Yamaha JW1

Designed to convert the wheelchair you are now using to an electric one - maintains foldability.

edj's thoughts on the JW1 and similar add-ons -

I was wondering what people thought of such equipment, the one I like best is the Yamaha JW1, after trial on various makes of power assist wheelchair systems, I opted for the JW1

I found that the JW1 was lighter than the other models putting it in and out of the car was simple compared to the Otto Bock and such systems.

To put the otto Bock and the other systems made with the power pack in its wheel hub into the car my wife has to take out the power units, remove foot rests, remove wheels and then fold up wheelchair. This is the process demonstrated to my by the sales rep. It is the reversed when unpacking the wheelchair system.

I trialed this system on a rainy day and my wife got soaked going through the procedure to pack and unpack the wheelchair, in general its weight put me off.

If i had run out of power pushing the chair was a bit awkward as there is still resistance from the motors and the overall weight of the system made it more awkward.

When I trialed the JW1 I found that all I needed to do was remove the battery and fold the wheelchair up and put it in the boot.

One advantage I liked is the ability to go into freewheel mode, so if I run out of power the wheelchair can be pushed like an ordinary self propel wheelchair.