20 Best Lightweight Wheelchair For Elderly (2023 Updated)

As an active adult, I don’t let my wheelchair get in the way of living my life the way I want and getting out to do things almost as well as I could when I walked. This chair began experiencing bearing failure on the right caster starting in month 5.

After that I have had to replace the the bearings at least once each month. I am well under the weight limit so this is quite perplexing. Being right handed, leaning to the right to pick up something off the ground apparently adds too much stress.

Also, hitting up against a curb or an uneven sidewalk also stresses it. There are two bearing rings one upper and one lower. The upper bearing fails first and allows the caster to bend backwards causing to the wheel rub up against the chair.

Besides, the problem with the front casters, the whole thing except for the metal has worn out. The back fabric has ripped on one side near the top. The bottom fabric is frayed and looks like it will fail in the near future.

The wheel material is really cheap. All 4 have pitted and chunked out. I am now forced to have to look around for another chair as this one isn’t worth spending another dime trying to repair it yet again.

Don’t get me wrong, this chair may be ok for occasional use by someone who is very inactive and weighs practically nothing. However, if you need something other than a disposable chair, keep looking.

Great chair at a great price from Blowoutmedical. com. Delivery was fast, communication was top notch, packaging was perfect. No assembly required – just snap in back and foot rests. A lightweight chair with a high weight capacity.

Chair is comfortable, roomy and sturdy. Easy to push and easy for user to maneuver. I am very pleased with this purchase and will continue to make purchases through blowoutmedical. com. I would highly recommend this company to others.

It’s wonderfully light, as promised. Sturdy and easy to maneuver. Easy to fold. The tires are small but tough, making them easy to roll over rough surfaces. When folded up, it uses very little trunk space.

It’s a good idea to buy a few bungee cords if you plan to check it in on a plane or leave it on a jetway for stowage in the cargo hold. Label every component with your name. The footrests tuck away neatly (and lock open firmly) but they fall off easily when tossed around by baggage handlers.

(The manufacturer does not provide a link to keep the foot rest attachment from falling off if it is roughly handled. )A cotter pin or some other locking device would be a nice addition but we don’t have that so lots of bungee tie-ups and labels are very important.

Don’t neglect that if traveling. Last suggestion:If you drop your chair off for belly storage at the jetway, be sure you have gotten an airline tag instructing baggage handlers to put the chair on the jetway at the other end on arrival at your destination.

If you don’t, your chair will wind up a very long way away in baggage claim and it will be your problem to get there somehow.

When you purchase a product it is important that the product does what it says it does. It is also just as important that the company producing that product stands behind any problems you may have with that product OR with any problems that occurred after that product left the company’s premises.

AND THAT IS WHAT THIS REVIEW IS ABOUT. When I received the first Medline Transport Wheelchair I was so excited. It was easy to assemble (as stated) and everything worked great. except for one bent wheel.

which I later determined was connected to a hole in the side of the box. Obviously this product was damaged in delivery. I contacted Amazon who connected me with Medline. THEY IMMEDIATELY SENT A REPLACEMENT AND INSTRUCTIONS AS TO HOW THE DAMAGED PRODUCT COULD BE RETURNED.

It was picked up at my apartment door (at no cost to me). Tonight I assembled the new wheelchair and it is fantastic. Smooth ride, comfortable and easy to maneuver. Thanks to Medline for being a “customer service” oriented company that ALSO makes fantastic products.

This product is perfect for airport travel. It’s lightweight and not bulky like traditional wheelchairs. I really like how it folds down to a manageable size. The wheels fold up and clamp to the side of the chair, and each back handle folds down and snaps making this chair totally portable.

No need to waste time putting it together because it arrived ready to use. It also has a clamp-on cup holder. The color is red and I love it. Time to take my trip through the airport and not have to worry about walking thru those long terminals.

If you’re looking for an airline-friendly, portable, lightweight (14 lbs), and stylish wheelchair. but this one!.

I was most worried when I ordered because of the different sizes of the seat, and wheels. Size matters, remember who will be using it and where you will be using this wheelchair. The smaller size (seat width) will be better in most older homes, and going through older doorways.

and the larger wheels make it most useable anywhere. Overall very pleased with this wheelchair after several months of use. The drop-in leg supports are a bit awkward, but you get used to using them.

It folds up easily for fitting in a hatch or trunk of a car.

Like the size, 20inch seat allows me take a tote bag filled with what I need to go to the living room. Cereal breakfast in baggies, put all other ingredients in baggie also chia seed sliced almond. Milk goes in a mini bottle.

Banana. Tea in thermos to keep hot. Add a bowl cup spoon. Lunch and dinner is portable also in plastic containers. Need a tire or everything will fall out the back. Light weight awesome radius.

