Mobility Scooter or Electric Wheelchair?
The question of whether or not to buy a “Mobility scooter or electric wheelchair?” is one that has many possible answers.
Though on the face of it they would appear to fulfil many of the same functions they are each better suited to certain tasks and certain conditions.
So, should you be looking for a mobility scooter or an electric wheelchair?
A mobility scooter may not be the ideal choice for someone with restricted mobility in one, or both hands, lowered upper body strength, have limited mobility or require mobility support around the home, or workplace, or are unable to transfer on and off a seat without assistance from a carer.
An electric wheelchair, instead of a standard wheelchair or mobility scooter, could be better suited to your needs if your condition means you may need to use your mobility device throughout the day.
A condition such as multiple sclerosis may present many varying symptoms such as fatigue, vision problems, numbness and tingling, muscle spasms, stiffness and weakness and even problems with thinking, learning and planning, any, or all, of which could follow irregular patterns.
The unpredictable nature of these symptoms may mean your ability to control a mobility scooter or electric wheelchair may worsen steadily over time, while others will find they can come and go and may experience a series of remissions followed by a return of the symptoms.
If this is how your condition affects you, you may find an electric wheelchair that can be quickly and easily converted to attendant control may be not only desirable, but vital to your wellbeing!
In this case an electric wheelchair may be a far more practical solution.
There is then the potential range requirements for the device to be considered.
Though the Connect electric wheelchair offers a fantastic range of 9.3 miles you may wish to take advantage of the increased distance a mobility scooter can achieve. Our range topping Toura2 model can travel up to 55miles on one charge.
The entirety of our mobility scooter range are extremely manoeuvrable and have a fantastic ability to work in confined spaces you may find the Connect, with its extremely compact form and ability to turn on its own axis, may be better suited to use about your home.
For longer journeys you may want to consider comfort. Though our Connect is very comfortable the folding nature of our electric wheelchair meant that there were certain restrictions as to how padded the seat could be and a wide range of adjustment is not possible, though the footrest can be adjusted in relation to the seat between forty-two and forty-eight centimetres.
All of mobility scooter range feature fully adjustable seats as part of our Quintell™ Posture Control System and as such offer exceptional comfort, Adaptive Floating Footplates and adjustable tillers compliment each other so the level of available comfort is vastly increased.
While all of our mobility scooter range is capable of transport to varying degrees the Ultra take-apart, car boot scooter and the self-loading Flyte are our models designed specifically to be portable.
However, if you are looking for a mobility device for travel our Connect electric wheelchair may be the solution you need. With its light weight of a maximum of 23.9kg.
Its ability to fold to a very compact 59cm x 37cm x 81cm or 23”x 15” x 32” makes it ideal for transport in your car, coaches, buses, trains or aeroplanes.
The removable lithium batteries mean they can be taken in to the pressurized cabin of a plane and are fully certified for flight. They can be charged on or off the wheelchair giving you the convenience of stowing your wheelchair out of the way and charging the batteries somewhere more convenient to you. They can, of course be charged in situ as well.
Considering the benefits on offer with both mobility scooters and electric wheelchairs you may even want both.
Why not find out with you own free test drive?