I have had the pleasure of reviewing the Roscoe Rollator Companion Transport (model ROS-RLTRAN-BL, MSRP $309). This is one of the newer combinations of rollator and transport chair. I was personally interested in this device since it would allow me to push harder during walks knowing that I could be safely pushed home.
I was excited when the UPS driver dropped off the large box. In under 10 minutes, I had everything assembled and adjusted to my height. No tools were required and less assembly was required than other rollators I have purchased.
Styling
This is easily one of the best looking rollators I have seen. If rollators had "sport" models this would certainly qualify. The 8 inch wheels have mag-style rims and low profile tires. There are inset reflectors for safety and stainless accents that add to an aggressive styling. The backrest serves as a front bumper, but adds to the overall design appeal.
I also appreciate the discrete branding of the unit. Until Louis Vuitton makes a rollator I wish all companies would use minimal branding instead of the 5 inch letters so many rollators come with.
The paint job had minor imperfections that most people would never notice. From a car guy's perspective the paint job would have been a "5 footer." Of course, if you are actually using your rollator you'll put enough of your own dings and chips in the paint soon enough.
First impressions: When the van driver picked me up last night he even made a comment about how nice it looked compared to others he had seen. When is the last time someone complimented how YOUR rollator looked?
Seat
The seat is roughly a 14 inches square and about 1.25 inches thick and is attached to the frame with 4 screws. The bottom support is .5 inches thick leaving less than 1 inch of padding. I was hoping the seat would be more comfortable considering this is considered a transport chair.
The amount of room allocated for seating is generous and will certainly help carry things while shopping. Beneath the seat is a zippered compartment capable of holding envelope-thick objects.
Rollator
Overall, the rollator felt nimble and smooth, requiring less energy to steer it than others I have tried. The front wheels are wonderful, performing well on carpet, hard surfaces, grooved pavement and even grass. While stationary, I could easily rest one knee at a time on the seat or sit down and rest both legs at once.
Hey, it's a nice rollator!
The brakes worked well right out of the box. Instructions to adjust the brakes are easy to follow without any access restrictions. On the unit I had the left brake assembly was loose, but that did not affect the brake operation.
To lock the brakes you would push down on the brake handles. The hand movement required to lock the brakes seemed greater than other rollators, but would only take a little while to get used to. I did find the brake cables to be excessively long, but this can easily be resolved with cable ties or even bread ties. The longer cables might get snagged on objects while moving in tight spaces.
There was a minor bit of movement with the left handle. I spoke with the manufacturer and after adding a small washer the movement was corrected.
My biggest complaint about the unit is the basket. The basket is a 2x2 inch grid. There is no security for your items and small objects can fall through the bottom. I greatly prefer compartments that can be sealed keeping my items out of view. To preserve that wonderful styling I am using the rollator without the basket. With a slight basket modification it may have fit in 4 different locations, but it is designed to sit in front.
Transport Chair
The footrests simply fold up and down similar to a manual wheel chair. They are made of plastic, but feel quite sturdy. For people over 6 feet the foot rests might not be low enough for comfort leaving your knees slightly elevated. For my wife and I the foot rests worked flawlessly.
The seat may be a limiting factor on how long you could be comfortably transported. This is not an unique problem and can usually be solved by purchasing a gel pad from your local bike dealer.
I had 3 different people pushing me and all of them said it was rather easy on both carpeted and hard floor surfaces. With my backpack they were pushing about 195 lbs. with ease. The only problem we encountered was going over a large transition flooring in a commercial kitchen.
Transporting
The unit folded and unfolded rather easily with the drawstring given. You can also remove the back support to reduce the space needed for transport. If the back support is removed the seat may flop potentially damaging the seat. This could be prevented by attaching a a tether on both sides of the seat limiting the movement.
Overall
When I hear the term "combo of x & y," my brain assumes that the combination will be 50%x and 50%y. This really isn't the case here. What you have is a solid rollator with a few additional features that make patient transport easier. This model would certainly come in handy during Multiple Sclerosis flare ups, after chemotherapy, or similar situation. If you spend over 50% of your time in a wheelchair, this may not quite fit the bill.
The market potential for combining transport devices seems enticing. With a few minor adjustments I believe Roscoe Medical may be well poised to be one of the market leaders.
For additional information on rollators try this thread:
http://www.msworld.org/forum/showthread.php?t=125519
Manufacturer's Link: http://www.roscoemedical.com/default...=ROS-RLTRAN-BL
note: The transport chair allows someone to push you from behind. Unlike a wheelchair, it does not have side wheels that allow you to propel yourself. While you can be pushed on many rollators that generally violates any warranty and you don't have foot rests.
