Recommend power chair?
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From: maximovies on 24 Mar 2008 19:16 Hi, I'll soon be buying a new power chair, and for the first time, paying for it out of my own pocket. So I get to choose brand, style, size, etc. But I don't want to empty my bank account so I'd like to get what I need but not go overboard. Basically, I need a rear wheel drive chair with an electric or hydraulic adjustable height seat. Cloth seat, not vinyl. High back. I don't do a lot of off road stuff, it's mostly indoors and in the van. Can anyone recommend a chair and/or dealer? I'm in California, but with internet, I think I can order from anywhere stateside, can't I? Thanks for any help you can give. I've had the wrong chairs for so many years. I'd sure like to get a right one for a change. Lou
From: dansun on 25 Mar 2008 11:26 On Mar 24, 4:16 pm, maximovies <lou.gra...(a)gmail.com> wrote: > Hi, I'll soon be buying a new power chair, and for the first time, > paying for it out of my own pocket. So I get to choose brand, style, > size, etc. > > But I don't want to empty my bank account so I'd like to get what I > need but not go overboard. > > Basically, I need a rear wheel drive chair with an electric or > hydraulic adjustable height seat. Cloth seat, not vinyl. High back. I > don't do a lot of off road stuff, it's mostly indoors and in the van. > > Can anyone recommend a chair and/or dealer? I'm in California, but > with internet, I think I can order from anywhere stateside, can't I? > > Thanks for any help you can give. I've had the wrong chairs for so > many years. I'd sure like to get a right one for a change. > > Lou Hi Lou, I have only bought one power chair so far...I am very happy... Quickie Rhythm or Sunrise Medical Rhythm. It is center wheel drive and cost a lot...but you live in California and Me too. I'm curious where you are in California and what kind of chair you have and how much can you spend. I'm in the San Francisco Bay Area...Do you have hills where you are? Dan
From: Burgerman on 25 Mar 2008 20:44 "maximovies" <lou.grantt(a)gmail.com> wrote in message news:8dd98c24-4883-4afc-b96b-791e07e4c10e(a)i7g2000prf.googlegroups.com... > Hi, I'll soon be buying a new power chair, and for the first time, > paying for it out of my own pocket. So I get to choose brand, style, > size, etc. > > But I don't want to empty my bank account so I'd like to get what I > need but not go overboard. > > Basically, I need a rear wheel drive chair with an electric or > hydraulic adjustable height seat. Cloth seat, not vinyl. High back. I > don't do a lot of off road stuff, it's mostly indoors and in the van. > > Can anyone recommend a chair and/or dealer? I'm in California, but > with internet, I think I can order from anywhere stateside, can't I? > > Thanks for any help you can give. I've had the wrong chairs for so > many years. I'd sure like to get a right one for a change. > > Lou I would suggest an F55s Quickie would be ideal. Its what I use. Mines modified a bit but basically its like http://www.wheelchairdriver.com/images-powerchair/1.jpg http://www.wheelchairdriver.com/images-powerchair/2.jpg http://www.wheelchairdriver.com/images-powerchair/3.jpg http://www.wheelchairdriver.com/images-powerchair/4.jpg http://www.wheelchairdriver.com/images-powerchair/5.jpg this... Unfortunately you cant get it where you are though I think. So look for something thats as short as possible (reverse to a wall, your head should touch not the powerchair ideally! It does with my slightly modded F55) with 56ah minimum up to 75ah batteries and 70 amp or bigger controller. Make sure its 6mph or above or simple things like crossing a big road will become very scary! People walk at 4mph. People jog at 5 to 6 mph. When a road crossing or long street appears 6mph feels increadibly slow. 4 pole motors (or brushless) are also pretty important for serious outdoor use or curbs and ramps can be difficult and difficult to control. Anything thats less than these basic is really pretty useless outdoors. Or indoors if you want to use it all day. Smaller batteries combined with 6mph or more is hopeless. 4mph is better for range due to lower current and lower gearing with say 40 amp batteries indoors only. As for size indoors my F55 is both narrower and shorter than my manual sports chair. It just doesent look it! It can get into and turn around in a smaller space than my manual chairs can too. Most powerchairs cant. This includes mid and front drive chairs especially. You MUST try and test as many as poss. All will need reprogramming to get some semblence of control regardless! So dont worry about how control "feels" on test.
