Side by Side Comparison of: Drive Medical vs Medline

got this for dad to use after his hip replacement and - well it beats carrying him - nah - I wasn't doing that but it did make it easier to do all the follow up stuff because this folds up nice - does not weigh a lot - and we could get in and out of doctors offices faster without having to wait for a wheelchair etc... just unfold it - hop in and we're off to the races.

Verrrry light weight but surprisingly sturdy. This chair is a joy to load into a trunk compared to a commercial steel (big wheel) chair. Construction is first rate. Foot rests and arm rests are the only parts that are less than first cabin. Folds up with no fuss into a very tidy bundle. Very little assembly and no tools are needed BUT an all in one wrench is provided for emergencies (bravo!). Very smooth riding.I am extremely happy with the product.

Quality transport wheelchair- substantive without weight or bulk.This device is easy for 50+ year old women to lift/wrangle (for our 90+ year old Dad).SO much easier to lift/wrangle than his regular wheelchair!I especially like the brakes on the lower back of the chair - can be implemented either by hand or toe (by the transporter).The pockets on the back are also a useful handy feature.Black plaid is attractive, makes it look less like another medical device.There are straps on the seat which are useful to pull the seat up to horizontally compress the chair (prior to lifting it into the car, for example).However, I would NOT use these straps to lift the chair, as I see the potential for tearing of these the straps/seat.Pick the item up by the padded arms instead.

This chair has some really excellent features. It collapses easily to fit in the back seat of my Prius. Even the handles fold down. It is very lightweight, yet sturdy enough to hold my mom at 150#. The armrests are set back off an angle, allowing the chair to push right up to a table or desk. The price is very reasonable. The only flaw is that the footrests need to be removed when the chair is folded because they flop back and forth when not locked in the forward-facing position. The brakes are also stiff and work hard for arthritic hands.

If you're looking for a compact and light wheelchair, it's hard to imagine a better product. The chair weighs well under 20 pounds making it easy to move and lift. It folds quickly into a compact form that can fit easily not only into a conventional automobile trunk, but also into the back seat of a sedan. This is possible because the backrest folds in half, which is not true of all wheelchairs. The foot rests are also easy to remove, if needed. The design of the chair is outstanding, with padded armrests, adjustable footrests, comfortable grips, and small pockets in the pack. I like the plaid design as well. It somehow turns a dreary object into something more upbeat. Overall, I am very pleased with this product. The low weight and compactness are for me two essential features, because they make the chair easy to use and to integrate into routine activities.UPDATE (2012): I've now used this chair for about 7 months, and for the most part, remain enthusiastic. My one reservation is the quality of construction. Within a few months, a special bolt fell off the left brake (rendering it inoperable), as did a hanger pin (essential for one of the footrests). I called the manufacturer, and discovered that it does not sell replacement parts to individuals. The representative referred me a list of local sellers of their equipment, but found that they would not service equipment purchased elsewhere. I called Drive Medical again, and this time I was referred to an online company that would sell me the parts. Prices are high ($25 for the brake, $15 for the hanger pin!), so I think that with shipping, I will have spend almost 1/3 of the purchase price for the new parts. Still, I have yet to find a better chair, in terms of convenience and weight, especially at this price.UPDATE (July 2014): I've had no further problems with the chair and it's lightweight construction makes it incredibly useful. I've raised to five stars to reflect my overall impression of the product. I would recommend monitoring the hangar pins and brakes for looseness.

As a physical therapist in New Orleans I researched this item at length, and often priced it in town nearly 100 dollars higher! My grandmother loves the fit and the family loves how lightweight it is for easy transport. It folds up like a breeze! Highly recommended.

Ordered this for my father. He has an electric scooter but he can't use it at night due to his vision.The wheelchair I have is so heavy I find it difficult to lift or even push him around in. This is so light weight and easy for me to lift in and out of the car. More compact than the wheelchair, I actually just strap it in to the side of the SUV trunk area and it hardly takes any space. My father said it's very comfortable for him too. I will say it's on the narrower size, so I would imagine it would not be comfortable for a person of larger size. He's about 6 ft and 200 lbs.

