Merits Dualer
A power chair that drives from the front wheels or the rear, and you change which by rotating the seat 180 degrees and locking it. It carries up to 300 lbs., turns inside 21", and the 5" power seat lift is included.
Front drive or rear drive, by turning the seat around
A Group 2 power chair that drives from the front wheels or the rear, changed by rotating the seat 180 degrees. Carries 300 lbs., turns inside 21", and the 5" power seat lift is included.
Built for real life
What stands out
Front drive or rear drive, one chair
Rotate the seat 180 degrees and lock it, and the chair changes which end pulls. Front-wheel drive gets you through tight turns and over thresholds. Rear-wheel drive tracks straighter outdoors.
5" power seat lift, included
The powered elevating seat comes with the chair rather than costing extra. It raises you 5" to reach a shelf, a counter or someone's eye level.
Captain or pan seat, 16" or 18"
Four seat configurations at no charge. The captain seat is padded with a headrest, the pan seat takes your own cushion, and both recline to 135 degrees. Depth is 18" on all four.
Turns inside 21"
At 38" long and 24" wide this is a compact full-size chair, and it turns inside 21". That suits narrow hallways, older houses and tight bathroom corners.
Batteries and charger included
Two 12V U1 AGM batteries at 34 Ah and a 5A off-board charger come with the chair, and they carry it up to 18 miles on a charge.
10" foam-filled drive tires
Knobby foam-filled drive wheels with 8" solid casters, so nothing goes flat. Ground clearance is 2", which is low, so read the ground clearance question below before you order.
The Dualer is built around one idea and it is worth understanding before you decide. Front-wheel drive puts the driven wheels under you and swings the back end around, which is what gets you through a tight doorway or over a threshold, and it feels loose at speed. Rear-wheel drive tracks straight and feels planted outdoors, and it needs more room to turn. On this chair you get both, because the seat rotates 180 degrees and locks, so the same machine can be a front-drive chair in the house on Monday and a rear-drive chair on the sidewalk on Tuesday. That is genuinely useful if you have not decided which suits you, or if your two environments want different answers. The rest of it is a compact full-size chair, 38" long and 24" wide, turning inside 21", and the 5" power seat lift is included rather than sold as an upgrade the way it is on the Vision Sport and the Gemini. What you trade for the compact size is ground clearance. Two inches is low, and it is the number that should decide whether this chair suits you: it is fine on floors, carpet, sidewalks and ramps, and it will ground out on a lawn, a gravel drive or a steep lip at a curb cut. The 300 lbs. capacity and the 16" or 18" seat also put a real ceiling on who fits. If you are heavier than that, or you want to cover rough ground, the Gemini is the chair to look at instead.
Straight talk
Is it right for you?
A good fit if you
- want one chair that works indoors and outdoors, because you can change the drive type yourself
- live somewhere with narrow hallways and tight corners, this chair turns inside 21"
- want a powered seat lift without paying extra for it
- weigh up to 300 lbs. and need a 16" or 18" seat
- want to sit back and rest during the day, the seat reclines to 135 degrees
Look elsewhere if you
- cross grass, gravel or broken pavement often, the ground clearance is only 2"
- weigh more than 300 lbs., look at the Gemini or the Vision Super instead
- need a seat wider than 18"
- want to load it in and out of a car alone, the heaviest piece is 97 lbs.
- want a color other than Candy Apple Red
- want to travel further than 18 miles between charges
Getting the size right
Not sure it will fit you?
Five measurements, taken at home with a tape and a firm chair, tell you whether a seat will suit you. The guide opens right here with a printable worksheet.
Specifications
Speed and range vary with rider weight, terrain, temperature and battery condition.
What to expect after you order
After you place your order, we place it with Merits Health and track it to your door. The carrier schedules the delivery window with you in advance, so you are never left guessing when it will arrive.
This power wheelchair ships one way. Here is what that includes.
This option works best if you have help on hand and want the lowest delivery cost.
We schedule with you
The carrier calls ahead to set a delivery appointment that works for you.
Your power wheelchair arrives boxed
It comes on the delivery truck in its protective packaging.
Dropped at your curb
The driver brings it to your curb, driveway, or garage entrance.
You take it from there
Moving it inside and unboxing it is up to you or someone helping you.
Warranty and returns
The Merits Dualer is covered by Merits Health's own limited warranty, published by Merits Health as follows.
| What is covered | How long |
|---|---|
| Base frame | 5 years |
| Joystick, power module and controller | 13 months |
| Motor, gearbox and brake assembly | 13 months |
| Transaxle | 13 months |
| Circuit boards, angle sensor and electrical harnesses | 13 months |
| Power seat lift actuator | 13 months |
| Charger | 13 months |
| Batteries | 13 months |
| Metal seat frame, seat post and seat mount | 13 months |
| Caster beam and caster forks | 13 months |
| Anti-tipper assembly | 13 months |
| Footplates | 13 months |
| Joystick mounting bracket | 13 months |
| Armrest bracket, metal part only | 13 months |
What is not covered
Wear items are not covered. Those are tires and tubes, fuses and bulbs, battery cases, plastic and rubber parts, motor brushes, brake pads, upholstery including the seat and the arm pads, and painted surfaces including the frame and the side shrouds.
