@HCBunny I’m an occasional cane user, but I’m an elder caregiver so… I’ve been around them a lot. A few things to be aware of just off the top of my head:

• Look into used/refurbished. We have two places near us that sell new but also have stock that they’ve refurbished and sell with a comparable-to-new warranty.

• The lightweight collapsible ones are great, but make sure the battery is hella easy to get to and remove. That’s could make a big weight difference for getting it in and out of the car. I can manage it with the battery installed, but a friend with less upper body strength struggles without first pulling the battery. Also makes it easier to pull the LiOn battery for safe charging.

• Be extremely cautious around ramps. Nearly every single one of the lightweight/portable scooter or power chairs I’ve seen is a tipping hazard, and I’ve seen it happen several times. It absolutely does not take much speed and angle to make you tip backwards, so get in the habit of leaning forward whenever you anticipate an angle change like that.

• Very few of them are weather rated, so getting caught outside in a quick rainstorm could void your warranty.

• Paved surfaces or hard packed grass only. Any kind of remotely loose gravel (or worse, sand) is a nightmare.

• While in a “regular” wheelchair an ambulatory pal could assist if you lose power or just can’t deal anymore, the motorised ones with small wheels just aren’t built for manual assistance beyond manoevering for a few feet.

These aren’t universal issues, but they are REALLY common.

@mycrowgirl

OMG!
This was all SO helpful!

@HCBunny I hope you find one that’s a good fit for what you want!

We have a Jazz Carbon these days, which collapses down like a fancy stroller with a single latch. It’s around 40lbs but the newer models are down to something like ~25lbs.

Forgot to mention this! The thing I like about the chair vs scooter style is that with the chair you don’t have to have your arms lifted the whole time you’re driving. Because that shit gets old when you’re out and about all day.