Frame
The Ki Mobility Catalyst 5 Folding Wheelchair is a clear step up from the more basic Catalyst 5VX, with a lighter and sleeker frame - making it more stylish and transportable than ever. The smooth folding action of the patented Power X-Hinge allows the Catalyst to be easily folded up to a compact size for transport or storage, yet maintains a solid, rigid feel to the chair when in use. The unique dual interlocking frame transfers loads from the cross-brace onto the vertical side frames, which are capable of supporting far greater loads - this keeps the cross-brace light, and ensures that no matter how much you use your Catalyst 5, the frame remains as solid as when you first got it.
Ki use 7000 series aluminium on the Catalyst, a strong yet light alloy that helps to dampen down vibrations whilst providing a high level of rigidity for a responsive ride. The Catalyst has an impressive 136 kg weight capacity as standard; the HD version ups this to a 158.7 kg, allowing the chair to cater to people of all shapes and sizes.
Adjustability
Despite being a higher-end chair than the 5VX, the Catalyst 5 remains highly adjustable, ensuring your wheelchair works for you in the long-term. This includes the centre of gravity, front and rear seat heights, backrest height and angle, footrest and armrest lengths, and more.
Seating and Options
With seat widths of 14 - 22" and depths of 14 - 20", the Catalyst can provide people of all sizes with a perfect fit. We recommend Ki's Axiom range of cushions and backrests, which are precision engineered to provide a high level of comfort, support and pressure relief. Third party seating, such as Jay, Matrx and Roho products can be fitted instead if you already have a preferred seating set-up.
The front-frame is available as both a fixed front - popular for weight saving and top performance - or with swing-away legrests that help with transfers. Ki Mobility offer a lifetime warranty on their legrest hangers - unmatched on the market, and a relief for those who know that legrests tend to be one of the most common parts of a wheelchair to go wrong. They are the most intuitive hanger available, allowing you to attach or detach them from any angle by simply pushing them up or down, while the tapered engagement keeps them snug and rattle free.
Other options include the popular swing-in anti-tips - easy to activate, they are there when you need them and gone when you don't, without sacrificing the compact frame design. Fender sideguards protect your clothing from the road while adding a sleek look to your chair, and are available in either padded aluminium or ultra-light carbon fibre. If you require armrests, the height adjustable version features a no rattle design, with a rock solid feel, and are functional, easy to use and lightweight. A full selection of industry standard wheels, tyres and handrims are available to choose from - after all, the wheels are a crucial part of your wheelchair. In particular, the Maxx Performance spoke wheels are really impressive for a "standard" option on a chair - light, durable and stylish.
Style
The Catalyst has a sleek, elegant frame that you can fully personalise. This includes a choice of 10 gloss frame colours, 9 matte ones, and 17 hydrographic prints. These can then be set off with an accent colour of your choice to create a wheelchair that is an extension of your style.
Our Verdict
The Catalyst 5 is a good performing folding chair - a clear step up from models such as the Catalyst 5VX and Quickie QS5X, without being as expensive as ones such as the Xenon2. We would suggest trying it alongside Kuschall's Compact 2.0, or their Champion with its unique no cross-brace folding mechanism, and Progeo's Exelle.
