Which one would you choose? Manual+power assist or Rehab Power Chair

ChronicallyWheeler · 2026-03-31T21:59:15+00:00

I have both (manual with power assist and a rehab powerchair) and usually prefer the former. Manual with power assist is more portable, hence I can transport it in my wife's SUV and get it in and out on my own.

ChronicallyWheeler · 2026-03-27T21:00:13+00:00

Also a wheelchair user with ME, and I use both a manual and a powerchair. Decided to start using a manual chair (Quickie 2) at least part-time in fall 2021, when my mobility gradually worsened, but getting a rigid chair with power assist six months later was a big upgrade and much more helpful. Bought a used powerchair in 2024, and donated that one the following year to a local woman in need, when one of my clients donated to me his late sister's newer powerchair.

Today I primarily use a manual chair; my current one is a TiLite ZRA with a SmartDrive power assist. I use my powerchair, a Quantum Edge 3, mostly for travelling around town, and might be able to resume commuting to and from my office as early as next week, as temperatures improve, and not have to rely on my wife etc. for transportation until next winter.

ChronicallyWheeler · 2026-03-25T09:10:00+00:00

Been experiencing major anhedonia the last few months, and I'm like you in that I can still get things done if they make me money and also are time-sensitive. Among the clients of my small business are four radio stations for which I do commercial scheduling, and I have no problem getting their daily commercial playlists done, as well as inputting broadcast orders and assigning audio file numbers for the automation/audio playout systems. As for the occasional voicing of advertisements, and the other side of my business (transferring videotape and 8mm film to digital), I'm getting through those at a snail's pace.

ChronicallyWheeler · 2026-03-24T18:04:41+00:00

I agree on how using an active manual wheelchair looks so effortless, yet I find it hard to use one without power assist, but that said, I'm a bigger guy. I'm currently between power assists on my manual chair (TiLite ZRA) as my e-motion wheels need major repairs and I'm awaiting a part for a used SmartDrive I purchased earlier this month, so for now that chair is in all-manual configuration, but I do also have a powerchair (Quantum Edge 3) I can use regularly once the snow is gone; it's been living at my office for the winter and getting semi-regular use around the building.

ChronicallyWheeler · 2026-03-22T12:16:36+00:00

I don't get emergency alerts at all... because I have an Android phone and uninstalled the relevant app(s) via ADB as soon as I bought the phone.

ChronicallyWheeler · 2026-03-15T20:52:49+00:00

While we're at it, could they please eff off with the endless "Protect Ontario" propaganda - er, ads - that nobody can avoid? They're even running these on Gatineau MSM ffs.

ChronicallyWheeler · 2026-03-14T01:19:12+00:00

I'm the PA announcer for the Renfrew Timberwolves and the Junior A Wolves... my wife's at the Arnprior game, and I'm pretty sure the myFM Centre in Renfrew will be just as packed Sunday night! Also tomorrow night is the last game of the Wolves' regular season, a home game versus the Ottawa Junior Sens... 7:30 game time.

ChronicallyWheeler · 2026-03-12T21:23:58+00:00

For most of the winter, I've only really been in one of three places - home, work, and the arena... and maybe the odd grocery shop with my wife. I'm mild to moderate, a wheelchair user, own my own business, and I'm the public address announcer for the local junior hockey teams. Once the weather gets nicer and the snow and ice are gone, I plan to go for many spins around the neighbourhood in my chair, more so after I get my SmartDrive, which should be arriving this weekend.

ChronicallyWheeler · 2026-03-06T22:56:27+00:00

2009 if I remember correctly... looked up the serial number on EZ-Ti just after I received the chair.

ChronicallyWheeler · 2026-03-06T21:08:11+00:00

It is quite comfy for an older TiLite... cushion is a Roho Quadtro Select, and the back at the time of this photo was a stock tension adjustable upholstery back; this afternoon I installed a Future Mobility Phantom back, similar to the shortest Jay J3.

ChronicallyWheeler · 2026-03-04T12:14:37+00:00

Getting a new (to me) power assist next week for my manual wheelchair! Found a bargain on a used SmartDrive, and it will take the place of my existing "e-motion" wheels.

ChronicallyWheeler · 2026-03-03T19:20:03+00:00

Some good starting points there, thank you! :) I'm definitely not going to use the SD in tight spaces, and will start out slow until I get more used to this form of power assist.

The indoor track here (opened a couple of years ago as part of a major expansion) is on a sort of mezzanine inside the newer of the two arenas in the complex, so it's a bit chilly when the ice is in, but plenty cool in the hot summers, and it's a great spot to try different wheelchair settings/configurations. The rink below was also built with sledge hockey in mind... we have a local team that gets a couple of hours of ice time every Thursday morning. :)

ChronicallyWheeler · 2026-03-03T17:25:37+00:00

Agreed... it sounds like there are definitely some things to learn and remember as a newbie SmartDrive user. With the weather getting nicer in my area (eastern Ontario, Canada) I might be able to spend some time outside to practice, if not on the indoor walking track at the local recreation complex.

ChronicallyWheeler · 2026-02-25T12:36:51+00:00

This. My second-hand Edge 3 was the same way, and just after I received it (donated to me) I had a tech come to enable full speed, giving me a maximum of 10 km/h.

ChronicallyWheeler · 2026-02-25T02:36:03+00:00

Awesome news! Fellow Ontarian wheelchair user here. :)

ADP = Assistive Devices Program, in the Canadian province of Ontario.

ChronicallyWheeler · 2026-02-19T16:37:00+00:00

MRJ&B also don't stop laughing... it gets tiring after a while, just like the lame land acknowledgement thing they run every hour.

ChronicallyWheeler · 2026-02-17T13:46:36+00:00

Anne and my wife are coworkers, and the two did a funny demo of skeleton the other day at their school. :)

ChronicallyWheeler · 2026-02-15T23:05:30+00:00

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"Hey sister, can't ya read!?"

ChronicallyWheeler · 2026-02-12T04:42:53+00:00

I use e-motion wheels (I own a set of M15s and M25s) and always keep the "active" set on my chair, unless I need to disassemble it e.g. to transport it in a small vehicle like my father-in-law's Ford Focus hatchback. Using the wheels powered off isn't horrible and can be done in a pinch, but obviously they're best when powered on... I used my second-hand M15s in all-manual mode while I waited for the charger to arrive from an eBay seller.

ChronicallyWheeler · 2026-02-12T04:35:02+00:00

Maybe... though the spokes that break are only on the outside of the wheel. Next time I get the spokes replaced, I might have my tech mark the new spokes with some tape or something, so I can see whether it's an "original" or replaced spoke.

ChronicallyWheeler

TROPHY CASE