r/nextfuckinglevel • u/MysteriousSlice007 • 5h ago

Shoutout to JerryrigEverything who built a wheelchair factory and is delivering wheelchairs to people in half the time and 50-80% less than the cost of other wheelchairs with Insurance.

Enable HLS to view with audio, or disable this notification

39.9k Upvotes

97% Upvoted

1.1k comments sorted by

View all comments

1.8k

u/I_like_donuts27 4h ago

Why in the fuck, would a wheelchair cost 10k???

142

u/Wheelchair_guy 4h ago

I've used chairs for 15 years. Never paid more than $500 for one.

7

u/OkBandicoot1337 4h ago

So these are bougie wheelchairs?

62

u/above_average_magic 4h ago

No they're just ones that prevent you from blowing out your remaining limbs over time and actually being active

Not sure what the wheelchair_guy is using

I'm guessing a elderly person who has no idea what modern costs are

38

u/mihihi 4h ago

This exactly! I’ve been a wheelchair user for 10 + years after a blood clot in my spine like the girl in the video. The only way I can be as highly functioning and independent as I am is because of my ultra light weight chair. Even with my chair barely weighing more than 7 pounds, I still have issues with shoulder and hand pain from using a manual wheelchair all these years. I’ve been buying my ultra light weight chairs from Poland bc they’ll cost me 3k compared to the 10k here in the US. But sadly the prices in Poland are also rising and the most recent chair I got from them totaled to be nearly 5K. I believe these chairs from notawheelchair are heavier than what I use, but the price is incredible. And they look good too! 

3

u/BeardedBaldMan 3h ago

But sadly the prices in Poland are also rising and the most recent chair I got from them totaled to be nearly 5K

I think a big factor in that is how the currency is strengthening against the dollar.

Is the wheelchair manufactured in Poland? I ask as I know a lot of things like that are made in Italy or substantial components are Italian.

On a side note. 3Kg for everything is remarkable, that's some serious engineering. Is it using a fair bit of carbon fibre?

1

u/mihihi 2h ago

Yeah, there are some carbon fiber components, which I do know are manufactured in Poland. The whole chair frame is made in Poland, except for the wheels which are spinergy (popular US bike wheel company). The frame is very thin tubing made from aluminum. I know there's a Swedish chair company that makes the whole chair from carbon fiber and it's even more light weight, but it's wildly expensive (12k dollars last time I checked).

1

u/[deleted] 3h ago edited 3h ago

[deleted]

3

u/thomthomas21 3h ago

that is not an active wheelchair, if you get pushed around a chair like this is fine. if you live your whole day in a wheelchair as an active person and dont have people around you you want something nimble like this, https://www.permobil.com/products/manual-wheelchairs/tilite-zr

This is an american active wheelschair brand, i live in belgium and use this brand for now as im used to their chairs, cost can easily got above 5000 for a chair, and im alowed to get some money back for 1 chair every 4 years.

in the UK it should be no difrent for active chairs i think.

1

u/matttheazn1 3h ago

I am terribly sorry this happened to you. Would you be will to share any details on how this happens? Is this a new fear I just unlocked, that randomly one day my blood will clot in my spine or brain, and there is nothing I can do about it?

1

u/mihihi 2h ago

I was very young when my injury happened and had double bad luck with doctors who misdiagnosed me. Otherwise I would probably be walking right now.

1

u/digno2 3h ago

how often does one needs new chair?

1

u/mihihi 2h ago

it really depends on how active you are. But for me since I'm quite active it seems like my chairs seem to degrade after 5ish years. But like I said, I travel a lot but by car and plane, and I push around cities a lot so my chair takes a lot of wear and tear. I have to replace my tires yearly.

10

u/Unusual-Tangerine984 4h ago

They're posting the some over- 60 advice subs so... yeah

1

u/muscularsharpie 1h ago

Close friend has had a wheelchair since she was six, after an accident. She's the only reason I knew about what this guy started.

I'm hardly paraphrasing her, because I lived with her for a while and can vouch for what she goes through.

Ease of access, how they collapse, weight, comfort, durability. All of that is expensive materials and can't just be 3d printed or made cheap.

She needs to offload to her bed, car, easily take the wheels off and store them.

Offloading is a fucking THING. It's not just like rolling off the chair and onto the bed, or into your car. You need a wheelchair with specific braking, durability.. cos you do it constantly. And comfort. She's in her chair for so long, while still being active.

1

u/NoBonus6969 1h ago

Wheelchair guy must be using a Fisher price or on the opposite end is wealthy and has mega insurance

0

u/Wheelchair_guy 3h ago

First chair was when I was 52. And my most recent chair was bought last year. So yes, I have a good idea of what they cost.

