Let The Good Times Roll – A Review of the Rollz Motion

Last month the wonderful lovely people from Rollz International gifted me a Rollz Motion, which is a 2-in-1 rollator/wheelchair combo. They gave it to me in exchange for some social media posts and an honest review on my blog. So this is me doing that! Everything I am about to say about the Rollz Motion is 100% how I feel about it, as I would never sell out and then tell you, my fabulous followers, to go buy a product that I have secret issues with. *Spoiler alert: I legit love my Rollz*

My Rollz Motion was shipped right to my door and took my husband maybe 10 minutes to set up. The bulk of the rollator was already put together and he just had to read some instructions, add the pouch underneath, adjust the handles, and unpackage the seat and foot rests. I knew as soon as he had it set up and we figured out how it worked and how easily it transformed into a wheelchair that this mobility aid was going to CHANGE MY LIFE.

I now have to tell you that I have named my Rollz Motion “Scooty-Puff Sr.” which is a Futurama reference. So if you keep reading “Scooty-Puff” throughout this blog post fear not, it’s just the proper name for my Rollz.

There are three different ways that you can use the Rollz Motion so I will share a picture of what each one looks like and tell you a little bit about how it works.

In this picture ^ you see the Rollz Motion as a rollator. It has larger wheels than most rollators, so it glides very easily and is less physically exhausting than a regular rollator (especially on uneven surfaces).  There is a very comfortable pad that velcroes onto the bench to make it nice on your butt when you want to have a little rest. There is also a durable mesh pouch that attaches underneath the bench where you can store things. When I’m out and about I usually keep my purse in there, and when I’m home I use it as a snack pouch. It’s so versatile! The handles are also height adjustable. You just turn a knob on the back of the rollator and you can move them to whichever height is most comfortable for you. I love these handles and find them very ergonomic, but I am only 5’9 and have them on the second highest height, so I’m unsure if they will be high enough to be comfortable for super tall people. I do have very long arms though, so I’m sure your body proportions matter more than your actual height here. But just something to keep in mind!

At the end of the handles are breaks that you can press down on while walking so you can slow the machine, and you can also click those breaks into place so the Rollz won’t roll away on you (or with you on it) while you are doing things that involve being in one spot. My left break wasn’t working very well when I got Scooty-Puff and this concerned me, as the wheel was still moving when I had the break clicked on, but after talking to a representative from the company, I was sent some helpful videos showing me how to easily fix the break. The customer service is superb.

In this picture, the Rollz is still a rollator, but it has the chair attachment added to the back. This is one of the most genius inventions I have ever seen. It’s a lightweight seat back with a large pouch on the back that holds two folding foot rests. You just rest it in place within the grooves behind the bench and easily flip the red handle forward to secure it in place. You can walk around like this, using it as a rollator. There is a little less leg room when it’s in this position, but it’s still a comfortable walk for me. I’m unsure if it might get in the way of a shorter person’s knees, though. But if that is the case, you could get the add-on called the 3-in-1 Cane, Chair & Bag Holder, that allows you to hang the chair on the front of the rollator, providing more leg room for walking. I think I will be purchasing that in the future, mostly for the cane & bag option though, as I’m cool with the chair hanging out on the back of the Rollz.

And in this picture, VOILA, you now have a wheelchair! *insert shocked face emoji*
It is SO easy to switch it from a rollator to a wheelchair. It takes less than a minute (for me). You just flip up the chair and lock it in place. Then you loosen the handles and flip them around so they are in a more convenient position for the person who will be pushing you. Then you open the pouch on the back, take out the folding foot rests, unfold them and slip them into place on the front of the chair. Now you can sit down in a very comfy chair and get pushed around like the royalty that you are. It is a surprisingly durable, easy ride.

My husband pushed me through the mall last week and I found it very comfortable and he said it was not difficult to push at all. There are also two little extensions on the back of the chair that are possibly anti-tipping majiggers (not the technical term) but the person pushing you can also press their foot against this to help propel you up a curb or a lip in the road.

