Ride Designs Custom AccuSoft Cushion, anyone tried it?

[rob1]

Hey,

Has anyone tried the Ride Designs Custom AccuSoft Cushion?

https://www.ridedesigns.com/ride-cus...on-wheelchairs


Thanks,
Rob

[Oddity]

I haven't, but I'm glad to see they've gone this route.

[rob1]

yeah looks great but would be good to hear from someone with experience using it.

[rob1]

just came across this looks interesting too https://tamarackhti.com/flexform/

[August West]

Just got a new Ride Custom cushion a couple months ago. Didn't even know about the AccuSoft option. Otherwise I would have tried it.

[rob1]

@August West how are you finding it?

So it is the custom 2 version you have?

I've seen some posts that said the original custom version was a bit hard, it says in the product info for the custom 2 that it is softer than the original. How do you find the softness?

How much was the custom 2?

Anyone else have or tried the Accusoft https://www.ridedesigns.com/ride-cus...on-wheelchairs version yet?

[Oddity]

"...a bit hard..."

Euphemism of the day, right there.

[rob1]

@Oddity haha!

[rob1]

@August West how are you finding it?

So it is the custom 2 version you have?

I've seen some posts that said the original custom version was a bit hard, it says in the product info for the custom 2 that it is softer than the original. How do you find the softness?

How much was the custom 2?

Anyone else have or tried the Accusoft https://www.ridedesigns.com/ride-cus...on-wheelchairs version yet?

[August West]

@August West how are you finding it?

So it is the custom 2 version you have?

I've seen some posts that said the original custom version was a bit hard, it says in the product info for the custom 2 that it is softer than the original. How do you find the softness?

How much was the custom 2?

Anyone else have or tried the Accusoft https://www.ridedesigns.com/ride-cus...on-wheelchairs version yet?

The first Ride Custom cushion I got looks like miniature black and white packing peanuts glued together. The second one I got was like the first one but much larger and heavier (it was a beast and hard to move with just one arm). To make it even heavier, it had a double layered cover. That wasn't going to fly and I didn't keep it. The DME told me that Ride still offers the original type, so I went with that. It's just like the first one I got but instead of being black and white, it's all black and has no adjustment straps (I don't know why). I am happy with this cushion. But it's not perfect.

At first I didn't like the idea of sitting on something hard. After using it for a while, there were no problems (that i knew) and I got used to it. Then I started to develop shoulder problems. I can't blame the cushion. But I can say this. Because it is so firm, there is no give and you sit higher, much higher, which stresses the shoulders. Because I have a TRA now (my older chair is a TR), I have adjusted the seat height to sit lower. Now that I am sitting lower, my shoulders are doing much better. Seat height adjustability is a must IMO with this cushion. Otherwise, your sitting height is uncertain. Because you don't know how tall the cushion will be until it is made.

Having said all this and in hindsight, I go back full circle to believing it is too hard. I think it should have some give. The hips and shoulders are connected by the spine. The hips may be locked in an unnatural position during a transfer due to the contour of the cushion. Here is a picture that I posted a while back that describes what I am saying. Figure 2 shows the hip leaning against the transfer. That means that your shoulders have to do extra work to lift your hips up and over the contour before even starting the transfer. This is a terrible scenario for your shoulders, which only gets worse if you are sitting too high.

I would like to see a hybrid Ride Custom cushion, where the foam in the front is much softer. The back of the cushion (the bucket) is where you sit so I guess they have to use their special harder foam there to hug the hips from the sides. But the front of the cushion is just for transfer and moving about. They could use softer foam in the front, making it much easier to transfer and move around in general on the cushion (for example, dressing). As it is right now, there is what I would describe as a bucket with steep edges. You have to lift your butt out of the bucket and over the steep edge to get onto the front of the cushion. That is not easy. It would be much easier with softer foam in front.

[Brad09]

The first Ride Custom cushion I got looks like miniature black and white packing peanuts glued together. The second one I got was like the first one but much larger and heavier (it was a beast and hard to move with just one arm). To make it even heavier, it had a double layered cover. That wasn't going to fly and I didn't keep it. The DME told me that Ride still offers the original type, so I went with that. It's just like the first one I got but instead of being black and white, it's all black and has no adjustment straps (I don't know why). I am happy with this cushion. But it's not perfect.

At first I didn't like the idea of sitting on something hard. After using it for a while, there were no problems (that i knew) and I got used to it. Then I started to develop shoulder problems. I can't blame the cushion. But I can say this. Because it is so firm, there is no give and you sit higher, much higher, which stresses the shoulders. Because I have a TRA now (my older chair is a TR), I have adjusted the seat height to sit lower. Now that I am sitting lower, my shoulders are doing much better. Seat height adjustability is a must IMO with this cushion. Otherwise, your sitting height is uncertain. Because you don't know how tall the cushion will be until it is made.

Having said all this and in hindsight, I go back full circle to believing it is too hard. I think it should have some give. The hips and shoulders are connected by the spine. The hips may be locked in an unnatural position during a transfer due to the contour of the cushion. Here is a picture that I posted a while back that describes what I am saying. Figure 2 shows the hip leaning against the transfer. That means that your shoulders have to do extra work to lift your hips up and over the contour before even starting the transfer. This is a terrible scenario for your shoulders, which only gets worse if you are sitting too high.

I would like to see a hybrid Ride Custom cushion, where the foam in the front is much softer. The back of the cushion (the bucket) is where you sit so I guess they have to use their special harder foam there to hug the hips from the sides. But the front of the cushion is just for transfer and moving about. They could use softer foam in the front, making it much easier to transfer and move around in general on the cushion (for example, dressing). As it is right now, there is what I would describe as a bucket with steep edges. You have to lift your butt out of the bucket and over the steep edge to get onto the front of the cushion. That is not easy. It would be much easier with softer foam in front.

This is essentially what their Java cushion does, granted the foam is over the back of the cushion as well. I went from a Ride custom to the Java years ago and there wasn't a difference in stability with the foam top, for me at least. Plus it has the same benefit of floating my butt bones but also allows me to scoot up to the front of the cushion where it is flat before I transfer.

[rob1]

Thanks for the replies.

@August West I see. Sounds like the Accusoft might have suited you how annoying it wasn't out when you got your cushion. So do you find the original custom good for pressure relief, not good for transfers and too hard?

There has to be someone on the board who has tried the Accusoft version I didn't think it was that new it seems to have been out for at least 6 months.

[August West]

The original custom does what it’s supposed to do, which is to offload pressure from the bottom of the butt to the sides of the hips. For me it’s also to compensation for hip obliquity. It does create problems for transferring out. But it’s good for transferring in. Because your fist doesn’t sink in. Yes it’s too hard. You get used to it. But they could do better (and apparently have). If the Accusoft provides all the benefits, is softer, and has no drawbacks, then it’s the clear choice. Are there drawbacks?

[rob1]

@August West there doesn't appear to be any drawbacks to the Accusoft based on the same logic you have, but I'm just guessing too at the moment, as I haven't tried it and can't find anyone who has yet.

We shall see if anyone who has hopefully replies to this thread.