This 18”w wheelchair is very easy to maneuver. I bought it primarily to sit at my desk to elevate my leg as I recover from a knee injury, so I also needed the flip back arms. The legs adjust up and down very easily as well.

My only complaint is that the foot rest and calf pad don’t adjust long enough for me. I am 5’-6” tall and I am not able to straighten my leg in the elevated position without having to flip the foot rest up (out of the way) causing my foot and ankle to hang off of the calf pad, which defeats the main purpose for getting the wheelchair.

I’m not sure if the wider units have longer elevated legs, but it seems like the 18”w unit might be designed for children, although there is no mention of this in the description or dimensions.

One other reviewer complained that they received a 16″wide seat instead of an 18″ wide seat. We assumed it to be a fluke until ours arrived with a 16″ wide seat. So back it goes. Someone in China needs to get their tape measure checked.

We have two other drive medical chairs, the Blue Streak in an 18 ” seat width and have found them to work well. We thought we’d try out the longer arm rests on this model and while we like them, the seat is too narrow for our needs.

One other caution, all of the Drive Medical chairs we have purchased over the years have proprietary size main wheel bearings that cannot be replaced with inexpensive bearings available online, You must buy them from a Drive Medical dealer or from drive medical.

Shame on them. It’s cheaper to just buy a new chair than to buy parts once they are out of warranty. We’ll stick to the Blue Streak model in the future and that will allow us to have spare parts to salvage from old chairs.

A few years ago we tried a much wider Drive Medical chair, a 20″or 22″ width thinking the extra room would be nice but it would not fit through some doors and was a bear to take into many public restrooms.

So don’t go large unless you have no choice due to weight. Only two stars due to incorrect specs on website, otherwise a good chair, fast shipping and returns, great price.

My mother is eighty-seven years old, and until recently, she could get around pretty good. Unfortunately with all that has gone on in the last year or so, her health has deteriorated, and she can’t get around as she used to.

I had booked her an appointment to get her vaccine shot, but I didn’t think she would be able to walk from the parking lot to the site where the shot was given. So I read the reviews about this wheelchair, and they seemed pretty positive, so I went out and bought it.

It is very sturdy and well made, and requires a bit of assembly to add the foot rests. When it was ready, I had my mother sit in it, and she certainly had a lot of room in it, but the foot rests needed to be adjusted.

When it can time to take my mother to get her shot, I removed the legs in order for it to fit in the trunk of my 2002 Saturn SL1. When we arrived at the site, I was able to assemble it quickly and get my mother seated.

The foot rests needed to be adjusted a bit more, but after that, we were ready to roll. She sat in it for about an hour, and she had no complaints. She seemed comfortable and that it the main thing. It rolled very nicely, and the wheel locks worked just fine when used.

Overall, I was very pleased with this purchase and I am looking forward to using it again when she gets her second vaccine dose.

I bought this wheel chair in a hurry for an immediate need. I did not have time to shop around. I do know something about wheel chairs because I repair them in my shop for friends and my grand daughter, some of which cost many thousands of dollars.

This is a good light duty chair for mainly indoor use. It is well designed and constructed, the brakes work well (very important), it folds and unfolds easily and when folded fits well into our SUV. For the price, this is an excellent chair.

However, this would not be the chair to purchase for long term, outdoor use. The wheel tires are a bit too narrow.

Really like my compact power wheelchair, went to an outdoor craft show with my wife and worked out excellent. Was able to watch my 4 grandkids at there soccer games, baseball games and softball games.

I can only walk about 30 yards before I’m out of breath and the power wheelchair is nice. The only drawback is it’s weight, but I’m still learning how to pick it up and put it in the trunk of my car.

I still love the freedom I now have. Thank you Med Mart.

Bought this wheel chair for my mom as she is not that strong and gets tired using a manual chair. Only have had it for a few days so I don’t know what long term quality will be but so far it is perfect in initial quality.

She can get around great and it is easy for her to use. My mom is 5’9″ and thin, this chair may be too small for a large person but it is the perfect size for her. Also note that she uses this chair indoors.

Although it is plenty fast for indoor use I would expect this to be on the slow side compared to a scooter on the road. This chair exceeded my expectations, great price. Thank you!.

As a caregiver for my dad, I needed a wheelchair we could safely use with him whenever he was away from his retirement community. After trying to lug a heavyweight wheelchair a friend let me borrow, I realized we needed something different.

After some research, I decided to order an LT-980. Sadly, my dad passed before we could use it, but I the LT-980 has really impressed me and I intend to keep it for use with other relatives in need in the future.

It’s a well built chair with a good design for those needing a lighter chair to take with you on the go!.

