by JoeC » 22 Feb 2010, 15:47
I didn't confirm that the 6.5 mph Rhythm uses the same size as the 8 mph Groove, so watch out for that. I'd be surprised if they weren't the same though.
The chair had a recline and elevator mechanism, and it was a terribly impractical setup. The seat height was at a minimum of something like 26 inches, so it's impossible to roll under ANY desk or table with it. The elevator had a huge mass of poorly restrained wires hanging off the back, coming out even farther than the trailing casters. If someone drove this chair on a daily basis, those wires would certainly catch on something eventually, and it would be a very short matter of time before the wires got sheared off inside the elevate mechanism. I'm normally an advocate of what powered seating can do for one's independence, but this system was a joke.
It's impossible to say anything about the motor quality because the programming and seating issues were so sever that she hasn't spend more than a few minutes at a time trying the thing. In the past she had little trouble getting her wheelchair vendor to program the chair how she wants- responsive, stops on a dime, probably closer to how your programming than my wife's, but the vendor's tech was unable to recreate that with the Groove's electronics made by Delphi. They couldn't figure out what to change to get rid of all the lag, and since the programming interface is totally different from the P&G, it was probably harder to figure out. I don't have a Delphi programmer, and she hasn't been able to get herself one yet either. Unless someone changes my mind, I don't think I want one!
The overall build quality seemed nice, other than the wire routing for the elevator. The build quality would have to be excellent if they want it to last for any length of time- it's one of the most mechanically complex chairs that I've looked at. It looks like it has independent suspension for all four casters, but none on the drive wheels. I think the suspension's purpose is more to maintain a vertical chair position while going over bumps and stopping, preventing the chair from getting stopped with the drive wheels off the ground.
Also, to change the batteries it was required to flip the entire power seating contraption backwards off the chair like a giant Pez dispenser, and there was a really unusual wiring system inside. Not interesting, didn't seem reliable or easy. The S-646 had a much better system.