I bought this on the recommendation of the hospital. I was afraid it was going to come in a million pieces to assemble but it did not. It was fully assembled except for the foot rests and they just snapped on. I was so impressed and very happy because at that time I was dreading one more thing to put together. My mother had a stroke and this was the best transport chair for her. She cannot operate anything on her own but cannot walk any distance so we needed one to get her to appointments. This is perfect.

Light & practical, easily fits in trunk, does NOT mark floors, easily (e.g., carrying 140-lbs) navigates sidewalks & parking lots. Brakes are locked by pushing hand-grips DOWN (which avoids the need to reach down to the wheels like on most wheelchairs; this is NOT mentioned in included manual). Add on a "Pembrook Wheelchair Backpack Bag" (which adjusts to hand-grips) & a "Foam Seat Cushion" (for extra comfort) to complete the package.

Mom loves this chair and so do I. We had the old traditional chair with large rear wheels, and it broke my back every time I had to load it into my trunk. This little jewel weighs only 19 pounds, has a seat belt, and hand brakes. The leg extensions are so much easier to attach and remove than the old traditional style. It folds in half and is easy to load and unload.

On a recent cruise we took I rented one of these for my wife and was impressed with the quality and convenience. The unit we rented was in poor shape from a maintenance standpoint and cost more to rent for 10 days than to buy. So, when we got home, the first thing I did was buy one because I fell in love with its underlying usefulness and quality. It arrived in perfect condition and was well packed for shipment. It has dual brakes. I did have to adjust the ones activated by the handgrips, but other than that it was ready to go right out of the box.

I've had it for a week. It hasn't broken but I will say the brakes aren't super great so if your loved one gets him or herself up and isn't that strong, be sure you're nearby to keep an eye on them. My dad is a dementia patient and he can walk so he will tend to try to get up and down on his own and it isn't that sturdy to support him so stay close and use it just for transport or sitting at a table. Also, the wheels are only really good for navigating on hard, smooth surfaces. Don't expect to be able to take this on grass. Other than that I am so far happy and as a lightweight transport on hard surfaces it's nice.

Happy with the weight and easy of using this chair. I wish the leg rest could swing to the side and lock in place when not in use, as a Medline chair did.

works great! very wide and sturdy, very easy to setup (no tool required) and very easy to fold.the seat is comfy and wide and its very easy to push.1 star off for the lack of a cup holder and bag (which many other brands come standard now a days)

Good price on this wheelchair, I like it. It does have a weird chemical smell that seems to be fading away but when I first took it out of box, it was pretty strong. I think the longer it sits out, the better it will get. It comes wrapped in plastic so maybe that was keeping the smell around longer. It folds smoothly, and is easy to set up. One the the foot pedals does fall off when it's being put into the car, which is annoying. But it is okay when you are using the chair, it stays just fine. It's good the pedals are removable. I would purchase again, I get a lot of compliments on the plaid and color. It's a smaller chair, not too wide but comfort going a long way would be questionable as I feel every bump in it.

The chair is very light and made well . It's very easy to remove from trunk and set up. It's the perfect size for my Mom ( she is petite and 123 lbs) It is also very easy to maneuver The foot rests do not lock in the back position so therefore fall off when you fold up the chair to lay in the trunk . That is annoying . The wheel locks could work better also . I put them on and can still push the chair . I still like the chair and it has made my life easier and given my Mom more mobility. The blue pattern is very nice and my Mom gets compliments on the chair all the time ( she loves that :)

This chair has saved my back for sure. My mother uses it to move around her house. When I take her out, this is very light to lift into the car. The only reason that I am not giving it five stars is because of the seat. My mother barely weighs 100 lbs., but I've had to replace the seat on both of her chairs. They tear at the front edge. Drive will not warranty the seat past 60 days. This time the seat last ten months, which is not long in my opinion. At least they do sell replacement seats, but they are $32.If they tear so easily with someone as small as my mother, I do not see how it would work at all for anyone larger.

