Should I Rent Or Buy A Knee Scooter?
- Kyle Coppola
November 21, 2019
- This is a question many of our customers come to ask and there are certain factors and parameters that should be taken into consideration when buying or renting a knee walker. For many customers the time they rent a knee scooter can end up being around 6 weeks of time. Usually this is a good average to go by as most lower leg injuries can heal in this amount of time.
However, being non-weight bearing comes with setbacks and sometimes a longer period of rental is required. Surgeries that are more extensive could also require an extended use of the knee scooter. While no one wants to run into unforeseen circumstances during recovery it does happen. One of the first questions patients tend to ask is what is the cost or budget of a knee scooter?
Cost
The cost of knee walkers can vary but the average price that a person will be looking at if not wanting to pay out of pocket the price is around $175-$450 to start with. While purchasing a knee scooter might be the right choice if your expecting an extended use it may be the right way to go and we will touch on that more coming up. Let’s talk about renting a knee walker. This is one of the best ways to get the best bang for your buck. Think of renting a knee walker like renting a car. You get everything you want but at the end you just send it back to the dealer and they take it off your hands.
Renting
Renting a knee walker comes with a lot of perks. First by renting with Rent A Knee Walker, the rental models are just $25 per week. This is the rental price for all our models so when renting it really comes down to the user’s preference. We do offer a knee walker quiz, and comparison chart and you can take a look at that by visiting our FAQ page.
When renting a knee walker, it is similar to leasing a car, in that you can rent a higher spec, more comfortable model for much less than if you bought the car outright. This is where renting a knee walker because a great option. A more comfortable, easy to use, best turning radius knee walker is the Swivelmate Knee Walker @ $399.99 to buy its at the higher end because of its extra features, but you are able to rent and get all the features for only $25 a week.
Another fact about renting with us. If you find during recovery you need it longer the rental can be converted into a purchase at around 14 weeks. So any money spend on renting can apply to to purchase your knee walker, so you never loose any money spend on renting your model.
Buying
Buying a knee scooter is an option for patients but does incur the upfront cost, it will always be more than renting initially. When deciding whether to purchase a knee walker its best to consider the following. Will you need the knee scooter for long periods of time? Or perhaps you know you have more than 1 surgery planned so you know you will need it for more than 1 recovery. If so then purchasing a knee walker may well be right for you.
Knee walkers are items that typically, you don't need until you need them, so unlike renting where you send your knee walker back, you will be left with it after recovery with no use for it. So you have the option of storing it, donating it, or try and sell it on sites like eBay. Typically the re-sale value of knee walkers is more often than not less than 30-40% depending on the quality of the knee walker purchased.
Its actually quite common for our customers to not want to look at or store their knee walkers since it reminds them of a time that they sometimes struggled with. So many customers choose to give them to goodwill or donate to their church.
Quality & Features
This is the biggest factor to consider whether you choose to buy or rent, the quality and features available will only be as good as the model you choose. There are lower cost knee walkers available through the large marketplaces that make buying very attractive, however the age old saying, 'you get what you pay for' very much applies with knee walkers. Many of these (not all), are designed for one time usage. For example they lack thick comfortable knee pads, easy to secure parking braking, quick and easy folding for putting in your car, limited turning radius's and in some cases even the tires will wear so fast, the ride can become extremely bumpy due to wear. Overall your going to find that higher-priced models are going to be built to a higher standard and design quality as you would expect. These higher end models also have more perks and desirable features than a model of lesser quality.
If you go with a cheap model you are going to find that it may not be as comfortable or have the conveniences of a model like The Swivelmate Knee Walker. The good news is that you can decide what is best for you by utilizing our Knee Scooter Feature Chart to see everything our knee scooters offer at a glance.
Accessories
When considering renting or buying consider the number of accessories that come with a knee scooter. Many people don’t realize how much of a lifesaver a knee scooter basket is. This basket can carry belongings allowing the user to put their phone, dink, purse, and work folders in the basket. This cannot be attainable on crutches or other assistive devices so it’s a very good feature to have. Other things to think about is use inside the house and outside the house.
What To Do With A Knee Walker
When Finished With Recovery?
If you have rented the knee walker model with us and are still under the 14-week rent to purchase date, then you can simply send it back to us and we will take care of it. By keeping the box, we can schedule a pickup from your house, apartment or whichever dwelling you reside in and take the model back free of charge.
If, however you have rented the model past 14 weeks or purchased the model outright then there are some things you can do when finished. First its not uncommon for people who are finished with the models to loan their purchased unit to family or friends who may need the model for themselves to recover. This is a distinct possibility and that is one option.
Some patients also sell them on one of the many auction websites that exist to recoup a little money back. One of the best ideas though is to donate your knee walker to a local church or charity when finished. This can go a long way in providing a person with a viable alternative to crutches.
More Great Rent A Knee Walker News & Stories
- •
- •
- •
- •
- •
