Side by Side Comparison of: Drive Medical

This was purchased to use in an elementary school clinic. We are very happy with the purchase. The wheelchair was very easy to put together and is sturdy. The seating material is easy to clean. The shipping was very fast too. The price of this wheelchair was also much cheaper on Amazon than similar wheelchairs from our school's approved vendor. We are sharing our positive experience with this purchase to other schools in the area who have to purchase/replace a wheelchair.

lightweight, easy to assemble and fold, rolls easily on carpet and hard surface. I would highly recommend this.

We didn't use it in the end, but it's light, easy to fold, really good looking and comfortable. Definitely recommend.

Just we needed

Exceptioal value - got it for an 89 y.o. RelativeThe hospital The hospital wheelchair was too heavy and this one is extremely light compact and easy to use. Great product.

Purchased this for my father-in-law because we kept renting and it ended up adding up to the same amount of purchasing. He liked how comfy it was for how skinny and light it is. We liked how easy it was to maneuver, how skinny it was and how light it is. He is about 180 lbs and about 6 ft.and he liked it. Overall it was a good purchase. Thank you!

Light, transportable, and has been a most helpful item for getting my husband out and about. The weightis my key in chosing something, along with durability. So far, so good on it holding up.

Very portable and we take it everywhere. Great for transporting at the airports and can be brought aboard. It is fairly sturdy but not to be taken as standard transporters, meant to be used for travels.

I recently took my 87-year-old Mother to New York City to visit the 911 Museum. There was a lot of walking involved, and not a lot of places to sit inside. This worked out beautifully! It is lightweight and easy to assemble, manage and fold up again. It rolls very smoothly, even on sidewalks. She was very comfortable and glad we had it. It's also a smaller size, so going through crowds is not a hassle. The rolling duffle it comes in is very handy. It seems to be very good quality, and an all around good performing chair.

If you are looking for a very lightweight wheelchair then this is for you. It is easy to fold & unfold, light & comfortable to ride in.I bought it to keep in the USA for when I visit my daughter. We took it by plane to Atlanta, gate checked it with no problems, it was so nice to use this instead of the airport wheelchairs which I don't like. We did have an airport assistant to wheel me around though.On the airport shuttle it was easy to load & unload & takes up so little room. Definitely very good for storing in small places.

It was what we needed, thanks for having it. It is easy to carry and does not weigh a lot. Having the bag is great.

Got this for my Dad who is 91 years old. It's his 1st wheel chair and that's pretty good for his age. He still walks with the help of a cane but having this makes it really easy for him especially if he has to walk a long distance. It's well built, solid for a fold-up, with all the quick connections in the right place. It rides smooth like butter and doesn't rattle at all. It takes about 5-minutes to setup and about 3 minutes to fold up. Plus, the carry bag makes it really convenient to transport or send through baggage claims. However, I think it would be difficult for old folks w/ arthritis to setup so we carry this around for Dad when we get together in public places. Keep in mind that this wheelchair works best on solid surfaces. You would have to buy the one with the big rear wheel for grass or park applications. But it stores well with a small footprint and would fit in even the smallest of car trunks. If you're looking for a great portable, traveling-type wheel chair, this may be the one for you!

We purchased this transport chair to use while we were on vacation in France on a riverboat cruise. My husband can't walk very far so with this. chair, we were able to go on most of the excursions. It would have been better if the chair were a little bit taller as my husband is 6' tall and has long legs. The good thing about this chair is that it is lightweight which made it easy for me to push my husband in it.

This wheelchair is perfect for my Grandmother. It is lightweight and compact. Even with the leg rests added it is still easy to carry. I love that it has the brakes and can be locked by pushing the brake handles down. The only thing that would be nice is a place or way to tuck the seatbelt when the patient does not want to use them.

The reason I gave it 4 rather than 5----one of the hand brakes was wedged on the wheel and would not release. My husband was able to fix it at least for now. Have not had the opportunity to use the chair much so I can't comment on how the brake etc holds up.

Lightweight, comfortable, easy to push. Doesn't tip over very easily, but be careful

Larger rear wheels make this chair easier to move over uneven sidewalks. Still lightweight and folds compactly so it will fit anyplace a travel chair with 4 small wheels will go. Just what I was looking for!

