4 reviews for NOVA Lightweight Transport Chair with Locking Hand Brakes, 12″ Rear Wheels, Removable & Flip Up Arms for Easy Transfer, Anti-Tippers Included, Color Red

1. 

   Rated 5 out of 5

   Kevin Bastian – June 25, 2014

   
   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″ https://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 Galenus Medical 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!)

2. 

   Rated 5 out of 5

   Charles P. Barker – July 23, 2019

   
   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!

3. 

   Rated 5 out of 5

   Marvin Wilson – May 31, 2021

   
   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.

4. 

   Rated 5 out of 5

   Kevin Bastian – June 25, 2014

   
   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 Galenus Medical 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, se, 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!)