After extensive review of many models of lightweight transportable wheelchairs and several home tests, I purchased a Travel Buggy AEROLUX 2C for my spouse. A couple of main factors in my choice were:
- light enough for me to load into the car as I am in my mid 80s,
- the length of the armrest so that my wife can reach them from a standing position when she is trying to sit,
- having the two footrests instead of the one centre one, because a centre one was difficult for her to move her legs out of the way and it prevented her from getting close enough to reach the armrests,
- a deep and comfortable seat
I can't say enough about Travel Buggy support. They are fantastic. I spoke on many occasions before and after purchase with a customer service lady named Robbie. What a delightful and helpful lady. If I had any technical questions, they were answered promptly by the technical support staff. It has been a pleasure to work with this company.
When I my wife first used the AEROLUX 2C, she was having some difficulty avoiding objects and people. We live in a retirement community where there are people with mobility issues and there are elevators to enter and back out of. We love the backup beeper on the AEROLUX 2C as it warns others that she is disembarking the elevator. I think that the unit is programmed for people who are good drivers or don't have a lot of traffic around them. But Travel Buggy has a solution to this. There is a programmer unit that allows one to change parameters such as turning rate, start up speed, slow speed and a wealth of other parameters to tailor the unit to the individual's needs. Just need to visit your local distributor to have this done and it only takes about ½ hour to do. We had our unit reprogrammed and now it fits her needs to the T.
We did have an issue with one of the drive motors making a clunking sound. The company immediately sent us a replacement motor, under warranty, that I installed myself - so easy - and the problem was solved.
I also purchased a caregiver remote that allows me to help my wife with any final maneuver if she is not confident. But the joystick control unit on the chair is very easy to use and has a digital display showing the speed level - there are 7 - and the actual speed traveling. It is one of the nicest control units that I have seen on the market, and I looked at a lot - did I tell you that I am a retired professional engineer and fit, function, and quality are important to me.
I did try other Travel Buggy chairs and I especially liked the GT model. Although not as lightweight, it was so easy to put into the car. And I loved everything about it but the armrests did not extend sufficiently for my wife to reach comfortably. It is a great chair.
So, I would definitely recommend this model, or any of the other Travel Buggy models that more suitably meets your need. It is important to find the right fit and the right company. From my perspective, Travel Buggy is an excellent Canadian company.