I was excited when the UPS driver dropped off the large box. In under 10 minutes, I had everything assembled and adjusted to my height. No tools were required and less assembly was required than other rollators I have purchased.
Styling
This is easily one of the best looking rollators I have seen. If rollators had "sport" models this would certainly qualify. The 8 inch wheels have mag-style rims and low profile tires. There are inset reflectors for safety and stainless accents that add to an aggressive styling. The backrest serves as a front bumper, but adds to the overall design appeal.
I also appreciate the discrete branding of the unit. Until Louis Vuitton makes a rollator I wish all companies would use minimal branding instead of the 5 inch letters so many rollators come with.
The paint job had minor imperfections that most people would never notice. From a car guy's perspective the paint job would have been a "5 footer." Of course, if you are actually using your rollator you'll put enough of your own dings and chips in the paint soon enough.
First impressions: When the van driver picked me up last night he even made a comment about how nice it looked compared to others he had seen. When is the last time someone complimented how YOUR rollator looked?
Seat
The seat is roughly a 14 inches square and about 1.25 inches thick and is attached to the frame with 4 screws. The bottom support is .5 inches thick leaving less than 1 inch of padding. I was hoping the seat would be more comfortable considering this is considered a transport chair.
The amount of room allocated for seating is generous and will certainly help carry things while shopping. Beneath the seat is a zippered compartment capable of holding envelope-thick objects.
Rollator
Overall, the rollator felt nimble and smooth, requiring less energy to steer it than others I have tried. The front wheels are wonderful, performing well on carpet, hard surfaces, grooved pavement and even grass. While stationary, I could easily rest one knee at a time on the seat or sit down and rest both legs at once.
Hey, it's a nice rollator!
The brakes worked well right out of the box. Instructions to adjust the brakes are easy to follow without any access restrictions. On the unit I had the left brake assembly was loose, but that did not affect the brake operation.
To lock the brakes you would push down on the brake handles. The hand movement required to lock the brakes seemed greater than other rollators, but would only take a little while to get used to. I did find the brake cables to be excessively long, but this can easily be resolved with cable ties or even bread ties. The longer cables might get snagged on objects while moving in tight spaces.
There was a minor bit of movement with the left handle. I spoke with the manufacturer and after adding a small washer the movement was corrected.
My biggest complaint about the unit is the basket. The basket is a 2x2 inch grid. There is no security for your items and small objects can fall through the bottom. I greatly prefer compartments that can be sealed keeping my items out of view. To preserve that wonderful styling I am using the rollator without the basket. With a slight basket modification it may have fit in 4 different locations, but it is designed to sit in front.
note: The manufacturer informed me they wanted to make the basket easy to access and remove. Based on this criteria, I believe the basket implementation is a success.
Transport Chair
The footrests simply fold up and down similar to a manual wheel chair. They are made of plastic, but feel quite sturdy. For people over 6 feet the foot rests might not be low enough for comfort leaving your knees slightly elevated. For my wife and I the foot rests worked flawlessly.
The seat may be a limiting factor on how long you could be comfortably transported. This is not an unique problem and can usually be solved by purchasing a gel pad from your local bike dealer.
I had 3 different people pushing me and all of them said it was rather easy on both carpeted and hard floor surfaces. With my backpack they were pushing about 195 lbs. with ease. The only problem we encountered was going over a large transition flooring in a commercial kitchen.
Transporting
The unit folded and unfolded rather easily with the drawstring given. You can also remove the back support to reduce the space needed for transport. If the back support is removed the seat may flop potentially damaging the seat. This could be prevented by attaching a a tether on both sides of the seat limiting the movement.
Overall
When I hear the term "combo of x & y," my brain assumes that the combination will be 50%x and 50%y. This really isn't the case here. What you have is a solid rollator with a few additional features that make patient transport easier. This model would certainly come in handy during Multiple Sclerosis flare ups, after chemotherapy, or similar situation. If you spend over 50% of your time in a wheelchair, this may not quite fit the bill.
The market potential for combining transport devices seems enticing. With a few minor adjustments I believe Roscoe Medical may be well poised to be one of the market leaders.
For additional information on rollators try this thread:
http://www.msworld.org/forum/showthread.php?t=125519
Manufacturer's Link: http://www.roscoemedical.com/default...=ROS-RLTRAN-BL
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