Let's Go Cruising With Your Snazzy New Wheels (Lomax Kid Active Wheelchair)

Member Name: sandemp

Product:	Lomax Kid Active Wheelchair
Date:	26/10/05 (927 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Looks Grown Up | Lays Back | Good Support |

Disadvantages: Heavy | Bulky |

From the age of three, my son had used a Mclaren Major, which is similar to a standard buggy, but far larger. But as he grew, it soon became apparent that for a number of reasons this was not really suitable for his needs. For example, he suffers from epilepsy and if he had a fit in the buggy he would often bang his head on the bars. I also found that he wasn't really ever quite supported as well as he could have been, especially when ill. The final reason that we decided it wasn't suitable, was because at the age of seven, he was often getting comments that he was too big to be in a buggy.

It therefore became something of a necessity that we returned to the wheelchair clinic, to see if something more suitable could be found. And what we came up with was this Lomax Kids Active Attendant Push wheelchair, with lie back facility (for those days when he was particularly unwell). After he was measured up, we patiently waited for the chair to arrive, which it did just over a month ago, and now I feel I've had just about enough experience to tell you what I think about it, and whether I'm pleased we made the change.

---The Looks---

I'm not sure what I was expecting this chair to look like, probably something that was bulky and old-fashioned. What actually arrived was one stylish set of wheels, the frame is a gorgeous metallic green colour (although there are other colours available), and it really does look snazzy and, dare I say it, fashionable.

My son loves the look of it and is really proud of his new method of transport, and that is the most important thing to me, that he likes it.

---The Fitting---

When the wheelchair was first delivered, we were under strict instructions that it wasn't to be used until the Occupational Therapist could come round and ensure that it was exactly was my son needed.

The fitting was a relatively quick affair, and involved such simple tasks as the footplates and knee rests being moved to exactly the right places. Obviously as my son gets older he'll need the chair to be re-adjusted, and the good thing about getting this through the wheelchair service is that they will do this (along with any necessary repairs).

---Size---

It is impossible for me to give the dimensions of the particular chair that your child would receive, as each chair is sized to fit the child. For example, my son is rather on the large size for his age, and the seat had to be quite wide, but the actual depth had to be made a little smaller than normal so that the backs of his legs didn't rub.

What I can say though is that this is considerably bulkier than the Mclaren Major, and certainly longer. It takes up a lot of room in the kitchen, even when folded (I'll get onto folding later), and doesn't really fit into a smaller car boot. It is also much heavier than I was expecting, and lifting it around certainly helps build up the arm muscles.

---The Features---

This chair really did come with all the bells and whistles attached (although I can't promise that your child will need the extras we have), but I'll tell you about the rather cool features we DO have:

--Lie Back--

On each of the handles there is a lever that looks a little like bicycle brakes, and when we first got the chair this is what we thought they were. But no, instead they connect to a hydraulic system that allows the back of the chair to be tilted, so that the child can lay back and rest (or sleep) in comfort. These are in one way fantastic, in that the back will only tilt when the levers are operated and once tilted will remain in place until they are again used. But I also find they are quite stiff, and although the idea is that the child's weight will push the backrest down, my son is not quite heavy enough and I need to give them an extra little bit of help.

--Foot Rests--

As well as the backrest tilting, each of the footrests can be independently raised or lowered, so that the child is supported from head to toe when he lays down. The only problem that I have with these is that while they can be raised without the need for any levers to be pulled, to lower them is a little bit of a song and dance.

Ok so maybe they aren't actually that many special features, but those that are there are pretty cool, don't you agree.

---Pushing the Chair---

Our particular chair is attendant push, this means that an adult needs to push the chair while the child sits in comfort and enjoys the ride. It was decided to go for this option due to the fact my son has behavioural problems and if he could move the chair himself he would have probably decided to go in the opposite direction to where we wanted him to go. The chair is also available in a self-propelled form and there are even electric versions available.

When you actually push the chair, it is fairly easy to manoeuvre, but also a lot longer than I'm used to. I find that I often forget just how much room it needs and will bang into doors. And talking about doors, it isn't actually all that easy to manoeuvre one-handed, and I find holding doors open and pushing the chair at the same time quite difficult.

