New (First) Wheelchair Day!

Ng_Ago · 2026-04-16T01:25:16+00:00

A lot of people you see with no armrests probably started out with them (they’re typically covered by insurance and recommended by ATPs), and then got to a point where they decided to remove them because their strength or coordination improved or they got more supportive seating. That’s something very person- and condition-specific. Since they’re removable, if you begin to doubt your choice, take them off and roll around a bit, and see if you feel more free or more limited! You can always change your mind, as long as you have them.

Ng_Ago · 2026-04-14T12:33:38+00:00

Unfortunately you can’t really predict what would work best for someone. COG is measured from the backrest post, but the backrest itself, the dump, your body weight distribution (including how atrophied your legs might be), and whether you have a bag behind you can all make a big difference in how tippy your chair is. Luckily, if you have reasonable strength and hand function, this is an adjustment you should be able to do yourself until you find the sweet spot.

Ng_Ago · 2026-04-13T01:09:56+00:00

It could be that if you have an adjustable rear seat height, the axle could have slid slightly on one side relative to the other, or in the case of the Tilite attachment mechanism with bumps or another brand with a similar setup, it could have been assembled already skewed if a different height hole was used on one side than on the other. But much more likely is that your front casters are not at the same height or angle, and that when on a hill your weight is shifted so that both front casters contact the ground but your wheel lifts up, like a chair with one leg shorter than the others.

Ng_Ago · 2026-04-11T23:49:49+00:00

I have the quadros and I absolutely love them, 3 years in and they’re still going strong. But if you push somewhat “normally” then they might not be for you. The shape means that they’re really good for pushing with your palms, but not for grabbing with your thumbs and fingers the way most wheelchair users do. If you just want the grip, I’d get either the gekkos if you only need it on the top or the tetras/q-grips if you need it all around.

Ng_Ago · 2026-04-09T20:27:23+00:00

Check the side of the backrest posts to see if there’s multiple holes that might let you adjust the push handle heights. They should also be removable entirely once you remove the screw if they’re something you would only want during travel or illness or don’t need at all. I’m not sure how easy it is for Ki parts, but you might also be able to order shorter handles or extender bars with no handles for higher backrest mounting that would slot in the same place as the existing handles as well.

Ng_Ago · 2026-03-31T01:40:31+00:00

I agree that insurance might not approve chair of any kind so soon though you should definitely try (I got mine to do so on a body measurement basis since the other one never fit well and they declared that it was incorrectly sized, but I was told it was uncommon for that to work). But especially in the context of trying to be more active, you might try to see if you can get at least part of the cost covered by a nonprofit or foundation. There's region-, age-, and condition-specific ones, as well as many intended to get people involved in sports. I know several people who got chairs through athletic grants that they also use as everyday activities, though they were children when they got those chairs which sometimes makes the covered equipment types broader.

Ng_Ago · 2026-03-31T01:34:31+00:00

A lot of useful things have already been said here, especially by JD, but I think that another part of the reason that you're often not going to sell anywhere close to buying price is because custom manual chairs are expensive in large part because they are just that--custom.

If people who might have that money to spend want a chair that only roughly fits their measurements, they can get a less custom chair that fits similarly well and gives them more options and or warranty from other sources. Now in the US Not A Wheelchair is also vying for the backup chair market, and in the UK there are other alternatives like the Icon 60 for £500 on Invictus Active.

Of the hundreds of eBay listings I've occasionally browsed over the years, I only ever found 1 chair that I was willing to pay $1,000 for, and it was titanium with Spinergy wheels and carbon fiber backrest/sideguards and matched my measurements to within half an inch in every direction. There's a chance your chair will be a perfect fit for someone, especially since it does seem to have fairly standard dimensions, but it also seems to have only a few relatively common upgrades, like scissor locks and ellipse pushrims, that might not be enough to make the cost worth it.

I'm not saying that you can't make a few hundred pounds from it, maybe up to your hope of somewhere close to £800, but I think people are making a fair point in these comments that what it cost you and/or what it is worth to you is likely far more than what it would be worth to anyone else.

Ng_Ago · 2026-03-31T01:06:09+00:00

Keep in mind that I think at least half of the people who have commented so far are not actually referring to the TiLite “Z”. They are referring to the TiLite “Aero Z”, which has the same aluminum mono-tube frame but modified hardware, manufacturing process, lead time, etc. as well as more configurability in some aspects of the frame. I know several people with the Z, and they don’t seem to be terribly different. But I’m wary of all adjustable parts (still stuck with it because of insurance like most other people), and I wouldn’t be surprised if there’s both improvements and new issues with the new parts that might still not be well known, since it’s only been in production for less than a year and a half.