Was looking for a smaller wheelchair for my 5’, 100 pound mom to use while shopping. This chair folds & unfolds easily, is easy for me to pick up & put into the car. It wheels smoothly and she says it is very comfortable.

Very easy to order from the website and very good customer service.

I recently purchased the Karman LT-980 24 pounds Lightweight Wheelchair for a friend. This is not your everyday wheelchair; it is an example of excellent design and engineering. The manufacture of this equipment is without a single flaw.

I have had substantial experience in the use and handling of numerous wheelchairs with family members, the Karman Lightweight is the finest I have experienced to this date. This model of the Karman Wheelchair line represents an exceptional example of cost to value, I have already recommended it to several friends and associates in the few weeks since purchased.

This Karman wheelchair if a 5 star product!.

Workhorse! This inexpensive wheelchair is a pretty amazing buy -at least it was for me. Three weeks before my trip to France, I broke my foot and needed a wheelchair quickly. We purchased this chair not knowing if it would last the entire vacation but taking the chance after reading the reviews.

I am here to say – It did a phenomenal job for us. It went over cobblestones, uphills, down hills, over Parisian sidewalks, through crowds in the Louvre and Versailles and in fact, got me into some great places in those two landmarks.

Hint: If you take your wheelchair to the area where people are coming out after seeing the Mona Lisa and tell them you want to cross over to the next room, they will wheel you right IN FRONT OF THE MONA LISA – several feet away! Others will be back many feet but you will be right up in frony of her.

We, as well as others, were amazed at how well this chair held up, even over those great big cobblestones at Versailles (go slow). It went through Giverny as well as other places. I purchased a memory foam cushion to sit on.

I weigh 119 lbs. but probably put on an extra 10 while on vacation. It IS France after all. But this chair holds up to 250 lbs I believe. You only need to be strong enough to push it. It comes assembled and you have to attach the foot rests.

It is easily folded and carried (19 lbs). It rolls well over gravel and fits into a medium size trunk or back seat. It folds well for flying too. We had no problems either at O’Hare Airport or DeGaulle Airport.

In fact, both ports were very helpful. The only con is it cannot be self propelled and must always be rolled with assistance. But do not hesitate to purchase this chair.

I love how versatile this chair is and how comfy it is. Very sturdy and customizable really like this chair. Only thing I would change on this chair specifically instead of the handles flipping down flip side ways while still giving you the ability to fold the back down (which I love being able to do btw.

).

I guess I didn’t check the product description because the seat is way too high off the ground for me. I am 5’4 1/2 with long legs and without a cushion and the leg rests off, my feet just touch the floor.

With a cushion and no leg rests, my feet are quite a few inches off the ground. The leg rest make it very hard for me to maneuver around tight spaces in the house and due to my disease, having them on all the time is VERY uncomfortable; not having the leg rest on will definitely result in pressure ulcers for me because 2-3 inches of my legs above the knees hang off and yet my feet barely touch the ground.

So unfortunately, I have to return it. Anyway here are the pros and cons. Pros: Can be made compact for easy storage. Smooth ride, it just glides across everything with ease (well at least carpet, vinyl, and hardwood flooring.

Shock absorbers, which NONE of my previous chairs had. The tires seem thicker and more durable than my previous chairs. The seat has some cushion to it. Breaks seem really tight. It has a really attractive design.

Cons: Way too high off the ground. Seat is too short. Back is too short. Folding it is easy but unfolding it is hard (if you can’t use your legs). While it has more pros than cons, the cons are a deal breaker for me.

The combination of seat height from the floor and seat length is a complete contradiction and a huge design flaw (You need long legs to reach the floor and short legs to fit in the seat).

I am currently in a wheelchair and I ordered this wheelchair to have at home. I use one for work. I was barely able to get the heavy box in my front door, thank goodness my great grandson was here to help.

My daughter and her friend came to get the wheelchair out of the box, as it states in the item description, you only need to put the legs on! And in my case, I don’t use the legs, so no problem, right????? Wrong!!!!! The wheelchair was not assembled at all.

no instructions, no nothing!!! Had to put it together as best they could. Both sets of wheels and the arm rest!!! Really disappointed, and hope it stays together and it doesn’t fall apart with me in it!!!!.

Purchase process was easy. Wheelchair arrived in a timely fashion. No damage in shipping. A very good chair for its intended purpose and price.

This chair is very reasonably priced for it’s exceptional quality. We have previously purchased DRIVE Brand and find this brand to be superior. Very light, storage built in on back of chair, back of chair folds for easy storage.

Extremely well made, very pleased we chose this chair.

It is comfortable and lightweight. a good value for the money. I recommend it to those looking for an affordable wheelchair.

Description of product is deceptive. It states that a dual axle provides easy transition of seat height to hemi level. It is set at the highest seat level, and there is a a second axle in the back that would make the seat lower, but the wheel is screwed in so tightly to the axle that it is impossible to undo it.

