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Silver rigid frame with a low, folding backrest, height-adjustable push handles, and a fixed footplate. The upholstery is black with reflective silver piping. The cushion is black and air-filled, supplied by NHS wheelchair services. The wheels have silver spokes which I have added LED lights to, and the surge push rims are black with a rubber strip on top.
This is my second manual wheelchair and my first active user chair. NHS wheelchair services supplied it, and I paid to upgrade the pushrims to surge ones. The chair has been made to my measurements, but is also very adjustable. I can’t change the size of the chair, but I can adjust the centre of gravity, the backrest angle, and the footplate height. This means that I can slowly adapt the chair to fit me and my needs perfectly. If I still need a wheelchair after this one comes to the end of its lifespan, I will know exactly what settings I require and will probably choose a lighter chair with minimal or no adjustments. I also plan to move the centre of gravity forward as I become more experienced using the chair. I currently have it set far back to prevent tipping accidentally, as I’m still getting the hang of wheelies.
My previous chair was a G-lite Pro, a folding manual wheelchair that I purchased myself. It was a good starting point, but this new chair is much better! It is incredibly comfortable. The cushion, supplied by wheelchair services, adapts itself to my shape and pressure points, allowing me to sit for long periods without discomfort. The backrest is lower than my previous chair, but it provides excellent support in the right place and doesn’t get in the way of propelling myself.
This chair is a little bit lighter (about 11kg with everything attached, compared to my previous chair, which was around 13kg) and can be taken apart to fit in the car. I think it is on a par with the folding chair in terms of ease of getting it into the car. But I can also fold the backrest down to lie along the seat as long as I take the cushion out first. The wheels also come off, so this chair can even fit over a seat in the car. In the future, I would like an even lighter chair, which would make this process even easier.
When it comes to moving around in this chair, life is so much better! It has a very small turning circle – I can spin on the spot if I want to. It’s easier to propel, probably because it’s been designed for me, and I now have Schwalbe Marathon Plus tyres, which are air-filled rather than solid ones. The tyre type is an option when ordering the chair. I had heard that air-filled tyres offer a smoother ride, which they definitely do, and these have a reinforced section that means they are unlikely to puncture. I need to keep them at the correct pressure, so I bought a pump with a pressure gauge to check them at home. The wheel type is also an option when ordering the chair, and mine are lightweight, which helps keep the overall weight down.
This chair moves very well on smooth surfaces, but gravel, cobbles, or poor paving is another story! I have 5-inch castors, which are on the larger side, but they don’t handle uneven ground well. To deal with this, I’ve bought a Freewheel that attaches to my footplate and lifts my castors just off the ground. It has a 12-inch wheel with a mountain bike tread. It means I can handle going off-road a little, including when I visited York Christmas Market and navigated the Shambles, which has cobbled streets. It does extend the length of the wheelchair, so it’s not ideal in confined spaces, but it comes with an attachment to hang it on the back of your chair when you’re not using it.
I asked NHS wheelchair services for adjustable push handles because people of varying heights often push me. But I wanted to make sure that whoever is pushing me can do so comfortably and not risk their own health. Fatigue is one of the reasons I use a wheelchair, so it’s not realistic for me to self-propel most of the time. Another advantage for me is that they can be entirely set out of the way when I am out on my own, so strangers can’t grab them!
Overall, this wheelchair has made a big difference to my quality of life. It has increased my comfort when I am out of the house, particularly during long waits for appointments, because the seating supports me well. It has also increased my confidence and independence as I can push myself in specific environments, and it looks good. I was able to choose the colour of the frame, and I can decorate to my taste – the LED fairy lights are pretty and practical, making me more visible in the dark. It isn’t perfect; I would love it to be lighter, and a power assist would be amazing, but it is the right chair for me at the moment while I am learning to use an active chair, and it can be adjusted as I gain more experience. I would highly recommend this chair to anyone starting out as an active user, or with changing, variable needs.
