Anyone tried the Airwheel or pride I-Go

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Anyone tried the Airwheel or pride I-Go

Postby Kerrera » 11 Sep 2017, 18:42

Hi all,
I'm looking at the new lightweight chairs that fold easily and have lithium batteries.

I hated the foldachair but liked the airwheel that self folds.
I don't want to spend my limited funds and regret it.

While I liked elements of the airwheel I wasn't struck on the footrest and the ride position is very upright.

Has anyone got one of these style of chairs?

I asked about a spare battery as the range is ok but not great if I'm off grid at a music festival or camping...but £495 a battery made me blink a bit.

Any advice - I need it lightweight and foldable and I can't self propell so power chair only...

Thanks
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Re: Anyone tried the Airwheel or pride I-Go

Postby rover220 » 11 Sep 2017, 19:42

Igo is a great idea but still too heavy when lifting imo. Cant really see the point.
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Re: Anyone tried the Airwheel or pride I-Go

Postby Kerrera » 11 Sep 2017, 21:17

True, I'd need a hoist anyway - for me it's about taking it away on holiday and not needing adapted transport.
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Re: Anyone tried the Airwheel or pride I-Go

Postby Sully » 11 Sep 2017, 21:25

Kerrera;

I tried to find the Airwheel could you post the link please? I see no great differences between the Airhawk that I found.

What are your major gripes about the Foldachair? I am thinking about at the 12.5" rear wheeled chair. Did you actually own one of these?

My full size van went to hell. I bought a Chrysler "mini"van but the new fangled stowaway seating kibosh-ed using my side walker lift. PITA I have an older Honda with low mileage I could mount the lift in but this van is too narrow to use with the sidewalker. Using the sidewalker with the folding power chairs, folded up and hooked to the lift strap seems like a possibility. Any comments?
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Re: Anyone tried the Airwheel or pride I-Go

Postby ex-Gooserider » 12 Sep 2017, 02:35

Presumably our usual objections to Pride products would apply, though possibly less so, since the programming on a scooter is less fussy than it is on a chair...

In terms of the battery, it might be worth looking at the battery in detail - often the expensive thing is the box, not the batteries themselves...

I was recently working on a "friend of a friend's" scooter, she said that she had recently had to replace the USD$350 battery... Looking up the machine on-line, I found several vendors that listed the 'replacement battery' for about that price, OR $100 for the two 12V 12Ah lead bricks that fit inside the box...

IOW, making your own box, or just having a spare pack that you can swap into the OEM box might save you a lot...

ex-Gooserider
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Want to make / get a better chair, ideally one that stands.
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Re: Anyone tried the Airwheel or pride I-Go

Postby Kerrera » 12 Sep 2017, 08:06

Sully wrote:Kerrera;

I tried to find the Airwheel could you post the link please? I see no great differences between the Airhawk that I found.

What are your major gripes about the Foldachair? I am thinking about at the 12.5" rear wheeled chair. Did you actually own one of these?

My full size van went to hell. I bought a Chrysler "mini"van but the new fangled stowaway seating kibosh-ed using my side walker lift. PITA I have an older Honda with low mileage I could mount the lift in but this van is too narrow to use with the sidewalker. Using the sidewalker with the folding power chairs, folded up and hooked to the lift strap seems like a possibility. Any comments?


I think I've managed to reply sully - tech is not my forte

http://www.thelivingcentre.co.uk/airwhe ... chair.html

Hope the link works it's the Airwheel - H3
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Re: Anyone tried the Airwheel or pride I-Go

Postby Sully » 12 Sep 2017, 15:56

Kerrera;

Thanks for your response, it initiated more questions and thoughts. Other than the auto factor (fold unfold which i really like) there doesn't seem to be much difference between almost all these foldable lightweight chairs. One feature I am looking at if the push bar in the back. I like integral fold up foot rest, but, the pushing bar is a lifting point and with my Bruno sidewalker lift that makes lifting with the just the strap quite simple in the folded position.

