NOVA Medical Products Lightweight Transport Chair with Locking Hand Brakes, P...

I have been using my old transport chair for over a decade, so I decided it was high time I got a new one. I spent a while looking at the various designs and styles before picking this one, and I am very pleased with my choice. My previous chair was also a Nova and was fantastic, but this one feels even lighter. My husband says it glides incredibly easy when he pushes me, and it's lightweight and easy for him to collapse and put in and out of our trunk. For my part, the seat is very comfortable and the arm rests are exactly the right height. I love the design feature that the arm bars swoop lower down earlier towards the front than other chairs, making it easy to slide in under desks and tables. I was able to comfortably eat in my chair without needing to lean far forward or risk dropping food in my lap. The way the arm bars can be lifted up and out of the way is also very nice and makes getting in and out of the chair from different angles a breeze. It's all very easy to do, as well; it doesn't require strength or force to pull them up or put them back down, but they still lock in very securely. For braking, I love having the very secure wheel locks that I can use myself from in the chair. At the same time, there are also the hand brakes my husband can use while pushing the chair, either to slow it down going downhill, or to put down to lock in the brakes. These are not as strong as the wheel locks, but they work very well nonetheless. The anti-tippers I am still getting used to as we didn't have them on our previous chair. I like that you can have them pointing up or down. We put ours pointing up since we don't need the anti-tip and we like to be able to lean the chair back far to get it up or down curbs. On my previous chair there was just a nub there, and my husband uses his foot on that nub to help tilt the chair back for curbs. On this one, since the anti tippers have little wheels, his foot can slip off if he's not careful when he goes to do it. This isn't really a problem, just something we're adjusting to since it's different from the chair we've been using for 10 years. The little anti-tipper wheels themselves rattle slightly when going over bumps and cracks, since they're just hanging up there not in use, which is pretty minor, but it's a sound we're not used to so it has been catching our attention; I suspect we'll be used to tuning it out soon. There is the option to remove them entirely if desired, which is nice to have. The color is beautiful. I got this chair in the purple, but my previous one from the same maker was red, and I can say both colors look wonderful. It really livens it up to have a splash of color instead of the standard, boring medical black most things come in. Their colors have a nice shine to it and it looks very classy and nice. I regularly got compliments on the red of my previous chair, and I won't be surprised if I get compliments on the purple I chose this time. I can also say that the color lasts very well. Again, my previous chair was by this same maker, and I have used it for over a decade. There are only a few scratches on the paint of that one after all this time, going in and out of trunks and travelling a lot, and in very unnoticeable areas, so I'm happy knowing already that the beautiful color on this one will last too. Another great aspect of this chair is that all the parts are replaceable from the maker, Nova. I've replaced parts on my previous chair from them, and it is very easy, reasonably priced, and ships fast. In this chair's case, I happened to be missing a little washer, so I contacted my seller, Mobile Mobility Services, and they responded to me within a couple hours, and after following up with them, they had the missing washer sent from Nova, and it arrived the next day! Both my individual seller and the wheelchair maker have fantastic customer service, so you can rest easy buying one of their chairs!

