KneeRoverFusion Patented Knee Scooter with 4 Wheel Steering - Knee Walker for Adults for Foot Surgery, Broken Ankle, Foot Injuries - Heavy Duty Knee Rover Scooter for Broken Foot

I broke my left ankle and can expect a minimum of six weeks unable to put any weight on that foot. Crutches have their uses, but they're exhausting and make ordinary chores like laundry, cooking, doing dishes, etc. impossible unless, maybe, you live in a place specifically set up to accommodate disability. I have been using and comparing four knee scooters, all from Knee Rover, including this one, which I got in Olympic Blue.I have found the Knee Rover products in general to be well constructed. I haven't had any long enough to pronounce in a definitive way about their longevity, but the frames are welded from large-diameter tubular steel, the other large parts are also steel, and all are either powdercoated or chromed. I have ridden, worked on, and built bicycles for most of my life, so the parts and mechanics are all familiar. These look durable and maintainable.The Fusion appears to be new, so maybe the kinks in the model will be worked out in the future, but here's my experience in the present:1) Knee Rover ships fast, and their scooters arrive when they say they will. This is a big deal if you are desperate, as I was, for the mobility they provide.2) The Fusion, like their other models, arrives packed to withstand really abusive shipping. This prevents all sorts of problems that can arise in shipping this kind of equipment, but, most important, it ensures the desperate individual referenced above gets their "mobility solution" in usable condition. "Usable", I should say, once the almighty chore of removing the mostly non-recyclable packing materials is done. You will do best with large nail clippers, wire cutters, or, if you're a bicycle mechanic, cable cutters to get through the myriad zip ties used to hold the plastic foam and instructions in place.3) The instructions I received mislabeled the seat mounting screws as cover screws in the tools-and-parts diagram, and made no mention of the seat mounting screws at all until the instruction to use them. Meanwhile, the cover screws and washers came in a separate, sealed plastic bag that was not in the bag that contained all of the other parts and the two hex wrenches and one crescent wrench to use on them. Also, a second set of identical instructions was included in its own plastic bag with two more hex wrenches that may have been designed for someone with limited strength, as they have large t-handle bends at the ends of long shafts. There's no mention of these in the instructions, and I could see someone less mechanically inclined wondering what they're for. The photos printed in the instructions would be much more helpful if they were at higher contrast and larger. It can be very difficult to tell from a photo what it's supposed to show. [Update: So, the second set of superficially identical instructions had a label on one side of the plastic bag that contained them that I didn't see instructing one to use those instructions in place of the ones included in the parts bag. I think the label should be on both sides of the replacement bag. or, better, only one set of correct instructions should be included. In any case, the replacement instructions correct the parts description, and even improve on the photographs that needed it, as one can see in the color of the cover, appearing purple in the original instructions and a dark but useful version of Knee Rover's "electric blue" in the update. The package also included an insert mentioning the t-handle wrenches and their inclusion for making adjustments to the disc brakes. Unfortunately, being able to adjust the brakes doesn't make up for their inherent deficiencies, except insofar as one can release them when they're inclined to lock up, but I had the tools for that, anyway...] Aside from the mistakes, which need to be corrected but are minor, the instructions are well written and easy to follow. It's hard for me to assess how to improve the instructions, as I have enough familiarity with such things that I could have put the scooter together without them. And that bring up one last, additional comment: anyone with a little mechanical aptitude and sufficient mobility and dexterity will find the Fusion easy to assemble. The model, however, requires the proper placement and installation of two large bolts to attach the front wheel assembly to the frame, four washers and a nylock nut to attach the front tie-rods, four washers and screws to attach the knee pad in whichever offset position is correct for the user, and four washers and screws to attach the cover, in addition to fitting the plastic tabs together along the cover's length. This is in addition to the same set of assembly steps used on all of Knee Rover's scooters. In other words, the Fusion requires substantially more assembly to make functional than any other model Knee Rover produces, and it is heavier and more unwieldy to handle during the process. It imposes a substantial extra burden on disabled persons doing this themselves. It's not impossible, I did it, but not everyone will find assembly to be the congenial task it is with other models.4) The big advantage of the Fusion is supposed to be its turning radius. It may not be apparent before one finds oneself disabled and using wheels, but indoor spaces not designed to accommodate disabled people require a lot of tight turns that people on two legs walk