Side by Side Comparison of: Medline vs Drive Medical

Bought this chair for my mother. Have been using it for several months now. The first chair that was sent to me came with a bent wheel from shipping. I phoned the company and they were super nice. They sent out another chair to me. The second one came just fine. My mother really likes the chair. It is pretty easy to put in the car and take it out. The chair is very comfortable and rides smoothly even through parking lots on the bumpy concrete.I have to add that the customer service for Medline seems really excellent. It was so refreshing to have them take care of the defective chair so easily and quickly and not go through any hassles over it. At the same time let me say also that the company does not pack the chairs for shipping very well. This is how the first chair ended up with a bent wheel. There really should be a whole lot more styrofoam packed around this chair to protect it during shipping but when I suggested this to their representative he just said that they do not pack the boxes any better. There was no real reason about why not given to me.

First, I purchased this transport from AVALINE, and all should know that within minutes of my purchase the customer support person answered my email... Three in fact. I am on the east coast, which may have contributed to the quick response. Totally impressed. Secondly, this was a last minute decision to purchase, and I received it within 2 days, no extra shipping fees... Worked out great. So far the transport has worked well. My father is 210 lbs, over 6 ft, 86 yrs old. I'm 130, 5' 3, and have been able to transport him with ease on very long rides. We have been on some moderately bumpy sidewalks, and a few steep hills. The transport has performed well. A wheelchair would likely perform slightly better, however the trade off with the light weight and frequency of putting the chair in and out of the trunk has been worth it. I suspect this chair is 100% wonderful used as intended. It has performed excellent for this trip I have taken. I've abused it slightly, and it has held up under the abuse. Well worth the cost. I would not recommend a heavy individual being pushed up an incline by a person who is not in realitvely good physical shape. I have had to rest a few times on the longer hills. Very steep inclines would likely be unsuccessful with my 210 passenger, perhaps less taxing with a 150lb or less person. It is a nice ride.

I ordered this for my elderly mother, and it showed up in two days. Couldn't believe how fast I got it, even with "regular" delivery. It works great... very comfortable for her, and easy to stow for the caregivers. The handlebars fold down at the arm rests, the leg rests come off, and it's light enough that it can easily be picked up and placed in the trunk of either a Mazda or Honda coupe. Comes with a seat belt. The only negative is that the "brakes" shouldn't be relied on. if you plan to use it in a hilly area, don't count on them to make much of a difference. They have "teeth" on them (like a dull saw blade) that are supposed to bite enough into the rubber tires to slow them down. They don't. For very light slopes or ramps of a short distance, they're okay, but they wouldn't work on a hill or on a long slope. A disk or drum brake would be more efficient (and cost a lot more, probably). For our use though, this chair and its delivery are both 5-star.

I bought this for my mom. It is so light weight yet sturdy. I can honestly say that all the other five star ratings were right. It is not big or bulky, very easy to fold and open and if I could lift it in a box for 5 blocks with a back injury, this thing is awesome!! It weighs 22 pounds. I have no idea why people are saying it is not sturdy. My mom goes outside everyday in her chair. I have taken her out when it is raining and snowing. It performed very well with snow and ice on the ground especially here in NY. Also, because the back wheels are not big, I can actually put bags in the handles so I don't have to carry them while pushing her. It really is a great chair and well worth the money. As mentioned, I have had it for three months now and put it through a lot. It performs very well.

We bought this wheelchair for my mother-in-law when we took her on a cruise for her 80th birthday. It was so handy to have, comfortable and lightweight. It was easy to transport, easy to push, and convenient to store in our stateroom. The only negative was that, because she is pretty short, she had a difficult time standing up because the arms were too high for her to push herself up on. It would be nice if the arms were adjustable somehow. But overall, it was great. Don't know what we would have done without it!

I use this for moving my disabled wife around places like the zoo or park. I originally had the other medline chair with smaller back wheels but one of the footrests broke so I decided to purchase this one as an 'upgrade' to try out.The difference is night and day. The bigger back wheel makes pushing her around a lot easier, especially uphill. Downhill can be harder; however, the handbrakes function better since they are gripping the big wheel whereas before the handbrakes would lock up the tinier back wheels and you would start to slide...so given that the handbrakes actually work right, downhills are a bit easier as well but you must be careful to have your hands on the brakes.The other main difference that my wife loves is the ride is much smoother. Her back is easily upset and when I go over bumps and even small things such as gaps between concrete slabs she hardly notices them anymore.Size is essentially the same. It folds easily and pops into my trunk and isn't so heavy that I would ever need help to carry it. Also, the frame is clearly heavy duty (compared with some of the really lightweight chairs you'll see that would break fast).As far as reliability, I will still need more time (about a year) before I could really comment. I can say that my initial concern that the back wheel was possibly puncturable has been put to rest ( I frequently take it down dirt trails for short distances). Its not an inflatable tire so puncturing really isn't an issue.Very happy I took the plunge and got this one.

