Pride Mobility Jazzy Air 2 Power Wheelchair Review 2024

The Air 2 is an elevating power wheelchair that is a successor to the critically acclaimed Jazzy Air. In this Jazzy Air 2 Review, we’ll analyze the improvements and shortcomings to give you everything you need to know about this power chair.

Pride Jazzy Air 2 Design Overview

There are many manufacturers of mobility aids on the market, but none have Pride Mobility’s reputation. It’s the largest manufacturer of mobility aids today, producing four lines of wheelchairs, one of which is the Jazzy Air. Pride Mobility wheelchairs always end up competing on top ten lists, which indicates how good their products are.

The previous generation of the Air power chair was well received and ended up being a favorite for many of its customers, but like all things, it wasn’t perfect. Still, Pride Mobility listens to its customers and has built this iteration on the ironclad formula of the previous model while removing the shortcomings and improving features.

Jazzy Air 2 Specs

The Air 2 is a full-size electric wheelchair that focuses on elevating the user, but the model isn’t a one-trick pony. It has many features that make it an all-rounder and a wheelchair of choice for anyone who needs a mobility aid. Keep reading our Pride Jazzy Air 2 review to find out why.

Why Get An Elevating Chair?

There are many different designs of mobility aids you can choose from, so why would you choose one with an elevating feature?

Because it helps deal with the main problem of using a wheelchair: dealing with height. It is a daily problem for users of wheelchairs to have to get up everything they want to reason something on a high shelf or from across a countertop.

This is why the vertical mobility of an elevating wheelchair is so important. It reduces the everyday strain of using wheelchairs and allows the user to do more actions that they wouldn’t be able to in a traditional wheelchair. Getting to a higher elevation also helps the user move in and out of the chair easier because they’ll be able to adjust their height to match a bed, for example, and perform daily tasks that might’ve been impossible to do previously, like cooking and cleaning.

Elevating wheelchairs allow users to have better social interactions because they don’t have to strain their neck and back constantly to maintain eye contact. By being in an elevated position, they can interact with ease. It also helps the user psychologically. 

Chassis

Pride Mobility is known for building high-quality, robust products, and the Jazzy 2 Power Chair is no exception. The wheelchair is made of metal wherever possible to minimize the use of plastics for both quality and environmental reasons. Still, when it can’t be avoided, high-quality plastics are used.

The chair is 42 inches long, 31 inches high with the seat folded down, and 23.2 inches wide, smaller than comparable models. The small size allows you to travel to smaller spaces that you usually wouldn’t be able to, increasing your range of motion.

Full-Sized and Well Built

The Air 2 is a full-size electric wheelchair built with mainly metal and high-quality plastic, making it heavy. The complete assembly of the powerchair weighs 202 pounds, while each battery weighs 32 pounds, bringing the total weight to 266 pounds.

In contrast, this makes it heavier than some of the other chairs out there, but this weight helps with stability, which is essential for elevated chairs. The weight is localized around the chair’s base just over the main wheels, making it less likely to tip over.

The wheelchair’s seat and footrest are connected. So when you lift the seat, the footrest comes with it, which allows you to stay in a comfortable seated position while you’re on the powerchair.

Transportability

The small frame and the ability to fold the seat flat allow the Air 2 to be transported easily using a lift, but the weight prevents it from being truly mobile like some lighter chairs on the market.

Seat

The seat is what you’ll be spending most of your time on, so it has to be designed well. The good news is that Pride Mobility produces excellent seating options and gives you a choice between a solid seat pan setup and a captain-style seat. Both options are equipped with a 60-inch lap safety belt.

There’s ample cushioning on both seats, and it offers terrific lumbar support. The captain-style seat has an adjustable headrest, and both seats are neatly wrapped in faux leather with a Pride logo stitched in.

The 14-inch armrests are designed for comfort and have good padding; they’re also adjustable in height and width to accommodate larger users. The armrests also flip up and out of the way, making it easier for the user to embark and disembark.

Both the width and the depth of the seat can be customized to the user’s liking. The width of the Jazzy’s seat comes in 3 sizes: 16, 18, and 20 inches, while you have four options for the depth of the seat: 16, 18, 20, and 22 inches. The issue here is that Pride Mobility doesn’t offer a helpful chart, so you can’t identify which sizes are suitable for you, which makes online purchases difficult. This Jazzy Air 2 review recommends that you test drive the chair first.