Also there doesn’t appear to be a way to lower the seat height in the front. There are no instructions about this. The only instructions are for how to adjust the seat to a different depth. Nothing is mentioned in the instructions about hemi – level.

This wheelchair will have to be returned. I am so disappointed in this product. I had bought a cheap Drive a couple of years ago that is worn out and I wanted one with a lower seat and that is why I was replacing it with a wheelchair that could be set at hemi-level.

Next time I’m just going to buy a lower height wheelchair without adjustable height. I don’t know if I want to buy another Drive after this bad experience.

It is working out great. I can only see 2 things wrong with it for our circumstances, but not really a problem with the wheelchair, just our circumstances: (1) we knew it would be tight fit through the doors, inside and out.

It was. It clears the doors with only one inch (both sides included in the inch), which means we have to aim REALLY well to get through the doors. and. (2) the front wheels don’t always make it over the hump in the outside door unless I physically go under the wheelchair and turn the wheel to face directly into the door.

Any turn to the side, even by a fraction, and it jams on the door-hump, which is only about 1/2 inch high, and turns fully sidewise to the door, so we have to back up and try again. Other than that, though, this is a wonderful godsend for us.

Definitely a wide enough seat for my husband and works well with his feet even though one is in a HUGE heavy black boot-cast over his surgery area. I would recommend this wheelchair o anyone needing a wide chair.

good and wide for the patient, still makes it through a regular size house door.

If I could, I would give this wheelchair 3 1/2 stars not just 3 stars. 1) My mother was getting back aches after sitting in this chair for an hour. I took a guess and figured it was the flimsy cloth back that was the culprit.

It turned out I was right, since I was able to get rid of her back aches as follows: I had to buy the (stiffer) back pad made by Drive for this model. The original back that the chair comes with is just cloth, it keeps her back in a very rounded, unhealthy position.

Luckily my mother is just 5 feet 3 and her thighs are not so long that the reduced seat depth bothers her. 2) The arms swing up, this is very helpful, but the piece that holds the arms in the back in the “up” position is plastic, and it has broken, after less than 6 months use.

It was obviously not designed for heavy use: We need to swing the right arm up a couple of times a day so that my mother can use a slide board to transfer into/out of her bed. Now that that piece has broken, when we swing the arm up and back, it just falls to the ground.

I have been a T-4 paraplegic since ’91; from then to now, I have bought and used 6-7 chairs (mostly Quickie). This is my first Drive Medical chair. In the 3 weeks I have been using it, it performs great, as good as my other chairs did.

And given its approximately $200 price tag at Walmart (which is the first time I have shopped for wheelchairs on WM), saves me from customarily spending 2-4 times as much at other medical equipment sites.

Of course, I had to make some modifications to suit my use, eg. use the middle hole for the back wheels’ axles (lowering the seat, so I can transfer better/easier from my bed, toilet/commode, shower bench and car — and vice-versa), using the enclosed extenders to increase the seat depth from 16″ to 18″ ( I have long legs, and my thighs can use the extra support), and trying to find the “sweet spot” among the 3-holes front caster wheels’ forks (to make it easier to get over room thresholds).

At 41lbs, its a little heavier than the 34 lbs I use to, when pulling the folded chair (btw, its great that the seat comes with 2 pull loops to make folding the seat easy) onto the front car seat ( I have a Buick with a front split bench seat, get in on the passenger side and then pull the chair onto the seat after I slide over to the driver side).

I especially like the quick-release rear wheel axles, which allow me to substitute my wheels with street tires (with flat-free inserts) for the too-narrow black tires that come with the chair. I hope one day Drive Medical makes flat-free street tires available with their chairs.

I’m not crazy about the adjustable armrests, and wish they would flip back further (so as to make transfers easier); and wish it came in colors other than black. Those minor quibbles aside, the Cruiser X4 is a great chair; easy to use, easy to fold and transport, sturdy yet lightweight, and gets my 66 y.

o. 275lb body around on a daily basis.

Front wheels were received loose; screw came out and chair tipped. Adjustment for depth of seat is horrible; velcro straps are too short. Lowest setting for arms height is high at lowest setting. Wheelchair came without instruction manual.

This is my third wheelchair. House-Basement.

With the quick release wheels, 3 axle positions, adjustable height arms and 3 front caster positions this is by far the most adjustable basic hospital type chair on the market. If you have never encountered quick release wheels before you will be amazed by how much easier removing the rear wheels makes it to load and unload the chair from a car.

Seat dump can also be achieved by changing the rear axle position allowing for much better setting balance for those with weak core strength. The one thing I would love to see added is a center of gravity adjustment.