Rollators can be found starting at about $65, and those come down to personal preference, mostly in terms of color
But
ECVs are a whole different discussion. You can find them at price points ranging from $350 to $500, all the way up to $3000 and beyond.
Like much in life, you get what you pay for. My personal
ECV is a
TravelScoot (he is named "Angus", in honor of Princess Merida's faithful steed, who always brings her home safely from their adventures!) - which is the lightest-weight, folding
scooter with a lithium-ion battery. Personally, I ride mine without the seat back, because I love the ability to get on and off of it like a tricycle! My personal power chair is a
Fold & Go Magshock (in purple, so he is named "Figment" for everyone's favorite resident of EPCOT!) which is the lightest, most comfortable power chair I could find (and is made in the US). Both will easily do a full "Disney Day" if completely charged overnight the night before. In all honesty, my devices are at the higher end of the price scale - but I view it that they are restoring my mobility; they are my legs, and so to me, I want the most comfortable, lightest, easy to transport devices that I can get so that I can maintain my own personal mobility. Fold & Go even sells a "elevator" to help load the chair into the back/trunk of your vehicle that collapses down, and weighs about 30 pounds.
At the lower end of the price scale are used rental scooters from some of the Orlando vendors - these are rental units that have been replaced after 6 months to a year of daily rental use. Some of the companies "refurbish" them first, by replacing the batteries (and if needed, the tires) and other companies sell them "as is".
In between, you can find a range of scooters, some with 3 wheels, some with 4; some have baskets (front and/or rear), others have armrests as a prime feature! There are different types of "tillers" (steering/speed controllers) as well; the Travelscoot that I have is a very simple "twist throttle" like a motorcycle, but I use a $10 Crampbuster after-market device to make it infinitely more comfortable for all-day use.
So, I could pick one at random, and tell you it's the best one... but it's really a personal decision. And, depending on the age of the owner, insurance may help pay for some (or all) of the cost - but that is not guaranteed, and may require a physician's prescription and/or a fair amount of jumping-through-hoops.
Some general advice: Avoid anything being sold at your local State Fair/festivals/etc.
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Those devices (almost always accompanied by a high-pressure sales pitch and wildly unrealistic claims) tend to be poorly made, and don't last, and do not come apart easily to fit into a passenger vehicle... They can even be dangerous; for several years there were vendors here locally selling a very similar device that people (that I personally know about) were seriously injured while using when it literally fell apart while they were driving it normally.
Be wary of buying from
Amazon, unless you are buying from the manufacturer directly; there are all kinds of rip-off/knock-off versions of power chairs and scooters (and Rollators, and other medical devices) being sold there.
If you can, make sure that the primary user gets a chance to at least try the device somewhere (by renting one, or visiting a local vendor, etc) before buying. What is easy and comfortable for me might be not be for someone else, and vice-versa.
I know this is not the information you were hoping for, but it really is a
very personal decision. Here are some of the things that I personally considered when I started to look at buying a scooter for myself:
- How much does it weight?
- How easy (or difficult) is it to get in/out of my car? Do I have to break it into multiple parts? Will I need help with that? And how much does the heaviest part weigh?
- How long will the battery last on a full, regular charge?
- How long will the battery last in regular use? (so how many years before I have to replace it/)
- Where/how do I get replacement parts if needed?
- How difficult is it to work on if repairs are needed?
- What is it made of, and how durable will it be?
- What accessories are available?
- How much does it cost?
I put a much higher value on lighter weight and smaller size so that I could be more personally independent. I'm not "rich" by any standard, but because I was restoring my mobility, I really didn't care as much about the price as did things like durability, and quality. I cannot express enough how having my personal mobility restored made a difference in my life!
I hope this helps you start the conversation with your Mom - if she will be the person using it, then she should definitely help select it! And remind her that using *any* kind of personal mobility device or aid is nothing different than using glasses to see better, or a hearing aid to hear better - she is just using the tool she needs to move around better! I have had to use a personal mobility device since I was 50 years old (which was *way* younger than I thought I would be when I started to use one!) and because my devices are so lightweight and small, I have been able to maintain my personal freedom, and go where I want, when I want. (Well, until my emergency spine surgery at the end of December, but that's another story for another day...)
