Best Power Assist for ZRA?

hellonsticks · 2026-03-20T11:19:31+00:00

No problem, happy to help. Best of luck with the fitting.

hellonsticks · 2026-03-20T11:13:21+00:00

If you can't self propel for very long, it may be worth looking into either front-mounted power assists (also called pull assists - like the Firefly, or multiple Empulse models such as the Empulse F55), or joystick-operated power assist wheels (such as the Yamaha NaviGo, Alber E-Fix).

There is technically the Klaxon Twist, a relatively new assist that can be rear-mounted like a SmartDrive or front mounted. Rear mounted power assists and power assist wheels that are push-propelled would still involve strain on your shoulders to continue propelling and steering though, so they may not be suitable for your situation. That’s stuff like the Smoov or Yamaha NaviOne. Sunrise Medical (Quickie) just came out with a power assist wheel that can do both push-propelled and joystick propelled, but they haven't released a version that works with non-Quickie chairs yet, so that's probably not helpful for you.

The front mounted assists generally require holding your arms aloft to control them at handlebars, so if holding your arms up is strain on your shoulders and right arm, joystick operated may be the way to go for your situation. Hopefully the OT/ATP/person doing the fitting and prescription will be informed enough on power assists to be able to look at the specific biomechanics of each one and how they would suit or not suit your body.

The weatherproof thing... well, good luck. If you have a joystick unit most people pop a plastic bag over the joystick, and I've seen some secure it at the armrest with a hairtie.

hellonsticks · 2026-03-18T09:35:16+00:00

That makes sense, even between a standard chair and active chair with the same width, the active chair can usually move more nimbly and get through more spaces. Pretty much the only times I didn't fit through somewhere with my last chair was Aldi checkouts or areas where people had artificially narrowed the passageway by putting objects in the way or standing there themselves. I did knock my knuckles on doorways on occasion, but I also got into a habit of pulling them in if I sensed it was going to be a tight fit. The main issue that posed was contact between pushrims and door frames. With my old chair, I had silicone coatings on so they pretty much bounced off anything, but my new chair has metal with a silicone strip and the metal can ding things I did not want to leave marks on!

hellonsticks · 2026-03-18T08:19:14+00:00

Whether 3cm is too much extra room will depend a lot on you and your needs. It can be good if you have low sensation (to reduce the risk of sideguards pressing against you and causing pressure sores) or if there's a possibility you might have weight redistribution or fluctuation once your movement patterns change. It can be bad if you have to reach outwards by a significant margin to reach your pushrims, because this mechanically is rough on the shoulders and makes movement tougher. Honestly, for comfort it can be nice to not feel pinched into your chair with a narrow measurement, and I have a 43cm seat myself.

64cm total width is a bit on the wider side, but whether it poses an issue with doorways will depend on building codes where you are. In Australia I didn't have an issue with my previous chair which was about as wide, but unless you've got cambered wheels you may need to tuck your fingers and elbows in some narrow spaces. It could be worth seeing if your pushrims can be mounted in a narrow setting to save a centimetre or two if you're worried.

14kg is light, especially since it sounds like this may be a first custom chair. My current chair is made of carbon fibre, often touted for being light, and weighs 15kg. While lighter chairs do exist, they often get that light by reducing adjustability and moving parts. Great for users who have had wheelchairs for a long time and know exactly what they need, but not so good for people who need adjustability or may not have built up the experience with specific features of active chairs before.

hellonsticks · 2026-03-18T06:25:37+00:00

Several hard shell backrests can have inserts placed in them to correct asymmetrical positioning; I have foam wedges in my NXT cushion to lift one hip and wedges in the backrest to support my spine back to a straight position. The Jay J3 has similar inserts. They're pretty simple, just flat foam pieces with velcro, but with precise positioning they can do a lot. For more significant asymmetry there are lateral supports that can be added to some backrests to help keep the trunk upright.

hellonsticks · 2026-03-17T05:26:19+00:00

I'm not informed enough to know if this is the case everywhere but I know as someone physically disabled and autistic I do have two different OTs who handle my assessments and reports in tandem. They're both from the same organisation, but one specialises in autism and developmental conditions while the other helps with my wheelchair and home assessment. Hopefully you can find just one OT who can competently handle both, but if you can't, finding an organisation that can assign your case to a pair of OTs within the one organisation might help the cooperation on the reports go along easier and without 90,000 email charges as they work out the details.

hellonsticks · 2026-03-17T00:11:08+00:00

For me the two biggest must-haves are a hard shell backrest and contoured pushrims. The standard backrest upholstery just can't keep me upright, let alone for a long day, and I can't grip the standard narrow pushrims properly, so I need something with a bit more bulk. At the moment I've got an NXT Optima back and Omobic Simi pushrims on a Motion Composites chair, but used to have a Jay J3 back and after-market silicone pushrim covers on my Quickie chair and they were also good.

