The Rolling Verdict
Honest mobility equipment reviews from a user's perspective
Robooter E60 GT Pro
Part 1 - The Beginning
There are so many power chair options on the market now, all making claims of being 'go anywhere', 'do anything' solutions for wheelchair users like myself. However, experience has taught me that this definitely isn't always the case. I'm Teresa, an ambulatory wheelchair/power chair user for the last four years and keen amateur researcher. When my previous power chair started to fail to deliver, I set about trying to find one that would take me from proper dog walks to the local pub (narrow doors!) and beyond. Enter the Robooter E60 GT Pro.
My previous chair had the usual front caster wheels and I was starting to have to find work-arounds for the difficulties negotiating the supposedly dropped curbs in my village. Without warning, the casters would flip around, jolting me in the chair which was not ideal for a chronic pain sufferer. Then there were the pavement camber challenges. I'm sure that I'm not alone in saying that camber was not something that even crossed my mind pre-wheelchair. But oh my goodness! It certainly made an immediate impact. Despite my old power chair having good sized motors, the caster wheels meant that I often found myself doing the pavement slide, much to the concern of my walking partners. I needed to find a solution to both of these at times scary problems.
My online research led me in the direction of omni wheels. For those of you unfamiliar with these, essentially they are special wheels that have lots of small rollers around the edge enabling them to move sideways as well as forwards and backwards. I also decided that I also wanted bigger wheels so that curbs and rockier ground would be easier to clear. When I saw the Robooter E60 GT Pro drop into my social media feed, I was immediately very interested. However, having bought previously before trying, I didn't want to make this mistake again.
I had met David from Distribe previously, when purchasing a different piece of mobility equipment, and he was my first call to try out the Robooter. David came out to my home, which is a must for me as a now non-driver, and brought out this monster of a folding power chair. At 5ft1 I thought that it would feel enormous but I was surprised at how comfortable and also adjustable it was. I took David out with me on a test drive and went to all of the places where my old chair was struggling. The first thing that I noticed was the lack of camber slide. Game changing. The front suspension also made a big difference over the ill-maintained pavements and the larger 12" wheels made dodgy dropped curbs a breeze. While out walking/rolling, I asked David about any problems and he was open about what he'd encountered with the earlier E60 models. I am a firm believer in getting to the nitty gritty before committing. After sleeping on it, I made my decision.
Three days later, my new Robooter E60 GT Pro arrived, delivered and expertly set up for me by David. I had chosen to add a headrest at extra cost due to my disabilities and Distribe offered a free upgrade to a more supportive cushion and a golf ball joystick controller for easier operating. The arm rests were adjusted for me (they can be narrowed or widened depending on your needs) and the footplate raised to accommodate my short legs. The back rest can be reclined to suit and if you need a nap while out and about! Once I was happy with the set up and introduced to the app (Robooter have an app where you can customise settings - more on this later), David accompanied me on a drive to make sure that everything was perfect. Like anything new, be it car, bike or power chair, there is always some degree of learning in terms of driving it. Practise makes perfect, along with some helpful hints and tips!
In this blog series, I'll be taking you through my journey with my new Robooter, named Rocky (after the Rocky Horror Picture Show). I'll be telling you about the good bits, the bad bits (because I am sure that there will be some) and the interesting bits. I bought my Robooter primarily with dog walking in mind and I'll be testing Rocky thoroughly in this respect. Can it impress my skeptical partner who wonders why I now own a fleet of mobility equipment? And can the Robooter take me to the local pub in style?
For all the followers of this and future guest blog series, Distribe Limited will be giving you a 5% discount on all Folding Electric Wheelchairs either purchased via the website or via an assessment to leads to a purchase. Please us the following code TCBLOG5 either at checkout or please mention this when booking and assessment. (this offer cannot be used in conjunction with any other promotional offers)
About the Author
Teresa is an ambulatory wheelchair user who lives in Worcestershire with her partner and a large, hairy rescue dog. She enjoys dog walking and sunny days out, which she believes are super important to her mental health.
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