How to Choose The Best Wheelchair

Wheelchairs are life-changing mobility aids that can help someone get back their freedom both indoor and out. They make moving around again enjoyable, safer, and easier when done right. When done wrong the experience can be terrible leading to not wanting to use the wheelchair because of discomfort and even difficulty using the chair Not to mention even safety issues that come with being in a wheelchair that is not properly fitting to you and your needs. So, how to choose the best wheelchair that’s right for you? Let’s dive in.

Regardless of how long you will be using the wheelchair you should always try and have the chair fit your needs and body size to maximum performance and safety. This in-depth guide will guide you through the process of buying the right wheelchair for your situation and needs. We hope this will answer your concerns and questions on how to choose the best wheelchair for you or a loved one.

What is the best type of wheelchair?

This is such a popular question and one that does not have a definitive answer. Why? Because the best wheelchair is what fits your needs and body type the best.

When you match what your needs are around the best fitting chair you get the best and most comfortable time out of your wheelchair. So there is no direct answer as to what the best type of wheelchair is but more so what fits your needs the best.

Here is an example: if someone is looking for a lightweight, foldable wheelchair that they can manually propel and fold to take with them when traveling, we need to start looking at manual light or ultra-lightweight manual chairs.

From there we need to make sure those types of chairs are appropriate to your width and depth, along with the chair’s weight capacity.

Getting into a wheelchair that does not fit will most certainly cause an uncomfortable experience, especially for those who sit in a chair for long extended times.

Types of Wheelchairs

Before getting into questions you should ask yourself to narrow down the wheelchair or chairs that will best suit you or a loved one you should understand the different types of wheelchairs that are available on the market.

While all provide the same solution of allowing someone to sit and then either propel themselves forward either manually or by electricity there are differences. Let’s take a look.

Manual Wheelchairs

Manual wheelchairs: Manual wheelchairs are the most common types of wheelchairs because of the price, adjustability, lightness, and overall ease of use they provide. A manual wheelchair is a mobility aid that requires the user who sits in the seat to manually propel the wheelchair. However, some manual wheelchairs also have grips at the back of the chair that allow a caregiver, friend, or family member the ability to push the chair as well. Some wheelchairs are so light they can weigh under 20 pounds.

Electric Wheelchairs

Electric wheelchairs while similar in looks and in how they can safely move someone within the chair there are big differences in how the wheelchair gets propelled. Electric wheelchairs use motors and batteries to move the wheelchair in any direction with a joystick type control module. These devices have all types of upgrade features, can help the user sit-to-stand in some instances, and go over a lot of different terrains. Average speeds run around 5 mph and on a full charge can travel over 15 miles or more depending on the model.

Pediatric wheelchairs

Pediatric wheelchairs are wheelchairs that are designed for children with disabilities. They are like other manual and electric wheelchairs except they are built with child-specific needs in terms of sizes and accessories. Colors are brother, widths, and depths of seats are smaller and lighter. Pediatric wheelchairs come in both electric and manual models.

Transport wheelchairs

Transport chairs are different from all of the above chairs regarding how they move and their capabilities. Transport chairs as the name suggest are most used to transport patients from a room to another area indoors. They typically have smaller wheels on both the back and front of the device and are not equipped to be manually propelled like a true manual style wheelchair. These chairs are not really ideal for outdoor use other than a smooth hard