You little rascal (Rascal 329 LE)

Member Name: David A. Brett

Product:	Rascal 329 LE
Date:	30/10/03 (139 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: see review

Disadvantages: see review

I?d had my old Sunrise F45 for about three years and to be honest it was getting worse than my walking. My needs had changed ? for a start we now had a dog which needed walking twice daily at least. I now needed something that was going to take me much further than the old F45 and wasn?t going to conk out (as the old F45 did on occasions). So for a new mobility aid I went shopping.

The reason I had a Sunrise F45 in the first place was vanity really. I didn?t want a motor scooter like every old person in our town seemed to have. I wanted something young and trendy ? after all I was on 40 (at the time).

However now I simply didn?t care, I wanted something that went the distance, lasted a long time, and could move quicker than the tortoise-crawling a long beside.

I was given a few brochures by Drakes of Cambridge-whom I must say have given me nothing but excellent service. I rather liked the sound of the Rascal 329, it seemed to go a long way, need less charging should I forget, and it was speedier ? up to 8 mph in fact.

I decided on the machine and paid my money and sat back and waited for delivery of the new super machine.

Within about ten days it was ready for delivery. As it came of the van that delivered it I began to imagine all the places I could go ? I didn?t foresee any problems ? my life was going to improve.

I charged the machine fully and left my house for the first ?drive?. We chose to take the dog on a long walk. Packing up refreshments for the dog (water and biscuits) and a drink for us we headed out on our walk ? which eventually took us to the other side of Haverhill. So far all was great, the machine was zooming around like it had just come off charge, and I was out and about.

We headed home about 2 hours later and the came across our first problem! The trouble is where I live they don?t believe in making things overly easy for people in wheelchairs and to get in my back gate took some ma
noeuvring. I couldn?t take just swing at the gate and get in first time. Still not too big a problem and it wasn?t going to spoil my enjoyment of my new machine.

Getting the machine in the conservatory was a bit of a problem which we soon sorted out with easier ramps.

~~Machine information: ~~

The machine is about 58 inches long and 22 inches wide making it one of the largest in its type I should imagine. The whole machine is adjustable, you can adjust the seat backwards and forwards, you can also swivel the chair to make it easier to get in and out of the machine. The ?handle bars? are also adjustable: Charging in on board via a small ?cabby hole? at the back of the machine. It comes complete with two baskets for front and rear, and is a very sturdy machine. It has a front headlight and indicators which also act as hazard warning lights. There is also a switch which allows you to instantly make the scooter go half the speed it was going ? ideal for shops, busy places etc.

~~What I liked: ~~

I liked the fact that the scooter is reportedly able to go about 22 miles on each charge. I also like the fact it can ?speed? along at 8 mph which believe me is too fast on pavements. It is easy to get on and off with a swivel seat. It has bumpers to stop those inevitable knocks. I like the fact it has a headlight, my old F45 had no such feature and I wished many times it did ? especially in the long cold winter months. I love the freedom of being able to go anywhere in town that I want and knowing that the battery won?t suddenly go flat.

~~What I didn?t like: ~~

I wasn?t too struck on the onboard charging, it really was quite difficult to lift the lead form its bag at the back out of it?s little ?cabby hole?. There is also no way of knowing whether that battery is fully charged ? so I leave it on every possible opportunity. I didn?t like the fact when you use the indicators you also get a fairly loud beep. The fact
that you can only get it in the colour of red was a disadvantage too. And finally I didn?t like paying for it, at a cost of £3,500 I felt disgusted that such essential things should cost so much.

~~Overall: ~~

Overall I am very happy with my new scooter, it did cost quite a bit but at least it has given me some independence back. I am confident that when I go out on my scooter ? I will come home on my scooter. There are some disadvantages but there are with most things. We did have some problems with manoeuvrings etc but nothing that can not be overcome (so far).

Do I recommend it? One vital thing I should point out is that if you are totally reliant on your machine then this wouldn?t be great for you. It is simply too big to get around most shops apart from major supermarkets and the like. Our local Woolworth?s was too small for me to successfully get around. This machine is really aimed at people who can walk some and just need it for distance.

If you are thinking about buying either this or the Sunrise F45 and want to ask me a question, please feel free.

Not recommended for totally wheelchair reliant persons
Recommended for semi-able-bodied- persons

Thanks you for reading,
Please feel free to leave comments if you so wish - Dave

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