Pride Jazzy Air 2 Performance

If you’re worried about the model not performing as advertised, don’t be. A multitude of Air 2 reviews have all put the unit through its paces and found that it does swimmingly. But let’s break down the details.

Weight Capacity

The Air 2 has a weight capacity of 300 lbs, which is excellent for an elevating powerchair. The weight capacity makes its feat of elevating 12 inches in 11 seconds that much more impressive.

The Elevation Mechanism

The Jazzy Air power chair elevates the user 12 inches in height, which is respectable, but its claim to fame would be how fast it elevates the user. It will elevate the user 12 inches in just 11 seconds, which is fast.

The mechanism also allows the wheelchair to travel at its top speed while completely elevated. The previous model could also perform this feat but could only travel at 3.5 mph.

The warranty proves that the mechanism is built for longevity because manufacturers don’t offer warranties for parts they expect to fail. This part is under warranty for a long time.

Speed

The Air 2 has a top speed of 4 mph, which isn’t going to win you any trophies, but the Jazzy has a trick up its sleeve: the top speed can be reached while fully elevated. The model can utilize this speed to travel its maximum distance of 17 miles, which it will do on a single charge (which depends on temperature and load).

The Drive

The Jazzy Air is powered by 2, 12 Volt, 35 amp-hour batteries, which can be upgraded to the 40 amp-hour batteries. The battery upgrade lets the chair travel 17 miles and 19.2 miles, respectively. The maximum distance of the Jazzy 2 with the upgraded battery is 0.8 miles more than the maximum distance of the previous model, the Jazzy Air 1.

Regardless of your battery setup, Air 2 is powerful enough to climb up to 6-degree inclines while fully loaded.

If you’re hoping to ride on rough terrain, we have bad news. At the motor tray’s lowest point, you only have 1 inch of clearance. It doesn’t allow the power chair to travel in rougher terrain, which is typical for elevating chairs.

Braking System

The Jazzy has a combination of two braking systems, regenerative and electro-mechanical.

The regenerative system allows the powerchair to gradually come to a stop once the joystick is released and is in the stop position. When the powerchair is close to stopping, or the power is removed from the system, the dual disc brakes will activate mechanically.

The braking systems work together to make sure that the power chair will not move without control input unless it’s in neutral or freewheel mode.

Freewheel Mode

To engage freewheel mode, use the manual levers located at the front of the power base to disconnect the motors from the drivetrain, allowing the chair to move freely.

Freewheel mode is useful for maneuvering in case of an accidental power loss or if you need to transport the Air 2. Just make sure the powerchair is on a leveled surface to prevent it from moving unintentionally and causing accidents.

Turning Radius

The turning radius of the wheelchair is very small, thanks to its mid-drive design, 20.75 inches, which allows it to navigate tight corners. While this is impressive, it’s a step down from the previous model, which has a radius of 19 inches.

Traction

The last thing you’d want is a loss of traction when you’re sitting in an elevated position and zipping around, but the Air 2 has plenty of it, thanks to its combination of four 6-inch caster wheels and 10-inch drive wheels.

Suspension

Another stand-out feature of the wheelchair is Pride Mobility’s proprietary Active Trac Suspension (ATX Suspension). The suspension can be adjusted to be softer or firmer according to your preferences by turning the tuning wheel on the struts. This sort of suspension isn’t widely used in the mobility scooter market, so it makes sense why the ride on the model is comfortable.

Safety Certification

The Jazzy 2 power chair has been certified as a Class II medical device by the FDA and is certified as a K0899 Power Mobility Device by the HCPCS.

Ease of Use

The Air 2 is a result of the upgrades Pride Mobility has done since the Jazzy Air, and it’s a great product.

The seat of the wheelchair is 2 inches lower than the previous model to make the height more natural, which allows the user to sit at desks and tables. The controller can swing aside so that it doesn’t get in the way and create a 5-inch gap between yourself and the surface.

The wheelchair also has multiple lights to help you see obstacles ahead and behind you, as well as a dedicated quick rise and fall switch that elevates or drops you without the use of the joystick in an emergency.