This chair is well constructed and durable. I use it mainly inside our house but I have used it on our trips to the doctors and restaurants.
Easy to use, fits great in my sedan back seat, and the seatbelt makes me feel better when we hit bumps on cobblestone walkways!!

This chair is a life-saver and I can easily cart around the handicap person in it much easier than a wheelchair. The person has to have use of their legs in order for it to be used by them but if so it sure beats a big bulky wheelchair. There are breaks on the back wheels and just a great all around chair for the handicapped.

A great chair. It has plenty of miles on it to show for its success in carting around my husband to and from appointments. It is light enough that I can place it in the trunk and grab it out without hurting my old back. You don't have to be a strong man to lift it out of the trunk. I am a 120 pound woman and can hoist it out quickly. A wonderful chair.

Just what we needed. Light and manageable. This 70 year old can get her husband to and from the doctors with ease now. It's narrow enough to navigate through all normal width interior door and it folds quickly. This chair will also make getting out socially to friends, the theater or restaurants much more convienient. We have been house bound for too long. Thanks to Drive for promptly answering my questions , and to those current owners who provided positive feedback.

What a lifesaver! When my Husbands Momma came to live with us after his Dad passed away she had a regular 80 lb wheelchair.
Whenever we had to take her to Doctor visits, out to eat,etc., it was a real night mare. My poor Hubby had to wrestle that cumbersome wheelchair in and out of the SUV. Now that we have purchased (from Amazon) this awesome little transport chair, what a difference, what a delight. This chair is strong, (holds 275 or 300lbs, I think). Rolls easy and smoothly.
The best thing about it is, it is very light, no more huffing & puffing to get it in and out of the vehicle. Especially good for people who are seniors or have back problems. I would recommend this item to anyone who has a need for a good working item, a reasonably priced item of great value. Impressed me!!

I really want to give it 5 stars...but I am reserving judgement because we only used it a few times since purchase! It hasn't been as "road-tested" as I would like, so I can't say if it would function as well in different weather and road conditions! For now, so far, so good!!! :) So happy we purchased the chair with the larger rear-wheels. It provides for a smoother ride (for the User) on bumpier sidewalks. The handle-BRAKES takes a little getting used to as everyone is more familiar with the wheel-brakes, but once you're used to the handle-brakes, it's fine. I was pleasantly surprised by the fabric handles on either side of the seat ~ it provides for easier carrying and lifting when the chair is folded.This is a small feature I did not consider (as the caregiver making the purchase) but now loves! I was even more surprised by the height-adjustable foot-rest as other reviews did not mention this feature! This is a shared chair and the adjustable foot-rest is welcomed by the different Users. Shipping and delivery were as promised! Oh, alright...4.75 STARS!!!!

This chair suits our purposes perfectly. it transports in the trunk very nicely, is lightweight, and the color is just lovely. We bought an extra seat pad because the seat itself is more comfortable for Mom with the extra pad. It's taken me a bit of "driving time" to trust the brakes but they do seem to hold wellWe also ordered the cup holder that attaches to the arm of the chair, and that's the 4-star rather than 5 star rating. Don't bother with the cup holder; it's not worth the extra time, money or effort.

This works pretty good most of the time. It is very easy to load and unload from a vehicle, and handles well. It was called an all terrain and that it's not. It works great on flat sidewalks or streets. Grass is somewhat hard to navigate and gravel - forget it! You can't get it across a gravel driveway very easy at all. I do like the ease in which it folds up. Also it will go down some pretty narrow isles in a store.

Nice for occasional use, but not for long periods of time. Tried to use it at Disney and it didn't hold up well. But it's great if you just need a Transport Chair (which is what this really is). Very easy to get in and out of the trunk. Nice color, too! I've bought two of these and the brakes needed to be adjusted on both of them.

