Back in the good old days, wheelchairs were good

My first power wheelchair had some issues, but the battery was great -- never failed -- and the port for the charger was really easy to use.

My second power chair -- my previous one -- had a lot of issues. But, as I was reminded this week when I had to use it for a few days, it does have redeeming qualities, too. For instance, it had like an automatic transmission.

Power chairs don't stop running when you stop pushing the joystick. The acceleration stops, but the momentum keeps pushing the chair forward a bit. This is really noticeable in my current chair. I can roll down our ramp backward if I push the joystick forward for a second. It goes forward, then goes into neutral and the ramp causes it to slide backward, like pushing in the clutch in a car on a hill.

My previous chair had a neutral time, but it was real slight. The wheelchair guy said all new chairs have extended neutral times. The new chair is also not as good as rolling up bumps.

It is like newer chairs are worse ... on purpose.