Quickie S636
Posted: 26 Aug 2010, 02:51
For my background for writing this review, see this thread on the Permobil C350- viewtopic.php?f=6&t=306
I have seen the Quickie S626 and S646SE, both chairs leading to the new incarnation, the S636. In many ways they are very similar. The frame, battery tray, battery door, shocks, tilt system, and anti-tips all seem nearly identical.
The S626 was a rough draft, and had severe problems with the connection between the drive wheels and the motors. They were secured with a key on the shaft, and the key fit into soft alloy wheels. In time this key would work free, the wheel would rotate on the shaft, and eventually- so I saw, the drive wheel could fall off. I actually saw a wheel fall off as somebody was driving one of these chairs.
The S646 and then S646SE were followups to the original design, and fixed many of the problems with reliability. The shafts were made thicker and tapered, and the wheels were changed to bolt onto hubs, allowing stronger materials to be used in more mechanically sound ways. The new motors also tended to be a little stronger, if not more efficient. The S646SE is not a chair that I've heard described as a battery miser, but it does have a reputation for dependability and ease of driving.
The S636 that my wife is demoing is approximately 38 inches from front caster to rear caster tip, with both casters turned to make the chair its longest. The S646SE was the same. The rear casters of the S636 are spaced just a bit over 15 inches wide, and the S646SE's rear casters are spaced just over 15.5 inches wide. The drive wheels and front casters are the same.
The motivation for the S636 redesign seems to be purely for business reasons. It only goes 6.5 mph instead of 7.0 mph, because that is the difference between what the US Medicare guideline will pay for. The S636 now uses Rnet electronics, and the model we have received has a joystick with a single drive program, buttons to raise and lower the speed, and a button to change the joystick into a seat actuator. The motors are also new, and I have not been able to see who manufactured them.
After driving a mile to the train station, sitting on the air conditioned train for half an hour, and then driving a mile home over flat ground, the motors were about 140 F, quite hot to the touch. The 90 amp R-net motor controller, on the other hand, was only 92F, hardly above ambient temperature. I think that this is a good demonstration that even if the new motors aren't anything special, the new R-net controller is more efficient than the Pilot+. By the time I got home the batteries were discharged to 24.1 volts, and the battery gauge was very confused. I couldn't make sense of it, it was going from three lights gone to six lights gone, and back up- for no reason I could think of.
The default programming of this particular chair was significantly better than the Permobil C350. More significantly, I found that the center of gravity was in a better place, and I had better traction while stopping on curb cuts at traffic lights. It was when I would stop then turn the chair around to reach the crosswalk button that I noticed a distinct lack of power in comparison to the P200 soccer chair (with a Dynamic DX controller). It might have been the deeply discharged gel batteries, or it might have been the controller, or the motors, but the chair was just very hesitant to back up and turn on a curb cut slope (but still a lot better than that Permobil!)
The swing-away armrest is sturdy, it swings away easily, and it seems to stay in place if you have good control of your arm and posture.
I drove the chair as I always do, as fast as it goes and with little consideration for my own comfort (I'm able bodied after all), only avoiding bumps and slowing when I think they might be bad for the chair, or look really bad. The shocks were somewhat effective, though nowhere near as soft as the Permobil's. On a scale of 1-10 where 10 means "You always feel like you're floating on a cloud", I would rate the Permobil around 7 or 8, and the Quickie around 4 or 5. They're a lot better than nothing (the P200 is a serious bone shaker), but they're probably a lot worse than Burgerman's giant balloon tires.
More to come, if I find anything interesting.
I have seen the Quickie S626 and S646SE, both chairs leading to the new incarnation, the S636. In many ways they are very similar. The frame, battery tray, battery door, shocks, tilt system, and anti-tips all seem nearly identical.
The S626 was a rough draft, and had severe problems with the connection between the drive wheels and the motors. They were secured with a key on the shaft, and the key fit into soft alloy wheels. In time this key would work free, the wheel would rotate on the shaft, and eventually- so I saw, the drive wheel could fall off. I actually saw a wheel fall off as somebody was driving one of these chairs.
The S646 and then S646SE were followups to the original design, and fixed many of the problems with reliability. The shafts were made thicker and tapered, and the wheels were changed to bolt onto hubs, allowing stronger materials to be used in more mechanically sound ways. The new motors also tended to be a little stronger, if not more efficient. The S646SE is not a chair that I've heard described as a battery miser, but it does have a reputation for dependability and ease of driving.
The S636 that my wife is demoing is approximately 38 inches from front caster to rear caster tip, with both casters turned to make the chair its longest. The S646SE was the same. The rear casters of the S636 are spaced just a bit over 15 inches wide, and the S646SE's rear casters are spaced just over 15.5 inches wide. The drive wheels and front casters are the same.
The motivation for the S636 redesign seems to be purely for business reasons. It only goes 6.5 mph instead of 7.0 mph, because that is the difference between what the US Medicare guideline will pay for. The S636 now uses Rnet electronics, and the model we have received has a joystick with a single drive program, buttons to raise and lower the speed, and a button to change the joystick into a seat actuator. The motors are also new, and I have not been able to see who manufactured them.
After driving a mile to the train station, sitting on the air conditioned train for half an hour, and then driving a mile home over flat ground, the motors were about 140 F, quite hot to the touch. The 90 amp R-net motor controller, on the other hand, was only 92F, hardly above ambient temperature. I think that this is a good demonstration that even if the new motors aren't anything special, the new R-net controller is more efficient than the Pilot+. By the time I got home the batteries were discharged to 24.1 volts, and the battery gauge was very confused. I couldn't make sense of it, it was going from three lights gone to six lights gone, and back up- for no reason I could think of.
The default programming of this particular chair was significantly better than the Permobil C350. More significantly, I found that the center of gravity was in a better place, and I had better traction while stopping on curb cuts at traffic lights. It was when I would stop then turn the chair around to reach the crosswalk button that I noticed a distinct lack of power in comparison to the P200 soccer chair (with a Dynamic DX controller). It might have been the deeply discharged gel batteries, or it might have been the controller, or the motors, but the chair was just very hesitant to back up and turn on a curb cut slope (but still a lot better than that Permobil!)
The swing-away armrest is sturdy, it swings away easily, and it seems to stay in place if you have good control of your arm and posture.
I drove the chair as I always do, as fast as it goes and with little consideration for my own comfort (I'm able bodied after all), only avoiding bumps and slowing when I think they might be bad for the chair, or look really bad. The shocks were somewhat effective, though nowhere near as soft as the Permobil's. On a scale of 1-10 where 10 means "You always feel like you're floating on a cloud", I would rate the Permobil around 7 or 8, and the Quickie around 4 or 5. They're a lot better than nothing (the P200 is a serious bone shaker), but they're probably a lot worse than Burgerman's giant balloon tires.
More to come, if I find anything interesting.