Larger back wheels make it easier to push. Handles fold down for easy storage in car or trunk. Sturdy with easy assembly. Keep in mind this is NOT a bariatric chair. Person using is 220# and just barely able to fit comfortably. It does work well for them though. Not to heavy. Recommend.

It was very easy to assemble. However, we had some trouble adjusting one of the brakes to make a good connection to the wheel. We worked diligently, but in the end, were not able to achieve what we wanted. My mother-in-law would not have been able to make these adjustments. You will need someone other than the person for whom the chair is intended, to help with the adjustments. It is well made though, and the size was described perfectly. My mother-in-law is a medium sized woman and has a little space to wiggle. I would not recommend it for anyone around the 200 lb. range.

I bought this for a parishioner who needed to get back and forth to church... people were reluctant because her wheelchair was so bulky and hard to transport. This lightweight chair makes it possible for her to get out. The only reason I don't give it four stars is because one of the handle spring locking mechanisms broke. We were able to repair it with a bolt and nut, which means it no longer folds, but it's not a big deal. Just be aware that the handles are not designed for leveraging a large person up and down over thresholds, etc.

I ordered this chair to use to take my mother to doctors' appointments, since she had trouble walking any distance, even with a walker. We used it in the house to move her from room to room. The only problem with the chair is that the brakes seem weak, both the handbrakes and the wheel brakes (the left one stuck and had to be manually loosened). The chair did not come with the wrench shown in the accessory list. The color was a surprise: burgundy rather than red. However, I did not intend to rely on the brakes, and the chair is quite satisfactory. The big wheels in back should be good for outdoor use. My mother has died, and I've passed the chair on to a friend whose mother has similar issues. She likes the color, and says the chair is exactly what she needed.

This chair is quite well made. It's the width it says it is, but somehow when my 170 lb mom sits in it, it is a bit of a snug fit and I can't imagine how it will be during winter in MN with a coat on during transport. We needed a chair that's easy to load, and this is much easier than our previous chair that had the full size wheels in the rear. It also goes over bumps pretty easy due to the larger rear wheels. That's VERY IMPORTANT for keeping the occupant safe!

Poor construction. Was wobbly from day one, with one side of the hand grip much worse than the other side (but I was told because they fold down its just how they are). Also one footrest folds up nicely & the other is loose & won't stay up without me holding it there with a rubber band). Other than that it seemed ok & functional... Until I used it. I used the transport chair lightly (for a couple hours at most/day, inside a hospital w/smooth floors) for a week, then one of the front tires split. I'm no where close to its 300lb listed capacity either. Then I tried to follow the warranty directions, wich directed me to call a local drive service provider, but after looking up & calling several local providers on the drive website I was told by each place that they don't do warranty work. I eventually just contacted drive directly & had them send me a new wheel (wich I will have to replace myself). I gave it 3 stars because it is fairly light weight & folds down to a decent size, & once I thought to not follow the warranty directions & contact them directly they were helpful. But I would not recommend buying this transport wheelchair.

Very sturdy chair but much more difficult to push than our previous transport chair. Just does not roll as freely as previous chairs we have had.

This was fairly easy to assemble, but came with no directions. The size was correct, but does not move easily over carpet floors and is slightly lightweight for an up to 250 lb person.

I bought this for my mother because it is light weight. The cart is fairly light and easily fold down and easy to push around but the brake need to improve. Even with the brake on it is still moving around. Other than that the cart is decent.

Very nice and lightweight but one of the handles appears to be loose..all screws appear to be tight

We don't care for the shorter arm rests and lower handles for the helper to push. It is awkward. Not that much lighter than our earlierchair.

