With the intensification of aging, elderly travel aids have gradually entered the lives of many elderly people, and electric wheelchairs have also become a new type of transportation that is very common on the road.
There are many types of electric wheelchairs, with prices ranging from more than 1,000 yuan to 10,000 yuan. At present, there are more than a hundred brands on the market, with different configurations, materials, and quality. How to choose an electric wheelchair that suits you? How to choose an electric wheelchair How about avoiding detours and not falling into the “pit”? Come on, after reading this article, learn some knowledge and arm yourself to fight “profiteers”.
The above are some common wheelchair brands on the market
Let’s take everyone to understand the classification of electric wheelchair registration certificates:
Regardless of the brand or specification, they can be classified into the following three categories, which are the national classification of electric wheelchairs
It is to ensure that the needs of various users are met that the following standards are specified:
Indoor
The first category: indoor electric wheelchair, which requires the speed to be controlled at 4.5km/h. Generally, this type of wheelchair is small in size and the power of the motor is low, which also determines that the battery life of this type will not be too far. Complete some routines.
Outdoor
The second category: Outdoor electric wheelchairs, which require speed control at 6km/h. This category is generally relatively large in size, with a thicker body structure than the first category, larger battery capacity, and longer battery life.
road type
The third category: the speed of road-type electric wheelchairs is relatively fast, and the maximum speed is required not to exceed 15km/h. The motors often use high-power, and the tires are also thickened and enlarged. Generally, this type of vehicle is equipped with outdoor lighting and turn indicator lights to ensure that Road safety.
Most consumers don’t know much about electric wheelchairs as a medical device product. They just judge the quality by looking at the appearance or the sales volume of the e-commerce platform until they place an order. However, many users, after receiving the goods, will You will find many unsatisfactory places, such as volume, weight, handling, detail craftsmanship, gap between the picture and the real thing, etc. At this time, thoughts of regret arise spontaneously…
However, it is very troublesome to return the goods in general. The first choice is the packing box. During the transportation of the goods, the box will inevitably be bumped and bumped. Small damages when the goods arrive will cause trouble when the goods are returned. If the frame and wheels are worn out, stained, scratched, etc. due to trial use, based on the above, as a merchant, a certain amount of wear and tear fees must be charged to compensate for the losses caused. However, as a consumer This part becomes “spending money to buy experience”.
This kind of routine “wrangling” is the epitome of some people who buy electric wheelchairs for the first time. In order to reduce losses, some users have no choice but to make do with it.
Based on the author’s experience in the medical device industry for nearly 13 years, most consumers who buy electric wheelchairs often consider lightness, foldability, and storage in the trunk when purchasing the first electric wheelchair. Consider the problem from the perspective of the user, and do not consider the problem from the perspective of the user’s daily needs.
After using it for a period of time, the user will give feedback to the family about the comfort, power, battery life, and the stability of the vehicle system, handling, etc., and these will only gradually appear when problems are encountered in daily use. , and at this time it has been a few months since the purchase. Many users have also begun to think about buying electric wheelchairs again. After the first use experience, users understand their needs better, so they can also find electric wheelchairs that are more suitable for them. According to the author’s communication with colleagues, it is not complete According to statistics, most of the choices for the second purchase are outdoor type and road type.
Let’s take a look at what parts are the electric wheelchairs made of?
The electric wheelchair is mainly composed of the following parts, the main body frame, the upper controller, the lower controller, the motor, the battery, and other accessories such as seat back cushions. Next, let’s take a look at the accessories of each part.
Main frame: The main frame determines the structural design, external width, and seat width of the electric wheelchair. External height, backrest height, and designed functionality. The main material can be divided into steel pipe, aluminum alloy, and aviation titanium alloy. Most of the common materials in the market are steel pipe and aluminum alloy. It is not bad, but the disadvantage is that it is bulky, and it is easy to rust and corrode when exposed to water and humid environments. Long-term corrosion will affect the service life of the electric wheelchair. At present, most of the mainstream materials have adopted aluminum alloy, which is lighter and relatively corrosion-resistant. The material strength, lightness, and corrosion resistance of aerospace titanium alloys are better than the first two, but due to the cost of materials, currently the main It is applied to high-end and portable electric wheelchairs, and the price is also more expensive.
In addition to the material of the main frame, it is also necessary to observe the details of other components of the car body and the welding process, such as: the material of all accessories, the thickness of the material, whether the details are rough, whether the welding points are even, and the denser the welding points, the better. , the arrangement rules are similar to fish scales is the best, also known as fish scale welding in the industry, this process is the strongest, if the welding parts are uneven, or there is a phenomenon of missing welding, safety hazards will gradually appear over time. The welding process is an important link to observe whether a product is produced by a large factory, whether it is serious and responsible, and produces products with quality and quantity.
