Did your first chair suck?

[BJH]

I was one of the lucky ones. 15 years later I'm still using the same specs from my first chair, and it still fits like a glove. My DME at the time actually knew what he was doing.

My GF, however, was not so lucky. She was "custom fit" for here chair with an 18" width and big enough for a 6 footer (she's 5'4"). She is now in the correct size chair with a 15" width.

[SCI_OTR]

Originally Posted by betheny

If you meet Rafferty Laredo from TIRR, he's excepted from the general OT's-Suck theme. Although he did allow me to fall into the clutches of the Keanu wannabe.

Still can't believe I was in a 21" chair.

He is also presenting. I'm interested in his topic...

Incorporating Clinicians with Spinal Cord Injuries into the Rehabilitation Team

[betheny]

LOVED that guy, he thinks outside the box. This topic should be v. interesting to you!

[tooley]

voted "it was perfect" - my vendor/PTs lucked out.

I *LOVE* my TiLite ZRa 18x17 that I'm now slopping around in. I'm just over a year postSCI. Wouldn't change a thing - I actually just put away all my tools this morning, my chair is _set_ after 8 months of tuning/tweaking.

Bought the ZRa demo off the DME. Insurance paid. the Jay2 backrest attach brackets were stripped and constantly letting go leaving me on my wheelie bars a few times. The first thing I did was order a regular upholstery TiLite foam back, I slowly lowered it half inch at a time every week or so. As I did this my trunk strength and balance drastically improved. I now run the lowest backpad available for folding push-handles - 14" from seatpan, lower than some para's I know. (I'm a C7 quad)

Next was dump - it had none. So after never looking closely at the chair in rehab when I got home I quickly learned what the 'a' stands for in ZRa. Progressively lowered RSH until I was sitting on my axle. I thought lots of dump was the way to go. I kept lowering RSH until I had just under 6" of dump, I guess I do have some sensation below injury because my lower back was screaming as soon as I got in my chair every morning. Going this low (like 13" RSH) forced me to ditch my wheelie bars - the attach hardware interfered with the camber webs. Finally settled on 3.5" of dump, 15" RSH. Wheelie bars went in garbage pile with the tubular armrests (which I ditched before I left rehab) I've went over a few times while experimenting with CoG, but now I can catch myself with one arm and right myself if I do go over. Never happens now that I'm dialled in.

Next was backrest angle - every time I changed the dump I adjusted the backrest post angle to 90 degrees (from floor). When I wasn't pushing it always felt uncomfortable. After experimenting I've come to realize 6 degrees of recline is perfect, with 3" CoG I can lean back with no fear of tipping.

All the while CoG has been my favorite to play with. I had about 1.5" when I got home. They taught me wheelies in rehab but they always took alot of effort. And I had taken a huge bump on the noggin after the OT left my bars off one time when she ran to answer the phone. Best thing that ever happened, I had wicked balance after this hit...
since I got home I fucked with CoG between 2.5" and 4". Backrest angle is a factor at the higher CoG. Turning allan keys religiously improved my hand function dramatically. I have found a CoG of 3" to be the perfect compromise of tippiness vs. stability. When I had it higher I found myself leaning forward alot, but I could roll effortlessly downhill over bumpy terrain because there was less/no weight on my casters.

Short version - God bless the ZRa!!! The adjustability and my nature of fucking with everything that has bolts has made me super-comfortable in my chair, albeit too wide now that I've lost some ass.

I wouldn't have traded the ability to dial-in this chair for the world. I was about to order a series2 ZR with these specs, but changed my mind when I noticed Ti's quality control has really taken a hit since the introduction of series2 - seems everyone that has got one has had at least one issue.
I've opted for a non-adjustable Lasher BT-Mg, welded solid backrest posts. ZR came to $4800 with no sideguards, brakes or rear wheels. 8.5lb powder-coated magnesium Lasher <$7000 incl/shipping with nice Spinergy LXs, Schwalbe's and D's locks and hubs (that they polish) for 3 sets of wheels. Order form was faxed thursday. Bill quoted me 8 weeks at the most, I'll be getting a belated Alaskan birthday present from myself. Hell yes.

[DaleB]

Originally Posted by tooley

I've opted for a non-adjustable Lasher BT-Mg, welded solid backrest posts. ZR came to $4800 with no sideguards, brakes or rear wheels. 8.5lb powder-coated magnesium Lasher <$7000 incl/shipping with nice Spinergy LXs, Schwalbe's and D's locks and hubs (that they polish) for 3 sets of wheels. Order form was faxed thursday. Bill quoted me 8 weeks at the most, I'll be getting a belated Alaskan birthday present from myself. Hell yes.

Whoo hoo! Nice choice.

[TexasWheelz]

Well I answered that it was perfect, because with the knowledge I had at the time it was. I don't remember the specs at all. All I know is that I went from a hospital chair to a neon yellow Quickie GPV that seemed to fit me 100% better then what I used in rehab and learned to do wheelies in, go up and down curbs in..etc. That bright yellow Quickie made it all so much easier so at that time it was perfect for me.

