The Hornet is the lightest chair Melrose builds, a fixed frame day chair made to script in titanium. Nothing about it is off the shelf: seat width, depth and height are made to the client’s measurements, and the frame comes out of the workshop already set for the way that person sits and pushes.
For a full time self propeller, the weight is the point. Less chair to accelerate means less shoulder load over a day of pushing, less effort at kerbs, and an easier lift into the car. The back folds down for transport and adjusts in height and angle, and the balance point, footplate height and camber can all be tuned after delivery as technique and fitness change. A standard build arrives with quick release spoked wheels on alloy rims, a black fabric sling seat and back with leather trim, a leg strap and fabric skirt guards, and the accessory list covers armrests, brakes, suspension forks and a long list of castor and wheel choices.
Who it suits
An active self propeller with good trunk control and upper limb function, for example a client with paraplegia, who wants the lightest possible chair. It is a rigid frame, so the client needs to be able to manage a chair that does not fold, and to be pushing themselves most of the time. A client above the standard user weight limit needs the custom weight build.
Good to know
- Built to order from a completed Melrose script form; seat height, frame angle and wheel position are set at manufacture, so a seating assessment comes first
- Five year frame warranty
- Also available in aluminium; paediatric and suspension versions are available
- Cushion and backrest upgrades are quoted separately