Let’s take a look at the controller. The controller is the core component of the electric wheelchair, just like the steering wheel of a car. Its quality directly determines the handling and service life of the electric wheelchair. Conventional controllers are generally divided into: single controller and There are two types of split controllers.
So how to simply check the quality of the controller? There are two things you can try:
1. Turn on the power switch, push the controller, and feel whether the start is stable; release the controller, and feel whether the car stops immediately after a sudden stop.
2. Control and rotate the car on the spot to feel whether the steering is stable and flexible.
Let’s take a look at the motor, which is the core component of the drive. According to the way of power transmission, it is currently divided into brush motors, also called worm gear motors, brushless motors, also called hub motors, and a crawler motor (similar to early tractors, which are driven by a belt).
Let’s talk about the advantages of the brushed motor (turbo worm motor) first. It has large torque, high torque, and strong driving force. It will be easy to go up some small slopes, and the start and stop are relatively stable. The disadvantage is that the conversion rate of the battery is low, that is, it consumes more electricity. Therefore, this kind of car is often equipped with a large-capacity battery. At present, the most widely used brush motor is Taiwan Shuoyang Motor. Due to the high cost of the motor, most of them are equipped with electric wheelchairs with a unit price of more than 4,000. Most of the cars using this turbo-worm motor weigh more than 50-200 kg. In recent years, there are also portable models that use this motor. , The unit price of the car is on the high side, probably around 10,000 yuan.
The advantage of brushless motor (hub motor) is that it saves electricity and has a high conversion rate of electricity. The battery equipped with this motor does not need to be particularly large, which can reduce the weight of the vehicle. The disadvantage is that the start and stop are relatively not as stable as the worm motor, and the torque is large, which is not suitable for daily users who need to walk on slopes. Most of these motors are used in electric wheelchairs ranging from one thousand to two or three thousand yuan. Most of the weight of the whole vehicle that adopts this motor is about 50 jin.
There is also a crawler motor, the power transmission is too long, it consumes more electricity, the power is weak, and the cost is low. At present, only a few manufacturers are using this kind of motor.
The motor power used in electric wheelchairs is mostly 200W, 300W, 480W or even higher.
So how to simply understand the quality of the motor? Please understand the following two points. The first choice is the same as the controller. The motor is also divided into domestic and imported. It is still an unfortunate comparison. The domestic is slightly worse than the imported. I think there may be better domestic ones, but the cost price will be higher than the current one. Imported brands, so there are relatively few applications. How can I fail to make this small motor in a big country… Closer to home, another intuitive comparison is to look at the thickness and diameter of the motor. The thicker the motor, the stronger the power. Relatively stronger and more stable.
Battery: It is well known that there are lead-acid batteries and lithium batteries. Whether it is a lead-acid battery or a lithium battery, care and maintenance are required. When the electric wheelchair is idle for a long time, it must be charged and maintained regularly. It is generally recommended to charge the battery at least once every 14 days. power consumption. When comparing whether lead-acid batteries are worse than lithium batteries, at first glance, lithium batteries must be better, and lead-acid batteries are not as good as lithium batteries. This is the concept of most people. What is so good about lithium batteries? The first is light, and the second is longer service life. Compared with some light-weight electric wheelchairs, the standard configuration is lithium batteries, and the selling price is also higher.
If you say which is worth the lead-acid battery or the lithium battery, you also need to look at the size of the AH.
For example, is gold or silver worth more? If you say gold is worth more, well, how about one gram of gold and one catty of silver?
The voltage of electric wheelchairs is generally 24v, and the battery capacity is different, and the unit is AH. When comparing batteries, for example: 20AH lead-acid and lithium batteries are definitely better than lithium batteries. However, most domestic lithium batteries are about 10AH, and some 6AH meet the aviation boarding standards. Most lead-acid batteries start at 20AH, and there are also 35AH, 55AH, and 100AH.
In terms of battery life:
20AH lead-acid battery life is about 20 kilometers
35AH lead-acid battery life is about 30 kilometers
50AH lead-acid battery life is about 40 kilometers
Lithium batteries are currently mainly used in portable electric wheelchairs. In terms of battery life, small AH lithium batteries are relatively inferior to large AH lead-acid batteries. In the later replacement cost, the lithium battery is also relatively high, while the price of lead-acid is relatively low.
At present, most manufacturers of wheelchair seat back cushions are equipped with double layers, which are breathable in summer and cool in winter. There are many other functions, such as: magnetic therapy function, etc. I think it is very useful to have a seat cushion for both winter and summer. necessary.