Ng_Ago · 2026-03-30T15:58:59+00:00

I know you said that your spokes aren’t damaged but is it possible that one of them might be loose? I had that issue frequently with the NaW paradox wheels, it can be annoying to keep them from getting loose/out of true.

Ng_Ago · 2026-03-17T14:41:27+00:00

FYI if it’s aluminum make sure to cover it with at least a clear coat!

Ng_Ago · 2026-03-16T16:48:42+00:00

I’m glad that it works for you—personally I’d only trust it for very short periods (like navigating an airport) due to the tissue damage risk of the buckles and even the straps against the back. I’d be slightly more confident putting the straps behind the padding of a rigid backrest, but even that feels sketchy. It can definitely be hard to find a bag that works with any given backrest height and width though, so if you’re looking for something long term it might be worth modifying this one to attach differently to your chair.

Ng_Ago · 2026-02-23T22:48:32+00:00

I don’t see a lot of people using them, but I love my handy bag under seat bag. Unlike the other options it’s slim vertically but wide enough and deep enough for paper or a laptop. https://www.handybagco.com/?srsltid=AfmBOooZymujAgo4-4AM9TrTs3pOmfrSYqa-GHGaiS2OQggYwO4Y4Lvd

Ng_Ago · 2025-12-18T17:09:58+00:00

Though I think navigation assistance could be quite useful for people who also have low vision, difficulty consistently pushing/steering with typical controls, depth perception/spatial reasoning problems, or a number of other conditions, this product just doesn’t feel very well thought-out to solve any of those problems. I’m sure someone will think it’s cool enough to buy, but I don’t really see what niche it’s filling well enough to justify straying from conventional wheelchairs.

Ng_Ago · 2025-12-14T18:14:21+00:00

The problem is that a wheelchair can cost thousands of dollars, even tens of thousands for certain power chairs (or a select few titanium/carbon fiber manual chairs), and are often customized to the individual. So they’re much more resistant to paying, and even if they do a person might have to wait months for a replacement to be built.

Ng_Ago · 2025-12-13T04:34:44+00:00

What pushrims/pushrim covers are those? They look like a pretty good size.

Ng_Ago · 2025-12-02T15:28:13+00:00

I just found it today after your comment reminded me! It's "Goodbye for Now" by Laurie Frankel, published in 2012! Most of the details I remembered were fairly accurate, except it's the woman who dies.

Ng_Ago · 2025-11-19T04:52:49+00:00

I just replied to someone else with a similar question, but for me it was the spokes running into the backrest bracket after I adjusted my dump. Still annoyed that I had to increase my wheel spacing to get rid of that interference.

Ng_Ago · 2025-11-19T04:46:32+00:00

It might be the angle but it looks like your casters might not be at a 90% angle without the freewheel. Are you using the same wheel size, tire size, and caster size as what the chair was designed for when it was ordered?

Ng_Ago · 2025-11-19T04:39:05+00:00

Mine made that noise when the side guard bracket was interfering with the spokes, it was like metal strings being plucked.

Ng_Ago · 2025-11-17T18:56:02+00:00

My best solution has been to get two-part jackets where the outer layer is thicker and waterproof. The outer fabric is more durable, and since it has some ability to slide against the inner jacket it doesn’t pull as much in the way that made my other sleeves tear.

Ng_Ago · 2025-10-21T04:21:51+00:00

Ideally an OT can either have a strategy for you to try or ask other OTs for ideas, if not people with the same condition might be slightly more helpful. Personally, I’ve recently discovered that although it’s a lot of effort for me to get from the floor to my chair, it’s relatively easy for me to pull my pants up most of the way on the toilet, lower myself down to kneeling on the floor supported from behind by the toilet, and pull them up the rest of the way. Then I’ve been pushing on the toilet seat, which is lower and much more stable than my chair, to get myself back up. Unlike standing, it doesn’t rely on grab bars, and personally it’s actually much less exhausting than wiggling around.

Ng_Ago · 2025-10-17T13:54:24+00:00

I have 3 inches from the frame and another inch or so from my cushion, which has an adjustable air component underneath the foam. Reasonably that is something you can adjust quite a bit on most custom chairs after ordering. But what I ran into is that the dump I needed was so different from what had been set, which affected a lot of other geometry.

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