[GTO]

What I like:

• Greatly enhances a senior citizen's quality of life
• European car-like build quality. Extremely solid & robust
• Reliability of an Innova! 2 years up and zero glitches…despite abuse
• Can be used both ways - up as well as down a staircase
• Has several built-in safety features
• Excellent battery life

What I don't:

• Expensive for a motorised chair (we paid Rs 2.85 lakhs)
• Two people are required to operate it. Not a one-man job
• Need to be cautious, else the chair & passenger will fall forward!!
• Puts strain on operator's back if the passenger is heavy (I use a supporting belt)
• Takes a lot of getting used to for the operator & passenger, both
• Requires patience. 7 - 8 minute drive to climb up 3 floors

[GTO]

This is going to be an unusual review, but well, anything that has wheels is welcome on Team-BHP, so here goes.

A problem some of you – rather, the elders in your family - might be facing is limited mobility for senior citizens. Our family was in the same situation. We live in an old building that wasn’t designed to accommodate a lift. What’s more, our home is located right by the beach – meaning, tough coastal regulations that prohibit any kind of alteration to the building structure.

When my folks were in their sixties, they managed the climb up to the top / 3rd floor without issue. However, once they crossed into the seventies, that became an arduous task. Things were so unmanageable that they temporarily moved to our 1st floor house as the climb up to the 3rd floor was daunting!

Not for too long though.

In January 2016, we bought a set of 4 wheels that changed my Mum’s life. Say hello to the Stairclimber – a motorized wheelchair specifically designed to climb up stairs. But it’s more than just that. This is mobility for the elderly! End of the day, it’s all about the quality of life & this chair has greatly enhanced the same for my Mom. Where before she had to think twice before stepping out, now it’s easy as pie. On some days (e.g. family functions), she can easily go out multiple times a day!

I want to share this review hoping that it helps those of you who have elderly folk at home. In the 24 months that we’ve had it, I’ve personally recommended the stairclimber to so many other families and there are now a lot of oldies happily using one. If your parents or grand-parents need something like this, or you have a disabled family member, please read this review carefully. Feel free to ask any questions at all.

After some Googling, me & my brother came across this product. We didn’t even know something like it existed (one of the reasons behind this thread)! The model I bought is the “Liftkar PT Outdoor 120” (capacity 120 kilos). They have models that can carry occupants weighing as much as 150 kilos, and also heavy-duty solutions for the medical & cargo industries. It’s built by an Austrian manufacturer – Sano – which is a 25+ year old company (website link).

People definitely get sticker shock when they come check out the chair. At Rs. 2.85 lakhs, the pricing is steep and it costs as much as an entry-level hatchback!! But if there is no other option, what the heck – is there a price one can put on mobility?

The beauty of this wheelchair is that you can use it on flat / regular surfaces too, so if the parking spot is far away, no sweat. Goes down stairs too. And if you are travelling someplace where its assistance will be required, just dismantle it into 3 parts & pack it up in your car’s boot (note: it will take up the entire boot).

The build quality is solid. It is very robust and you can tell that the Austrians have learnt a thing or two from their German neighbours. I find the colour palette of grey + silver + blue to be universally appealing. Kerb weight? A hefty 34.4 kilos:


It stands 1,130 mm tall and is 505 mm wide. The maximum step height it can handle is 230 mm (more than enough for most residential buildings):


The buying experience was excellent. I bought it from Manu Malhotra (9820065810 & manu@vingrace.com), the Mumbai representative of Vingrace (website link). They are mobility specialists and have a wide range of products that includes wheelchairs, fixed stairlifts, platform lifts & home elevators. They also have some big name clients (RBI, Marriott, DLF), so I wasn’t worried about getting fleeced by some fly-by-night operator. Prior to purchase, 3 test-drives were arranged (2 of them at my place). These folks understand that they’re selling an unconventional product and it does take some time for one to get convinced.

The delivery took place a week after the deposit of 30k was made. We gave them a demand draft for the balance amount when we got the chair.