These days I wouldn't even think about using a chair like that, knowledge is everything and at the time(20 years ago) I was pretty ignorant about chairs.

[grommet]

Congrats on getting the Lasher, it sounds amazing. Man that's huge. Regarding the seat dump you experimented with and your COG. On my last chair (measured wrong) I had five inches of seat dump and a COG of 3.25 inches worked great, perfect balance. My current chair (measured perfect :-)) I have three inches of dump and I'm running on 1.5 inches of COG. More than that and it feels scary tippy. I'm hoping I can get used to more, really move it up another inch or even more. In the meantime I'm wondering if it was all that dump that let me have that COG.

Anyhow, I really relate to the experimenting, I spent five hours the first day moving things around with my new chair. Kept at it for a few weeks and now it's dialed. Sure hope I can get the COG forward again, it's great to have it. But everything else is perfect.

[SCI_OTR]

Originally Posted by tooley

voted "it was perfect" - my vendor/PTs lucked out.

I *LOVE* my TiLite ZRa 18x17 that I'm now slopping around in. I'm just over a year postSCI. Wouldn't change a thing - I actually just put away all my tools this morning, my chair is _set_ after 8 months of tuning/tweaking.

I find it ironic that you are touting the benefits of an adjustable chair, but just spent big bucks on one of the least adjustable chairs out there. I sincerely hope nothing gets lost in the translation between models. An adjustable angle back would provide some wiggle room just in case there was some unforeseen difference. Otherwise, it will be you, not the chair, that will need to adjust.

Congrats and good luck.

[wheelz1989]

I voted No. I'm still in my first chair tilite zra (never re-adjusted) though maybe i would like a different more than i like this one, i am happy with it (well as happy as i can be with needing to use a wheelchair lol!)

[canuck]

Tooly is that Lasher price Canadian or U.S. $$?

Originally Posted by tooley

voted "it was perfect" - my vendor/PTs lucked out.

I *LOVE* my TiLite ZRa 18x17 that I'm now slopping around in. I'm just over a year postSCI. Wouldn't change a thing - I actually just put away all my tools this morning, my chair is _set_ after 8 months of tuning/tweaking.

Bought the ZRa demo off the DME. Insurance paid. the Jay2 backrest attach brackets were stripped and constantly letting go leaving me on my wheelie bars a few times. The first thing I did was order a regular upholstery TiLite foam back, I slowly lowered it half inch at a time every week or so. As I did this my trunk strength and balance drastically improved. I now run the lowest backpad available for folding push-handles - 14" from seatpan, lower than some para's I know. (I'm a C7 quad)

Next was dump - it had none. So after never looking closely at the chair in rehab when I got home I quickly learned what the 'a' stands for in ZRa. Progressively lowered RSH until I was sitting on my axle. I thought lots of dump was the way to go. I kept lowering RSH until I had just under 6" of dump, I guess I do have some sensation below injury because my lower back was screaming as soon as I got in my chair every morning. Going this low (like 13" RSH) forced me to ditch my wheelie bars - the attach hardware interfered with the camber webs. Finally settled on 3.5" of dump, 15" RSH. Wheelie bars went in garbage pile with the tubular armrests (which I ditched before I left rehab) I've went over a few times while experimenting with CoG, but now I can catch myself with one arm and right myself if I do go over. Never happens now that I'm dialled in.

Next was backrest angle - every time I changed the dump I adjusted the backrest post angle to 90 degrees (from floor). When I wasn't pushing it always felt uncomfortable. After experimenting I've come to realize 6 degrees of recline is perfect, with 3" CoG I can lean back with no fear of tipping.

All the while CoG has been my favorite to play with. I had about 1.5" when I got home. They taught me wheelies in rehab but they always took alot of effort. And I had taken a huge bump on the noggin after the OT left my bars off one time when she ran to answer the phone. Best thing that ever happened, I had wicked balance after this hit...
since I got home I fucked with CoG between 2.5" and 4". Backrest angle is a factor at the higher CoG. Turning allan keys religiously improved my hand function dramatically. I have found a CoG of 3" to be the perfect compromise of tippiness vs. stability. When I had it higher I found myself leaning forward alot, but I could roll effortlessly downhill over bumpy terrain because there was less/no weight on my casters.

Short version - God bless the ZRa!!! The adjustability and my nature of fucking with everything that has bolts has made me super-comfortable in my chair, albeit too wide now that I've lost some ass.

I wouldn't have traded the ability to dial-in this chair for the world. I was about to order a series2 ZR with these specs, but changed my mind when I noticed Ti's quality control has really taken a hit since the introduction of series2 - seems everyone that has got one has had at least one issue.
I've opted for a non-adjustable Lasher BT-Mg, welded solid backrest posts. ZR came to $4800 with no sideguards, brakes or rear wheels. 8.5lb powder-coated magnesium Lasher <$7000 incl/shipping with nice Spinergy LXs, Schwalbe's and D's locks and hubs (that they polish) for 3 sets of wheels. Order form was faxed thursday. Bill quoted me 8 weeks at the most, I'll be getting a belated Alaskan birthday present from myself. Hell yes.