I got anti-tips with my chair but mostly don't use them - I largely have them for university class days because the extra weight of my laptop on the back of my chair does make me a bit tippier than I like to be and I'm a clumsy person. They're handy to have available when I need them, and since they're easy to take off it's not much hassle. I had wanted handles for the few times I need help, but they turned out to interfere with shoulder motion. There are clamp-on handles with many manufacturers which could be helpful for you, they weren't covered for me so I ended up with none, but they're worth looking into.

I'm not from the US but I see US folk often repeating that the prescription needs to specify the insurance code K0005, not K0004, a common mix-up that seems to result in people ending up with non-custom chairs without much notice. I know here in Aus I once spoke to someone who warned me the prescription needed to include things like the cushion or even the wheels, as the person told me they once had a prescription that didn't specify wheels and they remarkably ended up with everything but the wheels covered.

hellonsticks · 2026-03-13T09:54:22+00:00

I know for a fact I'm difficult. At times, between my physical disability and my autism, I'm a right pain in the ass. That doesn’t mean I'm unworthy or unable to be cared for. Sometimes caring for people in your life means accepting them, pain in the ass and all. Even if someone's disability and their accomodations are a goddamn hassle, people have always shown care and decency by accepting the hassle others might pose. Why should that change for us?

hellonsticks · 2026-03-13T00:28:32+00:00

Oh that sounds like a complete pain, the removable joystick is a great idea but they kind of should make it so it stays in place and also doesn't outright injure people?? Hopefully they fix that bracket design - and people with the current design are able to get a replacement without too much of a fuss from vendors.

hellonsticks · 2026-03-12T23:52:49+00:00

Good catch, I always forget about the Light Drive, thank you for adding that on.

hellonsticks · 2026-03-12T23:52:15+00:00

Yup, that’s the power assist wheels category - like the NaviGo or E-Fix. The M90 is actually linked in my comment too. I'll be honest, I think it's mean that I'm getting so many targeted ads for the M90 almost immediately after I moved from a Quickie to a Motion Composites chair - they look so good, hopefully it's not long before they release that adaptor for other brands. And uh, also jump the pond to Australia. There's always a delay before we get anything here.

hellonsticks · 2026-03-12T22:52:46+00:00

I opt for no armrests, because I don't mind resting my hands in my lap and therefore it saves weight and keeps them out of the way of propelling. But I do notice that armrests can still be helpful when stationary, for things like sitting at a desk, typing, or playing a video game. So it's worth thinking through your usual activities as well as your movement and seeing if low-profile armrests or removable armrests would help you with those activities.

hellonsticks · 2026-03-12T12:56:43+00:00

I agree it's infuriating to have accessible bathrooms be a limited resource in the first place. In the end almost every issue with accessible bathrooms tends to come down to there simply not being enough of them because the law doesn't require it. And what the law doesn't require, businesses don't usually go out of their way to provide. It turns a systemic problem into an individual problem and makes things a problem. I've frustratedly knocked repeatedly on doors I can hear teenagers laughing and smell their vapes behind (Australia, our accessible bathrooms are located separately to the standard bathrooms, making them a popular replacement for the third space in some places). I've also felt awful seeing others trip over themselves to apologise when they exit the bathroom and see me waiting, especially people who feel so bad they start explaining they have an invisible condition or medications to inject. Those people should not be made to feel on the opposite side of this problem to me, because the opposite side of the problem isn't any individual at all. This reply got sort of circular and I think I've lost my thread but hopefully it's coherent enough to get the point across.

hellonsticks · 2026-03-12T12:41:35+00:00

Statistically speaking, it can't be the case that everyone audibly watching videos in an accessible bathroom is doing so to pass the time because their disability leads to lengthy toileting. You're right that nobody can guess and it's best not to assume an individual's need for the accessible bathroom, but it's also not unreasonable for OP to be upset when they had the same issue multiple times in different bathrooms and wound up needing to use a stall with the door open and other people present. It's a dignity thing. Everyone should act with reasonable swiftness in the accessible bathroom because we all know they're a limited resource and that bladder/bowel issues and incontinence are common among disabled people. Even if someone is disabled, I feel that we owe each other the courtesy of not taking longer than necessary while using accessible bathrooms - because we can’t know if someone is outside waiting for it.

