Travelux Venture – Powered Wheelchair

Wheelchair Description:
Black faux leather seat with a folding backrest that has an elasticated pocket. Front-wheel drive with two smaller wheels at back. Black and white frame. Cow horn joystick controller from MERU. Large folding height adjustable footplate. Flip-up, height/width adjustable armrests. Does also come in grey, larger captain seat with headrest and swing away controller. The seat can be lifted off the base and it also swivels using a push lever.

Battery Life:
Full day, as it has a 12 mile range.

Source of Wheelchair:
Betterlife

Diagnosis:
Ehlers Danlos Syndrome (EDS) & Myalgic Encephalomyelitis (M.E)

Personal Opinion:
The main benefit of this chair is the elevating seat, however, the elevating switch does take some strength to use and it meant that the chair cost a few hundred pounds more than frames of a similar size. It is relatively small, but you might have to accept some damage to your indoor paintwork, as the rear wheels stick out making it difficult to judge where the wheels are. I also think that it tends to oversteer at the faster speeds, despite being a front-wheel drive. It also doesn’t come apart for transport and it is very heavy to lift – to the point I’d say a hoist would be needed to get it into a car unless you had a wheelchair accessible vehicle. However, I wouldn’t use it outdoors as it isn’t made for uneven surfaces; so I don’t have to worry about transporting it.

I personally removed one of the armrests and don’t use the footplate, making it easier to transfer and use around my tiny house. Otherwise, you need a lot more space, as the footplate makes the turning circle bigger. Occasionally there are problems with the wheelchair tipping, particularly when leaning forward whilst using the footplate; which is another reason why I removed it. I also don’t think it is suitable for sitting all day because there are no pressure-relieving qualities to the seat. So if it wasn’t for the elevating seat, it wouldn’t be my first choice as I prefer mid-wheel drive chairs. My chair also arrived smashed to bits, but Betterlife replaced it without any issues.