Permobil M300 – Powered Wheelchair

Wheelchair Description:
It’s like a boat! Has electronic tilt and recline, mid-wheel drive, and more!

Battery Life:
Not Sure

Source of Wheelchair:
Unknown

Diagnosis:
Ehlers Danlos Syndrome (EDS), Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome (PoTS), Mastocytosis, Gastroparesis & More

Personal Opinion:
The biggest drawback to using this wheelchair is its size. It’s the biggest one on the US market and I only weigh 95 lbs (43kg), so feel tiny in it. It’s hard to manoeuvre in small spaces and weighs in at around 400 lbs (181.4kg), making it almost impossible to find a vehicle that would hold the weight during transportation. Even the 500 lb weight limit vehicles bottomed out when going over bumps etc, so it’s not safe to transport unless you have a wheelchair van, use public transportation, or have a ramp system to get it in and out of a pickup truck. as for the battery range, if I put it on charge every night it will comfortably run for the entire next day, so I’ve never run out. Plus the charger is small enough to put it in a backpack for those just in case moments, which is nice.

As far as benefits, this thing is a beast! It opened up my life to the outdoors. I can go through grass, over gravel, up and down hills, down walking paths in parks and overexposed tree roots with no problems. It doesn’t go up steps but can clear about anything under 3 inches. It even ploughs over light snow (maybe one or two inches)! The tilt and recline function has been a real lifesaver in terms of managing my chronic pain whilst moving, as I can lift the legs, change the dump, and recline with the push of a button. I don’t have the seat elevator function, but I believe that would open even more doors in life; particularly when it comes to socialising or accessing hard to reach items.

Other than the massive size and the inability to transport it in a standard vehicle, I’ve had no drawbacks. No repairs have been needed as of yet, and if money wasn’t an option I would be added lights and a seat elevator tomorrow as it’s a really sturdy and reliable chair.