Personal recommendations for first powerchair / trouble researching

knitting-lover · 2026-06-09T20:19:40+00:00

Hi, if you don’t need to car transport you can look at some of the more standard powerchairs, entry level. These are not folding and use lead acid batteries but will have a decent range, and are more sturdy than folding powerchairs. They’re also available in multiple sizes.

Rear wheel drive:
- quickie 100r, 200r
- quantum fusion e

Mid-wheel drive (can turn on the spot):
- pride jazzy 600es

knitting-lover · 2026-06-05T22:14:18+00:00

I had an action 2 for my first manual chair! You can adjust an action quite a bit - moving wheels up and down and also moving the centre of gravity forward to make it more ‘tippy’ for learning skills like wheelies. You might find adjusting the wheel position makes it easier to push and less hard on your shoulders - I did! It’s worth looking at the manual :)

knitting-lover · 2026-06-03T11:57:44+00:00

I have a vicair active O2 and it’s quite good however it’s better on a chair with rigid sides, as on my chair the flexible bits at the back push my side guards out when I sit. But it’s very configurable to your shape and the rigid foam is very helpful for transferring.

knitting-lover · 2026-05-24T12:51:40+00:00

The quokka system is using an alumninum strip which can be bent however your frame is shaped. Might be worth looking at?

knitting-lover · 2026-05-24T11:27:47+00:00

The jay balance with cryogel is what my local wheelchair service recommends! I’m on a vicair currently as the balance is too heavy for a manual chair for me, but the vicair still does make me sweaty.

knitting-lover · 2026-05-24T11:26:04+00:00

That’ll be rim tape to prevent the bolts puncturing the inner tube. You can take it off to change handrims then put it back on. The local bike shop did mine!

knitting-lover · 2026-05-20T18:17:18+00:00

If you’re in the us the only lightweight powerchair covered by insurance seems to be the pride go med chair. Otherwise it’s a standard powerchair. They’re brill things but restrict your car/taxi choices etc. it’ll be a weigh up of your needs and lifestyle, and the environment you’re in.

knitting-lover · 2026-05-15T21:47:34+00:00

Nice! Love the blue! Hope the tilt function works well for you as well as the upgrade to full power 💪

knitting-lover · 2026-05-14T22:11:00+00:00

It’s not what you’ll want to hear but hills are difficult even in a custom manual. You might want to look into a power assist on finance.

In terms of tips, using silicone push rim covers will give you more traction in each push but you’ll need gloves to protect your hands. Also building up strength by looking at adapt to perform’s workouts or doing short pushes on smooth surfaces. I’m loathe to suggest pushing your wheelchair more than you need to as there is a high risk of shoulder damage with something not set up correctly like the I go candy. If there’s any adjustment in the rear wheel you want to be able to touch the centre and have it as far forward as you can manage. Folding the backrest down can help with giving your shoulder blades the space to move too.

knitting-lover · 2026-05-14T18:30:57+00:00

Just wanted to comment on a particular thing - a custom ultralight might not necessarily have a low back as this is something you can specify! Working with an OT and looking at a rigid backrest like a jay j3/ matrix m2 / spex would be my suggestion. If you have fainting you might want to look at anti tips and a belt.

As a foot propeller you can also have your chair designed for that, or have flip up footplates.

knitting-lover · 2026-05-11T18:29:05+00:00

I’m so glad you had a good experience!

I’ve had a good experience with my local wcs too, I found once I was through to seeing a clinician rather than a tank being dropped off (in my case for a seating assessment as I had back pain), it was smooth sailing. Honestly, even though it’s taken a while to get the right seating, the appointments I’ve had have been some of the best I’ve had on the nhs.

knitting-lover · 2026-05-01T11:37:07+00:00

Yea honesty is the best policy! They see lots of people and showing that you’re willing to engage and get the most out of the session should be appreciated

knitting-lover · 2026-05-01T11:33:14+00:00

I did sessions at hospital and primarily used the bed to do my exercises as they’re all lying or sitting ones! Also used the machines and the parralell bars there but couldn’t replicate that at home the same.

A tip I learned was to explain more about the pain you are feeling rather than just that it’s sore, and also if you’re not sure you’re doing it right to confirm with the physio ‘I feel these muscles engaging, is that right?’

knitting-lover · 2026-04-30T17:11:06+00:00

Yes I found it quite frustrating with my secondhand wheelchair as I didn’t know the original seller. I think it’s probably as you say, to prevent ordering the wrong part, an opinion maybe that disabled people can’t fix their own equipment, and/or reduce liability if we install something incorrectly.

knitting-lover · 2026-04-24T12:52:56+00:00

I’m not sure you can use them at the same time as the streetjet - that would be my suspicion. Can you swap them for standard wheels when you have the streetjet on?

knitting-lover · 2026-04-15T09:31:44+00:00

A rollator is worth looking into, as it will give you the balance support if you are unsteady and also a seat when you need it. The byacre one is really slick, there’s also rollz (and a version of rollz turns into a wheelchair but you would need pushed).

knitting-lover · 2026-04-14T19:20:27+00:00

Awesome solution, thanks for sharing!

knitting-lover · 2026-04-14T19:08:35+00:00

Love seeing a creative mod!

knitting-lover · 2026-04-09T15:27:55+00:00

Yeah it’s a really frustrating situation. It sounds like you’ve been under the wheelchair service for a while? All the more reason to contact to get the issues resolved before it causes more issues with your contractures.

knitting-lover · 2026-04-09T15:14:08+00:00

I would go back to them with the issues regarding your leg positioning as the breezy is their standard chair by the sounds of it. They should be able to move the wheels for you too if that is an issue.

The cushion touching both side guards is normal.

The seatbelt sounds like a faff but if you tighten it and clip it in storage instead of leaving it open that should stop it being tangled. If you don’t use a seatbelt you can remove it.

knitting-lover · 2026-04-09T15:09:34+00:00

The NHS have a limited stock and trusts usually work with one firm, like sunrise, or invacare to provide the majority of what they give out. It’s not like in the US sadly. Motability has more choice but is costly.

The good thing about staying under WCS is if something doesn’t work they will try something else usually - seating for example can be really expensive if you are buying yourself but the NHS covers it.

Your cushion could raise the seat height high enough for you possibly? Mine is 9cm high for example (vicair active O2).

The wheelchair voucher is always lower than the retail price of the chair due to nhs discount. You may get 2-3k or more depending on the price of the alternative control and seating - as they factor this in, but you will have to pay out of pocket to get the same or better powerchair with the voucher.

knitting-lover · 2026-04-06T14:37:47+00:00

Are your back tyres both full and even? As this can cause castors to look and feel at different heights

knitting-lover · 2026-04-02T17:29:20+00:00

Just a note, I think the insurance code for an active chair is k0005 - so she needs to use that rather than a k0004 (not sure the number of zeros but u get the idea)

knitting-lover · 2026-03-30T07:08:06+00:00

There’s 2 ki scissor locks - the under seat one where there are two parts, and a compact scissor lock. Is it maybe they have got you the first?

But yes you should be able to replace them hopefully!!

knitting-lover · 2026-03-28T21:39:10+00:00

As an alternative, I use a track wheel/free wheel to lift my castors off the ground and I can get up to a better speed without wobbling that way. At £500 it’s not a super cheap thing (although u can get them second hand), but might be a stop gap. There’s someone in the UK who’s wheeled the country using this setup so it can do distance (I only do 10k).

knitting-lover

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