Smart Drive

[dkleinsmith]

My wife is considering getting a Smart Drive. She tried out the MX2 the other day and didn't like all the "tapping" she had to do. I'm sure with practice she'd get the hang of it. But what was wrong with the MX1 method of it sensing when you pushed or braked? That seems like best method of starting and stopping, Did it just not work well? The rep from NuMotion that brought out the MX2 said he liked the MX1 better but thought they changed to better aid people with low arm strength.

Would like to hear your thoughts. New MX2 is $6k and a used MX1 is $2k.

Thanks,
Dan

[nonoise]

It is interesting you brought this up. The MX1+ is better than I thought. The one I originally had, had a difficult switch, so it was hard to change from one mode to another. But Mark had given me an updated switch at an Expo, which for some reason I had never tried until yesterday. The MX1+ does both. You can run it in sense mode where it shuts off on it's own due to bumps. Or you can press the switch twice and get a flashing green light for continuous travel, no bump stopping. Hitting the switch will shut it off again.

[Gordy1]

My son has the MX2. When he first got it, he tried the various different modes, one of which is the MX1 method of pushing and it keeps going. But he found it wasn?t very sensitive (his words) in that mode, so he?s used the tapping mode since then (and uses it every day with no problems).

So it sounds like your wife only got to try the MX2 in the tapping mode....

[dkleinsmith]

Thanks for the replies. Gordy are saying the MX2+ has a sensing mode similar to the MX1?

[smokey]

I have the MX2+ and you'll get used to the tapping very quickly. Take it to a mall and practice. You won't even think about it after a while.

[Gordy1]

Thanks for the replies. Gordy are saying the MX2+ has a sensing mode similar to the MX1?

Yes, but my son chooses not to use it in that mode.

[dkleinsmith]

I followed up by finding the operation manual for the MX2+. Looks like 3 different modes. It's nice that they kept the original mode of the MX1.

Thanks

[dkleinsmith]

As a follow up to this thread, I just won an MX 2+ on Ebay for $2900. The ad said it only had 5 hours of use and the photo's backed that up. Should be receiving it next week. I seriously can't believe I got it at this price. I will need to buy a new axle clamp to match my wife's wheel size but other than that She's good to go.

Does anyone use their Smart Drive with the Free Wheel? If so how do you compensate to the Free Wheel raising the castors up when engaged as it would throw the clamp out of level.

Thanks,
Dan

[Donno]

The clamp is designed to allow wheelies, so the freewheel should not be an issue. as far as using the Push Tracker (tapping method), I found it to be very intuitive after just a couple of days. I transitioned from the MX2, so was used to tapping to stop. The main problem for me with the MX2 was that If I had to start pushing uphill, I could never give it enough of a push to do more than a crawl. Now I just give a double tap and let it accelerate until I reach the speed I want (usually max speed). The big down side for me is that I cannot seem to be able to get into the habit of turning it off when I come inside, and occasionally bump or shake my right hand enough to start me up.

[funklab]

Anybody got insurance to cover the MX2+?

I can't afford even a super steal of a deal $3k ebay find.

[Allan1]

you should learn how to use the smart drive.. it can be a bit dangerous at times. i have one and i have had mixed experience with it. Just be carefull for the pavement. the smart drive can get stuck, and before you know it it will keep driving and get stucked under your wheelchair.
so remember to train with it.

[dkleinsmith]

Thanks everyone!

As a note, insurance might have covered the cost up to $6000 but they were vague. We're in the process of getting a new chair right now and didn't want to muddy the waters by trying to get a smart drive at the same time. The chair is still months away and a smart drive after that would have been several months. I had it in my head that I wanted the MX2+ which was outside of the insurance allowance anyway so I decided to buy out right.

[ancientgimp]

I have the MX1+ and medicare payed for most of it. Strangely enough, my DME told me that approval would have been easier if I had bought a chair at same time. Medicare would see the combination of the manual chair and the mobility device as a power chair, apparently the Medicare decision making robot had a difficult time assimilating my need for a Smart Drive without a chair. My DME really knows his stuff so right from the get go he came and assessed the home interior to establish need (the Medicare robot is not at all concerned about your need to go outside, just as the Medicare robot thinks you don't need a shower chair). My DME also sent me to a pt to evaluate me for the Smart Drive. So I had a dr's prescription, DME home eval and a pt eval.

[Oddity]

I have the MX1+ and medicare payed for most of it. Strangely enough, my DME told me that approval would have been easier if I had bought a chair at same time. Medicare would see the combination of the manual chair and the mobility device as a power chair, apparently the Medicare decision making robot had a difficult time assimilating my need for a Smart Drive without a chair. My DME really knows his stuff so right from the get go he came and assessed the home interior to establish need (the Medicare robot is not at all concerned about your need to go outside, just as the Medicare robot thinks you don't need a shower chair). My DME also sent meto a pt to evaluate me for the Smart Drive. So I had a dr's prescription, DME home eval and a pt eval.

The good folks at Woodrow Wilson Rehab Center, in Virginia, have repeatedly denied my requests for both a Smart Drive and a cushion on the grounds they believe Medicare won't accessorize a chair they didn't originally reimburse for. Really sucks, since I've no use for the crappy chairs they'll pay for. So, I'm having Medicare buy 80% of a chair I won't use just so I can get coverage for cushions and a Smart Drive. What a waste of tax payer's $.

[August West]

That's typical. I have a need for 3 items which can be bought individually or in a kit. The kit contains about 5 additional items that I don't need. Medicare won't provide the 3 items individually. But they will provide the kit. The additional items go to waste.