I do not think much of these at all.
I thought we had moved on from this perception of wheelchair users. What do they all have to sit bolt upright in old-fashioned chairs. Why can’t they look just a bit more dynamic? And call me Mr. Picky but, we don’t all need push-handles.
These are Unicode images and can be tweaked. I urge platform owners to add a little pizzaz, It doesn’t take much …
I’m pleased with this. Well put together, good lumbar support and (I think) a touch lighter than my Helium. Good brakes too, although I should bloody think so for 200 quid extra. I mean, ABS they ain’t.
The clothes guards can be removed, which seems fair enough until you remove them — and wonder where on earth you’re supposed to put them. I met a girl this week whose RGK chair has guards that fold back against the seat-back. I admit it, I was seduced by the name.
I get fed up with all the extras, and their cost. All the dealers are the same. The brakes were my only indulgence and I steered well clear of the various upholstery, wheel and push-rim options, which could have added almost a grand to the quoted price.
And then there was a delivery charge. I should have known that but it still came as a shock; so much so that I got into an argument with the dealer. No way was I about to schlep halfway to Scotland, just to pick it up. At no point was the charge mentioned, either verbally or on the paperwork.
Everything’s fine now, and I like dealing with Cyclone, but if you sell your stuff nationally you must support it nationally. Buying a power attachment from them for this chair would entail a day at the Widnes dealership, plus the petrol and probably an overnght stay somewhere. That adds a lot to the already substantial ticket price. It follows that I am much more likely to buy a different product from a local supplier. So, I would argue, why bother selling nationally?
As for the ‘forever’; well, if this thing lasts for ten years, it may well be my last manual chair. It all depends on how my shoulders hold up. I dread the prospect of going electric for all the obvious reason, plus this. Some years ago, when I took my late Dad’s mobility scooter out for a family walk in Jersey, my left thumb was the only bit of me that got any exercise. As a result, I froze half to death.
So a power chair will always be very much the last resort. We must all face our mortality at some point, but trading up/down/across to one of those will make a particularly brutal statement.
Johnny Sombrero Rides! 