Conundra

Shopping for a wheelchair is surprisingly difficult.

I'm on a budget here, so I already know we're talking manual as opposed to power. (As far as I can tell, a power chair costs about a thousand dollars more than the equivalent manual chair.) I'm working off websites that I believe are quoting me wholesale prices, which are enormously cheaper than the retail prices- but seemingly require me to buy a chair without test-driving it first. There's also the issue of exactly what each catalog means when it says "outdoor use."

I don't know anyone who works in a place where they have wheelchairs, much less anyone who'd be willing to swipe one for me, so that's out.

( Complaining. Okay, whining. )

My chair should be foldable so that friends can potentially transport it in their cars. It needs to be able to support my weight, obviously. It *seems* like I can get a chair that meets these requirements for about two hundred bucks, plus tax. I don't know how good that chair would be under field conditions, so I have to decide how much I want to gamble.

I also have to decide if I'm really okay with giving myself the chair.

( Can you rephrase that as an ethical question? )

I would appreciate any comments or advice from people with experience in this kind of situation.

(Unfortunately, I'm pretty sure a lot of my friends don't read LJ on weekends. I guess I can link back to it on a weekday if I really care.)