Accidents, acts of nature, loss and theft are not covered either. The warranty is void if the chair is altered or serviced by anyone Merits Health has not authorized, if the serial number is removed, or if the chair is misused, neglected or kept in unsuitable conditions. Labor, service calls, freight and any other cost of fitting a warranty part are the owner's.
If something goes wrong
Call us first at 1-855-HIELINE. We file the claim with Merits Health for you and get the covered part sorted out rather than handing you a phone number.
Returns
This power wheelchair may be returned within 30 days of delivery if it is unused and in the original packaging. Contact us before starting a return. See our return policy for complete details.
This power wheelchair has a 20% restocking fee.
Return shipping to us is yours to arrange, and the shipping we paid to deliver it to you is deducted from your refund along with that fee.
Common questions
You rotate the seat 180 degrees and lock it in place. The powerbase does not change, so whichever end of it the seat now faces becomes the front. It takes a moment and no tools. Front-wheel drive swings the back of the chair around you, which gets you through doorways and over thresholds in tight spaces. Rear-wheel drive tracks straighter and feels steadier outdoors and at speed.
It is 2", and yes, it matters more than any other number on this chair. That is low. On floors, carpet, sidewalks, ramps and shop entrances it is fine. On a lawn, a gravel drive, a rutted path or a steep lip at a curb cut, the frame can touch down and the drive wheels lose grip. If you cross rough ground regularly, the Gemini gives you 4" instead and we would rather point you there than sell you this one.
Included. The 5" powered elevating seat comes with every Dualer at the listed price. It is not an upgrade on this chair, which is different from the Vision Sport and the Gemini, where the lift costs more.
Yes. Two 12V U1 AGM batteries at 34 Ah and a 5A off-board charger come with the chair. They carry it up to 18 miles on a charge.
Sit upright, have someone measure the widest part of your hips, then add about two inches and round up to 16" or 18". The captain seat is the padded seat with a headrest and it is what we ship most often. The pan seat is a flat base for your own pressure cushion, and it is the one to pick if a therapist has specified a cushion. All four cost the same and all four are 18" deep. If a therapist has measured you, their numbers win over anything here.
Whichever side you drive with. Choose Right side or Left side in the Joystick position step, at no charge. If you add the swing-away mount, pick the left hand or right hand version on this page, because they are different parts and we order the one you choose.
The chair is 24" wide, 38" long and 41" high, and it turns inside 21". Those are small numbers for a full-size power chair. The tightest spot in most homes is not the doorway itself, it is the corner where a hallway meets a bathroom, because the chair has to swing through it. Being able to drive front wheel first helps a great deal there.
The chair comes apart, and be realistic about the weight. It is 189 lbs. set up and the heaviest single piece is 97 lbs. That is a two person lift or a vehicle lift, not something to plan on doing alone.
Candy Apple Red. Merits Health builds this chair in a single color, so there is no choice to make here. The red is the side shrouds on the powerbase. The seat, the armrests, the headrest and the frame are charcoal.
Yes. We offer CareCredit financing with plans from 6 to 60 months. Use the payment estimate near the price to see monthly options and prequalify with a soft credit check that does not affect your score.
See how this power wheelchair compares
Pick another power wheelchair in the same category and see a clear, side by side look at the specs that matter. Every figure on both sides is published by the manufacturer.
Merits Health builds this power wheelchair in one color.
Select one.What does this mean?
Two decisions here and neither one changes the price. All four seats cost the same.
Width. Sit upright, have someone measure the widest part of your hips, then add about two inches and round up to 16" or 18". A seat that is too wide leaves nothing to brace against and pushes the joystick further from your hand, so size it to the rider rather than taking the wider one as a matter of course.
Type. The captain seat is the padded seat with a headrest and it is what most people order. The pan seat is a flat base you put your own cushion on, and it is the one to pick if a therapist has specified a pressure cushion.
Both styles recline to 135 degrees and both are 18" deep. The seat rotates 180 degrees on its post, which is how the chair changes between front-wheel and rear-wheel drive.
If a therapist has measured you, their numbers win over anything here. If nobody has, use the measuring guide on this page.
Select one.What does this mean?
This sets how the joystick is held. Which side it sits on is a separate thing, and it is free either way.
In-line is the standard bracket and the joystick stays fixed at the end of the armrest.
Swing-away lets you push the joystick clear so the chair pulls under a table, a desk or a kitchen counter. It comes as a left hand part and a right hand part, so pick the one that matches the hand you drive with.
Choose the side in the Joystick position step. If you add a swing-away mount, pick the one for the same side.
Select one.What does this mean?
This is the armrest the joystick sits on. Most people choose the side of their stronger hand. Both sides cost the same.
Select one.What does this mean?
Dual footplates come with the chair. There are two separate platforms, one under each foot, and each flips up out of the way when you transfer.
Elevating legrests swing away to the side and raise, so a leg can be held out straight and supported. Pick these if you have swelling that is helped by raising the leg, or a knee or a hip that does not bend far. They add length to the front of the chair, which is worth knowing if the turn into a bathroom is tight.
Included.What does this mean?
Curbside delivery is free on this chair. The carrier calls you to arrange a window and brings it to your curb, driveway or garage entrance on a lift gate truck.
Included.What does this mean?
The warranty is included and there is nothing to add. Five years on the base frame and 13 months on everything else, from the date you buy it. The full list of what is covered and what counts as a wear item is in the Warranty tab further down this page.