I do not see a USA distributor. a second strike I think I see is the larger LiFePO4 for US air traffic a single 10 AH hour lithium battery is the max allowed in the chair and disconnected. The second one may be carried in you cabin stowed baggage, OR so I am led to believe. The regulators do not seem to discriminate between the different lithium chemistry's. I "suspect" it is the BMS that creates this caution.

I still wonder what you find objectionable in the "Foldawheel"? I would like to weigh your objections with my likes and dislikes in my decision making. Life's varying changes are now challenging me more than previously. I have to use other transportation than my own.
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Re: Anyone tried the Airwheel or pride I-Go

Postby Sully » 12 Sep 2017, 16:33

I did find USA distributors and e- sales. Thanks for the proper name, that made it easy.

Please guys anyone who has first hand knowledge, share it.
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Re: Anyone tried the Airwheel or pride I-Go

Postby Kerrera » 14 Sep 2017, 09:38

@sully
I've taken the plunge and ordered the H3 - it's a 6 week wait for it to arrive, think I'm one of the first in the UK to order they are so new.

When it's finally here I will do a review
After a conversation with the adaptation people - I'm going to take it over and we will work out the best lifting position.

It's 31" upright on its standing pegs -so finding a car with a big enough boot opening might be tricky as I didn't want a van again.

The + sides that made me decide on it

1. The self fold - smooth and means no struggle with manual fold.

2. Generous seating and back position compared to the freedom chair + Foldachair

3. Smooth controller and ability to adjust length for comfort.

4. Large wheels both front and back 12 5" & 8"

5. Suspension.

Slight negatives

1. Very upright seated position - if you are taller than 5' 9" I'd say comfort may be an issue if you needed to use the chair for all day everyday

2. Battery placement is low underneath the chair so connectors may need covering when wet

3. The foot plate is quite narrow so combined with very upright seating position could be uncovered fittable for longer use

But having tested both foldawheel & freedom chair the self folding mechanism edged ahead.

Ranked for me

1 airwheel - H3
2. Freedom chair ( think A8)
3. Foldachair

Personally I disliked the foldachair the most - too small, clunky and jerky controller, could feel the bar in my back.
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Re: Anyone tried the Airwheel or pride I-Go

Postby MikeGrok » 22 Sep 2017, 07:47

I was thinking of getting one like that for my wife.
She has a:
Permobile c500

But primarily uses:
https://kdsmartchair.com/products/smart ... =791470763

Our current issue with the above chair is that the tires are glued to the wheel, and we have worn away all of the tread, and can see patches of bare aluminum.

I have been looking through the models at alibaba for an upgrade.

The quote I got for one was $920 for the chair plus $780 for delivery to my door (California USA) or 175 for delivery to the port of Long Beach California.

https://m.alibaba.com/product/605527271 ... abled.html

Battery capacity is calculated as volts times amp hours.
Lead acid batteries cost from 0.10 US dollars to 0.30 US dollars per volt amp hour.
Lithium variant battery packs cost from 0.30 US dollars to 0.50 US dollars per volt amp hour.

As long as you match the battery chemistry and voltage, you should be able to use any battery you want, then connect it in parallel.

-Michael
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Re: Anyone tried the Airwheel or pride I-Go

Postby MikeGrok » 25 Sep 2017, 07:50

I think I am going to get this one instead:
https://m.alibaba.com/product/607169720 ... th-CE.html

It is 660 plus 80 shipping to the port of Long Beach.
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Re: Anyone tried the Airwheel or pride I-Go

Postby Burgerman » 25 Sep 2017, 11:20

The links dont work.

You cannot compare lithium with lead using either Ah or watt hours. (Watts is Ah x Volts).

Because you dont get say 50Ah from a 50Ah lead battery unless you discharge it evenly over a 20 hour period. You will get 25 to 30Ah from a 50Ah lead battery approximately at the rate we use them. (Typically 2 to 3 hour rate).

