I wouldn’t be without my Luggie, but …
There are some things you should know: it’s not cheap (cheapest price is around £1,800 - more if you want armrest) and neither is the battery. One is supplied but, if you’re going to travel (or even a day’s shopping expedition) you need a spare; they cost a hefty £400. Like I say, a spare battery is an essential as, my experience of my Luggie is that the battery indicator is unreliable. Yes, it is lightweight, but only relatively so; at a little over 24kg it is at least half the weight of other boot scooters but these split into smaller, lighter pieces for easier handling; Luggie is a dead weight and I can’t manage it on my own. If you’re solo, you also need to be able to bend and/or squat to set the thing up - and have useful fingers to work the various clips; in other words, you need to be an able-bodied disabled person to use Luggie if you don’t have flunkie to assist! If you have a flunkie, make sure they love it and treat it nicely; there’s a tendency to drag it when in the fold position so that the front edge (in the scoot position) gets scuffed and damaged (it wasn’t long before bits broke off which ruined the aesthetics - remember, it cost £1,800!) and if a well-meaning bod leaves it in the vertical position when folded it can easily topple over, or lies it down folded with the seat uppermost, it can also get damaged. Mine has just gone in for repair as a result lost clips and a damaged control unit caused by non-obvious mishandling by others
Being lightweight means just that and the chances are that if you’re travelling with it, you might be wanting to go over some less than smooth terrain and, frankly, Luggie isn’t really man (or woman!) enough for the job; Luggie excels best on smooth, level ground at airports, stations, shopping malls etc.
If you want to lug your Luggie in and out of a car, you might find a hoist helpful, but check carefully with manufacturers first. I have an Autoadapt Carolift 40 hoist in a Peugeot 3008 Crossover which is a high vehicle with a split tailgate and the system is not very satisfactory unless, again, you have reasonable upper body strength, in which case you might be able to bypass the hoist and lift it in and out yourself.
What else? No lights, if you want to use Luggie at night; if you manage to find something suitable that clips on and off, you are going to have to take on and off every time you fold and unfold it after dark. (I have one on an elastic strap that I wind round the handle bar which works reasonable well. As Luggie is operated by a switch rather than a key it is vulnerable to theft if you want to leave it parked somewhere - outside a shop maybe that has a step - so you end up having to take it places with you and, if you’ve got shopping or luggage on board you’re unlikely to be able to manage that AND Luggie.
I got my Luggie from Local Mobility and, to start with, I couldn’t recommend them highly enough. Sadly, however, I have had some communication problems of late and I am not very happy with how my current service need is being handled.
Last but not least, Luggie is ***** uncomfortable over any significant distance or time period! It’s construction is pared down to the minimum so there is absolutely no padding meaning that it’s down right painful for me with a dodgy back (that pre-dates the MS) and a slim build (bony coccyx) and I never go on Luggie with a supply of painkillers.
Having said all this, would I be without it? The answer is definitely not (at least until something better comes along). It may drive me mad at times, but it also drives me where I want to be which is good news in a world (and country!) with varying accessibility, and there is no problem taking it on public transport. It’s also, as mobility scooters go, quite good looking and some head turner and I feel psychologically good on it, even if my feels it’s about to snap.
If you’ve got the cash, go for it, but not if you’re wearing rose tinted specs, and not if you’re on your own and physically weak, unless you’re prepared to grab strangers to help.
Helen x