Excellent wheelchair and very easy to handle in and out of the car for local trips. Easily 4 stars. if the brakes could also be applied or released by the passenger it would be be 5 plus.

I've had my chair for almost a year and I've loved it. But the thing that holds it together is where the arm snaps into the seat, and it is made of plastic, which is now starting to break, and apparently there are no replacement parts. All of the other snap parts are made of thin metal. I hope Drive gets this message and improves this one thing, or at least makes parts available.

I am giving it a 4 at this time. I received the item in good packaging and in good condition. When I started assembling the product, one arm rest piece does not lock into position thus making it unsafe for my 84 year old other to hold on to the arm rest when getting in and out of the transport chair. One of the arm rest does not lock and can not be adjusted unlike the other side. The locking mechanism was so short that it does not lock in place. The other side has an adjustable locking mechanism where you can turn the knob clockwise and counterclockwise adjusting the locking mechanism. The knob on one side can not be adjusted and is stuck thus making it unable to lock in place and unsafe when holding into the arm rest rail. I will be calling the customer service to ask for a part replacement since it can be unscrewed to be able to replace it. Overall, it looks sturdy. We have not used it because of the safety issue. I will update the review when I talk to Drive Medical customer service and see how they will respond to this issue.

2nd one purchased, wore out the first, arm rests split, brakes came loose.Decent chair overall, light and maneuverable.

We have taken our first trip with this wheelchair, and overall, it worked out quite well. It folds up nicely, making it compact and easy to store - even received positive comments from a flight attendant. The only negative aspect is that it does not ride well on bumpy surfaces, like uneven sidewalks, due to the small tires. To be fair, the company clearly states it should only be used on smooth surfaces, like those found in shopping malls and airports. Overall, we are pleased with this wheelchair and plan to travel more with it.

It arrived on time and is everything they said it would be. It is a little difficult to understand how to unfold it and refold it but I am sure after doing it a couple of times, I'll be fine with it. My mother weighs less than 100 pounds and is 100 years old. She said it is comfortable. I would recommend it.

I ordered this item for my daughter and was very surprised by the transportability when using it during an family trip to the Zoo. The only con with this item are the wheels on the transport bag. The transport bag have two small wheels that are not very helpful when rolling the item at a great distance. The wheels should be much bigger for better mobility. Nonetheless, the Travelite is very light and convenient transport wheelchair. I recommend this product

I checked the pic of the product from manufacturer and it should have locking brakes! The one I rec’d doesn’t have them! Chair is useless without!

The brakes do not "lock" in place making this unusable for my Mother.

It feels a bit wobbly - doesn't give you a secure feeling. However, it gets the job done. It's hard to push on carpet, lawn - anything other than a smooth, flat surface. No brakes (except for the hand ones) is a real drawback. I'm thinking of making a pair of chocks to slip under the back wheels.

This chairs legs are much too short.

Didn't work for our purposes, as it was uncomfortable and the passenger cannot assist with the wheels.

It is fine except it has no brake locks. When my brother transfers to the chair, we like to put on the brake locks to prevent it from moving. This chair only has hand brakes.

I'm ok with the chair, sturdy enough for my tiny mom... but the bag. Absolutely no room for error when putting it away. The bag zipper broke the same day it as delivered. Makes keeping/carrying the chair in the bag IMPOSSIBLE which was pretty much the draw for me....

I do like the product. However, the second day it was used, the strap at the footplate, unfold. Then I travelto San Diego, and the bag got out the plane unstiched at one end. Those bag are a not good enough for traveling.I look up in Amazon, to see what I can do,and the only alternative, I do have is to returned, however, I left the originalpakage in Miami, and also I need the weel-chair here in San Diego, for my treatment.

I've used this wheelchair to transport my 96 year old mother less than half a dozen times. Today the front wheel collapsed, with Mom in the chair. I have contacted the company that I purchased the wheelchair from and I am hoping that they will honor the warranty for their product.

Great idea. A light weight transport chair that easily folds up to fit in the trunk of the car. Perhaps it needs larger wheels to help it roll more easily. My wife has a hard time getting it to roll over rough pavement or through doorways with metal strips on the floor. Over all, it has been very helpful getting me into malls and places like Home Depot where there is so much space to walk around.

It wasn't a bad chair, but the tires wore down after about 10hours of use. Also the bag was super flimsy and was torn upon arrival. Also got a minor tear after second use.

