The Best Lightweight Wheelchairs on The Market
If you have ever lifted a wheelchair you will know that they are heavy, bulky, and ugly. In this article, we will list the top-selling lightweight wheelchairs that are super easy to lift into a car and are beautiful to interact with.
1800WheelChair CEO Reviews The Best Lightweight Wheelchairs
The reason why the weight of a wheelchair is essential is that the lighter the chair the easier it is to lift into a car, bus or train, self propel, and push the user. Most economic wheelchairs that cost under $300, weigh as much as 35 lbs. and are super heavy to lift into a car or for traveling. These five lightweight wheelchairs that we recommend here are all under 25 lbs. and some as light at 13 lbs. ! After selling wheelchairs for over 20 years and to over a million customers, we at 1800wheelcair, are sharing with you the 5 best lightweight wheelchairs that we and our customers have found to be the lightest and the best for the user and the caregiver to be more active in this beautiful world we live in.
#1. Feather Chair 13.5 lbs.
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Feather Chair is our all-time best selling lightweight wheelchair.
At only 13 lbs., the Feather Chair is the world's lightest wheelchair! It's so cleverly designed that the rear wheels pop off and the backrest of the chair folds down smoothly to allow for super tight storage. The Feather Chair also has many seat and back overlay cushions options in different colors, to dress up your wheelchair for different occasions.
But the reason this is our top selling and most loved lightweight wheelchair is because of the lightness of the chair - at 13lbs. nothing comes close!. The Feather chair was designed with the latest in aluminum design and technology, making it super light but yet strong to withstand the elements and the stress of moving in and out of cars, shopping malls, and restaurants. With the Feather Chair, our customers are experiencing freedom. Now they can travel anywhere and spend more time with the people they love.
Pros, What we love about this chair
- It weighs only 13 lbs.
- The rear wheels pop-on/off for compact storage
- The back fold down to a small footprint of 28” x 26” x 6”
- Multiple cushion overlay color options for different occasions
- Extra set of bicycle-style handbrakes for the caregiver
- It’s affordable at $549.00
Cons, what this chair is missing
- This chair is perfect except if you weight over 220 lbs then you should look at our #2 option
#2. Heavy-Duty XL Feather Chair - 19 lbs.
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HD Featherweight XL is our number 2 best selling lightweight wheelchair.
The Featherweight XL is hands down the lightest wide seat wheelchair on the planet. If you weigh up to 350 lbs and need a 22” wide seat don't look any further.
Practically every other wide seat - Heavy capacity wheelchairs will weigh around 40 - 45 lbs. making it almost impossible to lift into a car or travel with it. The Featherweight XL weighs only 19 lbs.! It's crazy how light it is. This Chair’s Wheels pop off and the seatback will fold for extra compatibility when storing it in a car, bus, train, or closet. This has become our top-selling Wide Wheelchair. Its sld to both individuals living at homes, Institutions, Amusement parks, and airports.
Pros, What we love about this chair
- Weight is only 19 lbs.!
- It has a super wide 22” seat
- 350 lbs weight capacity
- Extra hand brakes for the caregiver
- Elegantly designed pop-off wheels making the chair super light and compact
- The back fold down to a small footprint of 30”x26”x12”
- It’s affordable at $699.00
Cons, what this chair is missing
- This chair is perfect for a super-light chair in an extra-wide seat and a higher weight capacity, If however you weight under 220 lbs you should check out our Feather Chair (option 1)
#3. Strongback Ergonomic Lightweight Manual Wheelchair
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The Strongback Ergonomic Lightweight Wheelchair is our third best selling lightweight wheelchair.
Although the Strongback is not as light as the Feather Chair, the Strongback weighs in at only 25 lbs. which is way lighter than 90% of all wheelchairs. What we and our customers love most about the Strongback is that both the seat and the back are Ergonomic! as they mimic the natural curvature of the seat and back of the body. Our back and neck muscles weaken as we age and sit in a wheelchair. The Strongback Lightweight wheelchair’s back curves support the thoracic portion of the spine and it supports the lumbar curve that will keep the user comfortable and upright.
Another benefit of the Strongback is that it's designed with the rear of the seat tilted down that prevents the user from falling out and promotes an upright posture. Something that no other wheelchair does.
Pros, What we love about this chair
- Classic ergonomic seat and back
- Promotes posture
- Adjustable back tension
- It weighs only 25lbs.
- Pop-off wheel and folding back for compatibility
- Tilted seat to combat slouching and slipping out of the chair
- Promotes posture and spine alignment
- Comes in three-seat sizes 16”, 18” & 20”
Cons, what this chair is missing
- At $849 some of our customers find it expensive. Although we feel it's worth the price:)
- It comes in only one color - beautiful blue
- There are no hand brakes for the caregiver, only wheel
The Strongback Wheelchair also comes in a transport chair, with a smaller-wheels option. That weight is only 22 lbs.
Honorable Mention:
Strongback Ergonomic Lightweight comfort Transport Chair
#4. Featherweight Travel Wheelchair - 13Lbs.
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The Featherweight Travel Wheelchair - 13Lbs. is the lightest transport wheelchair of all time! it weighs only 13 lbs. and it's super economical! This transport chair makes it easy to propel and push, and because its only 13 lbs. anyone can lift this chair into a car, SUV, truck, airplane, or wherever you please! The Featherweight Travel Wheelchair - 13Lbs. als folds down into a very compact package so you can easily take it with you wherever you need it.
There are a few drawbacks to all transport chairs. The Featherweight Travel Wheelchair - 13Lbs. has four small wheels making it a transport chair and not great to go over large bumps for extended periods of travel. It also has no back or seat support so after some time the user will slouch and sitting on a sling seat for so long can cause pain and lead to ulcers unless you enhance the seat with a strong cushion.
If you are going on a short trip there is no other transport chair we would recommend.
Pros, What we love about this chair
- Weighs only 13 lbs.
- Super affordable at only $179
- Back and seat folds for super compactibility
- Best for short trips
- Comes with optional caregiver hand-brakes
Cons, what this chair is missing
- No back or seat support
- Small 8.5” and 6” wheels - not great for long trips and street bumps
#5. Quickie 2 Foldable Ultra Lightweight Wheelchair
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The Quickie 2 was invented by Marilyn Hamilton in 1978 after she was left paraplegic in a hand gliding accident Marilyn reach our to hand glider designers to build the fist performance wheelchair. Think of a hand glider or a performance race bike and turning these super lightweight - high-performance materials into a wheelchair and the Quickie 2 was born!
The Quickie 2 weighs 25 lbs. - 28 lbs.depending on your chair. But it makes up for it in its performance and customization. Quickie 2 is custom build for the user. It has had over 100,000 customizations and over 28 custom colors. You can literally choose every measurement and feature on this chair!
Including the seat and back width, depth, fabric seat-to- floor hight, front casters, and rear wheels, and of course the color. Your custom quickie 2 will fit you like a glove and function like a hi-performance race bike
Pros, What we love about this chair
- Weighs only 25-28 lbs.
- 100% customizable
- 22 rear wheel options including Spinergy, Mag, Ultra Lightweight Spoke
- 28 custom frame colors
- Folds like a traditional wheelchair
Cons, what this chair is missing
- Can be pricey- starting at $1,476
- Needs proper body measurements before ordering
- Because it's built to order there are no returns :(