=372

Regards

Simon

cool wheelchair!!!! is it stainless? do you dirty your clothes or arms simon because you have no arm rest? (speedometer idea is really cool!)

[Gary Anderson]

Benok

I know! When I first saw Simon's pic I thought "wow got to get one of these." Re your question. No. Without armrests you do not get dirty. I have never used armrests as I find they get in the way. It is not a problem getting around without them.

[kanga2433]

Benok,

Simon's chair is not stainless, it's polished Titanium and very smart!

[Gary Anderson]

It is more than smart - I am saving up for one!!!

[Apparelyzed]

As Kanga said, it's polished Titanium.

I don't get my clothes caught in the wheels, because I make sure I buy clothes which don't flare out at the waist.

It's mainly jackets which get caught in your wheels, but if you keep them fastened at the bottom, you shouldn't have too much trouble.

Thanks for the comments

Simon.

[kanga2433]

While we are on the topic our chair, Simon, can you enlighten me about one point. I am in a GPV at the moment and the casters are fixed on the side rails and thus closer together than the rear wheels. This makes the chair easier through awkward turns as does the tapered in footrests. now, on some chairs with the casters attached like yours, they have been described at sticking out too far and making turns more difficult. So, are you casters set in from the width of the rear wheel width?

[Apparelyzed]

Hi Kanga,

The front castors on my chair are about 1 inch inset on each side from the rear wheels.

On my RGK, they were inset a bit further, but even so, I haven't had problems turning in either chair.

You also have to take the diameter of your castor wheel into consideration with regards to fork swivel.

Regards

Simon

[russ1]

There's load of wheelchair pics here

The castors on my Quickie Ti (really must get a photo which shows it off better) can be clearly seen to be sticking out. I think you'll find that the distance between the front castors is always constant - it's the V in the front of the frame that changes - more V more stick out. The problems with moving the castors in would be firstly the castors would catch you feet when you turned and secondly it'd decrease the stability and make the chair easier to turn over sideways.

[Apparelyzed]

That's the trade-off, wider distance between the castors means a narrower turning clearance (in theory), or a narrower distance between castors means the castors catch your feet.

The RGK had a narrower distance, but when I reversed, the castors would always catch against my feet and "lock out".

So far after 12 months, I haven't had this problem with the Bromakin.

Simon.

[benok]

Hi Gary

Quote

It is more than smart - I am saving up for one!!!

It should be expensive. Titanium never rusts . . . correct?