Due to advancing rheumatoid arthritis, I have gotten to a point where I still get around OK, but locations that require extreme amounts of walking are getting too painful. I am only 58 years old. I simply could not bring myself to buy one of those mobility scooters. I ended up finding what to me is a pretty good compromise. I am sure that there are others in a similar situation, so I’m posting the information for you.
In July I was at the biggest car show in our area each year. This year was the first time I didn’t cover the entire acreage, because my feet and knees just got too painful. There was a younger couple there driving something I had not seen before-basically a cross between a scooter and a three wheel bicycle. It’s a front wheel driven electric trike that can be operated either sitting or standing. The result is a comparatively light, easy to transport mobility vehicle with good range and capacity combined with a higher seating position. They gave a very strong recommendation of them.
The basics are it holds up to 400 pounds, can go up to 30 miles on a charge, top speed of 22 mph in high gear. They come with an LED headlight and taillight, LED running lights underneath, reverse gear, electric horn, and a USB port to charge your phone. It also comes with a clip on front basket. It weighs about 75 pounds, and folds flat so that it can fit in most any car trunk. Actual cost was $1800. Other than accepting that I needed it, it has been a Godsend.
After seeing them at that car show, I started doing research. The couple had told me to always disregard the price – the price is usually in the neighborhood of $4000, but they always have a buy one get one/show price/sale that means you can get one for half of that or less. As I started doing research, I found them as cheap as $500. But like anything else, you get what you pay for. The one I saw for $500 had a smooth front tire and hard plastic rear tires. All of the specifications were less: less weight capacity, less range, less speed; and worst of all, the hub drive motor was much less wattage. Mine is the highest wattage I have found in these at 1000 W. The cheaper ones were as low as 300. And I can tell you that even at 1000 W, there is a limit to how steep of a grade it can climb, for example. Basically, the more capacity and the more power, the more cost. I would not recommend getting the lesser ones.
During my shopping I had focused on a company called Five Star Scooters. Theirs have lithium ion batteries, which gives a little better range at a little less weight than standard lead acid batteries. And, it was the brand that the couple at the car show had. They are easy to find online, and in fact they have videos on YouTube where you can see them a little better. However I ended up buying mine at our state fair for a few different reasons: one, I was able to see it in person and test drive it; two, the battery is flush mounted underneath instead of a big hump between your feet, which makes a big difference in comfort and three, I was able to use it that day, and two other days at the fair because it was already available. To say that it improved my coverage of the 365 acres of our fairgrounds is an understatement. I’ll post a link to that company below.
I’ve only used it a few times so far. I used it for two days at the state fair, and around our city a little bit. Two weeks ago I took it to Hershey, and it was absolutely fantastic there. I went up and down pretty much every aisle over the course of two days, which they say would total 29 miles. I don’t really know how many miles I covered each day with retraces and so forth, but I rode it about five hours, then took it in the Giant Center and plugged it in and walked around for a couple hours. Then I’d go back and get it and finish out my day.
A full charge I guess takes about five hours. One drawback is that the battery pack can only be charged while in place. I’m sure that could be changed, I haven’t looked into that yet. Probably I will just buy a second battery pack so that when the first one runs low I can just switch it in about 30 seconds and continue on. They say the lithium ion units have more range, but then they’re more expensive to buy. Maybe it will make sense at some point to convert this one to lithium ion.
Mine had a retail price of $3999. Actual cost was $1800, plus tax where applicable. It comes with a two year warranty. Replacement parts available through the company. Tires are fairly common and easy to get if needed. One definite recommendation I have, get the optional knobby tire. It has enough torque that you will constantly be spinning the standard tire.
Couple other things – you have to learn to keep your weight slightly forward for two reasons- one, it is fairly easy to spin the tire if you’re leaning back and two, if you lean hard against the back rest going up a hill, they can tip over backwards. In fact, I saw it happen. Really though, it’s not hard to get the hang of.
In the end, it’s not perfect, it does leave some to be desired. But it will fold down far enough to go into the trunk of most cars so you don’t need to have some special rig to carry it. If 75 pounds is too heavy for you to lift, you could easily remove the battery pack which is about half of the weight, and load the two pieces separately.