Cannot comment on the after-sales quality as I haven’t needed it yet; nothing has gone wrong in 2 years of regular usage. For what it’s worth, the Stairclimber comes with a 12-month warranty. I asked about extended coverage (as I do for all my cars ), but sadly, there are no options available.

The driver's cockpit. Quality of rubber, plastics & switches is top notch. Black area is grippy & handle is height-adjustable:


The RHS switch is the engine start / stop button. On the left is a switch which allows you to choose from 3 different speeds (in typical Team-BHP style, I use it @ max revs!). The small round button at the bottom is to be pressed if you want it to climb up stairs in a continuous motion (vs taking them one at a time). I always keep it activated. See the green light behind? It starts blinking in red when the battery is running low on juice. Good thing is, it gives you ample warning - I've made a roundtrip up & down the stairs even after the low battery warning came up:


The 'accelerator' switch - one provided on each side of the handle so that lefties & righties alike can drive the stairclimber. Press it up to go forward (i.e. climb down stairs) & vice versa:


The battery pack in blue (24 volt DC 5.2 Ah) with the electric motor housed below:


I haven't calculated how long it takes to charge as we usually leave it on overnight. Has very healthy battery life. We charge it once in 3 weeks or so:


Yellow light when she is charging, green when topped up:


Very sturdy grab handles / armrest for the passenger. They fold up to allow easy ingress for heavy folk (like my Mum). Yep, has a seatbelt too and, like in cars, we always buckle up. Quality, again, is simply top class:


The solid footrest. Lost count of the number of times it's banged against obstacles while the chair is being manoeuvred around our building, yet there are no signs of any damage:


Footrest can be folded up when the passenger is getting in or out:


My outdoor model has 260 mm diameter wheels (indoor models have 200 mm). Grippy rear tyres:


Front / steering wheels are made in Germany:


In the "lift up" position. Can do 18 steps a minute:


Smaller support wheels have a diameter of 80 mm. These are permanently braked. They won't move and are there only to offer support while the chair climbs up:


A true engineering marvel:

[GTO]

Driving the Stairclimber

A close look at how the mechanism beautifully climbs up stairs:

https://youtu.be/tKQtoZX3SKE

And how it goes down them:

https://youtu.be/h8p-kQ4z_cY

A brilliant safety feature. The wheelchair will automatically stop at the edge of the stair. Even if you try to push it down, it won't roll:

https://youtu.be/QhvJzf4_CyE

Climbing up with a passenger onboard:

https://youtu.be/ENB42fhDhu8

Going down a staircase:

https://youtu.be/wOnLV9FI3Vs

Acceleration: We go from the Ground -> 3rd floor in 7 - 8 minutes with Mom onboard.

Cornering? No sweat. Can tackle curvy staircases as well.

NVH: Makes a fair amount of noise. On the positive side, the tyres don’t leave any marks on the floor.

Ride quality S-U-C-K-S. Will take the elderly some getting used to. The passenger continually goes up and down, and it's terribly jerky. Mom hated the jumpiness at first – I told her, you have two choices – either stay bottled up at home, or get used to the StairClimber’s movements. She has since gotten used to it.

[GTO]

Safety & Precautions

• Practice, practice, practice. It took some time for me to learn how to operate the chair, although my kid brother took to it in a jiffy. Nevertheless, keep practicing until you learn how to safely operate it. This is very critical for the safety of your passenger. Have a couple of dry (empty) runs initially, then with a lighter & younger passenger.

• You need two people to handle it, especially if the passenger is heavy. IMHO even if the passenger is a lightweight and you can manage it alone, I'd still recommend two operators. Reason = If you slip on the stairs or your hands lose grip, the other operator will ensure that the chair doesn't fall forward & down the stairs! It’s either me & my brother who bring Mom up, or one of us with another staff member (cook, watchman, peon).

• If the passenger is heavy, it can put a strain on your back. I wear a back-supporting belt whenever I'm driving the chair. Maintaining the right posture is also very important.