Please look at the dates of reviews. One of the "most helpful" reviews for this chair was posted six years ago! We recently purchased this for my father, and I am pleased to report the chair is AWESOME! If you're looking for a lightweight chair, however, this isn't it. It weighs about 30# with the footrests attached. Fortunately they're extremely easy to pop on and off, and you'll probably want to remove them before folding and lifting the chair into your trunk, so expect the lifting weight to be about 27#. We previously "test drove" a loaner from the nursing home that was spec'd at 19#, and I really enjoyed the weight of that one. However, it lacked features we wanted and felt pretty flimsy, so this Nova 352 was our choice. And am I ever glad we settled on the 352!!! First of all, the build quality is awesome. It feels like the Rolls Royce of transport chairs. It pretty much "drives" itself. On level ground and a smooth floor, you can push it with one finger and hardly feel the pressure. It's that smooth. Opening and closing is effortless. The footrests are extremely easy to put on and take off, and I'd advise that whenever you put it into a car trunk as it reduces the weight 2-3 pounds and also makes it that much more compact (and less chance of banging it in your trunk and damaging the footrests or vice versa). A huge plus for this chair is the arms. We might never need to remove them or lift them out of the way; time will tell whether we need that feature or not. But I'm glad it's available to us. But what I love about the arms is that they allow full access to a table due to the armrests only being at the elbow end of the arm. The front part is low enough to allow the chair to fit under a table, and this has made a world of difference for my father. With the loaner chair, when we took him into a restaurant, he was forced to sit well back from the edge of the table, and he kept dropping food in his lap. (Plus it was a little awkward for him to reach some things on the table.) Now he can get as close to the table as his stomach will allow. He actually asked us to back him off an inch the other day because he felt it was too close! So "desk arms" is a feature I would highly recommend for anyone who expects to use a transport chair for dining. If you're only going to use it to move someone for a couple minutes, then that's probably a feature you don't need, but we wanted to buy a transport chair once, not buy a cheap one then realize we needed another feature or two and have to buy another. Another must-have feature for us was the hand brakes. The Nova 352 has two sets of brakes. One is the traditional lever that either the transporter or the seated person can operate. They're convenient to reach back if you're in the seat; not so much if you're standing behind it pushing, as it requires you to bend down each time. The hand brakes are a separate braking system and are extremely convenient. You pull up on the handles to temporarily engage the brakes, and push down on the handles to lock the brakes. So you can lock the wheelchair in place either way, or both ways. We rarely use the front, patient-accessible brakes when we're transporting my dad. The handbrakes do what we need, and are so easy to operate. Again, the build quality on this is a joy to experience. We'll see how it holds up after hundreds, or thousands, of transports, but if it eventually wears out from that, I'll probably want to just buy another one. By the way, I didn't care for the color of blue in the photos I saw, and ordered red instead. We were then called by the vendor who said red was on back order but they could ship the blue immediately. I somewhat reluctantly agreed to the blue, since we wanted the chair right away. We were very pleasantly surprised that the blue is an attractive deep, metallic finish, not a lighter shade implied by some of the photos I've seen. After a couple outings we decided to purchase a gel cushion for this, since my dad sometimes sits for an hour or more at a time in it, such as at church or at a restaurant. I let my wife pick out the cushion, since she's a nurse who has been around wheelchairs for years. We ended up buying a Drive Medical Deluxe Skin Protection Gel "E" 3" Wheelchair Seat Cushion, Dark Blue, 18" x 16" 3" http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B002VWJZHE/ref=oh_details_o00_s00_i00?ie=UTF8&psc=1 . For under $30, we couldn't complain about the price and decided if it didn't fit the bill, we wouldn't cry over the money and would find another cushion. So far I can recommend that cushion. My dad is 5'6" or so now and about 145#. The cushion lifts him up enough that the arm rests are a perfect height for him, and he says the cushion is very comfortable. The first one we were shipped was leaking and there was clearly moisture between the cushion and the plastic wrap. You could really feel the weight shift as you tilted the cushion from side to side. I simply made a few mouse clicks and Amazon immediately sent a replacement, and had UPS come to my door the very next day to pick it up. They had a return label already with them. It was a total no-hassle return. No cost to us. And the replacement cushion is fine. I know this part of my review belongs under that product, but I did want to share our shopping and using experience here as an overall part of the transport chair review. So to summarize, if you only want a very lightweight transport chair to move someone from point A to point B for a minute or two and they won't use the chair for dining or otherwise sitting at a table, a cheaper chair will probably suffice for you. But if you want a chair to use for outings, need "desk arms" that will fit under a table, want handbrakes for your convenience, removable foot rests for the patient's safety and comfort, and want a chair that is built extremely well and makes you and the person you're transporting feel safe, secure, and comfortable, I highly recommend the Nova 352. (Sure wish I was in the Vine program and got this free! Oh well. Money very well spent!)

This chair is a game changer! My husband has been using a Rolator/walker for a couple of years now after he suffered a medical emergency which resulted in a stroke, so he uses his as a seated Rolator. It was great at first , Needless to say his 230 lb build is very difficult to navigate turns without some lifting and turning on my part. I finally decided to upgrade to this chair after many months of aches and pains from the lifting I had to do. This chair is AMAZING! It glides with ease, is way more comfortable for my husband, and packs easier in the back of my suv. It’s just slightly heavier than his rolator but still easy enough to lift without too much difficulty. The fold down back and conveniently located lifting handles make it a breeze and this design allows more space in the back of the car for other items. The wheels are made much better than his rolator and make for smooth transition from indoor to outdoor surfaces. The great features are too numerous to mention so, DON’T WAIT …. Get this and enjoy easier transporting. Note: if you order blue, it’s more like a teal color. I hope this helps someone with their purchasing decision.

