Ti-Lite ZRA Wheelchair

I have been using a wheelchair now for more than 12 years and have been in many different brands and models. From “new and innovative” wheelchairs to chairs with shock absorbers to titanium-framed sports chairs, I have seen them all. Now that I am in my 2nd ZR-Series chair from Ti Lite, the ZRA, I have found the perfect fit for my active lifestyle.

Overall Rating: ***** 5 Stars

Pros:
Incredibly light 11.5lb. frame
Durable, thick tubing
Adjustability
Titanium’s natural shock absorbent nature
Ease of break-down & stowage

Cons:
Price
Plastic brake components

Review:
Now that I have found the “perfect” wheelchair for my lifestyle I need to brag about a few of the best features of the Ti Lite ZRA. My last Ti chair was heavier and more difficult to pack and travel with. The newest design, however, is even lighter at just over 11 pounds and with the fattening of the main frame and the removal of the secondary frame pieces, this chair is super easy to take apart and put back together, especially when getting in and out of my car. I also travel extensively for business and have found these features very helpful when stowing my chair on airplanes. For those that enjoy doing their own repair work, Ti Lite has made the adjustability and repairs as simple as possible.

In addition to traveling I am also very active in outdoor sports and recreation. The durable and now thicker titanium frame allows me to be a little rougher on my chair, such as bumping up and down curbs and stairs, and camping and hiking. And my back, which takes a beating from these types of activities, doesn’t get as sore thanks to the fact that titanium is naturally shock absorbent.

I really only found two downfalls with this new ZRA. First and foremost, as with most high performance chairs on the market today, the price is very high. If you have good insurance this is not a problem, but with all of the insurance short falls in the U.S. right now, these chairs are just not available to many people who want and need them. The other issue I had with this chair was the fact that the brake components that come standard with the chair are plastic scissor brakes. I was very surprised to find plastic components on a chair that costs several thousand dollars and was glad that I could replace them with the metal brakes that came standard on the previous model that I had been using.

Overall, I would recommend this wheelchair to anyone who is active in their everyday life. The pros definitely outweigh the cons here and as long as you have good insurance, this chair will make your active life a lot easier and will last a long time.