Color is very nice. Comfort is good, except for the length of the foot peddles. For a taller person your knees are bent a lot to fit in the chair and rest your feet on the pedals...which hurts my foot and my knees don't like it either. Sometimes I don't use the pedals and just cross my feet straight out in front of me...but you have to watch so they don't bump into anything!!!Maneuverability is fine. My husband enjoys pushing it. It's great in airports and for short jaunts. Don't have to lift out the heavier/bigger wheelchair from the car. Main drawback, and it was understood when I purchased it, is that you can't propel yourself (no wheels to turn on the sides like a regular wheelchair!) so sometimes you feel sorta STUCK!This is just what we need though and really helped in airports and changing planes.

I needed a transport chair for my mother who can't walk very far. We looked at many chairs and settled on this one because it was reasonably priced, light weight, and had hand brakes on the push handles. We have been very pleased with it. My mother is petite and it fits her perfectly. She says it's much more comfortable than the large chair Medicare provided, and is easy to fold and lift into the back seat of my Pontiac Sunfire. The large chair took up the entire trunk and gave me a week's worth of back problems every time we had to use it. This chair's handles also fold down which makes it even more compact. Overall the chair is easy to handle. The small foot pedals on the back make it easy to tip the chair to go through doors or over curbs. The hand brakes are very useful when going down steep ramps. They provide added security. I didn't give it a 5 star rating for two reasons. I don't like the push handles. They are straight rather than curved, and even though they have a nonslip grip I'm always a little afraid my hands will slip when going downhill. I would also caution anyone who is looking for a chair for a large or tall person. I'm 5' 4" and even with the footrests placed as low as they would go my knees were too close to my chest for comfort.

Good value transport chair. The brakes are a bit hard to reach when someone is seated and the chair is on an incline/decline. Otherwise, does its job well enough.

This is nice and light weight, easy to move about with my wife sitting in it. She only weights 110 lbs so it certainly not overtaxing. Makes a trip to the doctor or shopping much easier. I fitted a head rest onto this chair, prefer the hand brake model but the head rest mounts would not fit it. I recommend this for someone looking for light weight easy to move chair.

The chair is great! Assembly is super easy, and it weighs 19 LB only. It fit's perfectly well in the trunk of my car. The reason I gave this chair 4 stars is because the box was damaged and one of the rear wheels as well. I had to return it and get another one. Amazon made the exchange process really easy. Despite this minor inconvenience, I would still recommend this chair

Chair weighs under 20 lbs. It is very easy to load into a car. I only use it a few times. The quality is very good. The push handles are collapsible. It does NOT fit a person who is 19" wide. It is only about 16.5'' wide between the inside armrests. Customer support is excellent. He showed me how to tighten the adjusted height of the footrests very courteously. By the way, the footrest can be removed and reattached very easily. I give it four stars because it does not fit someone who is between 17" to19" wide.

Bought for aged mother for travel purposes in USA. Already had similar product which was several years old. Appears sturdy enough but light enough to put into car and plane for travelling. Would suggest if you buythis to get a wheelchair cushion to make it more comfortable. Saw several on the site 3 to 4 inch thickness which would be appropriate.

The book that comes with this chair is next to useless. The brake feature on this chair is not addressed well enough. It does not cover how to adjust the brake, so you just have to blunder on. When we received the chair one side of the breaking system was dragging against the wheel took more than a few tries to get it close to correct. The book does not show how this adjustment is done. Also the first use of the parking setting resulted in breakage of the plastic part inside the hand grip, so now we can only lock one wheel. It is easy to push, and light weight, so it's easy to get in and out of the car trunk.

We purchased this chair for my elderly mother in 2013. After less than a year, the entire hand-brake ensemble became very loose. Handles wobble and brakes drag or do not hold properly. We have had it adjusted several times, but the screws come loose after one or two uses. The holes for the screws seem to have widened over the first several months of use. Medline advised that we would have to replace the entire top section and brake mechanism. We only use the foot brakes now to stabilize the chair, as the hand-brakes are not much use at all. We may decide to permanently attach the handles so they do not wobble.Pros - it is light, otherwise sturdy, easy to fold up and store, and the larger back wheels are great. Someone asked about the height of the arms - they are a little high - and do not fit under some tables for dining, etc.

What the reviews say of the brakes is true. They're pretty bad quality. However, with some skill and a screw driver you can adjust them. Out of the box, one of the brakes was dragging on the wheel so it didn't have free movement at all. I looked up a replacement locking brake set. I'd rather have that but it doesn't look like it will fit on the frame due to a welded part for the hand brake. It doesn't lock open; fair warning. Overall, it's a good transport chair after adjustments were made. I give it 3 stars because it does what it's suppose to do. I only wish I didn't have to open my tool kit to get it running smoothly.

