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A $1k Wheelchair

newmobility.com

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Re: A $1k Wheelchair

#91

Post by ajford »

tredre3 wrote: post #60
skylurk wrote: post #8

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Would you buy an under-$200 bike off of Amazon? Especially one you spent all day on?

I don't know about Amazon, but $200 is the price of a reasonable entry-level bike in any large surface store so yes? I know this is HN and people will likely look down on anyone riding a <$2000 bike, but come on.

The question was would you spend that on a device you spend 8+hrs in each day, which is something people often ignore.

This is a device you _live_ in. This is someone's mobility and independence you're talking about. Not a "I spend 30 minutes to an hour a day riding", or a "I commute to work on this" but instead "I use this to enjoy life".

Re: A $1k Wheelchair

#92

Post by BanazirGalbasi »

UncleOxidant wrote: post #82

That's really cool. But I also notice that when I go to thrift stores in my area that there are often wheelchairs available for $25 or less. Similar for walkers and other mobility devices that tend to be really expensive new.

This is why reading comments before contributing to the conversation is useful. There are already several comments outlining why a $25 wheelchair, especially a used one found at thrift stores, isn't comparable. Build quality, weight, fit, convenience, portability - all of these are reasons to spend more on a wheelchair.

We don't question why different computers are more expensive than others even though they all do the same job. We don't question why one bike costs more than another despite using the same mechanism for propulsion. Wheelchairs are another good with varying levels of quality at different price points. It's arguably more important for quality goods to be accessible because for many, they're living in these things constantly.

Re: A $1k Wheelchair

#93

Post by tills13 »

amadeuspagel wrote: post #90

It's cool how they get both capital and distribution from their YouTube channel. Are there any other "real" business started from YouTube like this?

for better or worse the entire Mr Beast empire and, to an extent, Logan Paul and his ventures (Prime, etc)

Re: A $1k Wheelchair

#94

Post by Suppafly »

bee_rider wrote: post #32
rtkwe wrote: post #26

It's odd seeing the number of dismissive comments missing that there are whole categories of wheelchairs for different purposes. It's like asking why XPSs exist when there are Chromebooks, something most people commenting here would immediately realize as a silly question because they suit different needs and functions but the idea doesn't come up because it's an unfamiliar problem.

That sort of “I googled for 30 seconds, and found a cheaper option, why does this project exist” type response is anti-curiosity and anti-learning. It is possible that the YouTuber guy is a total idiot and decided to make a $1000 wheelchair instead of buying a $200 one, but that shouldn’t be a default assumption, haha.

>It is possible that the YouTuber guy is a total idiot and decided to make a $1000 wheelchair instead of buying a $200 one, but that shouldn’t be a default assumption, haha.

Seems insane to assume that but we see it in tech all the time where someone unknowingly spends a ton of money on reinventing something that already exists.

Re: A $1k Wheelchair

#95

Post by loufe »

basirulbillah wrote: post #89

1k for a wheelchair is unbelievable for me. In Bangladesh they cost about 7 to 9 thousands taka which is equivalent 60 to 100 USD. I don't understand.

There are obvious COL differences between regions which can account for a huge part of that. There's a reason we lost our manufacturing base in the west to China.

Are the chairs you're speaking of customized? Are they using the components of a similar quality? That may be a component, as well.

Re: A $1k Wheelchair

#96

Post by loufe »

badjoak wrote: post #85
Waterluvian wrote: post #53

My former girlfriend gets powered wheelchairs through the Ontario Disability Support Program, and I witnessed and learned that the whole thing is such a fraud. Her powered chair was just over $20,000 and was a terrible piece of machinery. You were definitely not getting the "medical devices have to be reliable" premium. And any time the technician came out, we got a bill to forward to ODSP for thousands of dollars, e…

You had to have cashflow to pay those bills and wait for a redund? Sounds terrifying.