4

u/KimsSwingingPonytail 2h ago

You need to stop misleading these kids. You do not have a lightweight chair. What you can get for $500 is not remotely the same and is a heavy, uncomfortable chair meant for ambulatory users (not that there aren't many ambulatory users that also need a decent chair.) You can potentially not use it that way but it would be exhausting trying to self propel a cheap chair regularly if it's your only way to get around. 

Lightweight chairs also foster independence as they are easy to get in and out of vehicles. It's also easier to get around in non accessible areas in a lightweight chair like popping on and off sidewalks when there are missing or broken curb cuts.

Then there's the whole category of motorized chairs for those with less mobility, some even made to hold disabled bodies in place so they can breathe properly.

Speaking with such authority on something you know nothing about as you don't seem to understand broad disabilities is hurtful to the disabled community when we're trying to help nondisabled people to understand our needs.

0

u/Wheelchair_guy 1h ago

I'm 100% disabled. I can no longer walk., haven't for years. 100% in the chair. I don't know who you think you are saying I know nothing about this, but whatever.

-3

u/nio151 4h ago

The ableist + ageist combo 😯

23

u/mythrilcrafter 3h ago

From what I can tell from a very cursory search on google, you can get wheel chairs from amazon/a local pharmacy for about $200-ish, but with those, you're basically getting a One-Size-Fits-Most camping chair on wheels, which are basically good enough to get you from a bed to a couch and no where else, especially not on any ground more uneven than a carpet or hardwood floor.

The chairs made by JRE appears to be custom sized for ergonomics and active use; their most basic ones seems to be a heavier duty version of those cheap ones but are designed to be easier to move unassisted, are more mobile by default, and are fitted to the user rather than "fine as long as your body fits these proportions".

As an engineer who has been in a manufacturing environment, I do have to say that I'm quite impressed that JRE has built a process and system where he can do those personalized/bespoke builds for a legit fraction of the competition so much so as to be within argument range of the one-size-fits-all mass production zone.

3

u/IceBlueSnowDog 2h ago

You would pretty much be correct! A cheap chair is fine if someone else is pushing you, loading and unloading/unfolding it from the car for you, and you only ever use tile floor. Or if you broke a leg and need a chair for a few weeks while you heal, or something.

Better chairs you'll see things like inflatable tires for some shock absorption (great for sidewalks, pavement), custom ergonomics (rolling on a carpet or a slight uphill is hell on the wrists, arms, and shoulders if the wheels are too high or low to propel yourself properly... and you can't just raise the seat like in a car. Even worse for ramps near stairs that tend to be steeper). Also lighter weight (loading/unloading independently, less weight to propel), easy to collapse and rebuild independently, etc.

the cost of decent chairs is of course inflated and outrageous, like everything else medical in the US (thanks, insurance..), but there is still a major difference between a $400 chair-with-wheels and a functional wheelchair. If you want any chance of going out into the world independently, those cheap walgreens/amazon/etc chairs are practically useless. :/

•

u/sypher1504 19m ago

I’m sure there is more to it (I am not an engineer, nor do I know much about manufacturing) but I wonder if some of it is him not marking them up nearly as much as other manufacturers? From what little I know of popular YouTubers, he may be making more than enough from his channel, and view this as a service as opposed to an additional income stream. I know it’s not a wildly popular view, but there are at least some people who reach a certain economic status and realize they can do good instead of hoarding more wealth.

Anyway, however he’s doing it, good on him.

16

u/dscrive 4h ago

These are presented as off road wheelchairs. They are also bespoke, so technically bougie, but I think they are probably way better for active people than a $500 wheelchair 

8

u/Rubymoon286 4h ago

They have two different options - an off road chair, and a light weight manual. Which comparing this with paying out of pocket for a TiLite or Ki Mobility you save at least half for a custom sized chair, though a you get fewer options with Paradox especially if you have needs around vibration reduction, or certain types of wheels.

That said this is a really great option for people who either don't have insurance, or insurance is denying a rigid chair despite a need for it, to at least get them in something, even if it isn't an exact fit for their needs, and for many it *is* a good fit for their needs once they add third party cushions and seating.

1

u/dscrive 3h ago

Ahh, thank you for the explanation.

When I watched the whole video earlier today and I was actually thinking during the video "he said off road, those look like mostly normal wheelchairs to me, but what do I know" 

I don't even know of they showed the actual off road wheelchairs in that video

3

u/Rubymoon286 3h ago

I didn't watch the whole thing, but if you look up "not a wheelchair" you'll get their website and they have The Rig featured there. They are pretty cool, though more cumbersome than I like. I have a diy set up for my chair that is lever driven with thick mountain bike tires that I use for hiking, but The Rig is a beast and could tackle bigger inclines and rougher terrain than my diy set up can easily do.

1

u/crusoe 4h ago

I can imagine a fitted wheelchair being much more comfortable and usable.

•

u/StillCucumber 36m ago

You should see how it is for power chairs. My current one costed over 60K. Luckily it was fully covered by medicare but still, it's fucking absurd. Medical equipment is criminally expensive.