I'm still getting the hang of going up and down curbs as well, and it's in these situations that the weight of the chair (combined with my son's weight) makes things a little difficult. While I always try to use the sloped kerbs, they're not always available, so I often have to struggle to get the front wheels high enough.

As far as which surfaces this is suitable for, I would say that it definitely performs best on bog-standard pavements. I find that it sinks in sand or gravel, and is very hard to push on grass surfaces, but I must admit that I found the same thing happened with the Major.

I find the brakes are very secure, although they do seem to need more than just a simple push into place. I also feel that the way the brakes are placed is a little bit of a design flaw. While there is a separate brake on each wheel, my son can reach them from his sitting position, and although this gives him a feeling of independence in so far as he can operate them himself, he doesn't always realise that a kerb is the best place to take them off.

---Riding In The Chair---

Ok, so I've not personally ridden in the chair (there's no way my son would let anywhere near the seat), but I can give my impressions on how comfortable and safe a ride my son has.

Lets start with the actual seat, and we have a cushion that attaches to the frame by Velcro. This is quite thick, spongy and seems extremely comfortable, my son has certainly never moaned that his bum hurts. I find that he is very well supported, and the headrest seems to help keep him secure and cosy, even when he is unwell and unable to support himself. There are no hard surfaces where he could hit his head if he was either fitting or in a temper, and so far this is a great improvement on his previous method of transport.

When he is tired or unwell, my son finds sitting up slightly more difficult, and this is where the lie-back and adjustable footrests come into their own. I can make sure he is still comfortable and supported at these times and I know he loves this feature.

Safety-wise, although there is a full harness available, we only have a lap belt, and to be honest this isn't really ideal. At the moment he still loves the chair dearly and never tries to escape, but if he ever did this belt will NOT restrain him. I'm not really happy about this, but as it's not caused a problem yet, I've not asked for the full harness.

---Storing The Chair---

This is my big bug-bear about the chair, it is so difficult to fold and store. There's no umbrella fold system, and to actually fold the chair at all you need to make sure the backrest is upright, remove the headrest, and the cushion and then sort of force the sides of the frame together. Even when you've gone through all this palaver, the frame only folds down to between two thirds and one half it's usual size and still takes up a lot of room.

We still find ourselves catching the footrests when we have it stored in the kitchen, and I'll tell you this, that can really hurt. We also find that the chair will only fit in a large car boot, so it won't fit in say a Fiesta's boot.

---Maintaining The Chair---

The nice thing about having received this chair from the wheelchair service, is that we are not responsible for any repairs or maintenance that it might require. All that we need to do is wipe it down with a damp cloth, and report any faults as and when they might occur.

As it happens there have been absolutely no faults in the four months or so we've had it, but I will of course update if any ever occur.

---Where To Get The Chair---

I would suggest that if this is available from your local wheelchair service, then that would be the place to get this from (as it is then free). If, however, you are offered a different chair then you can ask for a voucher, that can be used to buy the chair of your choice. If you decide to either use a voucher or buy this off your own back, it available from Lomax Mobility, but I would still suggest that you go through the wheelchair service if at all possible as then you can be sure that the chair is fitted exactly to your child's needs.

As I haven't actually paid for this chair, I actually have no idea how much it costs to buy. I did try to find out on the manufacturer's website, but their database wasn't working so I didn't get very far, sorry.

---Final Words---

We were a little apprehensive of the idea of changing from using the Major to a "real" wheelchair. After all, we could always pretend that our son's difficulties were perhaps not as bad as they really are for as long as he was actually in a buggy. We were also worried that we would end up, with something that looked like it came off of the ark. I know this sounds silly, but one thing I hate is my son being stared at.

However, we were pleasantly surprised by this chair when it appeared, it looks very smart, is very comfortable and gives our son a comfortable and relatively safe ride. He feels very grown up when he uses the chair, and still loves to show it off to anybody who either enters the house, or he meets in the street.

I would therefore say that if your child is a similar age, and using a Major, this would make a very good alternative. It is far more age appropriate and helps make the transition from buggy to wheelchair a much more pleasant experience.

Summary: The manufacturer's description says it all...