Power Base
While front-wheel drive is not as intuitive to pick up as other drives, it nonetheless offers a good balance of outdoor performance and precision manoeuvring indoors. Turning is much improved over rear-wheel drive, helped by the compact frame and inrigged castor arms, while outdoor performance is good, albeit with kerb climbing limited to 7 cm.
The Q700 F Sedeo Ergo features the same power base as the standard Q700 F - this includes 4 wheel Spidertrac independent suspension on each wheel to minimise jolts and maximise traction, and an articulating castor arm that absorbs bumps from the rear wheels. Spirit Level Technology sees the drive wheels connected by a pivot bar, which keeps both wheels in contact with the ground at all times, absorbing the pull when driving around corners or across slopes.
60 Ah batteries come as standard, but for the longest range (up to 25 miles) you can upgrade to 80 Ah batteries, although this does slightly increase the minimum seat height. With powerful four-pole motors, the Q700 F can get you where you want, at maximum speeds of up to 8 mph - though in our experience, you get the best torque and range with a top speed of 6.5 mph or less. The Gyro-Tracking System upgrade is strongly recommended on the Q700 F Sedeo Ergo (and required for 8 mph), which helps to keep you on track by correcting small deviations in your course caused by slopes or uneven terrain. We would also advise getting this upgrade if using special controls, as it provides a much easier drive, with less corrections needing to be made to maintain your course.
Seating
The Sedeo Ergo Biometric seating system is designed to uniquely adapt to your body like no other seat. A significantly step above the Sedeo Pro system that the standard Q700 F comes with, it features markedly improved comfort and support for those with the highest levels of seating requirements. The Q700 F Sedeo Ergo comes as standard with 175° powered recline that allows you to lie flat, and which has a unique patented anti-shear mechanism that ensures the backrest, headrest, and even head or chin controls stay in the same place relative to your body while reclining to avoid friction and provide continuous support. Similarly, the articulating and elevating centre-mount footrest maintains contact with your feet, which ensures that your posture and comfort remain constant. Options for both 50° powered tilt and a 30 cm seat lifter are available should further powered positioning options be desired.
If the powered lift module is ordered with the Sedeo Ergo, it comes with C-Me, allowing you to drive at 3 mph when fully elevated 12 inches or reclined 120° - so you can drive in a comfortable position, and at eye level with people around you. This steady walking pace is much faster than the crawl that most powerchairs are limited to when elevated and makes socialising in your wheelchair much easier.
The seating is fully adjustable as one would expect from a powerchair of this level, allowing it to be set exactly to your size, with infinite adjustment rather than stepped adjustment, making for a more precise fit. The Q700 F Sedeo Ergo uniquely comes with lateral side cushions to provide further support and comfort, and these can be swung out and lifted off for side transfer should it be required. Should further postural support be required, JAY J3 backrests can be fitted, while advanced pressure relief can be provided by JAY cushioning.
Rather than having to spend time fine-tuning yourself to a comfortable position each time you wish to change between them, the Sedeo Ergo can save six customisable seating positions. These can include Sitting with individually tailored tilt, recline, leg length and leg angle for maximum comfort, Lift to bring you to eye level with your environment, and allowing you to drive at up to 3 mph with C-Me while fully lifted, Legs over head to improve circulation, Pressure relief position with more recline, tilt and leg elevation to aid pressure relief, and Lie-down to allow you to relax, sleep or stretch.
While those are the most popular positions, each can be fully tailored to match your needs. The advanced programming has allowed Sunrise Medical to create "gateway positions" which mimic natural movements, for example maintaining your pelvic position within the seat whilst the backrest. This allows the chair to naturally support and hug you in every position, without the need for you to reposition yourself.
Controls
The powerful and expandable R-Net 120 Amp control system comes as standard, which allows you to control multiple powered positioning modules and includes a high resolution LCD screen. Infrared and Bluetooth connectivity can allow you to seamlessly connect to and control your environment - such as home entertainment systems, computers and smartphones. We would strongly recommend the addition of the seat function Ctrl+5 Switch Box, which allows you to move into one of the five programmable seat positions at the touch of a button.
The Link-It mounting system allows an endless combination of special controls such as additional switches, head and chin controls to be attached should you have more specialist control requirements, and the clean design doesn’t compromise the appearance of your powerchair.
Appearance
The Q700 F features a sleek, modern appearance with a minimalist ethos - both wiring and components are hidden, the cushioning has sharply-tailored upholstery, and the chassis is matt black. You can then customise this further with your choice of seven striking colour inlays (green, black, blue, orange, red, silver and white), which can be easily replaced if you want to change your style. We think the Quickie Q-series range is the best looking one on the market, and the Q700 F is no exception.
Our Verdict
The flagship front-wheel drive model in the Quickie Q-series range (unless you count the standing Q700-Up F), the Quickie Q700 F Sedeo Ergo offers an excellent balance of indoor and outdoor performance, and an outstandingly comfortable and supportive seating system. While it is significantly more expensive than the standard Q700 F, the seating is a massive step up, and highly recommended for those who will spend the entire day in their wheelchair or who have more clinical seating needs. It has to be tried to be truly appreciated, and we can arrange a home demonstration for you to find out just what the Sedeo Ergo seat can do for you.
The other chairs to consider alongside the Q700 F Sedeo Ergo are Permobil's F3 Corpus and F5 Corpus, which have long set the standard for front-wheel drive chairs. They offer similar performance and seating functions, plus the option for forward (anterior) tilt to extend your reach.