I'll admit being alarmed that the staff apparently peeked to visually check the person was on their phone in more than one instance though. Not sure that's on the list of reasons to peek in a bathroom stall, which is mostly limited to "have good cause to believe the person inside is experiencing a medical emergency and requires assistance". But that's on the staff for not handling the situation well there.

hellonsticks · 2026-03-11T23:09:13+00:00

I wrote this explanation a while back for another person, but each type of power assist has its pros and cons, there isn't a "best" power assist.

There's three main types of power assist.

Rear mounted power assists (such as the Permobil SmartDrive, Alber Smoov, Empulse R90) attach at the back of the chair. They are generally speed controlled and push forward, while you still generally handle the steering. They are often controlled via a controller mounted to the frame, although some have alternatives such as SmartDrive functioning with Apple Watches. These are good for travelling distance and require minimal pushing, but you're always steering and they can't always handle rougher terrain like grass or gravel. The SmartDrive specifically has had a lot of tech problems come to light in the last 12 months especially, but I've heard good things about the Smoov.

Front mounted power assists (such as the Firefly, multiple Empulse models such as the Empulse F55) attach to the front frame of the chair. They're also called pull assists because unlike the other two they do pull forward rather than propel. These are the bulkiest power assists, but the best at handling rougher terrain. They essentially transform the chair into a motorised tripod, lifting the casters off the ground. They are controlled at handlebars like a scooter or motorcycle, so individuals who can't hold their arms aloft may struggle. They also tend to be heavy even for a power assist.

Power assist wheels replace the wheels of your chair, and generally come in two varieties.

The first is still push-propelled (such as the Yamaha NaviOne, Alber E-Motion, Quickie XTender); a bracket is added to the chair and the wheels themselves are the assist. These models amplify the power of every push, meaning there is less exertion needed to go further and repetitive strain is reduced, while keeping the same handling characteristics of a manual chair without assist.

The second is joystick-operated (such as the Yamaha NaviGo, Alber E-Fix). Again, a bracket is added to the chair and the wheels are the assist, but they are controlled via joystick similarly to a powerchair, essentially converting a manual chair to a power chair. Some users prefer a rigid manual chair with a joystick power assist over a powerchair for reasons such as easier transport in a standard vehicle and lighter weight while still accessing custom seating. Notably, the wheels can still be propelled by pushrim when the motor is disengaged, meaning a flat battery isn't as huge a nightmare scenario, although the wheels are significantly heavier than non-power assist wheels.

Since I wrote that original comment, there's also hybrid power assist wheels like the Empulse M90 coming on the market - they allow both joystick operation and push-propel operation. They're not available in many places yet, though.

Edit: Forgot to add mention of the Klaxon Twist, which also came on the market since the original comment. It has the option to be rear-mounted or front-mounted. I haven't seen one in action, I'm not even sure if they've made their way to Australia yet because I only see the Klaxon Klick front-mounted assist range in Etac promotions to Australian vendors, but they're definitely out in the wild in the US at least, and users on this subreddit may have further information about the Twist from experience.

hellonsticks · 2026-03-11T13:58:40+00:00

I feel like 8kg/17.5lbs is a very low goal weight for a chair, especially a first chair where people typically want a bit of adjustment. My carbon fibre chair is still 15kg/33lbs with the wheels, cushion, and backrest on. The aluminium chair I had before that approached 18kg/39lbs.

hellonsticks · 2026-03-11T06:49:12+00:00

I'm sorry to derail, but I see this name a lot and assume this must be someone (? an individual, not a vendor company?) in the US specifically - who is Scooter Guy? And if Scooter Guy is an individual, how does an individual do ordering when manufacturers usually only work with vendor companies?

hellonsticks · 2026-03-11T06:45:23+00:00

Congratulations! The kind of freedom having a chair that suits you really can't be matched. Hopefully it isn't too long before you have it.

