27 Feb Heavy Lightweight Mobility Scooters?
The mobility scooter market is full of manufacturers that claim their products are lightweight, when in reality, they're not.
I define a lightweight mobility scooter by the ability to lift it without the aid of a hoist, but my definition of lightweight would then rule out most folding scooters...because most weigh in excess of 20kg. Folding mobility scooters are compact, and that is their unique feature, but lightweight isn't a feature you should associate with them.
So, for a truly lightweight mobility scooter, you have to look at scooters that can be dismantled. There are aluminium scooters in this category that have parts weighing no more than 10 kilograms, and pack powerful lightweight lithium batteries, but beware of some of the cheaper mobility scooters which have poorly engineered and cumbersome separation mechanisms, and rather spend a little more on a product with a slick clicking mechanism.
There are some really good super lightweight folding scooters on the market right now, and these two are my personal favourite boot scooters:
1. KR Illusion by One Rehab. Heaviest part comes in at 9.8kg, a range of 8 or 16 miles and a 12 month warranty.
2. Alumina by Motion Healthcare. Heaviest part comes in at 10.8kg, range of 15 or 30 miles. 24 month warranty.
However, the ultimate lightweight scooter this year has got to be the SupaScoota SupaLite. With the seat removed, this is a 13kg folding scooter! There's no messing around with a break apart chassis. Just lift off the seat, fold the scooter and place in the car boot! The scooter also has a unique folding seat mechanism, which makes stowing the seat so much easier. The SupaLite also features a unique double seat post which eliminates the seat wobble found on all other scooters, but the biggest reason this scooter gets such a mighty thumbs up from me, is it’s large pneumatic wheels that gives the SupaLite such a smooth comfortable ride.
SupaScoota SupaLite (Folding scooter). Heaviest part is 13.8kg, 8 mile range and a 12 month warranty.
2020 looks to be a promising year for the lightweight mobility scooter market, and we will be keeping an eye out for the best ones out there to test and review.
Steven Brown