Airhawk electric wheelchair

[KPeveler]

I am thinking about getting a folding electric wheelchair for the parks, as right now I am using my custom manual and it is a bit much for me. Has anyone used an Airhawk or rented one? Just looking for opinions! TIA

 

[Groot]

I don’t have this chair, but from what I’ve seen from people who own them and took them to the park, by the end of the day they were either plug hunting or having somebody else put the chair in freewheel mode and pushing them around because the batteries died.

 

[mamabunny]

I am thinking about getting a folding electric wheelchair for the parks, as right now I am using my custom manual and it is a bit much for me. Has anyone used an Airhawk or rented one? Just looking for opinions! TIA

I have seen Airhawks “in the wild” while traveling, and have talked with owners.

The owners I spoke with all reported solid battery life (one had just returned from WDW, and gone straight to Silver Dollar City with his device) and were all pleased overall.

I had not seen or heard of the Airhawk until suddenly it seemed like I was seeing them all over!

 

[mamabunny]

Now, some other news for you to ponder…

I have had to set aside my F&G; that’s an ongoing saga, and suffice it to say, when it’s complete, I will post here. In the interim, I don’t want to color anyone else’s experience with either the brand, or their products. I will not be answering any more questions regarding my Fold & Go chair until such time as the situation is resolved. Please do not ask, and please do not PM me about it.

While I was searching for an alternative chair to use, I found the Zoomer.

The Zoomer is the “sister” chair to the Zinger. The Zinger is that strange device that requires you to use both hands to steer, while holding on to a handle in each hand. The Zinger came first, and I have never been able to recommend it to anyone in good faith; it is not always as intuitive (especially for new users).

The Zoomer is exactly like the Zinger, except it has a “standard” joystick (by default placed on the right side, although it can be set up for left-side use as well, like most similar chairs). It has an aircraft cable that runs across the back of the chair that you pull on to either open or close the chair; it is more of a quick tug than a hard pull, if that makes sense.

The chair itself is fairly comfortable; I have actually quite enjoyed the mesh-back seat this summer, including on an impromtu WDW 4th of July/Mamabunny Birthday trip we made earlier this month.

So, yes. I bought a Zoomer chair (after trying it out in person at a local mobility dealer) and then literally hours later, my family surprised me with the trip!



This is the “official” page for the Zoomer Chair

I was able to go a full “Disney Day” on a full charge, however I also used very aggressive battery management techniques, and there were a couple of nights when I was in “limp home” home by the time we hit our door at POFQ.

I am currently towards the top end of the max weight for the Zoomer; (which is 300 pounds) and I fully believe that if I were closer to 250 pounds, my battery issues might have been non-existent.

If you have any further questions about the Zoomer, I will be glad to try and answer them!

 

[KPeveler]

I don’t have this chair, but from what I’ve seen from people who own them and took them to the park, by the end of the day they were either plug hunting or having somebody else put the chair in freewheel mode and pushing them around because the batteries died.

You have the choice of using a single battery or 2. the single battery is only rated for 10 miles or 6 hours. I can see why it would die fast for people in a busy place like Disney. I would be getting 2 batteries.

 

[hayesdvc]

My mother is 94 and has limited eyesight. Can I walk beside her and control one of these chairs? Where can I rent one close to WDW?

TIA

 

[mamabunny]

My mother is 94 and has limited eyesight. Can I walk beside her and control one of these chairs? Where can I rent one close to WDW?

TIA

You *can* rent this style of chair (ultraportable battery powered chair) from vendors, although I do not personally know of any in Orlando that do.

You *can* also control these chairs either by walking alongside and controlling it (however, most of the time, the average height adult will have to stoop or bend over slightly to do so unless the controller is mounted higher than normal) There are a few of the manufacturers in this category that offer an optional rear mounting point for the controller so that you can walk behind and control the chair, however…

Most places that rent this type of chair do not rent them to “newbies”. These chairs have a slightly longer learning curve than a standard ECV that most people use in the Parks.

If you can find someone who will rent it to you, it‘s possible to do, however I think it will be much more mentally and emotionally exhausting than you realize. It’s hard enough to drive any kind of mobility device in the Parks from a first-person viewpoint. I can’t imagine trying to walk alongside a loved one and control their device while dodging people, and navigating

Also - and probably most importantly - there are many, many places at WDW (ride queues especially) where you will not be able to walk alongside and control the chair. At that point, you will have to disengage the motors, and then push the chair through the queue (or other tight space) manually. If you are going to wind up pushing a chair manually anyway, I would rent the very lightest chair I could find that had a comfortable, cushioned seat for your Mom, and push it full time. You will have better control of the chair, which will be much safer for her.

 

[hayesdvc]

Thank you so much go taking the time to respond. I will take your advise. Thanks again.

 

[hayesdvc]

Can someone recommend a business to rent a lightweight wheelchair. TIA

 

[mamabunny]

Can someone recommend a business to rent a lightweight wheelchair. TIA

Check with Gold Mobility (very highly rated by many people here) and Walker Mobility, both of Orlando.

I would call each them and discuss your Mom's situation, to make sure that you rent the best possible chair for her (make sure you get the proper size chair for her comfort)

 

[KPeveler]

After a 5 hr day in MK yesterday, I decided to go ahead and buy the AIrhawk. My husband has had a chance to talk to many users, touch and feel the wheelchair. He said everyone recommended it (though one person did say they wishes it had better traction in the rain). I got the second battery, which will allow me to go further. I just want it for trips to the parks, most of which (since I live here) are 3-5 hours. I am so excited, I should have it in a week!

 

[iuki]

Congratulations! We just purchased the Falcon Reclining Electric Wheelchair. It’s like the Airhawk, except it holds up to 400 lb. and it has the reclining feature for my back to relieve the pressure from sitting upright too long. It was delivered to my daughter’s home in Florida. We’ll be there August 7th. So excited like you are.

 

[iuki]

Forgot to ask- What color did you get? Mine is pink. I call it my Pink Chariot.

 

[KPeveler]

My chair is silver, but I am planning on using vinyl wrap to make part of it purple. I did the same thing to my old powerchair, so I know how. I also was able to get my name put on it in purple.

 

[iuki]

Could you post how you did your name? I also want to add my name.

 

[mamabunny]

Could you post how you did your name? I also want to add my name.

I am curious as well!

My first thought was a Cricut/Silhoutte crafting cutting machine? You could really do some fancy stuff that way!

 

[KPeveler]

It was a feature offered as part of the package when I ordered it. But if you search "vinyl sticker letters" on Amazon, you can find both letter stickers and services offering custom decals.

Or if you have a Cricut or something like that, you can get vinyl wrap sheets.

 

[iuki]

Ok. We thought about ordering from that website, but they never returned my email. So we ordered from the other website since we did a live chat and they also called us.

 

[Groot]

Oof. That’s an instant red flag if they don’t respond to emails. Another thing is if you foun them on Facebook and they have the same canned response to their prospective customers and when you go to their website you can’t find a scooter/powerchair in sight, and instead they just have cheap clothes.

 

[mamabunny]

It was a feature offered as part of the package when I ordered it. But if you search "vinyl sticker letters" on Amazon, you can find both letter stickers and services offering custom decals.

Or if you have a Cricut or something like that, you can get vinyl wrap sheets.

Just remembered that there are also tons of options on Etsy as well...

LOL I am so curious about if I took my new chair to one of those places that specialize in automobile "wraps" (the all-over vinyl "stickers" for cars) if they could wrap my Zoomer...