I have an Ontarian optometrist in the immediate family. I helped them set up a very tangled and innefficient ODSP claims process. It's a terribly, terribly managed program. I'm not sure if the OP has to pay and be reimbursed, but I wouldn't be surprised. That family member has to wait upwards of a year sometimes to be reimbursed, occaisionnaly they wait that much time only to be refused because of a "problem" which is not detailed anyways, so the business has to waste time to figure out problems. All the while, they are in the hole for that money.

Re: A $1k Wheelchair

#97

Post by joe_the_user »

rtkwe wrote: post #26

It's odd seeing the number of dismissive comments missing that there are whole categories of wheelchairs for different purposes. It's like asking why XPSs exist when there are Chromebooks, something most people commenting here would immediately realize as a silly question because they suit different needs and functions but the idea doesn't come up because it's an unfamiliar problem.

I think the dismissals come because wheelchair users are already painfully aware of the options.

Yes, there are different kinds of wheelchairs, there's no reason a premade, presized wheelchair has to cost thousands and they don't. The premade chairs certainly serve a need - for those who can sort of walk but need the chair to go distances (etc).

But the reason for custom wheelchairs is they are for people who spend all day, everyday in the chair. And that's where the need and the pain is greatest and so exhibiting a "ready made" chair just isn't going to impress them.

Re: A $1k Wheelchair

#98

Post by bee_rider »

chipdart wrote: post #88
singhrac wrote: post #63

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I couldn’t upvote this enough. A lot of drive-by cynicism I see these days is really just a lack of curiosity and bad faith assumptions (this guy must be an idiot, etc.). I see it a lot in practice especially when discussing early-stage business ideas.

> A lot of drive-by cynicism I see these days is really just a lack of curiosity and bad faith assumptions (this guy must be an idiot, etc.). You're talking if guys pitching overpriced and underquality gear is completely unheard of, or if flawed business ideas are a rare occurrence. I get it, support and enthusiasm is always nice to have. But if you descend into the real world you'll see that more often than not you'…

Well, I guess since I disagree with you, I must be an inhabitant of this non-real world. Dang, I wish I’d thought to deem myself the arbiter of reality.

But from here, floating in the imaginary clouds, the error of the cynics was pretty easy to spot. It was that there are different types of wheelchairs and the cynics were just googling up the bargain-basement mass produced ones. I guess in the real world everything (including medical devices) is one-size-fits-all?

Re: A $1k Wheelchair

#99

Post by ruune »

tills13 wrote: post #93
amadeuspagel wrote: post #90

It's cool how they get both capital and distribution from their YouTube channel. Are there any other "real" business started from YouTube like this?

for better or worse the entire Mr Beast empire and, to an extent, Logan Paul and his ventures (Prime, etc)

These never made it further than "I'm buying this because I like MrBeast/Logan Paul/etc." at least as far as I can tell. These wheelchairs are supposed to become good enough that any regular disabled person that can't walk* will seriously consider them even without knowing who makes them.

*English isn't my first language, no idea what a proper inoffensive way to describe the target audience is. I mean no harm :)

Re: A $1k Wheelchair

#100

Post by changing1999 »

bluGill wrote: post #51
changing1999 wrote: post #37

I have no knowledge of this specific product area but wondering what aspect of the wheelchair in the photo results in this seemingly high cost? (to note, I understand that this is still far cheaper than other wheelchairs). Is it the material cost? It looks like it's just a few pipes, a cushion, and a pair of wheels. About the same build as a basic bicycle.

Mostly the machines the factory uses. You can cut tubes by hand and drill those holes, but the machines are more accurate and faster. However those machines will cost you in the million range each in some cases. (the $1000 Chinese versions for home use are kits that will cost you $10k to make accurate and the quality means they will wear out fast so while find for building a couple they are more expensive than the mi…

Fascinating. I assumed that most manufacturing machines can be reconfigured to build anything that machine can handle physically (i.e. not a particularly specialized machine) and, therefore, can be bought for cheap, or used. Coming from software I don't have a frame of reference for manufacturing cost.
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