I will note that this is a wheelchair that needs to be pushed by someone else. There isn’t an option to manually push it yourself. There are many times in my kitchen when I just flip the chair up and lock it into place so I can sit down and use my legs to scoot around the kitchen while cooking. So I manage to get around my house while seated without help, but I definitely need a push 99% of the time. I don’t really go out on my own these days anyway, so that works for me.

It’s relatively easy to fold this machine up and transport it in our car. I have lifted it a couple times and it’s a bit awkward for me, but my husband and friends don’t have issues lifting it and placing it in their vehicles. They usually fold it up, carry it down the stairs and into the car, while I follow behind with the chair (which is very light and has a handle which makes it super easy to carry). The only issue that we have discovered while transporting it is that once folded, there is nothing to clip the two folded sides together, so if you aren’t careful it can easily unfold on you. You have to make sure to be holding both sides of it. But I have been talking to the wonderful Oana from Rollz International and she told me that a clip for this exact purpose is in production. I will be very excited to get that add-on!

I’ve gone on a few adventures with my Scooty-Puff over the last month. Nothing major, but a few trips to the mall, Chapters, a local park, the movies, and a museum. The park and the museum are adventures that I normally would have said no to, because my body is just too unpredictable to handle a lengthy walk and standing for long periods of time. But now I get to say yes to these things!

It’s hard to put into words just how much my world feels like it’s opening up since Scooty-Puff has been delivered to my door. It’s certainly helping me physically, but I’m amazed by how much it’s helping me psychologically. For quite a long time now I’ve had this underlying sense of fear about leaving the house, especially for an extended period of time.

What if I got too tired? What if I spent all that energy to get ready to go do a thing and by the time I got there I didn’t have it in me to follow through? What if I was out with my friends for an adventure and I dislocated something or the leg muscle weakness hit me again? What if I literally got stuck in a park far away from our car?

All of those thoughts would soar through my brain when trying to decide if it was worth leaving my house. And now I don’t feel them. I just take my Rollz Motion and pop the folded chair onto the back to have with me just in case. Now I know that if I’m somewhere far away from my bed or car and I’m just too tired to keep going, one of my besties can just push me the rest of the way. The amount of freedom in that thought is so relieving.

The first time I used it in public was at the mall and a movie with my friend. We walked through the mall chatting away. My Rollz is sleek enough that I wasn’t bumping into things, and it’s sturdy enough that I realized later that I wasn’t focused at all on my walking that evening. I got to just be, to have a fun outing with my friend, without worrying about the logistics of whether or not I can walk a certain length or if I will trip up. It was magical.

If you’re someone like me, who wants to walk as much as possible but would really benefit from knowing there is a chair waiting for you should you need it, I honestly can’t recommend the Rollz Motion enough. It isn’t a cheap purchase – the suggested retail is $1399 Canadian but it varies depending on the vendor – but it isn’t cheap because it isn’t a cheaply made mobility aid. It is far from your run of the mill rollator.  It’s a wonderfully designed rollator but it’s also a sturdy wheelchair. And we must talk about how PERFECTLY STYLISH it is! It’s a very attractive mobility aid, and that’s really high on my list of things I need in my mobility aids. #priorities

OH! I should also tell you that it comes in a few different colours. My colour is called pebble white but there is also: island blue, black, and dark purple. Something for everyone!

If you would like to find out more information about the Rollz Motion, click here. On their website you will find a very detailed brochure that includes a bunch of cool add-ons you can get (I’m definitely getting the travel bag, cane holder and cup holder!). It tells you everything you will need to know about the Rollz Motion. There are also very informative videos that you can watch. From that site you can also find out more about how to order one. If you’re in North America you can order from their distributor Triumph Mobility.

You can also have a look at their instagram @rollzint or by searching the hashtag #rollzmotion to see more pics of cool people using their Rollz Motions!

Thanks for reading about Scooty-Puff and how much this little guy is changing my life!

TLDR: Rollz Motion good. 4.6 stars out of 5. Worth the money. Highly recommend. Life-changing.