This is the forth one in 5 years. They have been pretty good for the most part. I admit that I am rough on them pulling my wife over rough ground and up steps etc. The large wheels make this possible. We bought the 2nd and 3rd one because they were starting to look bad because of scrapped paint. The 3rd one was in good shape except I broke a folding handle bracket pulling my wife up a step after a year of use. She weights 165. None of the brakes for the person pushing have lasted very long because of the constant folding of the handles. The first one had the best brakes for the disabled person. The last one did not even have brakes for the disabled person. THIS IS STUPID! I often get my wife started in the door of a public restroom then she pulls herself in the rest of the way. Without the brakes for the disabled it is not safe for that person to get in and out by themselves. I took the brakes from the 3rd chair and put it on the new one. Not sure what I will do next time.UPDATE.After less than 3 wks use both the handles broke off when I tipped the chair to go over a curb. Could have been a bad accident. They have cost reduced the folding mechanism of the handles until it is no longer safe. We were half way across the country so I put pipe inside the handles and bolted them solid. I would send it back but a new one would not be safe either and I need the larger wheels. I guess I will just put up with the handles not folding. At least now it is safe.

Says it's a 19" seat but it's only 17" between the arm rests. Makes a big difference. Had to send it back. Other than that it was a great little chair, steers easier than the one with smaller back wheels.

It is indeed a lightweight unit. Both in weight and stability of construction. It works, but only on smooth, hard surfaces. We recently went to an outside art show, and it was a nightmare traversing over even modestly uneven ground/grass.

I was satisfied with this chair until a small, but necessary part broke. I tried communicating with the supplier or manufacturer to buy the part by phone and email but ultimately got no response. The chair has not been usable for a number of months. If someone would send me a parts list or the name of someone who could help, it would be greatly appreciated

Rickety, feels cheap. Gets the job done, but really not for long use.

Easy for my care taker to use and it is lightweight for a 90 lb woman to pick up and place in the car. I wish I would of been able to afford the one with removable arms as it is a little hard to get in and out of the chair.

The time of delivery was good and the chair is what we wanted BUT the left foot rest will not stay up when you are getting out of the chair and getting in, so therefore its hard to get into when the foot rest will not stay up. We have tried to figure out how to fix it but there seems no way to tighten it. So therefore its very unsatisfactory when you have to bend down to hold the foot rest when the person is getting in or out. Does anyone have any suggestions on how to correct this or do we have to pay for another chair after only using a month?

Still getting used to this chair. It does help to get me around when a lot of walking is required. I wish the seat were a little more comfortable; but, for the price, I feel this was a good deal.

Chair works good but little plastic lever that's used to allow the handles to fold for transport broke the second time we used it so the chair no longer folds all the way...poor design. I'll try to make a lever out of some aluminum

Sturdy and affordable. First appearance and feel, 5 stars. I subtracted 3 starts for poor customer service.Make sure its what you need and want, if conditions arise and you no longer need it (unopened and unused), there is a hefty return policy. (18% restock fee, and about $45 shipping (FedEx) charge.I hope they learn from thier mistakes.

The wheelchair folded up very easily and was comfortable to sit in. It, however, did not have wheel brakes, as pictured, and the hand brakes were too tight and impossible to adjust. The instruction manual that was provided was not even the right one. The customer service was helpful and e-mailed me the correct manual. I was unable to correctly adjust the brakes and had to send the wheelchair back.

Too much free play in the joint where it fold the back of the wheelchair, every time dad sit and rest his shoulder to the back of the wheelchair it fold and we can not push him, the joint are very loose the hand break useless too, but the main issue the loose joint that fold the back of the wheelchair, I can not use it any more I need to buy different wheelchair. if the joint was not that loose it was going to be perfect wheelchair

One of the grip bars that are supposed to snap and then unsnap into place for easy storage in a car did not snugly snap into place. This was due to misalignment of the pin with the hole. When attempting to move the patient the handle snapped out of place causing the loss of control over the wheelchair which could be very dangerous when moving down a ramp. This is shoddy quality control on what should be a high quality product used for transporting patients.

This chair felt great out of the box, but after a moderate amount of use, it's feeling wobbly and loose all over. Needed something light to get in and out of the car, but really sacrificed sturdiness. Don't think we'd go this route again. Would probably be fine if only used for short periods of time for a light person on smooth surfaces. Otherwise, be warned.