through without having to think about it. The Fusion's linked front and rear tie-rod system turns both at the same time to tighten the radius in comparison to other scooters without sacrificing stability to the degree that allowing the front wheels to turn without restriction would. Two problem arise, however, that I think make this model not worth its considerably higher price: 1) There's so much extra friction in the system that I kept checking to make sure I'd done the front tie-rod installation correctly. I had from the beginning, and even loosening it substantially for diagnostic purposes and making multiple adjustments had no effect. I'm an active, middle-aged man of average size, so strength isn't the issue for me, but the Fusion is still not so maneuverable that I don't have to make nearly as many three-point turns, or, more often, just lift the thing and rotate it into position, as with any other scooter. The only substantial advantage to the turning radius that I can see would be for someone more limited in strength or dexterity, but the greater difficulty of turning the steering bar would make using this model a misery for such a person. I'm pretty sure I can reduce the friction somewhat with some of my fancy cycling lubricants, and this might be a good case for hot wax, but even those can accomplish only so much. This is a high friction system. Also, although the various adjustable parts of the system are set up at the factory, and may be fixed with thread lock, over time they will require adjustment. It adds complexity and increases the likelihood of failure without adding much, if anything, in functionality. Adjusting the linkages will affect front/rear alignment. It looks like the factory sets the wheels with a slight toe-in, appropriate enough if one wants to avoid having the scooter attempt to go wandering off on its own course, but it adds a whole new, unnecessary dimension to prospective maintenance. 2) The added machinery makes the Fusion Knee Rover's heaviest model, from what I can see, as much as half again as heavy as the lighter folding models at around 30 pounds. This presents an additional challenge for anyone dealing with strength and dexterity limitations. It's that much harder to lift and maneuver, an inevitable necessity at times. The stiff steering and the extra weight seem to me to be greater inconveniences than the smaller turning radius is a convenience, and for quite a bit extra money, too!5) The Fusion uses dual, mechanical disc brakes at the rear with a really clever mechanism that allows the one lever to pull the two brakes simultaneously. It's a great idea, but I'm not sure why Knee Rover chose disc brakes only for the Fusion. They use drum or caliper brakes on all of their other models, including those for "all-terrain" purposes. Disc brakes have their benefits, but the big one is mechanical advantage. You can get a lot of braking friction out of less effort at the lever, but the only reason for doing that on a scooter is, again, to benefit users whose hand strength might be more limited, and the other aspects of the Fusion's construction militate against meeting the needs of those same users. In the meantime, the most annoying aspect of disc brakes makes itself heard: their tendency to rub continuously, or intermittently if you don't have perfect alignment and a perfectly flat disc. I've installed and tuned plenty of disc brakes, mechanical and hydraulic, and, yes, they can be smooth and silent, for a while. These shouldn't get as hot as the ones on bikes, unless you're one heck of a scooterer, so maybe they can be adjusted not to rub, but it will probably require setting the pads so far from the discs that the lever travel will be uncomfortable or dangerously slow for many users. [Update: the scooter arrives with the pads set at maximum distance. They're not that adjustable, a feature of disc brakes in general, although some hydraulics allow more.] Also, mechanical disc brakes are known for their limited modulation and brake feel, and the ones on the Fusion behave consistent with the type. That is to say, they grab and it's difficult to use them with finesse. It's a minor issue, but bear in mind that the drum and caliper brakes on Knee Rover's other models work just fine, are less expensive, don't make noise, and, as minor as it is, modulate better and have better feel. I like disc brakes, I'm a cyclist and motorcyclist after all, but the rubbing noise and resistance are annoying enough, and other designs work well enough, that I don't think these are justified.6) The knee pad on the Fusion is very nice. It isn't a split pad, which is supposed to accommodate boots like mine better, but I find it comfortable and well designed. The pad is mounted offset to the side opposite the injured leg to give the pushing leg more clearance from the rear wheel, which, remember, turns to stick out farther from the center of the scooter. It's a clever idea, and helpful as intended, but it does feel different from other, centered scooters, and takes getting used to. It changes the expected balance around turns in both directions as one's mass is shifted off the center. I did find myself closer on a couple of occasions to tilting than I have with other scooters, but it's more a matter of accommodation than a design flaw. It doesn't take long to learn.7) Last, and last to assemble in the instructions: the cover, which comes in a multitude of colors and looks so nice in Knee Rover's photos. The cover consists of two