Posts tagged Mobility Scooters
Rambo wheelchair – the Scout Crawler
Jun 28th
Hot on the heels of last week’s post about the forthcoming Mobility Roadshow 2010 in Peterborough, in my in-tray arrives a press release from Otto Bock, one of the best hi-tech orthotics and mobility companies in the world.
Coming straight after the England World Cup defeat it’s not easy to sing the praises of a German company but, unlike our players, I will strain to remain utterly professional and I’ll certainly never stoop so low as to mention the war.
Anyway, Otto Bock has announced that it will showcase the prototype of its latest innovation, the Scout Crawler, for the first time in Peterborough. The all-terrain ‘’platform’ as they like to call it, features two rows of robust tracks and has been designed to take manual wheelchairs from pavements and firm surfaces onto rugged and challenging terrain such as sand and snow. Its versatility is said to enhance movement for standard wheelchair users and enable them to traverse more freely and enjoy a wider variety of outdoor activities.
The jury’s out on this. On the one hand, it’s a great innovation that will allow the mobility impaired to venture out into places they would never otherwise be able to visit – snowy terrain, rough hiking paths and trails, beaches and so on.
The drawback is that it is built like a tank. Call it the Rambo wheelchair. Here’s a photo:
The Otto Bock Scout Crawler
Talking to a mobility impaired friend of mine who resides in Teddington, London, his view was that you’d need serious resources to be able to use a ‘wheelchair’ like the Scout Crawler – a big vehicle or trailer to carry the darn’ thing, a big garage or outside area to store it, a physically strong carer and, above all, enough money to buy the contraption and all its accessories. For those with limited resources, it’s a straight toss-up between investing in a Scout Crawler or having a two week holiday in the Maldives each and every year. That’s perhaps a little trite but it rams the point home.
Overall, though, it’s difficult to be too critical of the Scout Crawler. Otto Bock continually pushes the edges of innovation and crucially gives those who are mobility impaired more choice. It’s the same with the Scout Crawler – it might not be to everyone’s taste or means, but for those who miss the outdoor life it opens up new opportunities. For this reason alone Otto Bock should be applauded.
If and when it goes into production no one knows – I’m sure it will depend on initial reaction and feedback from focus groups and audience reaction at exhibitions like the Mobility Roadshow 2010. Watch this space…..
Finally, for more information on mobility scooters (which are a handy alternative to powered wheelchairs), one interesting resource is Mobility Compare’s mobility scooter price comparison guide which gives tips and advice on using and buying a mobility scooter.
Renting Mobility Scooter from Forbes is Totally Secure and Safe
Jun 10th
Have you ever considered purchasing a mobility scooter because of mobility impairment? If so, then cost is possibly the biggest hurdle to overcome. No pun intended.
It’s not just the upfront cost of the vehicle, however – some of the big costs come with maintenance, servicing and insurance. Servicing costs in particular can be quite daunting, especially as mobility scooters start to deteriorate after a few years.
Did you know, for instance, that fixing a simple puncture on the specially made wheels of a mobility scooter can cost more than £40? If you opt for an annual servicing plan, then the cost may be reduced somewhat, but you will still have to pay anything between £80 and £150. This may be even higher in some cases, depending on how many conditions are covered in the service plan.
For this reason, quite sensibly, many people consider renting a mobility scooter. This is certainly a viable option if the scooters were always perfect.
But they’re not!
Most are second hand scooters, which have been returned because of some kind of mechanical failure during the warranty period. The manufacturers often fix up these scooters and rent them out to people looking for mobility scooters. The result is sub-standard equipment and defective vehicles that have a higher chance of breaking down. Not only that, the chance of accidents is also quite high in these vehicles, due to the defective conditions from the outset.
This might be alarmist, and in some cases it is unwarranted – there are reputable manufacturers who ensure their scooters are always in Grade A condition – but suspicions remain that many rented vehicles are substandard, defective or re-conditioned in some way. Hardly ideal.
This is why Forbes Mobility has such a high industry reputation. Forbes takes care of the scooters for the entire rental period. They take the financial risk by offering you a warranty on the scooter, which covers a wide range of clauses including most kinds of servicing. The best part is that the company offers a 10 day home trial for free, so that you can try out the scooter and decide whether it would be the right one for you. If it isn’t, you can change it.
At Mobility Compare, the UK’s leading comparison website for mobility aids, I am in a unique position to hear industry gossip from a wide range of manufacturers and mobility specialists. Time after time I hear on the industry grapevine of other industry insiders who rate Forbes highly. What was the key word? Integrity.
Typical prices? Take the Cadiz model above. You’d expect to pay approx £86.62 a month (VAT free price) over an eighteen month contract. That’s not bad. If you want to get in touch with Forbes Mobility click here or call 0800 834 115. You could do a lot worse…..and that’s the ‘insiders’ speaking.
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