Bought this chair for my mother to use when we go shopping. She loves it. The chair is easy to fold and lightweight as stated. But it also seems to be durable. It held up very well during our first 2-hour shopping trip. We have several more shopping trips planned. A few of the features on the chair we received are different from the features shown in the video. So, I think the video should be updated. Differences: The wheel brakes are not set by flipping down the hand breaks as the video shows. The wheel brakes have to be pushed up against each of the back wheels by hand or foot. There is not a click when the wheelchair is pulled out for sitting as indicated in the video; therefore, there isn't a release bar as demonstrated in the video. That being said, I actually like these newer features better. I think the new features make the chair easier to set up, fold, and safer to use. It probably won't wear out quickly either. I approve of the changes. So, that's why I decided to give it 5 stars. The hand brakes work great. The wheel brakes are sturdy and don't allow the chair to roll when in use. I was looking for a chair that is lightweight yet durable. This chair checked all of my "must-have" boxes. Worth the bit of additional cost to make sure my mother is safe during our outings. It's also easy to maneuver and fits right into the trunk of my car. I'm a small woman and had no trouble lifting it in and out of the car.

I’ve shopped around for lightweight wheelchairs, something that I’m able to lift by myself. I came across this brand and I’m glad I chose it over the others!! It’s lightweight enough for me to fold them and put it inside my trunk. It fits my trunk without taking the whole space there! Manuevering is super easy, even my 10 year old daughter can push my mom without difficulty. The ride is super smooth and so comfortable per my mom. The arm rest can be easily slide down for easy transferring to car seat. The foot rests are also removable and so easy to set up in seconds! Breaks are working great and everything was perfect. The only misleading part is the color. I got the blue and it looks more of a “peacock blue” and more on the greener side than blue. It’s definitely not the same as the color in the picture. Other than the color, it’s worth every penny!

This chair replaced the StrongBack chair that failed after just 2 days of use. One of the foot rests on that chair no longer rotated so that it could be moved out of the way. That chair flexed a lot when taking my wife up and down the ramp I built for the front stairs. I think that may have contributed to the failure of the foot rest since it attaches to the same chair leg/wheel support. This new chair by Nova is fantastic by comparison. It has larger front wheels and the wheels are pneumatic which are great. The height-adjustable footrests easily swing out of the way and are easily removed. I find that this is a big advantage since simple movements around the house do not always need to have her feet up. The hand brakes are a must. They work great as do the locking brakes. Everything is very smooth to operate. The ergonomic grips of the handles are wonderful and fit my hands perfectly. The grips are better than the StrongBack, which didn't the handbrakes. The armrests raise with a simple clip that you depress which gives me the option of not always having to 'square-up' my wife to place her on the chair. It really gives all the functionality of a mobility chair that you could ever want. I even find the pouch in the backrest to be handy holding my sunglass case or other items when leaving the house. The StrongBack didn't have a pouch and the armrests were not moveable. The ground clearance of the Nova is better. It easily navigates every threshold in my house - doors to the deck, screen porch and front door. By comparison, the StrongBack would scrape with the footrests in the retracted position. The Nova also gives you the option of attaching the included rear anti-tip mini-wheels on the back of the chair. They are a nice safety feature and are easily attached if you think necessary. This safety feature was missing from the StrongBack. The overall function of the chair is fantastic. It is very smooth in every operation. It easily pivots in-place. It is extremely well made and the fit-and-finish is excellent. I love the red. Folding is easy. You lower the handles via two small clips and then grab the two handles on either side of the seat and pull up. It quickly compresses together and you can up then lift it up by the handles and place it the trunk. Although the StrongBack weighed less it had no handles which I think is a mistake. The material for the seat and seat back are easily wiped off which also can come in handy. I give my highest recommendation for this chair. If you are looking for a mobility chair that gives you every function you could possibly want, for a great price, then this is the chair for you and your loved one. I could not be more happy with the purchase. 5-stars for sure!