Arrived today. All was good until I tried to lock the breaks. Pushed down on the handles and the back rest rod collapsed. Easy to fix by hammering pins in a little, which made the back rest unfoldable. Avtually back rest should't be folding, this feature is weakening the structure with little benefits.
The chair also feels a bit flimsy.
We'll use it today and I'll be back.

I'm giving three stars because one of the back support locking pins will not click into place. I used pliers to adjust the bolt and nut but it doesn't seem to move either way, now I'm afraid I may have stripped it. There are no instructions on this product that are useful for this issue. I'll have one of my daughters try it I really don't want to send it back but I may hbe to. It's a nice chair otherwise

It is well made and the bigger back tires really help navigating uneven areas. It is too small overall in my opinion. While it fits a average to small person size easily, is too small for anyone over 200 lbs for larger or taller person. Brakes are solid and legs come off easily. Arms are too high to go under average height tables and when out it is annoying to have to take them off. It is a good value and easy to throw in the trunk.

Useful chair, but the handles are rather loose and have 20 degrees of movement lateral movement. Seem to have been fitted with undersized bolts. Folds easily and not very heavy - pretty much fills the trunk of your car though. One brake bolt keeps getting loose and needs to be tightened periodically before it falls out. If you buy one, make sure you get the one with the larger wheels as it rolls better. The patient can't move themselves unless they use their legs. This chair for moving a patient in and out of doctors' offices and other such trips.

I had to return the item because it was too small. No way this chair could accommodate up to 300lbs....its tiny. If you are male or are tall, more than maybe 200lbs you will not be comfortable in this chair. The seat actually measures 17" inside the arm rests.

I bought this for my husband, but two months, this wheelchair start falling parts. Both handles broken, many screws loosing. My husband is about 150LB. Not very happy for this.

This came with a split in the armrest along the seam.

Screws have already fallen out after two uses. Now it's just a useless piece of link. Screw washer combo is so weird I can't even find a replacement set

Too lite. Wheels too small. Had to return it without using.

The chair is ok except it is nearly impossible to pull on the 2 handbrakes. I called the company and they advised "unfortunately the handbrake is not adjustable"and advised me to return it!. It is not usable as is so it will have to be returned.

I specifically purchased this chair because it stated the seat height was 19" and the weight limit was 300 lbs. The seat height is actually 17" and the weight limit on the papers inside the box state it weight limit is 250 lbs. I like the style of the chair but if it sits too low when you pull up to a table then the person's face could hit the table.

The chair arrived with the brakes released, but with the right brake block pressed firmly against the wheel. I found no instructions in the manual for brake adjustment. Self repair of this problem was accomplished by loosening the screw in the plastic block below the spring assembly and then simultaneously (a) pulling on the wire running through the plastic block, (b) positioning and holding the brake block at an appropriate distance from the wheel, (c) pushing the plastic block up against the bottom of the spring assembly, (d) tightening the screw in the plastic block. Strands of the wire were torn in the process, and I needed to wrap electrical tape around the loose ends of the strands. An hour of my time was required to make this repair on a brand new transport chair.

Back "pushing" handles broke where holes were mad for adjustments. Otherwise was OK for the first 12 uses over the firsttwo months. Don't kno wif I want to replace it. as it could happen again.

I was so disappointed when this broke because I really liked a lot about it. It maneuver's with ease, it's very lightweight and easy to get into and out of the back of the van, the brakes are convenient on the handle and I love the little foot rests on the back which help to pop the front up to get over small ledges, like on the edge of our ramp.
We had a couple of problems with is though. First of all, the arms will not go under a table. If you want to use this to eat out at restaurants or at a desk, you won't be able to get close enough. My husband's PT said the seat should ideally be a little bit deeper to accommodate the length of the leg from the hip to the knee. My husband is not tall and does not have long legs so if you're taller than 5'8 or have long legs it may be uncomfortable for long periods of sitting, (although it's not meant to be used for long periods as it's not a true wheelchair).
The other problem, and this is a deal breaker, is that the lever that is depressed to fold down the seat back, on the left, was initially hard to depress. I was able to get it to depress a couple of times but it was pretty hard to do. I figure it was just sticky because it was new and that over time, it would get easier. That was not the case. I was trying to fold up the chair to get it into the van, after my husband's PT appointment and the lever broke completely off when I tried to depress it. I couldn't fold it down to get it in the van. I'm sending the chair back.
I'm so disappointed because I really wanted to like this chair.