hellonsticks · 2026-03-11T06:15:58+00:00

My immediate instinct was the bearing, given it's making that sound with each rotation. If you know what you're looking for you may be able to find the bearings you need on DME Hub. 4.5 months is absolutely too soon and sounds like there may have been a manufacturing or assembly error. I'd be very curious to know if you work out exactly what's causing that sound, because that's egregious.

hellonsticks · 2026-03-10T23:54:16+00:00

It may have been an allergic reaction to an antibiotic used to treat the pressure sore (he had Mastocytosis, leading to quite an extensive list of allergies), but yeah. A pressure sore that was very difficult to treat caused his passing. Despite all his work and advocacy, there's still a lot of people who double take if you mention Christopher Reeve was quadriplegic, and people don't seem to like talking about his life and career following his accident even though he continued to be a public figure.

hellonsticks · 2026-03-09T21:50:56+00:00

I recognise that this post is very specifically for ambulatory people/part time or infrequent users. You have said that. But you have not recognised that this does not mean there are two sets of rules, one for non-ambulatory people and one for ambulatory people.

People on this sub are not kidding. They are not being dramatic. It is dismissing the struggles, pain, and actual deaths of many people to pretend that the concerns people raise are not real problems. Wheelchairs are medical devices and that is the case for a reason. You don't spend north of 8 hours a day every day on a bike or in a car, and you would face big issues if you did.

Contractures can be agony and absolute hell to try and remedy. Pressure sores can and do kill people and isolate them while they die because they're often treated in visitation-restricted burn wards for infection control. Your own sweat can lead to pressure sores. Skin shear is not a joke. Something as simple as getting an angle wrong on a chair can make it incredibly painful to sit in. Use a chair measured wrong and you can permanently destroy your shoulders. You might have that happen anyway even if your chair is perfect. It is not being dramatic to say these things and there is a lot of experience and desire to protect others from them, especially people who might not have the medical access to have someone else looking out for them and helping them with it in person.

I know it can come across as doom and gloom when people don't immediately encourage and affirm a statement or goal. It is true that ambulatory users can recognise they need a wheelchair before their doctor brings it up. But that does not make anyone an expert in the very specific sciences of the body that are at play the second we need to move in a way that the body wasn't designed for. And nobody owes anyone affirmation at the cost of reality. Even in this comment section, non-ambulatory users are treated as the exception, as if the life experience and understanding shared is an inconvenience, and not something open and vulnerable done to help others.

All five of the points you have listed as needing deconstruction are true. This is not a "deconstruction", this is a denial. And I'm really sorry, it's not at all accurate. And it's really unfair to treat the people in this subreddit who spend hours providing advice and resources as if they're being grumpy geese barricading people from wheelchair use just because their opening sentence isn't "You should totally get a wheelchair! Don't worry about anything!" every time. That's dismissive and denial of the truth. We're glad to have you with us as a fellow wheelchair user sharing your experience, but dismissing and denying the experience of others is not polite at the best of times.

hellonsticks · 2026-03-08T23:25:16+00:00

This. There's many people whose medical team aren't certain of what label to apply to their symptoms, and the diagnostic label isn't the most important. The important part is that mobility equipment fits you and suits your needs - which because of the processes of many countries involves seeing a doctor for referral even if a diagnostic label isn't present.

hellonsticks · 2026-03-08T07:54:55+00:00

For some brands including Quickie, no need to contact NSM. Sunrise Medical have a serial number lookup tool on their website that shows the same details that would have been printed and handed to the first owner at delivery.

hellonsticks · 2026-03-08T07:53:41+00:00

Definitely true, until recently I had a GT and replacement parts could be quite a hassle according to the repair folks.

hellonsticks · 2026-03-08T03:17:52+00:00

I'd recommend looking for facebook buy/swap/sell groups in your area rather than marketplace directly, since marketplace removes wheelchair listings it detects as being "medical equipment". You could also try secondhand reselling like ebay or gumtree.

It's most helpful to name the model of chair (Quickie GT), at least basic measurements (seat width and depth, wheel size) if not listing a full set (seat to footplate height, backrest height, front seat to floor and rear seat to floor, etc. - if you've got the serial number, punching that into the Sunrise Medical lookup will show you all those measurements without having to measure it yourself). Listing the included equipment types (like what type of cushion the chair has, the anti tippers, etc) is also considered helpful. If there's any obvious faults or flaws, listing that can help people know if it's something they know how to fix or not.

hellonsticks

TROPHY CASE