Great transport chair, folds and unfolds easily, storage bag is nice, but sometimes a challenge to get the chair into it. (Probably just me.) The only reason I didn't give it 5 stars is due to Drive Medical's customer service. One of the knobs used to secure the arm to the chair seat came without a spring and would not lock into place. I called, email, chatted and it took a while to get...the wrong part. Had to spend another half hour being sent from person to person, had to send receipt AGAIN, had to send pictures of the knob and still waiting for the replacement to arrive. In the meantime, can't use the chair for my elderly mother because the arm can't be completely secured. So love the chair, but Drive Medical's customer service isn't great.

One of the levers that is used to fold the seatback (or to keep it up straight) broke upon arrival, rendering the wheelchair useless. I had researched both this Drive wheelchair and the Medline Excel Deluxe aluminum transport wheelchairs. The Medline chair claimed to weigh 23lbs. The Drive chair claimed to be 19lbs. Beside the weight, they were both the same price and looked so identical that I finally decided to purchase the Medline one from Walmart (with the benefit of being able to return it locally) because i saw a picture that indicated the leg rests could be swung sideways. Once i received the chair, i thought, "well at 23lb, the chair felt heavier than i anticipated". So to compare, i then purchased the Drive chair from Amazon thinking that the 19lb would make a difference. It doesn't. In fact, the 19lb claim is without the leg rests. With the leg rests, the chair weights about 22.6 lb, which is about the same as the Medline chair!! They both felt the same weight to me. So I don't respect that Drive was being misleading in their claim of a 19lb chair. In terms of chair design, the designs are almost the same and function exactly the same. It makes you think how in the world that two companies make the exact same chairs. The most obvious differences are the shapes of the wheel brakes and the tire tractions (see pictures), but I don't see these as having impact on functionality. As for the legrests, the design is the same in both. But I'm very disappointed that they do not lock when they're swung back to the sides. The only position they're locked in is when they're in the front, which takes up a lot of storage space. As for packaging, the Medline chair comes in a much sturdier box than Drive's (see picture). In conclusion the two chairs are pretty much identical in designs and weight. Medline's packaging is much more solid than Drive's. My Drive chair came broken, but seeing that Medline's design is pretty much the same, I can see and anticipate that they're both flimsy and not long-lasting. In the end, I will stay with the Medline chair because i like its brake shape design much better than Drive's.

The brakes are uneven and nuts don't stay tight. Defective, legs fall off too easily when folding and lifting for transport into vehicle.

Purchased this for my wife for use ashore on a Mediterranean Cruise. Front wheels are too narrow for use on any form of cobble stone. I learned to travel at a diagonal to the stones which worked for the most part. In Rome we got through 80% of our planned tour. When we got to the vatican we made it 5 yards from our vehicle when the front right wheel jammed between stones and the aluminum wheel support completely broke in two. This would be a good product if you are not in Europe and only on smooth pavement.

This is a serviceable chair but I am not sure how long it will last. We have used it only twice for my 92 year old mother who only weighs 115 pounds. The covets on the arms are already pulled away exposing the cheap foam beneath. We need the chair for her whenever we go places so I don't want to return it without another in is place

Bought this as a replacement for an older model, which we loved that had worn out. This one didn't have rear wheel foot brakes which was disappointing. We took this one on a trip with my mother and it didn't survive the trip. Once of the front wheels broke off during this trip. We were very fortunate that she didn't fall out of the chair and get injured. It is nowhere near as durable as the older model that we used for years! It was very disappointing...

This is a nice looking chair, very light weight and easy to manage. However, the right brake does not work. By the time my mom was released from rehab and able to use the chair it was too late to return so Amazon will not do anything to make it right. Very sad.

Chair arms do not fit into base and the carrying bag completely fell apart during the first use. So disappointed! The chair itself handled sidewalks very well but was awkward because of the arm rest issue. Not sure what to do about the carrying case, it's entirely unusable now.

Chair is adequate but travel bag is poorly designed and constructed. Wheels don't hold bag off ground or floor and base of bag is almost destroyed after only one flight!

Hard to fold and unfold. Overall low-quality make and feel.

I ordered this wheelchair so that my 18 year old Cerebral Palsy daughter could transfer into a bath tub. This chair comes with arms that can rise out of the way. It works for that, but it did not come with a seat belt, so I had to have one specially installed. Also, the way the leg rests are configured, it is a little tight getting her in.

