Wheelchair Shopping #3

Now that I have an NHS voucher, a charity grant and some savings, I can afford......A NEW WHEELCHAIR!!

Which I have been trying to get for months, and needing for years.

So, on Friday I went to GBL Wheelchairs (again). I was highly amused to see the cartoon of my last visit pinned proudly on their notice board.

Although I have tried the Quickie Xenon (see my review here) and Panthera S2 (see my review here) , I opted for a Quickie Helium. White, with silver trim. I know it might not be a practical colour, but I shall see how it goes... I just wanted it! I will review it properly once I have played with it for a while.

My relationship with the GBL staff is somewhat unusual.

They are professionals supplying my wheelchair and I am their customer. But I also am their sticker supplier and they are my customer. I have posted cartoons of them on the internet, and they have had more custom as a result. I think that Ian (Mr Wheelie Seller) must now be one of the most HMS/EDS aware suppliers of active wheelchairs in the UK! Plus, both I and Ian are outspoken, matter of fact wheelchair users with a similar appreciation to the humour of life.

This combination means we will both take the mick on occasion.

I called him a Muppet. He deserved it for getting his days so completely mixed up. He replied 'That's  Mr Muppet to you'. Do you think that means I am now entitled to call him Mr Muppet from here on....?

He called me a River Dance, Pointy Elbowed, Flopsie.
(I continually fidget my feet. Pointy elbowed arose when trying out cushions. I suspect It may be a code word for a pointy other part of the anatomy... And flopsie - I deserved that one as I'd just gone to talk with my usual hand gestures - and my wrist promptly detached.)

I graffiti'd his display Helium. (The wheelchair, not the squeaky voice gas!)

(With his permission. Honest! - I needed to discover whether my vinyl transfer stickers would attach to the standard fabric. There is now a green Quickie Helium with a medium sized positive wheelchair logo in green on the back. It looked STUNNING! And his comment was 'I like that. We'll leave it on. It does look good.' I am intrigued to see how well it stays on the fabric, but I'm totally sticking a pink one on mine when it arrives. I'll let you know how well it sticks. Making it stick initially was fiddly.)

I'd say we were even.

Except that I am getting NEW WHEELS! They're ordered and I should have them in a month.

Which means I have the better part of the bargain.

Comments

  1. Yay, I'm so pleased you have finally got some on the way and I hope they turn out to be everything you need them to be and more.

    Fancy you having a Snowman, I think it's just us.

    Arwedd xx

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  2. White seems cool. Maybe you could touch up any marks with tippex.

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  3. Yay!

    The Helium is an awesome chair :D I have one too, it works especially well with my floppy joints too. It's actually light enough that I can pick it up one handed and lift it into my car without dislocating anything at all!

    It works especially well with Spinergy LX wheels, so light, so easy to move!

    I hope you like it when it turns up, I know I adore mine :)

    (PS watch out for the little bits of velcro hoop side they put on the frame at the back to protect the backrest stops, the glue isn't very good and both of mine fell off. I replaced them with stick-on velcro pads that I bought from Halfords though and it's been fine ever since)

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