****** - Verified Buyer
4.5
We have used this chair for about a month now...and I had read all the reviews at that time.One discovery that may be helpful...the feet rests ARE adjustable. Just pop off the black cap and have a 1/2" wrench ready. Just loosen --adjust several inches and tighten and replace cap..Brakes are stiff but use loosens them...unlocking the brake is the hardest...I just do it by hand.Arm rest go down easily...but be sure to double check when replace that pin is all the way in or may collapse when patient leans on it (or you lean on it:(Much more able to move this chair in tight spots and SIDEWAYS --which I find very helpful for us.--which also means make sure is locked before reaching back to sit.Arm rests are higher than common commodes...thought that would be harder..but makes it much easier to use the"grip-n-assist". (The bars could be constructed to adjust heights but it is not at this time.)Bucket can be pulled out from the back with patient sitting...is stiff at the beginning..and can still line with old plastic shop bags to make cleaning so easy.There is much more surface for the legs in front to edge and makes the footrests a must for shorter legsThe backrest is much more supportive and comfortable.The top back bar is constructed as a handle to push the chair with and works well.the cover is okay but find it clumsy---and rarely use...basically a board.Had no difficulty to assemble...was packed well in box...would hate to try to pack it back in the same way! :)I do not use this in the shower...so no comments on that. This could be used as a transport chair...does not have a seatbelt...but a gait belt would do well for that.,,and maybe an added cushion.My husband has dementia so he has to feel safe and secure in it --and he does.Over all, it has definitely been an asset worth the cost.SUGGESTIONS TO DESIGNER: for revisions...the "wish list"ADJUSTABLE HEIGHT of chair would be a great addition....esp for the shorter person. (and the taller would probably agree)The FOOT RESTS hooks MATCH the conventional STANDARD wheelchair...THEN could be interchangable and better fitted for needsThe AMR REST BARS could be constructed WITH AN EXTRA SET OF HOLES to adjust heightsOkay, the chair is easy to assemble and doesn't wobble. But, the design is not well thought out. If you are a petite lady and don't mind some discomfort, you can get by. In fact, men will have difficulty because the hole is back too far back and round. Needs to be oblong and larger to accommodate boy parts. The seat is so hard and presses against the tailbone. You can't stand to sit too long and I am a well padded girl. Don't put someone bony on here. The seat needs to be 3 to 4 inches wider and deeper. The brakes are nice. It appears to be sturdy. Can't use it with a patient lift and sling. We tried. The bum barely touched the rim of the seat. In a nutshell, person needs to be partially mobile, short, thin to medium build and female to use this without difficulty. We have wasted our money on this one.My decision to purchase this chair came only after I made an an exhaustive survey of alternatives, and, while the shopping proved worthwhile, I regret not having looked as carefully as I should into one or two of the listed specs.Things that I like about the chair:its lightweight, but sturdy; the Drop Arm--a feature that I found to be rare among competitors--is proving to be as essential to my needs as I suspected it would be; it works well in the shower; and to all appearances, the chair promises to last for years to come.Reservations? Yes, I'm finding that, while seating's height (19 in.) --as indicated in the specs--makes for comfort, the absence of any arrangement for raising the seat creates two problems. One comes from the underside of the chair's being fixed at 17in., a height that slips--BARELY--over the toilet's rim, That makes the daily trip to the bathroom an adventure. Will I or won't I be pinched today? The other comes along at bed time when 19 in. proves to be about 10 in. below the bed's surfaces. It takes a man with a striong back to hoist me into bed.These reservations, I should add, aren't linked to failures in the description of the chair. Rather they stem from my having used a chair (seemingly no longer on the market) that provided for adjustments to the seat's height as well as swing away arm rests. That experience prompted me (after using the chair for some twenty years) to focus on finding a replacement with arm rests that could be moved moved, but for reasons that I can only attribute to problems besetting a now aged brain, I neglected to pay close attention to the specs suggesting limits on my needs to make adjustments in using the chair.I think that sales of this chair would expand--even with an increase in price--if the chair provided for adjustments.After 6 months of use:+++++We feared this product may not be easy enough to move with the wheels. This is not the case. The home is mostly hard floor with deep carpet in the bedrooms. Hard floor is easier, but carpeted area are easy enough. The profile makes it easy to get through the older, more narrow halls and doorways without damaging walls and doors like the traditional one did.-Not as well suited for outdoors as traditional wheelchairs. We keep a standard one in the car trunk and use it for travel needs.The brakes are excellent, but hard to release. DO NOT try to pinch the top brake lever with to the frame to release, it will snap back, pinch your thumb and you will curse in front of your old-school religious mother-in-law. Then you really have problems. Instead, place your foot on it (assuming you're wearing shoes) and push it back. It doesn't need a ton of force so don't try kicking it back. Just push with the front of your foot and it releases just fine.This product was disappointing. The arms collapse because the piece of metal that should lock them in place is too short! The brakes go on well with your foot, but you have to really work hard with your hands to get them off. Design is identical to a product I have used before but needs work on areas I mentioned!My wife purchased this for one of the Elders she takes care of. The Lady needed a new product right quickly and it came within the 4 days of ordering. The Lady it was purchased for has said that the arms are not quite long enough for her, although they are the right height. She loves that there are 4 brakes so the Commode does not move when placed on it. She also feels more secure than the last one she had ( which broke) especially when she is in a hurry to get out of her wheel chair and onto this. Good product.Sturdy and well made. Great wheels very easy to move and good brakes. Easy to clean. Comfortable. Great product. I am a nurse and have used many, bought for my 93 year old mom, love it. Thank youwhen i received this it had poo on side of the bucket had to wash it sterlize it by washing it with achol i had already destroyed the carton it came in if i would returnedThis chair arrived within two days of ordering. Assembly was easy and chair is very sturdy. The large caster wheels make it easy to manoeuvre the chair into the shower. The detachable foot rests and side arms make this chair very versatile and easy to use.