From: maximovies on 26 Mar 2008 01:52 On Mar 25, 8:26 am, dansun <Dan...(a)gmail.com> wrote: > On Mar 24, 4:16 pm, maximovies <lou.gra...(a)gmail.com> wrote: > > > > > Hi, I'll soon be buying a new power chair, and for the first time, > > paying for it out of my own pocket. So I get to choose brand, style, > > size, etc. > > > But I don't want to empty my bank account so I'd like to get what I > > need but not go overboard. > > > Basically, I need a rear wheel drive chair with an electric or > > hydraulic adjustable height seat. Cloth seat, not vinyl. High back. I > > don't do a lot of off road stuff, it's mostly indoors and in the van. > > > Can anyone recommend a chair and/or dealer? I'm in California, but > > with internet, I think I can order from anywhere stateside, can't I? > > > Thanks for any help you can give. I've had the wrong chairs for so > > many years. I'd sure like to get a right one for a change. > > > Lou > > Hi Lou, I have only bought one power chair so far...I am very happy... > Quickie Rhythm or Sunrise Medical Rhythm. It is center wheel drive > and cost > a lot...but you live in California and Me too. > > I'm curious where you are in California and what kind of chair you > have and how > much can you spend. > > I'm in the San Francisco Bay Area...Do you have hills where you are? > > Dan Hi Dan, I'm in the high desert, east of L.A. I have two chairs now - an old Quickie with a Damaco power pack (Damaco went bust shortly after I got this.) My other chair is a Jazzy Jet 3. Concrete seat, middle wheel drive. The footplate won't stay up, even after adjusting. The vinyl seat is so uncomfortable. I'd like a cloth seat, something with a little "cush." I'm doing my homework. Lou
From: maximovies on 26 Mar 2008 01:55
On Mar 25, 5:44 pm, "Burgerman" <burger...(a)ntlworld.com> wrote: > "maximovies" <lou.gra...(a)gmail.com> wrote in message > > news:8dd98c24-4883-4afc-b96b-791e07e4c10e(a)i7g2000prf.googlegroups.com... > > > > > Hi, I'll soon be buying a new power chair, and for the first time, > > paying for it out of my own pocket. So I get to choose brand, style, > > size, etc. > > > But I don't want to empty my bank account so I'd like to get what I > > need but not go overboard. > > > Basically, I need a rear wheel drive chair with an electric or > > hydraulic adjustable height seat. Cloth seat, not vinyl. High back. I > > don't do a lot of off road stuff, it's mostly indoors and in the van. > > > Can anyone recommend a chair and/or dealer? I'm in California, but > > with internet, I think I can order from anywhere stateside, can't I? > > > Thanks for any help you can give. I've had the wrong chairs for so > > many years. I'd sure like to get a right one for a change. > > > Lou > > I would suggest an F55s Quickie would be ideal. Its what I use. Mines > modified a bit but basically its like > > http://www.wheelchairdriver.com/images-powerchair/1.jpg > > http://www.wheelchairdriver.com/images-powerchair/2.jpg > > http://www.wheelchairdriver.com/images-powerchair/3.jpg > > http://www.wheelchairdriver.com/images-powerchair/4.jpg > > http://www.wheelchairdriver.com/images-powerchair/5.jpg > this... > > Unfortunately you cant get it where you are though I think. So look for > something > thats as short as possible (reverse to a wall, your head should touch not > the powerchair ideally! It does with my slightly modded F55) with 56ah > minimum up to 75ah batteries and 70 amp > or bigger controller. > > Make sure its 6mph or above or simple things like > crossing a big road will become very scary! > > People walk at 4mph. People jog at 5 to 6 mph. When a road crossing or long > street appears 6mph feels increadibly slow. > > 4 pole motors (or brushless) are > also pretty important for serious outdoor use or curbs and ramps can be > difficult and difficult to control. > > Anything thats less than these basic is > really pretty useless outdoors. > > Or indoors if you want to use it all day. > > Smaller batteries combined with 6mph or more is hopeless. 4mph is better for > range due to lower current and lower gearing with say 40 amp batteries > indoors only. > > As for size indoors my F55 is both narrower and shorter than my manual > sports chair. It just doesent look it! It can get into and turn around in a > smaller space than my manual chairs can too. Most powerchairs cant. This > includes mid and front drive chairs especially. > > You MUST try and test as many as poss. All will need reprogramming to get > some semblence of control regardless! So dont worry about how control > "feels" on test. Thanks for the advice. I've checked your site now and then over the years. I'd love to have one like your F55s, but I can't find it listed anywhere here in the US. Does the seat elevate too? I think "reprogramming" is way more than I can do myself. I read some of your stuff, which sounds really complicated to me. I need something that will work for me "out of the box." Mostly. It would be nice if someone could make a custom chair here in SoCal. Lou |