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A $1k Wheelchair

newmobility.com

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Re: A $1k Wheelchair

#391

Post by delfinom »

pkphilip wrote: post #214

$1k for a manual wheelchair? and that is considered cheap? I have no idea why a wheelchair should be that expensive. We get them here in India for far less - you can buy pretty good wheelchairs for much less than $100. You can get powered wheelchairs for around $500. https://www.amazon.in/b/ref=dp_bc_aui_C_3?ie=UTF8&node=11365...

Customized to your dimensions wheelchair. Because people shopping for these are permanently disabled and are looking for long term comfort and performance. Performance meaning the chairs can actually be used to enjoy life instead of being a fragile "medical chair".

There are plenty of sub $200 wheelchairs on US Amazon.

Re: A $1k Wheelchair

#392

Post by delfinom »

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.

Those are shitty wheelchairs not meant for use by people permanently disabled by western standards. We have plenty of imported cheap wheelchairs on Amazon in the US.

I mean sure you could use them, but they aren't customized to your body dimensions for life long comfort. They won't hold up to long term abuse actually going outside daily for life and work.

In the west, we actually legally mandate buildings and transportation accommodate wheelchair users, so they can actually live like normal people. Heck they can also legally drive.

Back to the wheelchair, the foundation of this $1k wheelchair which is bent aluminum instead of welded metal is a massive increase in reliability where a cheap chair could instead break a weld and leave someone stranded in the middle of nowhere.

Re: A $1k Wheelchair

#393

Post by delfinom »

perryizgr8 wrote: post #224

$1000 is exorbitant for a non-motorised wheelchair. Here's [1] amazon.in offering a lot of options at ~$50. I bet these guys could import it from India and it wouldn't cost them more than $200. [1] https://www.amazon.in/s?k=wheelchair&crid=22DWLE90LFB7O&spre...

Can you ask the Amazon seller how much it costs to custmoize the wheelchair to my specific dimensions?

While you are at it, can you ask them how much it costs to make the frame out of a single piece of bent aluminum so there are no risks of welds snapping and leaving me stranded?

You know in the west that wheelchair users actually go outside right? We legally mandate that buildings and transportation require accomodations for wheelchairs. People in wheelchairs even drive cars.

Wheelchair users that are active need far better quality frames than "hospital wheelchairs" you can find for $50. And you can already buy these on Amazon.com US. There is no need to get into a game of trying to compete with the existing importers.

Re: A $1k Wheelchair

#394

Post by TaylorAlexander »

geodel wrote: post #374
fvdessen wrote: post #356

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I was recently in Rwanda where seemingly half the goods of this very hilly country are transported by bicycle, and those are single speed old english style bikes with steel frame reinforced with rebar. (they carry hundred of kgs on the racks). The bike are run 8 hours a day for years and cost $100.

In India millions of women are walking miles to fetch few gallons of water everyday. I don't get why people in California are screaming water shortage. Should be possible for Americans to live on a gallon of water if hundred of millions live like that in India.

It’s very hard to change your standard of living, and the standard of living in California is very different. We live off of tens of gallons of water a day or more. When you have to cut back, it’s difficult for your human animal to accept it. Population wide, it’s nearly impossible.

Re: A $1k Wheelchair

#395

Post by diebeforei485 »

sizzle wrote: post #207

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?…

There are a lot of variables. You can ask an occupational therapist about what sort of wheelchair would be best.

If it's a case where they move themselves indoors but get pushed by others outdoors, it arguably does not matter.

But if they are independent outside the home, you need a custom chair suited to them.

