Medline Lightweight Transport Wheelchair with Handbrakes - Foldable Travel Wheelchair for Adults & Seniors - 12 Inch Wheels, Blue - Ideal for Travel, Doctor Visits & Indoor/Outdoor Use

The chair (model MDS808210ARE, aluminum w/12" rear wheels) arrived with the brakes locked. I called customer service and within 15 min received instructions on how to release them: loosen the nut (counter clockwise) above the wheel [see photo].I took my 5'1" 130lb 87yr mom to the zoo and then a rock garden. It was great on flat ground at the zoo. She walked for over an hour pushing it herself. It is very maneuverable, going through a revolving gate easily. The rock garden was another matter. I wish I had read the cautions in the owner's guide about how to prevent tipping. I wouldn't have tried taking her down low, uneven rock steps. Even though I was cautious, I quickly realized the wheels might buckle or my mom might lurch out of the chair, pulling it over on top of her. No chair should go down those steps! But the chair held up. The big rear tires easily go over bumps in the ground. The brakes work great. On a gentle slope, the brake lock held tightly.I wish the foot pedals would lock out of the way so you didn't have to remove them each time, but for the price, this chair is great. Just remember the heavier the person, the more cautious you have to be. For light loads and awareness of it's limits, it's a good chair.My Dad has Alzheimer's and my Stepmom needed something that folds up to help get him back and forth to Medical Appointments.She had seen one that was almost $300.This one is just as good!My husband has a neurological autoimmune disease that has greatly excellerated over the past year. He walks with difficulty and can't make it for more than about 30 feet. He has little balance and cannot stand for any length of time. I'm not one to gush but this chair is a godsend. I feel like a weight has been literally taken off our shoulders because his world can open up again and he can safely go almost anywhere. I received the chair less than 48 hours after I bought it. It came in a box that was very easy to open and best of all, it really does require no assembly beyond the two easy to install footrests. I believe that Medline understands that a person who already has daunting medical issues doesn't need to be faced with a transport chair that has to be put together like some demented IKEA project. This chair was designed along the lines of a soccer mom portable canvass chair without the cup holder. It folds up in one movement and can be pushed while it's folded. It's Sturdy and strong and pretty comfortable for my husband, who is 6'2"and about 220 pounds. I am 5'4"and 115 pounds and I can push him along with little effort. I can easily lift it into the back of our Versa hatchback, which would be difficult to impossible for me with a regular wheelchair. And I love that it's the color of red wine! That this beauty was only $159 is incredible, especially for something that will actually help give us mobility again. Highly recommend.The arm rests were not very durable and the seat belt should be more of a lap belt to make it more comfortable. It was light weight and easy to stow in our car.THE TIRES ARE LARGER THAN MANY COMPETITORS TRANSPORT CHAIRS. THIS ONE WORKS GREAT. SOMETIMES, BRINGING A FRIEND OR FAMILY MEMBER HOME FROM ANY TYPE SURGERY. THE WALK FROM THE CAR TO THE HOME OR APARTMENT IS JUST TOO FAR. THIS IS THE PERFECT CHAIR TO LEND A HAND GETTING THE ONES YOU CARE ABOUT HOME SAFELY THROUGH THE DOORS.The seat is about 3" to narrow for my use. Tight fitting.Did 5 days at Disney and it worked great. The biggest problem is the legs come off to easily when folding them back. I wish there was a way they would stay attached when folded.My mother-in-law has a handful of health issues which make mobility a challenge for her. At good times, she can use a cane, but for longer walks/stands, she needs something more and my wife recently thought that a transport chair would be helpful to her. Seeing the reasonable price and the superlative reviews (which seemed to be corroborated by a site that reviews reviews!), we decided to buy this one.I opened the box last week and it was light enough to lift it straight up and out (vs. having to lay the box down, slide the contents out, and then tip them up), so that was a plus. Eventually, my wife asked me to put it in the trunk of her car and it took up less space than her mother's walker, so another plus.However, that's about where my endorsements end.While I was holding each handle and spreading apart the chair, my thumb grazed the top of the silver screw that secures the handle to the metal tube. (I attached a photo from the Amazon product page so you can see the screw I'm referring to.) When assembled at the factory, the person or robot fastening that screw did so in a way that the very edge of the screw turned into a very thin sliver of metal that made a small, but sufficient cut on my thumb so that I got to finish the remainder of the setup with a blood-soaked paper towel wrapped around my thumb. I took a file to both screws and knocked down any loose shards of metal, but this should not be an at-home task. For a product that is intended for use by an at-risk population, ensuring that there are not sharp pieces of metal is something that should be addressed long before the item is in front of the user. In my view, this is a big negative.I noticed that the rear wheels wouldn't turn and assumed it was because the brakes had been applied. I tried pushing up on the brake handles and nothing changed. Okay, no big deal. I'll look at the manual and see what it says about adjusting the brakes. Exactly zero useful information about adjusting them. I had to use a common search engine and watch several videos from kind strangers -- not the manufacturer -- until i finally found one that explained how