Viking 4x$\4
Posted:
22 Aug 2011, 19:45by voyer
Does anyone have and can review the Viking 4x4 all terrain wheelchair?
http://www.medicalmobilityinternational ... power/4X4/I'm shopping and I like its gyroscopic seat and self leveling rack...would prefer an Li battery system...but none commercially available, also, worried about the thinness of the tires..
Larry
Re: Viking 4x$\4
Posted:
22 Aug 2011, 21:21by LROBBINS
I have no take on the chair itself other than the fact that it wouldn't fit my daughter's needs - too large, no rehab seating, no tilt and lift, minimum floor to seat to high. I am, however, very curious about those Greensaver batteries. John, could you take a look at
http://www.greensaver.cn/en/product/productlist.aspxand tell us what you think?
Ciao,
Lenny
Re: Viking 4x$\4
Posted:
22 Aug 2011, 21:34by Burgerman
http://www.observer-mobilityproduct.com/its made in china and available for half the price directly. Its slow, has to be as its big heavy and uses 4 batteries of less than 30 ah. So in reality its got about as much stored energy as a set of small wheelchair batteries. Green silicone batteries have no specs... But they are just sealed lead acids of some kind. It wont turn indoors, or on grass unless dry without tearing it up.
Re: Viking 4x$\4
Posted:
22 Aug 2011, 22:07by Martin O Refurbisher
If anyone is near Macomb MI, its certainly worth a look to see what it is in real life!
If only it will really do what is claimed!
Best,
Martin
Re: Viking 4x$\4
Posted:
22 Aug 2011, 23:18by Ashley G
Maybe I'm getting too cynical in my old age, or having a bad week or something, but I was totally unimpressed by that Viking publicity. Any interest I might have had would have been wiped-out as soon as I saw that site and its videos.
How important is it that we can "turn on a dime" on a beach ?
That gyroscopic seating didn't seem to be working on their own promo video ! In fact, when it woke up at all, it seemed to be throwing the guy backwards and forwards way too far and way too late. If it could be made to work, and managed to keep you sitting vertically, I wonder what that might do to your C of G, even on some of the terrains they chose to show us !
On the first video, to cross that li'l ditch, the guy had to lean forward well past where his gyroscope hadn't taken him (yet), just to get up the other side ! And his unstoppable power looked about fit to stop against a couple of the obstacles too.
Safety clearly isn't an issue. Check out the ramps they are happy to demonstrate using into the back of that truck ! Forget that wet tyres (we've been on the beach, remember !) will happily slither and slide. There is no way the average rider is standing alongside that chair to drive it up that ramp and, since the ramp is already sagging under the weight of the chair alone, I'm guessing you wouldn't want to ride it up.
Eeeeeh ! Bah gum ! It's not often an advertisement irritates me that badly, but they failed to demonstrate even a passing interest in safety. At the same time, they made outlandish claims about "unstoppable power" and then videoed the chair barely dragging itself over some of the obstacles, while the much vaunted gyroscopic seating appeared unable to keep up, even at those speeds.
Lordy Lordy. You'd think they would at least make it look like it works in their own video ! That is definitely not a company I would want to deal with, over something so important to me.
Oh well. Back to my corner ....
Ashley
Re: Viking 4x$\4
Posted:
23 Aug 2011, 06:59by Step
looks like an excellent chair.
If you live in the woods... in a large cave without doors... or tables... and lots of time to spare (4mph max?)
Looks pretty useless indoors to me.
Way too high, wide, heavy, ...
Tank steering will rip out all carpets I think.
They did get 1 thing right. Central footrest.
Just my thoughts.
Re: Viking 4x$\4
Posted:
16 Sep 2011, 16:54by voyer
I want to thank everyone's comments on this. I've been hospitalized and wasn't able to read the posts until now. You guys are way more critical than I was. I didn't even think to be skeptical about the advertised performance. You all probably saved me from a BAD $10K purchase.
Back to the hunt
Re: Viking 4x$\4
Posted:
16 Sep 2011, 23:01by JoeC
Always be skeptical, always. Remember this-
http://www.exmovere.com/It seems that some people think that just because your legs stop working, so does your brain.
Re: Viking 4x$\4
Posted:
16 Feb 2012, 20:03by malamar
I think great of this one, looking at the film.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=en ... hmKd_HeF14regards
Re: Viking 4x$\4
Posted:
31 Oct 2017, 23:15by arikimau
I have bought a second hand model and can post a review in due course, in particular I plan to take it on holiday to Chile (new year 2018) where its off road features may be advantageous - the downside is I have no comparable wheelchair experience to measure it against.
Considerations will include
step climbing
off road in Chile (small town urban and rural)
internal use/access/practicaility
speed
climb
4 wheel and three wheel (freewheel caster) turning (outdoor / indoor)
battery use life (distance / terrain) and charging time
the driver control and information screen
two person carriage
ramp loading into a vehicle
I will try to have videos taken in situ using a compact camera