The quality of the seat back cushion mainly depends on the flatness of the fabric, the tension of the fabric, the details of the wiring, and the fineness of the craftsmanship. Even a layman will find the gap through careful observation.
The brake system is divided into electromagnetic brake and resistance brake. To judge the quality of the brakes, we can test to release the controller on a slope to see if it will slide down the slope and feel the length of the braking buffer distance. The shorter braking distance is relatively more sensitive and safer.
o sum up, the configuration of electric wheelchairs is basically the end of the introduction, so how to choose an electric wheelchair that suits you, and how to avoid detours? Continue to look down.
First of all, we have to consider that electric wheelchairs are all for users, and each user’s situation is different. From the user’s point of view, based on the user’s physical awareness, basic data such as height and weight, daily needs, accessibility of the use environment, and special surrounding factors, comprehensive and detailed assessments can be made for effective selection and gradual subtraction , until you choose a suitable car. In fact, some conditions for choosing an electric wheelchair are basically similar to ordinary wheelchairs. The seat back height and seat width of each electric wheelchair are different. The recommended selection method is that the user sits on the electric wheelchair. The knees are not bent, and the lower legs are naturally lowered, which is the most suitable. The width of the seat surface is the widest position of the buttocks, plus 1-2cm on the left and right sides. most suitable. If the user’s sitting posture is slightly high, the legs will be curled up, and sitting for a long time is very uncomfortable. If the seat surface is narrow, it will be crowded and wide, and long-term sitting will cause secondary deformation of the spine. harm.
The weight of the user should also be considered. It is better to choose a high-power motor for a large body weight. Is it better to choose a turbo-worm motor or a brushless motor? Aaron’s suggestion: If the weight is light and the road is flat, brushless motors are cost-effective. If the weight is heavy, the road conditions are not very good, and long-distance driving is required, it is recommended to choose a worm gear motor.
The easiest way to test the power of the motor is to climb a slope to test whether the motor is easy or a little difficult to climb. Try not to choose the motor of a small horse-drawn cart, as there will be many failures in the later stage. If the user has many mountain roads, a worm motor is recommended.
The battery life of electric wheelchairs is also a link that many users pay attention to. It is necessary to understand the properties of the battery and the AH capacity. If the product description is about 25 kilometers, it is recommended that the budgeted battery life is about 20 kilometers, because the test environment will be very different from the actual use environment. , the battery life in the north will be slightly less in winter, try not to drive an electric wheelchair to go out in the coldest time, it will cause great damage to the battery, and it is irreversible.
Secondly, most of them will consider portability, whether the weight can be carried by one person, whether it can be put into the trunk of a car, whether it can enter the elevator, and whether it can board the plane. These factors need to be paid attention to, such as wheelchair material, folding degree, weight, battery properties and capacity.
If these factors are not taken into account, the choice will be wider, but what needs to be paid attention to is the overall width of the electric wheelchair. Some families have special doorways, so the distance must be measured. Most electric wheelchairs have a width of about 63cm, and some have achieved it. Within 60cm. Measuring the distance will avoid some embarrassment when Xi Ti goes home.
here is also a very important point, knock down the blackboard! It is the after-sales problem that must be considered when purchasing electric wheelchairs. At present, the industry standards for electric wheelchairs produced in China are different. The accessories of various manufacturers are not universal, and even the accessories of the same model and different batches of the same manufacturer are not common, so it is different from the conventional ones. Some products can have some standard common parts. When choosing a brand, it is recommended to choose a big brand or an old brand. This will ensure that in the event of a problem, you can contact the accessories and quickly solve the problem. In this era of wanton brands, Many merchants OEM (OEM) the products of some manufacturers. Careful friends may find that some brands have a very high similarity in appearance. Brands that make a lot of money and survive for a long time have certain guarantees for consumers. There are also some that have no plan to operate a brand for a long time, but just make whichever product is popular. The problem is very worrying. So how to avoid walking into such “deep pits”? Please read the instructions carefully, and it will be clear at a glance whether the brand side of the product label is consistent with the manufacturer.
Finally, let’s talk about the warranty time. Most of them are guaranteed for the whole vehicle for one year, and there are also separate warranties. The controller is normally one year, the motor is normally one year, and the battery is 6-12 months. There are also some merchants who have a longer warranty period, and the warranty instructions in the manual shall prevail. It is worth noting that some brands are guaranteed according to the date of manufacture, and some are guaranteed according to the date of sale. When purchasing, try to choose a production date closer to the date of purchase, because most electric wheelchair batteries are directly installed on the electric wheelchair and stored in a sealed box, and cannot be maintained separately. If left for a long time, the battery life will be affected. .
Having said so much, I just hope it is useful to you~
Post time: Dec-14-2022