pieces of not-very-well-molded plastic of the kind you might have seen in '70s patio chairs, hence the colors, which are not paint but plastic dye. This isn't inherently bad, but bear in mind this is Knee Rover's newest, most expensive model with a big reflective silver logo on the side. I will give them this much credit: the cover halves fit over the frame as intended and the holes lined up with the mounting brackets, with a couple of caveats. Caveat one is that one of the mounting brackets was bent pretty badly at the hole for the screw. As you will have gathered from above, this did not happen in shipping, so somebody at Knee Rover bent it, maybe during the packing process, and shipped it out. I was able to bend it straight with fencing pliers, and the hole retained enough integrity that I was able to use the mounting screw without having to tap new threads. Quality control missed something there. The bracket appears straight, and the plastic really isn't up to the quality of the rest of the unit, so I can't blame the bracket for the fact that the cover haves fit together with a noticeably open seam that prefers to stay somewhat open. That's caveat two. I don't so much care about the appearance in itself as resent having done all that work only to have it look so shoddy. It has nothing to do with the functioning of the Fusion, although the cover does keep the user from bumping the tie-rod joining elements. So, that's the issue. Knee Rover manufactured a part that is purely or mostly cosmetic and that is the only part that looks like a shoddy piece of junk, which, in fact, it is. The holes line up with the brackets, but the tabs in the plastic that are supposed to line up with one another to join the halves into a seamed, plasticky, but otherwise unified whole, don't. The molding is uneven with areas of warpage or deformation from handling, and the whole thing seems completely out of place on an otherwise solid, well-built, well-designed if not entirely well-thought-out mechanical device.In the end, I have enough experience of Knee Rover's products to be able to endorse several models without reservation, but this isn't one of them. I can say the Fusion will make for a comfortable and maneuverable enhancement to your mobility as long as you have the physical strength not to be troubled by the greater force needed to steer and lift this scooter, and if you are untroubled by having to listen to the sounds of the brakes rubbing on their discs. On the other hand, I think other models will provide just as much, and cost somewhat-to-a-lot less for the privilege.Update: Shortly, as in an hour or so, after I first submitted this review I found the right rear wheel had locked up. The disc brake hadn't fully released. This is precisely the kind of problem that develops with disc brakes, mechanical ones in particular, that can be a real annoyance to adjust, in addition to their rendering the machine of which they are part unusable. In this case we're talking not about a recreational bicycle that is assumed to require periodic maintenance and with which there is at least some expectation that the user will be capable of adjustment. We're talking about a mobility device for a person disabled by injury or disease, who may not be in a position to address a mechanical deficiency, particularly in the middle of whatever activity that person undertook using the Fusion as a means to provide mobility that person wouldn't otherwise have. This is one more indication that the Knee Rover Fusion, to use a phrase from an earlier decade of pop culture, is not ready for prime time.And another, probably final, update: Having now worked on both the recalcitrant wheel and the other side, which also had a rubbing brake, I've concluded that the brakes are simultaneously nearly impossible to align with the discs and, even when mean pad distance from the disc surface is kept to a small fraction of a millimeter, it is impossible to generate enough friction to keep either or both wheels from rotating under a push, even with the lever pulled all the way to the bar. This is actually dangerous. On even a gentle slope, I would roll on this thing without pushing back with my good leg, and in the house, where I often lock the wheels while doing chores, the Fusion's propensity to roll undermines its stability as a platform. Sintered pads would help, but who would want the brake dust from them inside the house? It isn't so bad that I've been at risk of falling, yet, but I think Knee Rover has opened itself up to serious liability claims with this model. These brakes should not have been specified. The mechanical advantage that disc brakes can provide so effectively in modern designs is not apparent in the ones on the Fusion. I have good hand strength, ride a number of bicycles and motorcycles (broke my ankle on one), and have used, worked on, and installed many different braking systems over the course of my life. I would guess that Knee Rover spec'd these because of the issues with mechanical disc brakes I mentioned earlier, their poor modulation and brake feel, making it much easier for a user to over-brake and possibly come to too sudden a stop or lock up a wheel. But the downside of compensating with a system that doesn't have sufficient leverage is an inability to stop a wheel when it needs to be done, and that seems to be the case with the Fusion. As mentioned before in this long, long review, I don't understand why Knee Rover felt compelled to put disc brakes on the Fusion in the