After a great deal of deliberation over many, many transport chair models, I purchased this one for my mom. She's a large, heavy woman and we live in a snowy climate, so I wanted something strong enough to hold her and that wasn't too difficult to maneuver over bumps, cracks, and uneven icy surfaces. We've been through a winter with it now, and it surpassed my hopes. Compared to the lighweight transport chair we'd had, this one is so much sturdier. I needn't worry about the frame bending when a wheel hits a bump or dip. The larger rear wheels move much more easily over uneven surfaces, including door thresholds. It folds up small enough to fit in the back of my Kia Soul with room left for her walker. It's far more maneuverable and easier to lift and store than her wheelchair. The locking handgrip brakes are so convenient. The anti-tip guards add a level of security, especially when backing the chair over a high threshold. And even though she fits comfortably in it, it is still narrow enough to make it through interior doorways. All that said, I knew this was a good chair when the staff at her clinic remarked on it, calling it a Cadillac-quality chair. They've seen and used a lot more transport chairs than we have, so take that as their endorsement. And if you can afford this chair, pick it over the flimsy lightweight chairs. The ease of movement and sturdy build and the resulting sense of security for the passenger are well worth the additional cost.

After six weeks of intensive use, including every mealtime at our independent/assisted living facility and a 2,000 mile car trip with hotels and restaurants, our NOVA Lightweight Transport Chair has earned ten stars, five from its passenger and five from its driver. I cannot improve upon the many 5-star reviews, but I take issue with the one that compares it to a Rolls Royce: our Chair more closely resembles an ultra-light and nimble, high-end sports car -- like a candy apple red version of one of James Bond’s tricked out Aston Martins. What a delight to find a truly excellent product like this, particularly after experiencing the clunky design and poor construction of a U-Step II walker prescribed by a neurologist, which cost (Medicare) about 2-1/2 times as much. Sue Chen, the founder (at age 23) and CEO of NOVA, takes well-justified pride in her company -- be sure to read about them on the novajoy.com website. Look at the dates of the few negative reviews on this webpage. It is clear that the design and construction have improved over the last ten years. But don’t expect heavy-duty braking power and armor plating on a device that is intended to be easily portable. My wife disliked the cleverly designed lightweight vertical posts and straps that were mounted on the foot rests to assist patients who have trouble controlling their feet during transport. Lo and behold, although the fix is not mentioned in the instruction manual, they were easy to remove and save for a time when she may become more severely impaired. And now she, too, thinks it is perfect. Added February 23, 2019: Passenger and driver still love it. When the hand brakes gradually became less effective I discovered that the lock nuts on their Tension Screws were loose. They may have vibrated loose during shipment to us, or during the first few months that we owned it, since lock washers are not used. The instruction manual describes the very easy fix: “Loosen the tension adjustment screw locking nut and turn the screw one full turn clockwise…” The manual fails to show or tell where those screws and their lock nuts are located: right where the braking cables exit from the hand brake assembly housings just beneath each handle (see photo). It would be a good idea for users to check those lock nuts from time to time and adjust the brake tensions if the brakes seem to be getting weaker. Until NOVA installs lock washers under those lock nuts as I am confident they will.

We've tried other transit wheelchairs and they were flimsy and hard to maneuver on uneven services. The additional larger wheels in the back make it sturdier. But, beyond this, the chair folds up in a very smart manner and fits smaller trunks. The upper brakes help maintain control on slightly declines and the fact that the person can be wheeled right to the table is another bonus. It is a solidly built product and I highly recommend it.

Light weight. Well built. Easy to fold up and down. Fits into pretty much any trunk. Very comfortable. Highly recommended.

Excellent product at the correct price point. Good brakes, comfort, compact design, easily collapsible to fit into trunk of car. Footrests have adequate adjustment. The removable and retractable armrests are a definite plus. Many of the competitor models do not have armrests which make egress from the chair rather difficult for a person with severe knee pain problems. Amazon's delivery service was very quick and efficient. Maneuverability of the chair is fairly good. Seat height and width is good and the chair folds up easily with the hand grips. The only negative feature is the heal strap pins on the footrests. The pin, which anchors the strap to the front of the footrest, is placed in such a way that it makes it difficult for the a person with swollen ankles to place their foot on the footrest. I will try re-positioning the pins. Overall, we are very pleased with the selection and Amazon's delivery.

Very sturdy and extremely lightweight. Comes almost completely assembled, just have to attach footrest.

Mom loves it .... and so do i...comfortable and easy to operate