Seating
Either Synergy or Contoured seating can be provided with the chair, with the 1450 coming with Contoured seating as standard - a simple but effective system with a selection of standard seat sizes. The Synergy seat provides a wider range of seat sizes to allow a perfect fit and more flexibility to adapt to weight fluctuations, although it does add to the cost. It can come with 40° of pressure-relieving powered tilt - ideal if spending longer periods of time in the chair. Armrest, headrest and legrests options are all available on either system, as you would expect from a prescriptive powerchair.
Power Base
Front-wheel drive is traditional on bariatric powerchairs, allowing for improved stability, as well as enhanced manoeuvrability - crucial on wider chairs to enable them to navigate indoor spaces. Front-wheel drive does result in "fishtailing", making it less intuitive to drive for those new to powerchairs. The Quantum 1450 has oversized rear castors and high-traction knobbly drive tyres to offer solid performance outdoors, backed up by the comfort-enhancing swing-arm suspension.
Our Verdict
The Quantum 1450 Powerchair is significantly more expensive than Quantum Rehab's flagship bariatric Edge HD model, which benefits from mid-wheel drive and a much wider choice of seating options. Its key advantage is the higher weight capacity - given that medical conditions often result in people's weight fluctuating unexpectedly, the 1450 is generally the better option for those above about 30 stone, as it offers more long-term certainty that it will remain suitable. However, the 1450 is not crash-tested, meaning that if the chair needs to be used for occupied transport in a vehicle, then the Edge HD should be selected instead.
