So eventually we get to the kids Dragon and Snap Dragon Powerchair assessment aimed at children only. Adults (unless very small) need not apply!

To begin with lets look at its length. At 41 inches (best case scenario with seating options and positions) its pretty long! My own full sized powerchair designed for myself and a 20 stone adult is actually shorter. And that includes a very generous deep footplate. So this may concern you.

This is a consequence of it being front wheel drive. Now some people like front drive powerchairs. That's fine, but I don't! It means natural "instability" or fish tailing and less positive control at speed (and this is an 8mph powerchair which is faster than most). It also means that there is a big chunk of wheelchair/batteries swinging about behind you as you manoeuvre in tight spaces.

They chose this layout to allow fancy seating options. For that information you will need to visit their website. http://www.dragonmobility.com/ But to me a mobility devices primary purpose is to be good at mobility! And making it have some fancy trick seating moves means that mobility is compromised to a degree. It depends which is most important to you (or rather your child). But I suspect they will spend the majority of their time with the seat in its normal position.

It is narrower than my own full sized powerchair. It is almost 24 inches wide. My own adults powerchair for a heavy male adult is just a fraction over 25 inches wide. About 1.5 inches difference only!  That is too wide for a small child. It not just about if it will fit through a door!  The reason for the width is the use of fairly large batteries, allowing 8mph performance and good range. But lots of width. A better compromise would have been 6mph, smaller batteries and a narrower powerchair in my opinion.

Controller. Most powerchairs use Controllers from a small variety of large established companies such as Penny & Giles, Dynamic etc. This chair uses its own companies controller. This would worry me slightly, if only because its an unknown quantity as far as programmability, capability, and reliability.  I also don't know how many "amps" this system has. I would ask if buying. And expect at least 50 to 70 (or above) or it will not have much power with its 8mph gearing/speed.

I suggest you try it before you buy one (and as many other chairs as possible) if you can do so. And for more than a few minutes! Test it at full speed etc as a stability check. And around the house for ease of manoeuvrability. It seems to boil down to seating functions versus size. And which is best for your child. And of course good competition is very thin on the ground so there may not be that many "smaller" chairs to look at!

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