Porto Mobility Ranger XL Wide Seat Lightweight Foldable Electric Wheelchair, 50 lbs, Powerful Motors, All-Terrain

So I finally took the plunge and got myself the Porto Mobility Ranger XL wheelchair, and honestly, I’m kicking myself for not doing it sooner! After my dad struggled with his bulky old chair for years, I knew we needed something different, and this thing has been a total game-changer for us.
First off, this chair is surprisingly lightweight—like, only 50 pounds without the batteries! I was pretty skeptical about that, especially since it can hold up to 400 pounds (my dad’s not small, but he’s definitely not pushing that limit either). The aluminum frame feels really solid though, kind of like the high-quality stuff you’d see in expensive bikes. It folds up in literally seconds, which is super handy when we’re trying to cram it into my not-so-spacious Honda trunk. When it’s folded up, it’s only about 13 inches tall, so it doesn’t take up nearly as much space as I thought it would.
The battery situation is pretty neat—there are two lithium batteries mounted on the sides that you can pop off, which takes another 8 pounds off when you’re lifting it. We’ve taken it to the mall for a full day of shopping, and the charge lasted the whole time with juice to spare. They claim it can go up to 18 miles on a charge, and while I haven’t measured it exactly, I’d say that’s probably about right based on our use. Oh, and the batteries are airline-approved too, which is a huge plus since we’re planning a family trip to Florida next month.
The motors on this thing are no joke! We live in a hilly neighborhood, and it handles the slopes way better than I expected. Dad took it on our grassy backyard (which isn’t exactly well-maintained, if I’m being honest), and it didn’t struggle at all. We even tried it on the gravel path at the local park, and while it wasn’t as smooth as pavement obviously, it handled it pretty well. The wheels are made of this solid polyurethane material—not air-filled—so we don’t have to worry about flats, which is a relief.
One thing that really surprised me was how maneuverable it is indoors. Our house isn’t exactly designed for wheelchairs, but this thing can turn around in a pretty tight space—they say 33 inches, which seems about right. It fits through all our doorways without a problem. The joystick controller is super responsive; my dad can operate it with just one finger, and it doesn’t have any of those “dead zones” his old chair had where nothing would happen when you pushed the stick.
When it arrived, I was dreading having to put it together (I’m terrible with assembly instructions), but to my relief, it came fully assembled! Just had to charge the batteries and we were good to go. The warranty is pretty decent too—3 years on the frame and 1 year on the motor, controller, and batteries.
Not everything’s perfect, of course. The chair is a bit wider than I initially thought at 24 inches unfolded, so we’ve had a couple of tight squeezes in some older buildings with narrow doorways. And while the seat is comfortable (21 inches between the armrests), my dad added an extra cushion for longer outings.
All in all, for what we paid, this has been a really solid purchase. It’s given my dad back a lot of independence, and that’s honestly priceless. If you’re on the fence about electric wheelchairs, this one’s definitely worth considering.