• If you incline the chair too much, the motor stops (as a safety measure). The ideal angle when operating it is ~50 degrees.

• When operating the chair, don't talk & don't be distracted. For the safety of your passenger, it requires your 100% focus.

[GTO]

Thread moved from the Assembly Line to the Shifting Gears Section!

[Rajeevraj]

Wow that is a extremely innovative and useful product. Never knew something like this existed. Thanks GTO for sharing a review.

[abhishek46]

What a wonderful product! Saves the hassle of installing a small elevator!

The price, though, is slightly on higher side, considering that a 2/3 Pax basic lift costs about 4.5 Lakh.
However, not everyone has the space etc for a lift. In these situations, a product like this is a boon.

[GTO]

Originally Posted by abhishek46

The price, though, is slightly on higher side

Yeah, it is definitely overpriced, but then, I'd rather Mom enjoys her life (versus keeping that money in an FD).

considering that a 2/3 Pax basic lift costs about 4.5 Lakh.

You sure about that figure? Including construction & installation costs, I've not heard of a lift below 10 - 12 lakhs for a good brand (current prices). And that's if at all permissions are possible in the coastal zone.

[v12]

Very useful review Rush. I never knew such a wheelchair existed and always wondered when they would come up with an automated climbing / descending wheelchair. It is pricey but as you mentioned it's worth it. And especially good for senior citizens who stay on higher floors in buildings which do not have a lift. And also in those buildings which have lifts but face frequent power cuts.

The only drawback I see (dangerous as well) is that it doesn't have a seatbelt or a strap to hold back the passenger.

[SajiNSalin]

Great product. I wonder how much is the customs duty and GST charged by the government. Ideally this should not be charged at all as these are humanitarian products.
The cost can be brought down if Indian industry take up local fabrication. Also it is most useful if no operator is required. I think with sufficient innovation, it should be possible for the occupant to operate it alone.

[samabhi]

Brilliant option. Can totally relate to the comfort our elders would get with this.

Originally Posted by GTO

You sure about that figure? Including construction & installation costs, I've not heard of a lift below 10 - 12 lakhs for a good brand (current prices). And that's if at all permissions are possible in the coastal zone.

True. Single/two pax lift won't cost much and we enquired about one two years back. The firm we enquired with in Bangalore gave us a quote of 5L back then. These lifts doesn't need any foundation either. I havent pursued it further as my parents can still climb stairs on their own with little difficulty.

I am sure you would have considered all possible options, but something I really liked was this:

https://youtu.be/kx0M0VXnVuY

Not sure if this is available in India yet, but I saw few vendors providing this option. I would definitely think about this when it's absolutely needed in my house.

[V.Narayan]

Thank you for sharing this. Most useful for a large swathe of India's population. We have over 12 million above the age of 80 and a further 6 million with a physical movement disability.

[sudeepg]

WOW! Incredible piece of machine. I wish I knew this before since my mother was also in similar situation that required use of a wheel chair.

Was this imported or is there a dealer in India? If imported, does the cost include any duties?

BTW, I can't see the "thanks" button for the posts here!

[Dr.Naren]

Thanks for the information GTO. This is really useful. I have shared this thread link in family groups and also with few doctors who can recommend the same to their patients

Originally Posted by sudeepg

Was this imported or is there a dealer in India?

I think you missed these lines :
The buying experience was excellent. I bought it from Manu Malhotra (9820065810 & manu@vingrace.com), the Mumbai representative of Vingrace (website link)

BTW, I can't see the "thanks" button for the posts here!

No thanks button on shifting gears section

[Shreyans_Jain]

Originally Posted by GTO

Safety & Precautions

• You need two people to handle it, especially if the passenger is heavy. IMHO even if the passenger is a lightweight and you can manage it alone, I'd still recommend two operators. Reason = If you slip on the stairs or your hands lose grip, the other operator will ensure that the chair doesn't fall forward & down the stairs!

I was going through their website. They have the option of seatbelt and harness available for this model.

This is a very useful thread.