I purchased this chair in April, 2016. I contacted the company today (Oct. 25) regarding a crack in one of the back wheels. They tell me there is only a 60 day warranty on the wheels - a major component on the chair. Very disappointing.

I am updating my review. We purchased this chair in June of 2016 and by January of 2017 it was out of warranty. There are joints in the back, that are both loose. The wheels in the front are the same kind that are on grocery carts. When starting up, they sometimes roll sideways, and they can stop the chair in its tracks. Add to that the ever increasing lose play at the handles, and I have to pull this chair from the front, which means I am pulling, walking stooped over and backwards. We can do this, although I don't recommend it, at home, but we have already run over our dog's foot. We would not dare go out, and we purchased this chair to be able to go to Mass at a large Church. I am very unhappy with the design of this chair, and I am appalled that it would be this bad so soon after purchase. If this is the equivalent of a toaster that needs to be replaced every couple of years, Drive has fallen short by over a year. This is a bad purchase. I will look for a better brand. We have to have a chair, but beware, the company will suggest that you are not able to use it if you complain.

I've had this 3&1/2 months it is broke the the plastic part that connects the seat to the back broke cannot use and can't return it is very light and easy to use I was loving it but can't even use it now my mother weighs 145

I bought one of these chairs. The seats are supposed to be 19". wide
The chair received was only 16" wide It was returned.
The replacement chair arrived and it too was16" wide
It was returned also..
The width of the seat are the only things wrong.

The wheelchair makes a lot of noise. We have tried WD-40 but so far that has not helped. It would also be a plus if the chair was a couple of inches deeper for comfort. I understand it is a transport chair but when we go shopping and out to lunch, sitting in it for any length of time is uncomfortable. We will be looking for a better option.

This worked well for six months then one of the handles broke. No help on a return or a replacement so far. This thing was always a bit flimsy. Look for better quality but be prepared to pay more.

Does it allow my family to transport my elderly parent around? Yes. Is it reasonably portable? Yes. The quality of the chair, especially the brakes are a big problem. I have a significant amount of experience using, maintaining, and adjusting hand brakes, and these are absolute junk. I could never get them adjusted to make them useful even a little bit. Even when I could get them adjusted to contact the wheel, the force on the wheel is not enough to actually hold the chair in place at all. This is a serious safety issue for a device meant to transport the invalid. I could never recommend this product.

This unit does NOT come with with rear wheel locks. You can hold the chair with hand brakes but that prevents you from aiding the patient in getting on and off the wheelchair.

This chair did not work as intended. The back did not snap into place and anyone sitting there would flip backwards. I had to return it and pay for it. I thought that returning a defective item was free, but no. After this experience I will think twice before ordering any bulky item from Amazon.

I never received the chair. They sent me a half of a chair and an arm piece. It took a lot of haggling to eventually get it straightened out. Ordered 4/21 and just this last Friday they picked up the half chair. Had to go through my visa and fill out special papers to make sure I wasn't charged for it. Don't know yet about refund.

I purchased this wheelchair for post surgery use for my disabled son...who is 5 feet tall and weighs 120 lbs. The first time we used it, the left handle broke and the entire left side of the backrest snapped off. I assumed this was a fluke and Amazon replaced the wheelchair with a new one. Two weeks later, the same exact thing happened with the new one! Amazon told me that they would not be selling this model anymore until they personally reviewed the product, but they still have it posted as available. There is a serious defect with this wheelchair and I would strongly suggest that you not buy it until the manufacturer addresses this issue.

Good price but Poor quality, 2 of the 4 seat brackets broke after 1 week of use. Seller has great customer service and sent me 4 replacements at no charge and received very quick - But after around 3 weeks one of the foot rest brackets snapped off - not at the weld, the actual aluminum broke. Person using this is 5"5" tall and around 150 lbs so it seems like it should be built better. I would recommend a Metal chair vs an Aluminum as weight difference isn't really much.

Used this one time for 2 hours, my husband weighs 140 lbs. I tried to use it again and a plastic part snapped off the back. Now I'm afraid to use it in case the other side snaps off and it collapses. Hard to believe the maker would use cheap plastic parts in a wheelchair!!!!!

Product is falling apart. Arm cushion came apart and now one front wheel is bent. Don't buy this item.

It has a terrible, strong petroleum smell! Making us all sick! Sending it back!

Im very disappointed with this chair a week after i brought it the arm rest on the left side broke off lucky, i snapped it back on . Then when I got it , it was ready hard to stir