I expect that in a couple years they will advance quickly enough that this one will be pretty primitive. But for less than two grand it does pretty well, and when there’s a big advancement I’ll get a new one. Best of all, it’s better than the regular scooters where you ride around with your nose at the level of everybody’s butt. All in all, for most people, all things considered I would recommend them.
In July I was at the biggest car show in our area each year. This year was the first time I didn’t cover the entire acreage, because my feet and knees just got too painful. There was a younger couple there driving something I had not seen before-basically a cross between a scooter and a three wheel bicycle. It’s a front wheel driven electric trike that can be operated either sitting or standing. The result is a comparatively light, easy to transport mobility vehicle with good range and capacity combined with a higher seating position. They gave a very strong recommendation of them.
The basics are it holds up to 400 pounds, can go up to 30 miles on a charge, top speed of 22 mph in high gear. They come with an LED headlight and taillight, LED running lights underneath, reverse gear, electric horn, and a USB port to charge your phone. It also comes with a clip on front basket. It weighs about 75 pounds, and folds flat so that it can fit in most any car trunk. Actual cost was $1800. Other than accepting that I needed it, it has been a Godsend.
After seeing them at that car show, I started doing research. The couple had told me to always disregard the price – the price is usually in the neighborhood of $4000, but they always have a buy one get one/show price/sale that means you can get one for half of that or less. As I started doing research, I found them as cheap as $500. But like anything else, you get what you pay for. The one I saw for $500 had a smooth front tire and hard plastic rear tires. All of the specifications were less: less weight capacity, less range, less speed; and worst of all, the hub drive motor was much less wattage. Mine is the highest wattage I have found in these at 1000 W. The cheaper ones were as low as 300. And I can tell you that even at 1000 W, there is a limit to how steep of a grade it can climb, for example. Basically, the more capacity and the more power, the more cost. I would not recommend getting the lesser ones.
During my shopping I had focused on a company called Five Star Scooters. Theirs have lithium ion batteries, which gives a little better range at a little less weight than standard lead acid batteries. And, it was the brand that the couple at the car show had. They are easy to find online, and in fact they have videos on YouTube where you can see them a little better. However I ended up buying mine at our state fair for a few different reasons: one, I was able to see it in person and test drive it; two, the battery is flush mounted underneath instead of a big hump between your feet, which makes a big difference in comfort and three, I was able to use it that day, and two other days at the fair because it was already available. To say that it improved my coverage of the 365 acres of our fairgrounds is an understatement. I’ll post a link to that company below.
I’ve only used it a few times so far. I used it for two days at the state fair, and around our city a little bit. Two weeks ago I took it to Hershey, and it was absolutely fantastic there. I went up and down pretty much every aisle over the course of two days, which they say would total 29 miles. I don’t really know how many miles I covered each day with retraces and so forth, but I rode it about five hours, then took it in the Giant Center and plugged it in and walked around for a couple hours. Then I’d go back and get it and finish out my day.
A full charge I guess takes about five hours. One drawback is that the battery pack can only be charged while in place. I’m sure that could be changed, I haven’t looked into that yet. Probably I will just buy a second battery pack so that when the first one runs low I can just switch it in about 30 seconds and continue on. They say the lithium ion units have more range, but then they’re more expensive to buy. Maybe it will make sense at some point to convert this one to lithium ion.
Mine had a retail price of $3999. Actual cost was $1800, plus tax where applicable. It comes with a two year warranty. Replacement parts available through the company. Tires are fairly common and easy to get if needed. One definite recommendation I have, get the optional knobby tire. It has enough torque that you will constantly be spinning the standard tire.
Couple other things – you have to learn to keep your weight slightly forward for two reasons- one, it is fairly easy to spin the tire if you’re leaning back and two, if you lean hard against the back rest going up a hill, they can tip over backwards. In fact, I saw it happen. Really though, it’s not hard to get the hang of.
In the end, it’s not perfect, it does leave some to be desired. But it will fold down far enough to go into the trunk of most cars so you don’t need to have some special rig to carry it. If 75 pounds is too heavy for you to lift, you could easily remove the battery pack which is about half of the weight, and load the two pieces separately.
I expect that in a couple years they will advance quickly enough that this one will be pretty primitive. But for less than two grand it does pretty well, and when there’s a big advancement I’ll get a new one. Best of all, it’s better than the regular scooters where you ride around with your nose at the level of everybody’s butt. All in all, for most people, all things considered I would recommend them.
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