So as an approximation, use only 60% of a lead battery capacity in comparisons at best. In other words, you need a 50Ah lead battery to compare to a 30Ah lithium battery if both are 24v.
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Re: Anyone tried the Airwheel or pride I-Go

Postby MikeGrok » 26 Sep 2017, 20:38

I mostly meant that if you have a lifepo4 battery pack at with 8 cells in series at 10 amp hour, you can add an after market battery pack at 15 amp hour using 8 cells in series that is also lifepo4. As long as the same number of cells in series between the stock and add on battery pack is the same, and the pack is wired in, your chair controller, and charger should continue to work.

However, adding a lipo battery pack in parallel with a lifepo4 battery pack will cause problems. If you happen to have a large lipo battery pack that has a voltage between 12 and 16 volts, you can probably use a car charger for your chair, to top off your chair's batteries on the go.
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Re: Anyone tried the Airwheel or pride I-Go

Postby MikeGrok » 26 Sep 2017, 20:52

Do these links work?
the last link:
https://www.alibaba.com/product-detail/ ... 72045.html
the previous chair:
https://www.alibaba.com/product-detail/ ... 27104.html

The difference is that for the top link, the spring gets moved to the inside of the chair where it will be less likely to get caught on clothing, and an additional spring gets added at the castor.

The bottom link has 4 springs, each one providing about 1/4 inch of suspension.
The top link has 6 springs, each one providing about 1/4 inch of suspension.
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Re: Anyone tried the Airwheel or pride I-Go

Postby Burgerman » 26 Sep 2017, 21:01

However, adding a lipo battery pack in parallel with a lifepo4 battery pack will cause problems.


It will actually cause damage or smoke!
7s lipo is 4.200v x 7 = 29.2V fully charged.
8S LiFePO4 is typically 3.600V per cell, x 8 = 28.80V. After a few hours rest, this fall to 3.45vpc or 27.6V...

Both are low impedance, connecting one to the other will cause a very large current to flow!

And the correct charge voltage for a 7s (nominal 24V ish lipo) is 29.2V. Less will result in patial charge, and no balancing with many BMS setups.

You can charge a 8S 24v lifepo4 powerchair, or a 29.2v 7S lipo powerchair, or a lead battery 24v powerchair in your car at up to 30A with the PL8 charger I use all the time. Or any other voltage or chemistry. It runs from 10V up to 30V, and can charge anything from a watch battery to a full sized EV.

The red and black things near the wall!

Image
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Re: Anyone tried the Airwheel or pride I-Go

Postby Burgerman » 26 Sep 2017, 23:36

Do these links work?
the last link:
https://www.alibaba.com/product-detail/ ... 72045.html
the previous chair:
https://www.alibaba.com/product-detail/ ... 27104.html


Yes they did. Wont now after the copy prcess though.

Those chairs are using Lithium ion. More corectly Lithium ion cobalt cells, as used in laptops, phones etc. While they have the same CHARGE voltage as lithium polymer cells, they have a different discharge curve, and a different low voltage end point limit that is much lower than lipo. Lipo low limit typically 3.5V compared to 2.5 to 3V for LiCo cells. So you cannot connect an extra 7s lipo to these in parallel, even though the same charge voltage of 29.2V is used as there will be problems with one pack discharging into another as the voltage falls during use.
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Re: Anyone tried the Airwheel or pride I-Go

Postby Kerrera » 22 Nov 2017, 20:58

My chair has finally arrived, took an age to ship from the manufacturer.

I will be test driving it properly this weekend so will do a review.

I'm 5'5" I'd say if you are tall 6' + the chair may feel too small, the back not high enough and the foot rest isn't adjustable.

The big downside of airwheel much to the business manager's annoyance at John Preston the battery is not universally flying safe - he is pushing airwheel to sort it, they are not a mobility ( airwheel) specialist and it shows there are some annoying features that have not taken the user in mind.

I'm sure over the next year or so as this tech becomes more common place the best features of different chairs will appear in one chair.

Watch this space
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Re: Anyone tried the Airwheel or pride I-Go

Postby MikeGrok » 21 Aug 2018, 22:28

On the afore mentioned tire issue, when I called kdsmartchair, they warranted the wheels, and sent me replacements.

The first set lasted 3.5-4 years. These appear to have about double the rubber, and will probably out last the chair.
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