I would need a pair of pliers and a 10 millimeter open wrench to adjust the brakes! I happen to have a decent set of tools available to me, but I can only imagine how extra-frustrated someone who does not would become! I spent about 10 minutes adjusting the brakes so that they would work when the brake handles were pulled up and they would engage the "parking" brake when pushed all the way down. (About the latter part, in order to engage the parking brake, I had to pull down on the handles so hard that I thought I was going to break the handle or the brake cable. I can't see my mother-in-law ever using these, given the strength that engaging them requires.) I think that I have the brakes adjusted properly, but that no information on doing so was provided in the manual and that the brakes arrived from the factory in an unusable state was another big negative.Finally, I wish that I'd noticed the "Comfortable nylon upholstery" item in the description. What that means is a woven nylon fabric with some cushion underneath it. When I test-sat the chair, it was somewhat comfortable, but the bigger issue was that my mother-in-law has incontinence issues and a fabric that is not solid (like vinyl) will end up absorbing her waste products, quickly making this an unappealing device to use, transport, and store. I don't know who thought that replacing waterproof vinyl with water-absorbent fabric was the right move, but I assure you that it's not. If my wife doesn't want to send it back (and I wouldn't blame her if she wanted to), then I will try to find a sheet of vinyl at the fabric store and secure it over the fabric seat in the hopes of containing incontinence accidents.I don't recommend this transport chair.An inexpensive but well built transport chair. Perfectly suitable for conveniently pushing someone through a shopping mall or on the sidewalk. Large rear wheels make it easier on rough surfaces (uneven pavement etc.) This chair is not designed to hold up to wear and tear of a standard wheelchair. Consequently it’s much lighter and more portable which is the reason to purchase it.To Amazon Customer’s serviceSubject: complaints about an order of (Transport chair)SirI’m so unfortunate and upset to order an (Aluminum Transport chair) from Medline Industries Inc.; for the following reasons:1. The chair was not delivered to my house according to the usual way of delivery; but left in the Post Office which hurt me lot; since I’m an old and disabled man.2. Both brakes of the chair were misadjusted; and the handle grip wheel locks did work.3. One of he Seat Back release assemblies was loose and the pin failed to engage into its hole.4. As a result of the carelessness in handling my order; I found myself to ask for helpto pick up the chair from the Post Office and to find somebody to re-adjust the brakes.I’m, as an old customer with Amazon, asking you to forward my message to the manufacturer in order to be vigilant and more careful.Majid Al-KaysiI bought this for my father who is 180 lbs and 5'8". He says it is very comfortable and the large wheels help to make the ride smooth over small bumps. Sometimes he sits in it at home instead of the normal house furniture because he says it is so comfortable. It is very light for the size, and easy to push with someone it it. The foot rests remove, handles fold down, and sides come together about half the original width, then it easily fits in any small hatchback and probably most sedan trunks. It can be collapsed, or reassembled, in under a minute. It fits in the rear of my Toyota mini van without any need to collapse. I just put it in the back standing on the wheels, and lock the brakes.The construction is very good, but beware this is a light duty chair which I don't think can take extreme use. It doesn't go at all in gravel, sand or thick lawns. I was afraid to break it when once I tried pushing my dad across the lawn. I took my dad to a cemetery with a paved foot path that had lots of roots raising the pavement. The chair felt like it was twisting out of shape, and I am sure it would not endure a lot of this twisting. The chair is not meant for "off roading". If you stay on hard flat surfaces it is a great chair for the user and the pusher. I think it is very good value and would highly recommend if used only on flat, firm surfaces.The box is broken, but don't see any damage to the unit.I am happy with the promised delivery date. I've talked with some vendors lately for various units, none of them could promise similar speedy delivery.It is fully assembled, ready to try. The seat is not particularly comfy, but fair enough for a transport chair.It seems pretty good. My only concern is if the frame and front fork are strong enough to survive our upcoming Europe road trip.We are back from Europe. Although the wheelchair doesn't seem that solid, it survived our 20+ days Europe trip including some heavy use in Czech Republic. My Mom is 150lbs.We can safely use the wheelchair in smooth surface, airport, or museum. It is light weight, easy to transport when needed. It fits perfect fine within BMW x3's trunk.The wheelchair survived some stone road like Prague, and Fussen.A solid purchase, we are happy. We are also willing to pay more for a unit with more reenforced wheel and frame.After having it a couple of days and not using I was seeing how easy it was to put in the car. As it folded I notice a nut and bolt underneath joining two bars, one from each side of the seat. In other words they determine the width of the seat and carry the weight.I took the enclosed manual and phoned for support. THEY DID NOT WANT TO TALK TO ME BECAUSE i HAD BOUGHT FROM AMAZON not them. I have no receipt, no model number to tell Medlin. THEY DID NOT RECOGNISE MY DESCRIPTION OF THE NUT AND BOLT, All they said was OH well just tighten it up a bit. I think this could have caused a fatality if I had not noticed it.