Not sturdy enough. 2nd day the release for one of the arms broke. Only worth about 75 to 95 bucks.

Transport Chair model number: MDS808210ARE
I received this chair yesterday. Packing was good and it was easy to assemble. What was very poor was the brake adjustment as received. Both parking brake and handbrake were against the tire on both wheels. I looked at the enclosed documentation for adjusting the brakes and the brake looks nothing like what is in the enclosed documentation. It does look like what is on the Amazon website.

When I looked at the brake support block it was easy to determine how to fix the problem. However I could see that one of the two Allen bolts needed to loosen the block on right wheel was rounded out. So I decide to work on the left wheel with the good bolts. The bolts were extremely tight. In order to loosen both bolts with a 5" long Allen wrench I had to use an 8" crescent wrench to grab the end of the Allen wrench. Once I had the two bolts loose I was able to slide the block up 0.4 inches to allow the parking brake to be free of the tire and to work properly. Once that was done and the bolts tightened by hand using just the Allen wrench it was easy to adjust the hand brake on that wheel.

On the right wheel I loosened the good bolt and had to use a hammer to slide the block up just enough to keep the brakes from rubbing against the tire. When using the parking brake on the right tire, it compresses the tire about 0.2". It is too hard for my wife to do.

This is a good product. Unfortunately, whoever assembled it is a JERK! Their torque wrench is set to max and they did not take the time to properly adjust the block before tightening it.
We are on vacation in our motorhome so I am stuck with what we have. When I get home I will be requesting a new block and bolts so I can have the right side work properly.

I enrolled in Amazon Fresh so I could have things delivered to a homebound senior. This was the first purchase. The armrests were torn and the quality was terrible. I was expecting much more from Drive Medical. I have seen some awesome products out there, this is not one of them.

It lasted 2 months with very light use. We only use it to take my mom around the mall. The arm chair unglued, the screws that hold the thing together fell out! Very disappointed. I'm hoping that Amazon will respond.

I am very disappointed. Had the chair for about 45 days with light usage. One of the back tires split and now the chair can't be used.

Had trouble with the brake not working on one side after using the chair only a few months. Thought the defect would be covered by the Lifetime Warranty, but it was not. Chair is not safe to use as it is. Be aware that only the frame is covered by the Lifetime Warranty, and be careful to check all other parts carefully if buying this product.

This is the worst chair ever do not buy. First day to the doctors office with my 91 year old mom was going into the doctors office and the front rubber tire just shredded to pieces. Thank goodness it didn't tip over and hurt her. I was stuck in the parking lot of the urgent care and luckily they let me use there wheel chair. What if I was somewhere that didn't have a wheelchair, she can't walk what would I have done. She only weighs 145 pounds if that. You people should be ashamed of yourselves for putting out this kind of product.

When this chair first arrived, I was thrilled. It was lightweight, folded up into a relatively tiny space for traveling and was made from easy-to-clean fabric. I've had it less than a month and the fabric of the chair seat is splitting. The woman who uses the chair weighs about 100 pounds, so it's not that we've abused it by carrying around an extra heavy person. I'm very disappointed. Waste of money.

Would give zero stars but that's not an option. This item broke within 7 weeks of purchase. User was within weight restrictions. No guarantees noted. Do not purchase.

Don't buy! It broke after only one week of using it. No return policy. Very disappointed.

The wheels bent after 3 months

I bought this chair for my 92 year old father and after 2 months the rear wheel has locked up so we have to buy a new one. The previous one he had lasted over 5 years

Why won't you have a wheel lock brakes are cheap and loose