Deteriorated quickly with wobbly wheel after 4 days of use. Used it for a 7 day trip in domestic US.

Got this for someone with an ACL/PCL/MCL injury. They can't bend their leg for a while so thought this would be great to take them out. However at the maximum leg extension it is still about one foot or more too short. The would be useless for someone in a cast as well.UPDATE: August 5, 2014: Since purchasing this it has been used a total of zero times. Another issue - one I had not considered when I first reviewed this - is the fact it is impossible for the actual occupant to move around on their own unless they "walk" (i.e - use their feet/legs). The person who this was purchased for called it "Stupid design" not only for the shortness of it leg wise but because they wanted to give it a go but when they tried to grab onto the wheels to move nothing happened...why? Well take a look at it. It has 4 small wheels, not two large ones in the back and two small front ones. DOH! So the only way someone could self-move is to use their legs. Useless for someone who does not have full use of their legs. Now before someone replies and says it is obvious keep in mind I/we were not looking at the self mobility part - just the ability to use this to move someone who really couldn't walk. But tell that to a 15 year old athlete - "Oh, well the Dr says stay off of your leg. So sit in this wheel chair and let us push you around, or have someone push you around in school."

the brakes did not work.

only a few uses this chair the back rest arm broke off. Caused the chair falling on top of the person in this transport chair. He was well under the weight that was recommended for this chair. VERY EXTREMELY DISAPPOINTED WITH THIS PRODUCT. Do not recommend this chair to anyone.

Didn't like haveing to pay shipping both ways for something that didn't fit my requirements.

I don't think it will last very long

The front wheels are not sturdy and may turn inwards causing the chair to become unstable and unsafe.

very cheaply made.

Very poor quality, totally disappointed. On a very first use padded portion of arm rest broke. Wheel chair is foldable but doesn’t fit in accompanied bag.

While the chair is lightweight, it does not work well on outside surfaces. It is impossible to go over a door threshold unless you go backwards. The same goes for a slight bump in pavement or a wooden ramp. Also, the brake is not easily accessible for the rider. Would recommend you look elsewhere.

I bought this product for my mom because I like the idea of traveling with it. Well, I finally got to do that this past week. First the carrying bag tore at the bottom where it touch the ground. Second small rolling wheel on the carrying bag broke. The wheelchair is on the light side so it was kinda flimsy. It felt very shaky when pushed. I didn't use this product before the return date, so I can not return it. I will not buy this product nor recommend it. I just regret not testing it out before the 30 day return period.

Returned after 1 use. Storage bag came with tares from shipping and foot rest broke on 1st use. Lightweight and small for traveling. Easy to set up and fold for transport.

Bought this for a 94-year old woman, weight 105 lbs. On second use, one of the plastic pieces, that serves as a "knuckle" to connect the 3 of the metal frame members, broke. Thankfully the chair didn't collapse, but I won't use it again as-is. Drive Medical claims that this piece is a "normal wear and tear" item, thus only covered by a 60-day warranty. Oh - and, it's up to me to talk one of their resellers into providing it. Drive doesn't "do" parts. After a support chat rant, they finally agreed to send me the part directly. If I pay $9.95 shipping.What's at stake here is a piece of molded fibrous plastic that would fit in a child's hand (see pic). If it cost Drive Medical more than $1, they're doing it wrong. The warranty that is published in the user's guide states that the chair is covered by a 2-year warranty, except of course for "normal wear and tear" items, which I would take to mean upholstered pieces, handgrips, brake pads, etc. But not pieces that are structurally a part of the chair.Amazon, to their credit, offered to swap out the whole d**n chair. All I had to do was say a piece broke. I'm not going to make them do it - they shouldn't have to - but I'm incredibly impressed and grateful for their offer.Drive Medical should be ashamed of themselves.Otherwise the chair was great, while it was usable. But even at this price it's a little pricey for what amounts to a 60 day rental.

I should have returned this right away! After one airplane ride, the wheel came off the bag, also the plastic on the chair broke off the arm. There isn't enough metal on this chair. I wouldn't recommend it to anyone. There has to be better transport chairs made. The Only thing good about it was that it was light weight but that was because of all the cheap plastic!