The Air 2 is an off-board charger that reduces the weight, size, and complexity of the wheelchair. If you plan to charge the Jazzy later, you can always bring it with you. The wheelchair takes 8 to 14 hours to complete a charge cycle, which should last you the whole day.

The controls of the Air 2 have been called easy to use and intuitive and have also been praised for not being overly sensitive.

If you have any issues with the wheelchair, you can always refer to the helpful Jazzy Air 2 manual, which has information on troubleshooting them.

Customize It

To make the powerchair your own, you have the option to customize it by choosing from 12 different accessories, including:

You can purchase a variety of military patches for veterans. An accessory that we think you must have is the weather cover.

How To Get One

You can find the Air 2 for sale in most major mobility chair providers and authorized Pride Mobility dealers countrywide. We recommend buying from them because it’s easier to get help and claim warranty repairs through them.

The initial retail Jazzy Air 2 price was just under $6,000, but you can find it listed for less than $5,000 today, which is a steal. If not, you can find a used Air 2 for sale at an even lower cost. We found out that they usually cost less than $3,500, so make sure to scour the web for a good deal.

You don’t have to worry about buying a used one since it’s nearly bulletproof, and if it does have an issue, you always have a good warranty.

Air 2 medicare programs are available as it is an FDA-approved mobility device, so make sure to check if you qualify for them and ask your dealer how to proceed with using such a program to make a purchase.

Assembly

The wheelchair is delivered with the base, seat, and shroud having their own respective boxes. All the hardware and instructions are provided, which makes assembly easy. However, we recommend having another person around to help navigate the weight.

A pro tip would be to raise the base before assembling the seat because it would give you much more room to move around.

Warranty

The warranty on all Pride Mobility power chairs is extensive. We’ve broken down what is under warranty, and the conditions are so you don’t have to.

Defects in the material or workmanship will be covered free of charge:

The batteries have a 13-month warranty provided by the battery manufacturer.

The following parts are covered and have a limited 13-Month (2-Years in Canada) warranty:

The shipping charges for any warranty repairs will have to be paid by the user, and the warranty does not cover any damages that are caused by the user. 

The warranty will be void if any maintenance or repairs are not done by authorized dealers.

Pros & Cons of Jazzy Air 2 Pride

No power chair is perfect, and the Jazzy Air 2 Pride is no exception to that rule. Since we want to be as unbiased as possible in this review, here are the things we really like and those that we aren’t so fond of.

PROS

CONS

Other Models For Consideration

As we mentioned before, competition in this market is huge, and there are a variety of brands and models to choose from. But a few do stack up to the Air 2, and what we’ve listed below is a shortlist of the closest comparisons we could find.

Priced slightly less than $3500, this chair is the most comparable to the Jazzy in terms of features. It can carry the same load of 300 pounds and is faster with a top speed of 5 mph. However, the Jazzy is known to be more comfortable and is better looking.

This chair is priced just above $2500 and is a complete package. It has a maximum load of 350 pounds, which is higher than the Jazzy. But this has a larger turning radius because of its rear-wheel drive and can only travel at half its maximum speed when elevated.

Jazzy Air 2 Review Conclusion

You can get your hands on a Jazzy Air 2 brand new for $3,999 and find one used for around $3,100. Though it is more expensive than the competition, you get what you pay for: a durable, well-designed product that will perform every day.

Elevating the user to a maximum of 12 inches in 11 seconds and being able to maintain the same top speed you have while seated, the Air 2 is designed for users who want a third dimension of mobility and no compromises.

While it’s a bit pricier than the competition, features like the Active Trac Suspension are useful and make the Jazzy Air 2 a complete package. There is a reason why customers and Jazzy Air 2 reviews haven’t found any negatives in the product, so it’s understandable why the model has been rated as the best elevating seat power wheelchair for 2021.

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Official Manufacturer Support

References & Resources:

• Pride Mobility, Official Brand Website.
• Jazzy Air 2 User Manual.
• Managing Emotions in Public: The Case of Wheelchair Users, JSTOR.
• Actual and Perceived Attitudes in Wheelchair Users, Taylor and Francis Online.
• Social Relationships, Mental Health and Wellbeing in Physical Disability: A Systematic Review, BMC Health.