Panthera X
There's no other active wheelchair that comes close to being as light as the X - with a transport weight of 2.1 kg, and total weight of just 4.4 kg, it is substantially lighter than any other model on the market. This is the culmination of 5 years of development combined with Panthera's long history of creating the lightest wheelchairs.
The challenge has been to create a wheelchair both extremely light but also strong - and the Panthera X manages this. Its box frame design combines with stiff materials to minimise energy loss to nearly zero, resulting in a wheelchair that handles and rolls effortlessly. Countless hours have been put into details like determining the precise fibre direction and combination of fibre qualities to optimise the Panthera X's performance. Almost everything on the wheelchair is made by Panthera themselves, with even tiny components such as nuts and bolts redesigned to save the smallest fraction of a gram.
Panthera
Panthera wheelchairs are made a little differently to other manufacturers' active wheelchairs. They are available in a small number of set seat widths, with chassis that accommodate a range of seat depths. This allows for quicker delivery, but does reduce some of the options for configuring and personalising your wheelchair, such as colour choices.
As a high-end extremely light wheelchair, the Panthera X has limited capability for post-supply adjustments, with certain dimensions such as the centre-of-gravity position fixed. Additionally, some aspects of the chair are pre-determined, such as three inch castor wheels, and push-handles or anti-tips are not available. However, it can still be built to provide a good fit for your size, and performance aspects such as wheels, handrims, tyres, sideguards and the footrest can be customised.
Our Verdict
If you want the lightest wheelchair, there's no competition - the Panthera X weighs significantly less even than other high-end carbon fibre rigid wheelchairs such as Quickie's Krypton R and Progeo's Noir. For an active wheelchair, it's expensive, but given it's half the weight (or less!) of many of its competitors, the extra cost is worth it.
Panthera chairs haven't always had the best reputation when it comes to looks, with the U3 and S3 series being more functional than stylish - however, the sleek carbon frame of the X is a cut above the rest, with a modern and stylish look.