first place, given the excellent, established, less expensive systems already available on their other models (the single drum brake on the rear axle of my Hybrid Go brakes and locks the axle with both rear wheels without fail). I can think of three solutions to the current problem that still use disc brakes: 1) use a dual-actuating hydraulic brake lever with hydraulic brakes, 2) use the current cable system with either much better mechanical brakes or cable-actuated hydraulic brakes. A fourth solution would be to use a dual-actuating cable lever, but that would just add another cable and housing without improving on the aforementioned modifications. The best would be to replace the disc brakes with one of the old reliables, drum or caliper brakes, but that would require a redesign. I work on bikes, and the problem is interesting, so I might try modifying the Fusion, cable-actuated hydraulics being my favorite idea so far, but for you, dear reader, save yourself a world of aggravation and unnecessary expense and don't buy this knee scooter. You've been warned!Yet another update: My daughter asked me to move the Fusion to the basement. The noise from the brakes' rubbing was driving her crazy, and now a wheel bearing is squeaking. Really, this model is a dud. Also, I neglected to mention that disc brakes have another issue that other designs don't, in that they may need to be bedded in properly. On motorized vehicles it may not be much of an issue because of the forces and masses involved, but on bicycles disc brakes will squeal if not broken in, usually using a procedure of multiple hard stops from moderate speed. I haven't experienced squealing with the Fusion, but it's a possibility. I know how to correct the condition, but it involves using a specialized spray-on lubricant and performing the multiple-hard-stop procedure. Who would want to do that on a knee scooter? Unless you have a teenager or tween in your home...Absolutely the last update: I lubricated the tie-rod pivots and the wheel bearings, and that eliminated one squeak and slightly reduced turning resistance, although not enough to alter the concerns I expressed above. I tuned the brakes, resulting in marked improvement in both braking and noise, although, again, not enough to change my opinion of the Fusion as a model. The brakes will lock both rear wheels with sufficient right-hand effort, but the built in locking mechanism can't hold the lever far enough in to achieve wheel lock, so the Fusion still fails as a stationary platform, an important function of a knee scooter. Also, not all users will have the strength to squeeze the brake lever that hard. As far as I've been able to determine, there are no hydraulic disc brakes of any type made to mount on a bicycle's right side, so it looks as though it will be impossible to improve the brakes on the Fusion without redesigning it to use caliper or drum brakes. Last of all, and perhaps most significant, most would-be users won't want, or even have the capability, to do this kind of work just to be able to move around. It imposes a huge burden on any person who actually needs a knee scooter.

First let me say that I am on my second foot surgery. I spent several months on a rental scooter after my first foot surgery. I decided to purchase a scooter for my second surgery knowing how long I would need it. I decided to go with the knee rover after seeing a few at the doctors office. I found one on Amazon and my first thoughts were good of the quality of this scooter. I assembled the scooter as directed in the directions. Upon trying the scooter out I noticed that the brakes didn’t work. I looked at the brakes and saw that a part was cracked. I contacted Knee Rover and they were quick to send me another scooter that I had to assemble myself. I assembled the new scooter and sent the other one back. I have used the new scooter very little and the brakes are squeaking badly due to warped rotors on the brake system. Adjusting the brakes does not fix warped rotors. I am very disappointed in the brake system on this scooter. The rental scooter did not give me any real issues over a 4 month recovery period. This scooter has been trouble from the first day of use. Choose wisely, read reviews. The knee rover fusion has a cheap brake system for something in this price range.

Scooter works. The problem is the rear disk brakes are so warped they scrape constantly and sometimes lock up. A simple 50 cents more in quality parts and this would be a winner. As of now I cannot justify the premium over other options.

This thing is sturdy. 30 lbs sturdy and I really do like the solidness of it.That said I absolutely hate the brakes on this thing. They are awkward to adjust and need to be adjusted on the daily. When adjusting them so they don’t rub and make the worst high pitched whine they become less able to stop. I live on a slope and have worn out the bottom of my good shoe coming down the small incline from using it as a brake! A long with the brakes on the scooter.I called and emailed my concern about the brakes and they have yet to reply.This is not a cheap scooter and I am disappointed in its performance.

Thus is the 2nd one I’ve gotten. I returned the first and this one has the exact same issues.The rear wheels don’t roll smoothly. The rear breaks constantly drag. When adjusted to the point they aren’t constantly dragging they no longer work.It squeaks constantly. The plastic didn’t stay shut at the end. If I still had the packaging I’d return it.