Re: A $1k Wheelchair

#396

Post by vel0city »

permo-w wrote: post #310
ninalanyon wrote: post #303

In the UK you can buy a simple wheelchair for 132 GBP: https://www.uk-wheelchairs.co.uk/ugo-essential-self-propelle... And what look like slightly fancier ones for between 300 and 500 GBP: https://www.millercare.co.uk/collections/self-propel-wheelch... A magnesium alloy framed one is only 450 GBP: https://www.mobilitysmart.co.uk/magnelite-self-propelled-whe... So what am I missing?

it seems to be similar with hearing aids. I recently saw a video explaining that the new airpods will be usable as hearing aids. the video went on to explain that this will make them great value for deaf people as hearing aids can run into the thousands of dollars. I just checked and you can get hearing aids in my country for less than $100. so what's going on? I'm guessing this is either a non-problem, i.e. the expe…

"Hearing aids" in the US is a specific medical item. They're programmable with audiograms to the specific individual's hearing needs.

There are those cheap kinda-sorta hearing aids in the US as well, but they're not supposed to be sold as medical devices.

Re: A $1k Wheelchair

#397

Post by fotta »

sizzle wrote: post #205
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!

You should really have an ATP evaluate them to determine what they need. Hemiparesis and a bad fitting chair is no joke. Unfortunately this is likely to be expensive (as noted in this entire post). You can try getting a lightweight chair like a TiLite or Quickie online, but the fitting and sizing is the most important part and in my experience a trained professional is the best route your first time around. After that, as you become more familiar with the needs of your parent you can make adjustments in the future.

Re: A $1k Wheelchair

#398

Post by diebeforei485 »

codedokode wrote: post #164

As I understand, it doesn't even have a motor? Why cannot we have an electric wheelchair for everyone today? How do you climb uphill (or from an underground passage) without a motor? Also, I don't know anything bout wheelchairs but googling shows that there are Chinese electric wheelchairs below $1000 (don't know anything about their quality).

If it's a lightweight wheelchair custom to your body measurements (not a cheap amazon product) the going uphill is fairly easy. There are also attachments like the SmartDrive for steeper grades.

Unless you don't have function in your arms, it's best to avoid a fully electric wheelchair.

Re: A $1k Wheelchair

#399

Post by vel0city »

averageRoyalty wrote: post #333
ninalanyon wrote: post #303

In the UK you can buy a simple wheelchair for 132 GBP: https://www.uk-wheelchairs.co.uk/ugo-essential-self-propelle... And what look like slightly fancier ones for between 300 and 500 GBP: https://www.millercare.co.uk/collections/self-propel-wheelch... A magnesium alloy framed one is only 450 GBP: https://www.mobilitysmart.co.uk/magnelite-self-propelled-whe... So what am I missing?

My first kagi result also shows many options below AUD $1000 (USD $700 or so): https://www.buywheelchair.com.au/ I suspect it's like anything in the US - despite much of the global research being done there at taxpayer expense, Americans seem to get screwed over on anything health or medicine related. And they continue to argue that their health system is a good one, for some weird Stockholm Syndrome-esque reason I s…

> I suspect it's like anything in the US

I suspect its more of you don't really know the situation at all.

You can get these cheap wheelchairs in the US as well. Here's one for ~$150US.

https://www.walgreens.com/store/c/drive-medical-silver-sport...

You wouldn't want to spend every day of your life in one of these chairs though. You're fundamentally misunderstanding the market for wheelchairs.

Re: A $1k Wheelchair

#400

Post by fotta »

zeroq wrote: post #227
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…

I'm a big fan of his channel, but when I saw the price tag, it got me thinking for a moment. Wheelchairs are a great example of why niche products are expensive. I think you're spot on with certifications. I was stupid a few times and needed orthopedic equipment. Each time, the price flabbergasted me. But it didn't matter since the health insurance fully refunded it. In a regulated market, if you can influence the ca…

I think it works in this case because Zack has a high profile YouTube channel and a high degree of trust in his workmanship from that. As they say, regulations are written in blood, and I would trust an approved device over a chair from some no name company somewhere because I have more faith that it won’t break on me while I’m out and about. Zack is obviously an exception to that because of his reputation which I think will help him be successful in this endeavor.
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