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A $1k Wheelchair

newmobility.com

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Re: A $1k Wheelchair

#201

Post by lostlogin »

metadat wrote: post #190
nothercastle wrote: post #122

The BOM for this wheel chair is probably 200-300 of just wheels and bearings maybe more. People who say this can be bought for 200$ are completely out of touch. You can’t even buy a decent bike for much under a grad new and bikes have much better scale.

https://bikesdirect.com/ Lots of good bikes in the $300-500 range. I've had one for more than 12 years and thousands of miles without issue or drama. I paid $300 for a single speed road bike from BD in 2012, it looks fancier than it is with a carbon fiber fork. Added some Gatorskin tires and it's worked ever since, I only clean and lube the chain every 5 years so far. Made in Canadia.

Please clean the chain more!

The feel of riding it after makes it worth it, and a decent degreaser makes the job trivial.

Re: A $1k Wheelchair

#202

Post by hatthew »

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.

My cynical assumption is that most startups start out with a grand vision that they overpromise and underdeliver on. Especially if it's a content creator, where I assume that they started with a need to monetize their brand and then came up with a product idea.

This guy claims to be different in that he has enough money already and he's just trying to make the world a better place, but pretty much every startup makes claims about how they're different and therefore they're going to succeed. They can't all be right. I'd prefer to hear unbiased opinions about viability from intelligent people on HN/reddit/twitter rather than biased opinions from the guy who's trying to market his company.

I'm not saying that this wheelchair is going to flop, I'm just defaulting to skepticism of new ideas in general.

Re: A $1k Wheelchair

#203

Post by metadat »

lostlogin wrote: post #201
metadat wrote: post #190

Earlier quoted context omitted.

https://bikesdirect.com/ Lots of good bikes in the $300-500 range. I've had one for more than 12 years and thousands of miles without issue or drama. I paid $300 for a single speed road bike from BD in 2012, it looks fancier than it is with a carbon fiber fork. Added some Gatorskin tires and it's worked ever since, I only clean and lube the chain every 5 years so far. Made in Canadia.

Please clean the chain more! The feel of riding it after makes it worth it, and a decent degreaser makes the job trivial.

I wait until it's noisy >..Agree, after a fresh cleaning it's silky smooth!

Re: A $1k Wheelchair

#204

Post by lostlogin »

inferiorhuman wrote: post #196
hug wrote: post #187

Earlier quoted context omitted.

This thread is bonkers. I'm not even American and it took me all of two minutes to find a bike for $118 USD (or about 90 GBP) available from Walmart. Here it is: https://www.walmart.com/ip/1121295 It looks like a perfectly serviceable bike, if not the most amazing experience. I bet you with proper maintenance it could last you decades and thousands of miles. People in this thread who are claiming a new bike is nearly…

https://www.vice.com/en/article/mechanics-ask-walmart-major-... https://old.reddit.com/r/MTB/comments/z2d5h5/walmart_bike_un... So for $118 you get a really poor quality bike that you probably can't repair. Or perhaps you'll end up with one that's just unsafe. $400–500 is probably a reasonable price point, but that'll get you something that's adequate at best. Heavy, clunky, and unpleasant to ride.

That ‘Heavy, clunky’ bit is key.

A good bike is addictive to ride. It’s like a sharp knife through butter.

Re: A $1k Wheelchair

#205

Post by sizzle »

fotta wrote: post #16

Custom fit lightweight wheelchairs are expensive. My Ti-Lite (one of the most popular lightweight chair brands) Aero Z starts at $3k and goes up quickly with wheels and backrest and casters and various other options that I need for sitting 16 hours a day without creating more problems. Insurance covers this for me every 5 years, but of course that's not a luxury every one has. Most plans don't cover DME 100%. What Za…

What do you recommend for my parent, they are using a crappy Medicare approved Medline wheelchair that’s like $300 on Amazon. They can’t use their right side of their body really due to a stroke paralysis.

The wheelchair is like starting to fall apart. What should I I get them that will last many years? Thanks!

Re: A $1k Wheelchair

#206

Post by senkora »

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?

There’s Hank and John Green’s https://good.store e-commerce website that sells socks, coffee, and soap and donates 100% of the profit to charity.

It’s a borderline example since they largely sell to their fans, but the products have broad appeal and are not branded with their names like most YouTuber products.

They are aiming for the “Newman’s Own” model of creating good products and then donating 100% of profit to charity.

Re: A $1k Wheelchair

#207

Post by sizzle »

Tapping into the collective wisdom of wheelchair enthusiasts of HN. What would you recommend for my parent, they are using a crappy Medicare approved Medline wheelchair that’s like $300 on Amazon.

They can’t use their right side of their body really due to a stroke paralysis. They can wheel around with one arm and leg.

The wheelchair is like starting to fall apart. What should I I get them that will last many years? Thanks!

Re: A $1k Wheelchair

#208

Post by hug »

inferiorhuman wrote: post #196
hug wrote: post #187

Earlier quoted context omitted.

This thread is bonkers. I'm not even American and it took me all of two minutes to find a bike for $118 USD (or about 90 GBP) available from Walmart. Here it is: https://www.walmart.com/ip/1121295 It looks like a perfectly serviceable bike, if not the most amazing experience. I bet you with proper maintenance it could last you decades and thousands of miles. People in this thread who are claiming a new bike is nearly…

https://www.vice.com/en/article/mechanics-ask-walmart-major-... https://old.reddit.com/r/MTB/comments/z2d5h5/walmart_bike_un... So for $118 you get a really poor quality bike that you probably can't repair. Or perhaps you'll end up with one that's just unsafe. $400–500 is probably a reasonable price point, but that'll get you something that's adequate at best. Heavy, clunky, and unpleasant to ride.

Yes, the $118 bike is not going to be much fun, and may be assembled dangerously. It's still a bike, though, and a little TLC and attention to assembly before riding will prevent a significant number of problems. Even the reddit thread you linked just required some screw tightening and replacement of a derailleur -- and a cheap Shimano derailleur is $20 from my local bike store.

Even if we completely discount the $118 bike (plus a $20 part), though...

> $400–500 is probably a reasonable price point

This is a far cry from "much under a grand". Yes, it will be heavy and clunky, but it will function in all of the ways that it is important for a bike to function.

Re: A $1k Wheelchair

#209

Post by Waterluvian »

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.

No, ODSP covered it. The vendor would basically have an outstanding balance on the account until ODSP sent them the money. Still had to send the paperwork in to get that all going.

Re: A $1k Wheelchair

#210

Post by asddubs »

Suppafly wrote: post #94
bee_rider wrote: post #32

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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.

his wife is in a wheelchair, i think he did know wheelchairs exist before making a wheelchair company
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