UPDATE: 3 years on and this thing is still going strong. Since I've recovered I've lent it out to multiple people and they all loved it. Just to give you an idea, it's been used by me (pictured), a small middle-aged woman, a large man, a young teenage girl, and a woman in her eighties, to name a few. Everything is still in tip-top shape, even the air in the tires, save for a small tear on the knee cushion which was probably caused by someone I lent it to but is no big deal. Original (incredibly detailed) review is below. When I broke my ankle 2 weeks before the trip of a lifetime to Italy and Paris, to say I was bummed would be an understatement. I was determined to go however and after two days on crutches I knew I wouldn't survive on them. The traditional knee scooters have tiny tires which would be no match for the cobblestone streets. A big bulky wheelchair would be inconvenient as we were visiting 4 cities in two weeks so we rented a lighter transport chair (4 small wheels instead of having two big ones on the back so someone must push you as you cannot wheel yourself) but I quickly discovered I REALLY disliked being pushed in the chair. The hunt was on for a durable enough scooter to get me through the rough streets of Italy that I could use independently. Since I thought the wheelchair would be fine initially I didn't look for a scooter right away so I ended up paying for one day shipping on this baby, which arrived the day before we were set to leave for Europe. Yeah don't procrastinate, the one day shipping is incredibly expensive (obviously). With no time to practice on it before the trip and the mixed reviews I was definitely nervous. The part about the instructions being awful is absolutely true. They're quite laughable. Really though, a little common sense and perhaps some experience assembling IKEA furniture and you'll be just fine. There was one little black knob turny thing I could find absolutely no spot or instructions for and I just eventually assumed they send it with the same parts kit as the non-pro and it was to attach the basket. This version came with a backpack instead which is a MILLION times better. YOU NEED TO INFLATE THE TIRES. I read this in another review so I was prepared (friend with an air compressor) but this is very important to note. I, and literally everyone who saw me, was so impressed with this thing. As evidenced by the attached photos I could go almost anywhere, including the Colleseum in Rome! I always had a place to sit while everyone else hunted for a bench. I preferred sitting "side saddle" (additional photo) as opposed to straddling it but ended up doing that occasionally like when on the bus in Paris (very handicap friendly buses in Paris by the way, not so much the metro). I always engaged the parking brake first by squeezing the brake handle and pushing down the silver button on top of it, then sat right down. Just sit right in the middle. Never tipped. On sloped ground just lean slightly. It'll probably just come naturally. (photo) Shopping was easy, everything in the backpack. And much to my family's pleasure, room for their things too such as water bottles and small purchases. (additional photo shopping, watch out for chihuahuas). I used the backpack as my personal item for flights. Laptop and plenty of other things fit just fine. While I'm pretty much an expert at spotting the sidewalk ramps/curb cutouts from a mile away now curbs and even steps of one or two are easy. You can do it two ways: 1. Stand on good leg, pick entire scooter up over curb (bad leg not on scooter at this time, weight supported by good leg), engage brake, hop up on curb and put bad leg back on scooter. Resume zooming along. 2. Put front wheels on curb, engage brake, good leg goes up curb, disengage brake and wheel forward while bringing back wheel onto curb. Bad leg remains on scooter entire time. I probably made that sound complicated but it's really not and I could get up curbs almost as quickly as my able-bodied travel companions. And if I fell a bit behind well I caught up immediately thanks to my wheels. I generally used way #2 but way #1 was better suited for larger curbs and steps. I really never felt unstable. Put your knee at the front of the pad and try to keep your weight forward. Along these lines, let's talk about that knee. For short easy jaunts I found the pad on the scooter sufficient however as you can see in the photos my boot comes to just below my knee so rough roads or long jaunts could get uncomfortable. Since this was a last minute purchase I ended up using my memory foam travel pillow (also seen in photos). I'm sure you can find something to suffice, even a folded towel worked fine until I thought to use my travel pillow. Sharp turns. It just won't happen on this thing. Just pick up the front wheels and pivot on the rear, engaging brake if needed. Or stand on good leg, pick up and turn the whole thing. It's really not that hard and a fair trade off for this beast in my opinion as it's quite obvious from looking at it that it won't take tight corners. Now that I'm home I will tell you that I do NOT use this in my house, nor did I plan to. I have a flight of 15 steps to scale just to get in here from my garage and it's a smaller place. If your main intention is to use this inside your home I say look elsewhere, unless you have some sprawling ground level mansion I suppose. After the trip I now use this to go to work because from my car to the office building is a bit of a jaunt. It's not necessarily easy to get in and out of the car alone on one leg but it's manageable and for me the short struggle is worth the ease of scooting along the sidewalk all the way to work. I have a Buick and put it in the back seat. When I'm at home, around the hotel rooms on the trip, and for quick stops at the store, or even long grocery shopping trips where I need to push a cart I use my iwalk 2.0. Another incredible product, but not for distance which I prefer my scooter. For the trip alone this purchase was worth it to me but it's also been perfect for getting to work and if I'm out and about for longer periods of time. TL;DR - Instructions are terrible but you'll figure it out - You need to inflate the tires to 40 psi - The backpack is amazing and will fit a laptop plus numerous other items, can use pouches on the sides as cup holders - Use parking brake when having a seat or just standing around. To engage squeeze brake handle and push silver button on top of it and to disengage squeeze brake handle again. - Hopping curbs or a couple steps is easy - Keep your weight towards the front - Use a cushion or extra padding for the knee - Pivot on rear wheel for sharp turns - Not recommended for using only "around the house" unless you have a decent amount of space - Everyone will think it's the most awesome knee scooter they have ever seen.
