Ryan Swanepoel has used a slimline Quickie Mini 300 powered wheelchair for the past four years. However, due to his limb girdle muscular dystrophy, his arm strength isn't what it was, and he needs a chair with a lift and tilt function that can meet his changing demands. We visited his home in rural High Wycombe, Buckinghamshire, to put the Permobil M3 and Quantum Q6 Edge 2.0 models to the test.
"The crane function that raises the chair is a game changer," says Ryan. "Especially within the home, when I'm accessing tabletops. If I'm above something, I can use my arms better." Both the Permobil and Quantum powered wheelchairs are able to elevate by approximately 30cm and tilt back, while the former features an anterior (forward) tilt function. "I can remain at a high eye level - it's a view I've missed for so many years being lower. That makes a massive difference to being in a room where everyone's standing; in this chair being at that level, you feel a part of the conversation," he says. Both chairs modulate their speeds at elevation, ensuring safety and stability.
Permobil M3: easy to use with powerful lights
With a 615mm base width and minimum turning radius of 560mm, the Permobil M3 meant Ryan didn't "feel so restricted with size compared to space", so he could manoeuvre well throughout his home. He found the wheelchair comfortable too, with its ergonomic Corpus® seating system. That comfort extended to outside, where Ryan has to navigate narrow, uneven pavements and country roads. "I didn't get any back pressures. I've been in a few chairs where it has felt like you feel every bump in your back, whereas this is quite stable. You do feel quite sturdy going up kerbs, different gradient levels. I don't feel like I'm going to topple out."
Another key asset was the ease of its controls. "A lot of digital wheelchairs have too many functions and buttons, but this works really well," he explains. The movable control attachment was another bonus, with Ryan exclaiming: "It's something so genius that makes such a difference to me going out in the real world." The Permobil M3 is also equipped with powerful lights. "I live in a village where there are no street lamps. But these [lights] are very good, basically highlighting your path." It has a range of up to 18 miles and a top speed of either 4 or 6mph depending on which version you opt for on the Scheme.
You can find out more about the Permobil M3 on the Motability Scheme website.
Quantum Q6 Edge 2.0: Comfort and stability
The Quantum Q6 Edge 2.0 is 902mm in length with a turning radius of 520mm, and comfortably navigated Ryan's tight doorways and exterior pavement outside his home. "Even with cars parked slightly on a kerb, I feel like I can still squeeze through," he says. "Inside, I can go around corners tighter without the fear of knocking into things."
He also liked this chair for its slender traits, 735mm wide with armrests, making things "a lot easier inside the house".
Quantum's advanced suspension means the Q6 Edge 2.0 can cope with the rough and tumble of the outside world. "This carried a lot of comfort and stability," he says. "On a lot of gradients and kerbs and bumps, I didn't feel the movement much myself."
Praising the comfort of the seat, Ryan compares it to a "medium soft top bed mattress", and it's no wonder since Quantum uses memory foam technology. That comfort extended to the hand controls, which, Ryan says, "feel a lot more in line with the contours of my hand. So my thumb can sit nicely in the lip. Therefore, it gives me a bit more control with my wrist."
He also liked the pads positioned directly behind the user's calves, a neat trick to stop legs dangling. Another facet that Ryan enjoyed was the strength in its reclining abilities. Usually, when visiting the likes of a hospital, he would have to transfer from his chair to the bed provided, which incurs a lot of physical fatigue. Chairs like the Quantum Edge 2.0 bypass this.
It has a range of up to 15 miles and a speed of 4mph courtesy of 2x 62Ah batteries.
You can find out more about the Quantum Q6 Edge 2.0 on the Motability Scheme website.
Photos: Simon Fernandez
