7 replies to this topic

[Mary-Anne]

I sometimes read about supposedly "better" wheelchairs which different groups of people try to invent. I am never sure how many other users of wheelchairs would appreciate the same improvements. What is the consensus about the wheelchairs that people are using? Are they as good as practical? If a better chair were available, how would most people want it to be different? Is it mostly that better chairs don't exist commercially or that they cost too much or some of both?

Mary-Anne

[Tetracyclone]

umm... better than what? I like my chair, a tilite zr.

[wheeliebear75]

Yeah um...on that last portion of your question/poll...I think MOST OF US use our chair when we are not in bed, so we would use alone AND when caregiver is around (you only have "when alone" "when caregiver is around")

As to the other questions for ME: I have a Quickie XTR; love it for it's portability & ADORE it's suspension system/shock absorbing spring.

Every now and again though it would be nice to do things like go up stairs on my own instead of having to be carried up the flight of stairs, & being able to stand up or just raise the seating level @ a whim to be eye to eye with people , & the "tilt in space" so you're still in all 90 degree angles but yet reclined...is something that WOULD make an electric chair worth "the hassles" of more maintenance , harder to transport & the higher cost.

I'm sure there is always SOMETHING that someone can come up with that hasn't been thought of before. But almost all of the features you have listed are already currently available...although not always in the same wheelchair.

Edited by wheeliebear75, 03 January 2012 - 02:05 AM.

[Kwag_Myers]

I have a Ki Catalyst and my only dislike is how it folds up. I have to take the foot rests off, remove the cushion, then fold the chair side-to-side. Even with the foot rests off the chair is rather cumbersome to lift in and out of the car. In some situations I have to remove the wheels, too. I've seen videos of wheelers getting in and out of the car with chairs that fold front-to-back and these appear to be easier/quicker to load and unload.

[edlee]

Always hard to decide what is "better",, till one decides what they want out of the chair,, at that time. Trying to fiy ALL the "better" ideas into onr chair can't work,, because some of the "betters" are mutually exculsive. Every chair is a compromise,, an effort to get the most things YOU want while eliminating the things you can do without.

Something you left out in your survey was price. If chairs were cheap enough,, you could buy several,, and use the one that fit your needs best for right then,, then switch when you wanted to do something else. Alas,,, most of us aren't fortunate enough for that.
ed

[happywheels 88]

Absolutely love love love my chair!!!! Invacare top end crossfire titanium with ergo seating.

[The Black Sheep]

I don't dislike my chair that much. One of the things I wish were on the list would be Cheaper to repair. The Quickie XTR isn't in production anymore and my froglegs are $200 a pop. One already broke and, oddly, I had my old one still that I could steal from. But it kind of rusted in storage, so I'm just counting the days till I'm stranded cause I can't really afford a $200 frogleg right now.

[hooplady]

Also, some simply don't have any choice in what they get. My b/f was on Medicaid when he was issued his chair and the only thing he got to choose was the color. It's made by Pride...it must be the "Litestream." It's horribly difficult to collapse, load and unload from the car - and I mean for the AB person who's driving, forget about him being able to do it. He gave up even trying to go anywhere, it scares him too much that he might get stuck.

And get this...he finally got the OK to get it serviced at the dealer, but then discovered that they had moved their shop to an area that's outside the range of our local public transportation service.